Asus 6970 DirectCU II vs. Gigabyte 6970 Windforce 3X

[sakage.shinga]

Hi guys,

I have a choice between the Asus 6970 890MHz 2GB 5.5GHz card and the Gigabyte 6970 900MHz 2GB 5.5GHz card, and I need help to decide which one. I'm not planning on overclocking the cards further so out-of-box performance is important to me. I've been told that the Asus has excellent cooling abilities but the Gigabyte isn't too shabby, either.

Assuming that price difference is unimportant, and only performance & card longevity matters, which one would you guys pick?

Thanks!!!

[CMetaphor]

I have two Direct CU 2's in crossfire. Set the Fan speed to 25-30% any they're inaudible over my case fans (given though that its not exactly a dead silent PC). Still though, with the fan set that way I've yet to see either card go above 60c. Excellent cooling IMO.

[dandelioneater]

They say that the DirectCU cools better, but the windforce is quieter. I'd go with the Asus if you will be ok with a three slot card ( maybe no xfire later on depending on your board slot spacing).

[zsamz_]

asus hands down

[sakage.shinga]

Originally Posted by dandelioneater

They say that the DirectCU cools better, but the windforce is quieter. I'd go with the Asus if you will be ok with a three slot card ( maybe no xfire later on depending on your board slot spacing).

Nah, just want to get a card that's better than my 5850 and one that will last me until I build a new rig a few years down the road. My problem with the three slot Asus is that it'll completely block out the two x1 PCIe slots on my mobo, and I currently have an Asus Xonar DX soundcard installed in one of them. Could I simply install the new video card in the middle X16 slot instead of the top one?

In terms of performance I shouldn't notice any difference between the two, right? The Asus cost a bit more so unless the performance & build quality is noticeably superior, I'll probably be more inclined to get the Gigabyte one...

Originally Posted by zsamz_

asus hands down

May I ask what you're basing that on? Out-of-box performance or build quality? I'm curious because I'm about to pull the trigger on one of them...

Thanks!

Actually I think the discussion is moot. The Gigabyte card at 11.4 inches in length will barely fit into my case (CM 690 II Advanced), so the Asus card at 11.7" will push past the hdd enclosures and thus won't fit...haha

Guess I'm going for the Gigabyte...

[Bond007]

Originally Posted by sakage.shinga

Actually I think the discussion is moot. The Gigabyte card at 11.4 inches in length will barely fit into my case (CM 690 II Advanced), so the Asus card at 11.7" will push past the hdd enclosures and thus won't fit...haha

Guess I'm going for the Gigabyte...

That makes the decision a little easier then.

[Arinoth]

Personally I'd stay away from the Direct CU IIs for the fact I had 3 out of the four fans (with running crossfire) end up having issues, ie their barings were not properly lubricated and they would rattle.

[sakage.shinga]

Actually I still ended up getting the Asus card. Question: from all accounts, this card is made for overclocking, yet Asus has applied only a very modest OC. What do you guys feel is a safe overclock range? I always prefer to err on the side of caution, so would going from 890MHz to say 925MHz be relatively safe? What would the CCC overdrive limit be in this case considering that the Asus card is already factory OC'd?

[Supergrover]

Both of mine will break 1ghz if using smartdr to adjust voltage. They both sit a 950 24/7 though.
Hitting 1g and up usually requires a bump in voltage, some of the newer cards might not though this was close to 6 months ago now.
If you find you get a little rattle noise it is the heatsink contacting the shroud just a FYI.

[sakage.shinga]

Originally Posted by Supergrover

If you find you get a little rattle noise it is the heatsink contacting the shroud just a FYI.

I'd prefer not to touch the voltage. Guess I might bump the core up to 925 and give it a try.

What would you do in the case of hearing the rattling noise? The shroud?