Time for an upgrade

[Luke]

I wouldn't recommend something like this even to my worst enemies.

Nvidia fanboy I see 

But if you get the 980 you will be lasting ages. 

[Teddy]

Nvidia fanboy I see 

I wouldn't say that, I'm just a realist who is very analytic about hardware and it so happens the performance benchmarks speak for themselves.

[Janar]

There is barely any GTX960 for sale here, but there is one shop, who is selling 2GB versions only. I am trying to see if they have the Zotac GTX970 4GB available, will try to get that first. I have done quite a thorough research on the internet too, GTX970 seems to be quite a lot faster.

[Teddy]

In terms of hardware configuration there isn't much of an increase between the 970 and the 980, however when comparing the 960 against the 970 they have a hell of a difference. The 970 is just built so much better than the 960, the 970 has a newer Maxwell processor and more cores than the 960 as well as the 970 having a 256bit mem config over the 960s 128 bit config; which translates to roughly more gigabit's per second in terms of processing power. Do note the 970s do require 2 x 6 pins for power compared to the 960's single 6 pin config while only consuming roughly 25W more power.

[Allison]

Going from personal experience in using a GTX 970 4GB - I've had it for a month now, and I've been able to run anything and everything, with absolutely no lag or hiccups, with ease. If you can afford the extra cost, and you have a sufficient power supply, then it's well worth the bang for your buck. I already spoke to you about it, and you've got my opinion on the card. Just my experience with it so far.

[Janar]

So, GTX970 and i5-4690K are sure deals right now, gonna get the first one in few hours.

Is there any difference regarding the motherboard really? Cheapest so far seems Asus Z97M-PLUS that would suit me, so I am probably going for that one.

[Batta]

Hi Janar

I saw few experts talking on a forum some days ago about the 960. Basically they say it's not worth it and the AMD counterpart is cheaper with same performances, or offers better performance at the same price. I would go for a 970 at least, it will last longer and perform better for just some € more..

[Luke]

With the motherboard, thats the Mini-ATX verison I have the ATX (Z97-K), I really don't know the difference between them.

But the setup you have gave us, minus the GPU is the exact same as mine, and trust me you have made a beauty of a choice.

[brian1996]

So, GTX970 and i5-4690K are sure deals right now, gonna get the first one in few hours.

Is there any difference regarding the motherboard really? Cheapest so far seems Asus Z97M-PLUS that would suit me, so I am probably going for that one.

Motherboards hardly impact game peformance, it's all about choosing a good reliable board (like Asus) to form the backbone of your components. You should just check for size and board features.

With the motherboard, thats the Mini-ATX verison I have the ATX (Z97-K), I really don't know the difference between them.

You're confusing 2 sizes into one name, it's either Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX (in this case Micro-ATX). The difference is that the bigger board gives you more room to put in extra stuff like a second GPU and the bigger board usually has more board features.
@Janar, I rather recommend an ATX board if your case supports that size. The Z97-K that Luke has is equally priced.

[EenBeeFour]

Indeed, Mini-ITX mainly only have one PCI-E slot for the GPU and 1 slot for RAM.

I think he may mean he is referring to his build has one size and the one offered by one of us is another size.

There are differences that will affect your build in the future between the sizes you pick. If you are just building a standard or entry gaming level PC and have no real want for high performance, you can stick to a Mini-ATX for a cheaper option, but will stagnate your future upgrades. You can get cheaper standard ATX boards that will have less features or are older and may be less efficient, but sometimes you don't really notice those things unless you are into those smaller details.

[Janar]

I'm sticking with the same case as I have now, hence the decision for this Asus Micro-ATX motherboard.

Anyhow, got some parts already (GTX970 runs great ) and others will be arriving shortly. Case closed, thank you all for helping me out!