I really feel sorry for the OP and everything he's had to go through. I hope an Asus representative sees this thread and compensates the OP for his hassles.
Regarding the Asus DCUII 970 Strix, there are at least 2 cards that are simply better:
- Gigabyte G1 Gaming 970 & MSI 970 Gaming
- The MSI Gaming also turns off the fans like the Asus but has superior Hi-c Caps and Super Ferrite Military Class 4 chokes, 6+8 pin power & 6+2 power delivery for better overclocking, ability to control each fan independently
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/09/19/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/4
Seems no 970 card is perfect as EVGA uses cheap components that exhibit coil wine and the ACX1.0 and 2.0 are one of the worst of all the 970 cards in temperatures and noise levels. The Gigabyte has the 3x DP & the best cooler for noise/temps and aggressive factory Boost Clcoks, but it doesn't offer EVGA's RMA service and is well above the $329 MSRP.