Graphics Card

[EvidencePlz]

hi all can anyone answer me this: I got my PC from PCS earlier in the morning yesterday and when I opened the box I found out that the graphics card (980 ti) was a Zotac, not Palit. Is Zotac worse than Palit? How do I find out exactly which version I got? it's got three fans

 

[Oussebon]

Download GPU-Z https://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/GPU-Z/
Run it and press the Lookup button on the top right of the main screen. It should (hopefully) open up a page on techpowerup telling you which one you have.
Also: https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/gtx-980-ti/all you could try to identify it by the photos.

I don't know which Palit GPU PCS use for their 980 ti but I believe that with the exception of their new liquid-cooled range (featuring ECGA SC models) they tend to use GPUs closer to the reference clock speeds (presumably in order to keep prices down). In which case there's unlikely to be much difference between them.
So I imagine you have the basic Amp! edition https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/gtx-980-ti-amp - as the Arctic Storm has a built in waterblock and is more expensive, while the Omega and Extreme have higher OCs and are more expensive.

Frankly if you've got a Zotac with a 3 fan aftermarket cooler it's probably better than a reference squirrel-cage cooler (if this is the Palit one they'd have used: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/b3342/palit-gtx-980-ti ) because I assume it would turn off on idle / under low temps so will be quieter. Unless you're running in SLI and want the hot air vented out the back of the case. If the Palit they'd have used is this one: http://www.palit.biz/palit/vgapro.php?id=2506&lang=en it's reference clocked so would be a touch slower than the Amp! (and no faster than any other 980 ti as it's reference clocked).

Indeed all the tri-fan Zotac ones appear to have at least a slight overclock to them. So unless the Palit alternative was the Super Jetstream, which I doubt, you may have got an upgrade on what you were thinking you'd get.

 

[jerpers]

If it is double thickness, it's the Amp! If it's 2.5 thick it's the Amp! Extreme, if it's 3x thick, it's the Amp! Omega. Even the Amp is an excellent card, better than reference.

 

[Spuff]

I get the impression that Zotac is better regarded than Palit, but it will depend on the exact models you are comparing.
It's certainly not a downgrade because it's a Zotac.

 

[EvidencePlz]

Download GPU-Z https://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/GPU-Z/
Run it and press the Lookup button on the top right of the main screen. It should (hopefully) open up a page on techpowerup telling you which one you have.
Also: https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/gtx-980-ti/all you could try to identify it by the photos.

I don't know which Palit GPU PCS use for their 980 ti but I believe that with the exception of their new liquid-cooled range (featuring ECGA SC models) they tend to use GPUs closer to the reference clock speeds (presumably in order to keep prices down). In which case there's unlikely to be much difference between them.
So I imagine you have the basic Amp! edition https://www.zotac.com/us/product/graphics_card/gtx-980-ti-amp - as the Arctic Storm has a built in waterblock and is more expensive, while the Omega and Extreme have higher OCs and are more expensive.

Frankly if you've got a Zotac with a 3 fan aftermarket cooler it's probably better than a reference squirrel-cage cooler (if this is the Palit one they'd have used: https://www.techpowerup.com/gpudb/b3342/palit-gtx-980-ti ) because I assume it would turn off on idle / under low temps so will be quieter. Unless you're running in SLI and want the hot air vented out the back of the case. If the Palit they'd have used is this one: http://www.palit.biz/palit/vgapro.php?id=2506&lang=en it's reference clocked so would be a touch slower than the Amp! (and no faster than any other 980 ti as it's reference clocked).

Indeed all the tri-fan Zotac ones appear to have at least a slight overclock to them. So unless the Palit alternative was the Super Jetstream, which I doubt, you may have got an upgrade on what you were thinking you'd get.

Hiya wow this was much more than what I expected. Every single assuption you made was correct. that GPUZ prog was brilliant. i clicked on that button at the top right and it went to zotac's side and told me mine was the amp version. yes the three fans totally shut down when under idle load and i can only assume they kick in when i run a gpu intensive app. i have no way to find out if they actually work or not 'cause my case (fractal r5) doesn't have a window on the sides. i guess i have to open the side case one day and make sure the fans are running. thank you so much for your detailed response.

if you ever have time, can you also give me some advice? I'm gonna get the 1080 from PCS when it comes out (cause pcs said if i install foreign parts in my PCS pc and something breaks down because of it, then my warranty will be void.). so when i put the 1080 in my pc, can i also leave the 980ti in it and make it a SLI setup? or do i throw out the 980 ti and just leave the 1080 in? also, i picked a 750 watt psu with this PCS build. do i need to get a higher watt psu when i get the 1080?

thanks again.

p.s. sorry if my questions sound weird and stupid but i'm still a noob at all these. i don't have a lot of experience. also, thanks everyone else on this thread for your valuable input. really appreciated 'em

 

[Rakk]

so when i put the 1080 in my pc, can i also leave the 980ti in it and make it a SLI setup?

Afraid not, for an SLI setup both cards need to be the same, so you could SLI two 980 cards or you could SLI two 1080 cards but you cannot SLI a 980ti with a 1080. So you will have to remove the 980ti.
I think quite a few people try to sell their old graphics card son places like eBay or Gumtree, or just keep them as backup or for other machines.
Your 750W PSU should power a single 1080 perfectly fine (it may even be enough to power two of them if you SLI later - but I just don't know

 

[EvidencePlz]

hi rakk, thanks for your reply. so if i buy another 980ti and make it a SLI setup with my existing 980ti, will i get more performance than a single 1080 in games such as gta 5 and dcs world? (these are the only two games i play atm). removing the 980ti and getting the 1080 seems like a very wasteful ideal atm because i probably paid more than £500 for the former when i ordered the PC from PCS. If i sell the 980ti i'll definitely make a loss as not many people would want to pay 500 for it when they can pay the same or less for a 1070 or 1080. do you have any ideas as to what else can be done with the 980ti besides attempting to sell it or keeping it in storage? thanks

 

[keynes]

2 x GTX 980 ti should offer better performance in most games , you can check benchmarks online for the games you are interested. There is nothing else you could do with the gtx 980 ti, that is always the case with GPUs unfortunately and you either keep it or sell it at a loss