So I'm looking at getting a 980, and newegg has the Asus Strix 980 for $470 (after rebate) and the EVGA 980 for $487 (after rebate), so I guess now's the time to order.
Between the Asus and the EVGA 980's, which is better as far as temps, noise, power draw, quality, performance, etc?
see for yourself bro
EVGA GTX980 ACX2.0 Superclocked is basicly higher clocked out of the box.
Both cards are basicly good.
But you might also concider this Sapphire R9-Fury TriX OC
Slightly more expensive, but in some games its a bit faster aswell.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202187
Also the R9 Nano is about $490 after rebates as well and that's another option to consider (R9 Nano got a price cut permanently and It is faster than the 980 by a reasonable margin.) though when it comes to all around support and quality. EVGA is the best. their Customer Service is unparalleled in the Tech Industry.
I have a gtx980 from EVGA - teh SC ACX one and I managed to get it to 1512MHz stable overclock (thats the boost clock) with a custom ROM. Also EVGA customer service blows ASUS out of the water.
I got my EVGA from a B-Stock sale for $339. Very happy with the ACX 2.0+ cooler. Cool and quiet.
Another option you might want to consider though would be Gigabyte's G1 Gaming. Binned chips, very beefy cooler, and better I/O