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Hardware Asus GeForce GTX 970 DirectCU Mini Review

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Combatus, 15 Jan 2015.

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  1. Combatus

    Combatus Bit-tech Modding + hardware reviews Lover of bit-tech Super Moderator

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    Combatus, 15 Jan 2015
    #1
  2. SuperHans123

    SuperHans123 Multimodder

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    Cute and powerful.
     
    SuperHans123, 15 Jan 2015
    #2
  3. phinix

    phinix RIP Waynio...

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    Sweet little card, for me this is perfection, what ITX is all about, love it.
    Very good review, as always, well done bit-tech.
     
    phinix, 15 Jan 2015
    #3
  4. Combatus

    Combatus Bit-tech Modding + hardware reviews Lover of bit-tech Super Moderator

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    Completely agree Mike - my wallet is quivering in the corner :)
     
    Combatus, 15 Jan 2015
    #4
  5. Phil Rhodes

    Phil Rhodes Hypernobber

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    Built a machine yesterday with the EVGA 970, which is so quiet we had to double check it was on.
     
    Phil Rhodes, 15 Jan 2015
    #5
  6. Dave Lister

    Dave Lister Minimodder

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    Very nice wee card ! but am I the only one who thinks these mini cards are sort of a waste of time except in only a few cases ? I mean most mini ITX case manufacturers these days factor in the space for a full length, double slot GPU, I know there are a few exceptions but even so I wouldn't think there would be much of a market for these mini cards.
     
    Dave Lister, 15 Jan 2015
    #6
  7. SuperHans123

    SuperHans123 Multimodder

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    Having built a system in a mini ITX Node a little while back, I would say even though these itx cases can accomodate larger cards, the more room in those cases the better as things get extremely fiddly, particularly cable management.
     
    SuperHans123, 15 Jan 2015
    #7
  8. Dogbert666

    Dogbert666 *Fewer Lover of bit-tech Administrator

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    I think this is key. It's good to see ITX cases that can handle larger cards, but there's almost always a benefit to having a shorter one when space is so limited, depending on the exact case design of course.
     
    Dogbert666, 15 Jan 2015
    #8
  9. CrapBag

    CrapBag Multimodder

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    These mini cards are brilliant, kinda makes me wonder why we still have the big ones although I wouldn't swap my frozr 970 for it.

    A bit overkill for either of my mini itx builds who's duties only include being a portable lan machine and steam big picture box in the lounge playing less gpu intense games.

    I'd be happy with a mini 660/750 or even a small 560ti (if there is a small enough one for the elite 110).
     
    CrapBag, 15 Jan 2015
    #9
  10. Dave Lister

    Dave Lister Minimodder

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    Good point supermuchurios, cable management never even crossed my mind.
     
    Dave Lister, 15 Jan 2015
    #10
  11. slipperyskip

    slipperyskip Member

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    I've had the Gigabyte version of this card for a while now and I love it. 25W lower TDP than the 760 it replaced and my SFX power supply is more than adequate in supporting it.
     
    slipperyskip, 15 Jan 2015
    #11
  12. SuperHans123

    SuperHans123 Multimodder

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    I remember it was akin to juggling treacle when I built mine.
    The heat made me go back to my current Corsair 350D.
     
    SuperHans123, 15 Jan 2015
    #12
  13. Dave Lister

    Dave Lister Minimodder

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    I'm finding mine alright, Idle: GPU-30 CPU-25 Load: GPU- 63 CPU-60. The cables on the PSU were quiet long though so I was able to pin them along the floor and case sides to avoid obstructing air flow, that and the prodigy is pretty big for a mini itx !
     
    Dave Lister, 15 Jan 2015
    #13
  14. acitodg

    acitodg What's a Dremel?

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    Nice review! Nice card!
     
    acitodg, 15 Jan 2015
    #14
  15. Glix

    Glix Left Thumb Stick in the mud.

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    Did I miss it, no mention of noise levels? (sorry if I did, as I skimmed some of the article, it's late!)
     
    Glix, 16 Jan 2015
    #15
  16. SchizoFrog

    SchizoFrog What's a Dremel?

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    Not much to miss but yeah:
    'The whole apparatus is cooled by a single fan, specifically an Asus CoolTech fan. The fan pairs an inner radial blower-style fan with outer, downward-facing curved blades, and is designed to move more air through the entirety of the heatsink while also staying very quiet.'
     
    SchizoFrog, 16 Jan 2015
    #16
  17. Lankius Maximus

    Lankius Maximus Minimodder

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    Great review. This has been up on preorder on Overclockers for over a month now and it has stopped me from ordering the Gigabyte mini itx variant I was initially pushing for. Is there any idea when this is actually going to hit the shelves as details are still pretty scant as to a release date.
     
    Lankius Maximus, 16 Jan 2015
    #17
  18. Redbeaver

    Redbeaver The Other Red Meat

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    Very lovely.

    But my not-so-dinky Zotac is completely confident it's not getting replaced in my Corsair 250D, since it's pretty damn small too. And for $365CAD.
     
    Redbeaver, 16 Jan 2015
    #18
  19. Dogbert666

    Dogbert666 *Fewer Lover of bit-tech Administrator

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    I have asked and will try to get an answer for you - hopefully I'll have one early next week :)
     
    Dogbert666, 16 Jan 2015
    #19
  20. Dogbert666

    Dogbert666 *Fewer Lover of bit-tech Administrator

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    Following this up.. Asus has reserved some units for the UK for next week. Assuming distributors order them promptly, the current best guess is that they should be in stock and ready to buy late next week or early the week after.
     
    Dogbert666, 19 Jan 2015
    #20
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