Power draw 660 TI vs. GTX 970?

flexy

Diamond Member
Sep 28, 2001
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It seems to me that a GTX 970 doesn't draw more power than a GTX 660 TI - looking at TDP it's actually lower/the same as the GTX 660 TI. But I am not sure since TDP obviously is different than actual power draw.

(Connections on the cards are the same, 2x PCIE 6 pin + slot, which makes a total of 225W peak power draw. I just want to know whether I should pull for one of the PCIE connectors from another PSU rail for the GTX 970. Currently, my two modular PCIE connectors are on the same 12V rail on the PSU [4 rails total, each 18A - this is how the PSU is], works fine with the 660 TI but just want to know whether I should change with the 970, assuming it needs more power).
 

Magic Carpet

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2011
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flexy,

I think, it's going to be fine. You have the cables, that's what matters. Go with the 1x8 pin model on the GTX 970 (like Asus Strix GTX 970), to be on the safe side though. There are cards, like Gigabyte G1 GTX 970 that can draw considerably more watts.
 

skipsneeky2

Diamond Member
May 21, 2011
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flexy,

I think, it's going to be fine. You have the cables, that's what matters. Go with the 1x8 pin model on the GTX 970 (like Asus Strix GTX 970), to be on the safe side though. There are cards, like Gigabyte G1 GTX 970 that can draw considerably more watts.

Asus Strix 970 is a awesome card,i would go with it in this situation.Runs cool,pretty quiet actually and has a nice backplate.I am certainly happy with mine.:thumbsup:
 

Magic Carpet

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Oct 2, 2011
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Asus Strix 970 is a awesome card,i would go with it in this situation.Runs cool,pretty quiet actually and has a nice backplate.I am certainly happy with mine.:thumbsup:
It's what I'd get if I had to. Power-wise it's in the same league, as the shorter, more compact Gigabyte card (with 1x8 pin as well), but has much better cooling and build quality, imo. Glad to hear, it's working wonderfully for you :)

P.S. People with tiny cases, might have issues with its dimensions, though. Great piece of hardware, otherwise.
 
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skipsneeky2

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May 21, 2011
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It's what I'd get if I had to. Power-wise it's in the same league, as the shorter, more compact Gigabyte card (with 1x8 pin as well), but has much better cooling and build quality, imo. Glad to hear, it's working wonderfully for you :)

P.S. People with tiny cases, might have issues with its dimensions, though. Great piece of hardware, otherwise.

Hairline bigger then my old Zotac 770 but the load temps are like 10 cel cooler on full load.I had a msi TF3 7850 that was actually loading higher then this thing while making more noise,it was more compact but still that is just how awesome this thing is.:)
 

flexy

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Sep 28, 2001
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I agree that the Strix and some other models look awesome and have likely better coolers etc...but I already got an EVGA on the way. At this point I don't care too much and in terms of performance and cooling the EVGA seems "decent". I dont see major differences with all the different models, to be honest, at least not in terms of performance. I don't expect any "problems" due to "only" 2x6pin PCIE and slot - in the unlikely event the card (VRMs, whatever) should "blow"...well EVGA has a 5 year warranty...
 

Magic Carpet

Diamond Member
Oct 2, 2011
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flexy,

In practice, the Asus card is likely quieter. Furthermore, I suspect that EVGA model doesn't stop fans in idle (but I could be wrong on this one). Performance on all cards is within 1-5% at similar clocks, so that indeed shouldn't worry you. Wait for the card, if you don't like it, send it back. 5 years is decent though, especially if it's transferable.
 
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FatherMurphy

Senior member
Mar 27, 2014
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EVGA released an updated fan profile for its GTX970 and 980s shortly after their launch. Now the fans don't spin until the temperature hits 60 degrees celcius, and it's a slow climb in fan RPMs after that. Great card, I love my EVGA GTX 970.
 

flexy

Diamond Member
Sep 28, 2001
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Yes, latest bios has 0 RPM at idle, but then of course there is always MSI afterburner and custom fan curves too. I personally don't care about "silent" but I know some who do.