Pros: *Whisper silent. At 100% fan speed (2300 RPM), the fans stay VERY quiet. I sit about two feet from my computer case and I can barely hear it over my case fans.

*Also, at 100% fan speed the card never goes above 60c.

*Clocks to 1500 MHz on the core / 2000 MHz on the memory without any voltage ajustment (1.2000 V in my case) with 73% ASIC.

*Doesn't sag (actually it just MIGHT a little bit, but it is not noticeable, unlike the ASUS GTX 970 STRIX I had before it died on me).

*Looks bretty gud aesthetically I guess, but that's more of an opinion than a fact.

Cons: *No backplate. Well this is not actually a con per se, but I would have liked to have one on my card and they dont sell any for this specific model anywhere.

*!!!ELPIDA MEMORY!!! This card uses Elpida memory - not Hynix or Samsung - unlike other models (and also prior versions of this same specific card).

I don't think it is worth removing an egg for this, since my memory still runs fine at 2000 MHz (8000 MHz effective), but I would've liked to have Hynix or Samsung memory like earlier versions of this card, as initial reviewers have mentioned that this card had Samsung memory.

Other Thoughts: When both a GTX 970 and a GTX 980 are overclocked to 1500/2000, the GTX 980 scores on average 20% higher on Firestrike. Also, the GTX 980 has 4GB of memory, (not 3.5GB like GTX 970s), but it also costs about 30-35% more than a GTX 970.

Pros: Quick easy installation

Not DOA Like last MSI GPU

Quiet

Cons: No increased performace for extra 200$ compared to MSI Radeon r9 390.

Bought card to MAX ALL GAMES (I said MAX, NOT ULTRA) @ 1080p 60 fps for streaming.

LESS THAN 30 FPS On Max GTA 5 - Makes game look like running at 1200x600 res its so grainy and blurry

LESS THAN 30 FPS Fallout 4 on MAX settings.

Paired with i7 - 5930 & 16g Corsair Vengeance 3000mgz RAM, 1000w PSU

Was hoping this card would MAX 1080p while streaming and even do 4k gaming @ 30 FPS. IT WILL NOT DO EITHER

Needed to be able to buy new game, set all options to max and get going.

Right strait back to dialing every setting, relaunching game 30 + Times trying to "tweak" Setting for games. 10 hours for GTA.... Blech....

Nvidia GeForce Experience Optimized Settings for this card are actually kind of pathetic (setting textures to MED?!?!?), and for some reason I feel like the game looked much better on my 2 OLD OLD OLD 550 ti in SLI.

All together i feel scammed, I thought I'd have a nice boost compared to the MUCH CHEAPER Radeon r9 390. There isn't.

The Radeon did get a 1 star for being DOA - Well see when I get to test this new one that came in.

Other Thoughts: Very sad, not even sure if I should buy a second, or return and gnab a GTX Titan from EVGA.............................

Pros: Super sexy lookin' and very fast. The big fans put me off a bit 'cause I was worried this card would get loud but it's surprisingly quiet, which I love. That's a big priority in picking parts 'cause I can't stand white noise.

Cons: Huge size and massive price. Bit of a kick in the teeth but at least I'm not paying for a titan.

Pros: Upgraded from GTX 760. Quiet. Strong. Playing AC Syndicate on 2560x1600 with Ultra settings, High shadows, HBAO+, FXAA getting no less than 45+ FPS. Average FPS in the 50s. Heavily modded Skyrim is much smoother.

Cons: Only one DVI port.

Pros: Nice card but NO GAME CODE as promised.

Cons: DO NOT BUY this card if you want to get the game code for free.
I bought TWO of this graphic cards in hope to upgrade my PC at the same time get some free games.
However, for some reason I DID NOT get any game codes at all.
I tried to contact customer service but they NEVER get back to me.

So, DO NOT risk buying this card for the free games.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Nim
Thank you for your feedback. Please note the offer was for a limited of time and while supplies last. Please kindly check with your place of purchase in this case Newegg and Nvidia for more information and availability on the free games. thank you.

Thanks for choosing MSI

Best Regards,
MSI Review Team | usreview@msi.com

Pros: I have this card running in conjunction with my i7 5820k @4.4ghz.
Runs the Witcher 3 completely maxed at over 60fps, Even with Nvidia Hairworks on.
The Msi gaming app is simple and afterburner allows easy stats viewing and overclocking.

Cons: No cons. Maybe it's a bit expensive? But hey, f it.

Pros: I purchased this with another online dealer (TD) as it was a Pre-Black Friday sale ($355.00 AR $30.00 rebate & $25.00 instant Visa Checkout) I was torn between the R390X & the 980GTX. The extra RAM from the R390X would be nice in some games as I use a 32" BenQ 2560x1440 display. Card runs very cool & does very well @ 1440 games. It's not a power hog either. Build quality looks excellent.

Cons: As others have mentioned, no backplate! Really MSI for a card this expensive? Makes no sense. Fits fine in my Antec Three Hundred Two case. Not really a con, but it's almost 11" long (279mm=10.9843") Make sure this will fit in your case. I had a tad to spare @ 12.5"

Other Thoughts: I wouldn't have purchased this card if it didn't have the insane deal that was offered. I'm an AMD guy (GPU wise) & the R390X can be had for around $375.00 (or less) I like AMD drivers better overall. The R390X has 8GB of RAM vs. 4GB & that could come into play in the future. Overall I'm pleased with the 980GTX.

Pros: I’ve never cared for appearance, but the MSI GTX 980 GAMING 4G is a very aggressive looking card that would make anyone proud. I upgraded from a GTX680 and the performance gain is very noticeable. It’s amazing how smooth and quiet it runs while maintaining cool temperatures playing graphically intensive games.

Cons: None so far, but time will tell.

Other Thoughts: I’ve been building PC’s for 20 plus years (gaming rigs since the early 2000’s) and I don't over clock my GPU’s, but they are the most unreliable component of a PC in my opinion. GPU's should last the life of the PC and that’s what led me to the MSI GTX980. The high amount of positive MSI customer reviews coupled with the coolest running GPU temperatures I’ve ever seen on a graphics card makes you feel confident it will last the life of your build.

I5-2500k Sandy Bridge
ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN 3
G.SKILL Ares 16GB
OCZ VERTEX 4 256GB (SSD)
WD Caviar Black SATA 6GB/s 1TB
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
COOLER MASTER Silent Pro 850W
MSI GeForce GTX 980
Phanteks Enthoo Pro (CASE)

Pros: It's a GTX980 - what more really needs to be said? One of the best chipsets you can buy, performs very well and can take just about anything you can throw at it.

This particular card is built very well and I've been able to get excellent performance out of it.

Cons: As with others, I would have liked to have a backplate built into the card like my old GTX680 did. It's a big and heavy card so some additional reinforcement would have made sense.

As with all high performance hardware, you have to throw a lot of cash at it, despite the advancing age of the 900 series.

Other Thoughts: DO NOT TRUST THE REBATE PROCESS. I ordered my card on October 31st and when I went to file a rebate claim, it would only allow me to select November 1, despite me being within the parameters of the rebate process. The card is still worth it at the price paid but this reinforces my policy of never trusting any kind of mail in rebate - it's usually a big lie.

Pros: bought this to go with my Skylake build, did not SLI (yet) but decent value price for GTX 980 ($460 after rebate). Installation was a breeze. devours games in 1080p while staying cool.

Cons: my only complaint is only 1 DVI and no VGA. minor annoyance. MSI update software is garbage (luckily I knew this beforehand), download direct from Nvidia.