im planning to replace my crappy VTX3D Radeon HD 7850 for a GTX 970.
However, there are many different cards. I've managed to narrow down to just two of them: the GTX 970 STRIX von Asus, and the EVGA GTX 970 with the ACX 2.0 cooling unit.
However, I haven't had any experience with EVGA yet, but i'm happy with the stuff from Asus.
Which one should I take? Both seem pretty fine, but I noticed that Logan preffered the EVGA over the Asus. And since he got experience with both of the cards, and I only know the benchmarks and reviews, I tend to buy the one from EVGA.
Overclock doesnt matter. It should be quiet, and without coil whine. Size doesnt matter.
At this point it's really down to personal preference. They both perform similarly. Have a look at this http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/evga-geforce-gtx-970-acx-has-misaligned-gpu-vs-heatpipes.html
But this isn't the same cooling unit which you both pointed at (I was shocked myself the moment I saw it :P) but they fixed the problem with the new revision (ACX 2.0). link: http://www.anandtech.com/show/8568/the-geforce-gtx-970-review-feat-evga/2
I meantioned already, that I'm planning to buy the card with the new cooling unit, so that won't be a problem. But still thanks for mentioning it.
So, is it still a better idea to go for a Strix? I dont want the MSI and the Gigabyte.
I went with a STRIX on my game machine and I am very happy with it. There is zero coil whine and it is driving 2 1920 x 1080 monitors with out breaking a sweat.