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The GeForce GTX 970 is a high-end graphics card by NVIDIA based on the Maxwell architecture. The graphics card offers a DVI-port, a single HDMI-port and three DisplayPort connections.
Specs
Pros
Pro Good results for 1440p gaming
The GTX 970 manages to handle 1080p gaming very well and all recent games run flawlessly, even on the highest settings. A more intensive situation is 1440p gaming, which requires a lot more horsepower. The SSC performs well, with a very comfortable FPS over 60 in BioShock Infinite, an average of 47 FPS in the very intensive Crysis 3 and an average of 90 FPS in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - all in 1440p resolution with highest settings.
Cons
Con Previous generation chip
The GTX 970 chip has been around for over a year, and both NVIDIA and AMD are introducing new mid-range and high-end graphics cards in the remainder of 2016, such as the GTX 1070. Lower priced cards are expected to launch as well, which would make the GTX 970 outdated.
Recommendations
Comments
Flagged Pros + Cons
Pro Hefty factory overclock
The SSC Gaming comes factory overclocked, which means it'll perform better than a reference GTX 970. With a base clock of 1190 MHz, the SSC offers a 13% clock speed improvement.
Pro Dual BIOS switch
As the GTX 970 SSC is aimed at enthusiast gamers, EVGA has included a dual BIOS switch. There are two pre-loaded BIOS settings - the alternative and second setting allows for an always-on and more aggressive cooling system which is ideal for people who want to have the lowest temperatures possible or to further increase overclocking. You can easily switch between the two BIOS settings.
Con High relative power consumption
The factory overclock provided by EVGA unfortunately comes at a cost. A reference GTX 970 can be powered by two 6-pin PCIe power connectors, but the SSC edition requires one 8-pin and a single 6-pin power connector, as more power is needed for stable overclocking. Compared to other GTX 970 models, load power consumption is around 30 watts higher.