EVGA GeForce GTX 980chat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

The GTX 980 delivers smooth, quiet gaming performance that owners are happy with. Multiple owners describe the card running games 'smooth as butter' at 1080p and even 1440p, with one noting Skyrim at 4K/60fps with texture mods intact. Several highlight how quiet it is, with fans staying off entirely at idle and only spinning up unnoticeably under load. Users building fresh gaming PCs and those upgrading from older cards like the ATI 5770 or GTX 680 reported clear satisfaction with real-world performance gains.

Overclockers report strong headroom with surprisingly low power draw. One user with two non-reference cards reported hitting 1582MHz core clocks easily while noting unusually low power draw and thermals compared to stock. Another running dual SC ACX 2.0 cards reached 1510MHz core and 8GHz memory while staying under 80C with fans at just 40-45%. A third user reported 1600MHz on a reference card at 115% power target, suggesting consistent overclocking potential across variants.

Some buyers question whether the price justifies the performance over cheaper alternatives. One detailed comment argued the 980 Kingpin variant offered only a 10% performance gain over a regular 980 for a 45% price increase, calling it poor value for gamers. Others noted the 980 was 'way more expensive' than the 970 without a proportional performance boost, and one commenter joked the card became 'an overpriced brick' once the 980 Ti launched, undercutting its price-to-performance standing.