Score Card and Summary
Packaging & Accessories:8 out of 10.
The shipping container and accessories are classic PNY XLR8’er. That is to say above average bordering on great. The only thing we dislike about it is that it seems that no matter what price point PNY uses the same darn box and just take a magic eraser and sub’s in the proper model number! On the positive side the box does offers good protection to the card while in transit and finding room to store this box – in case you need to RMA this lifetime warrantied card – will be a snap.
Functionality & Aesthetics: 17 out of 20
While not the most aesthetically pleasing XLR8 we have seen, the faux carbon fiber fascia is still above average. Sadly the blower fan is a touch sub-par and really is what holds this card back from achieving its full -untapped – overclocking potential. Of course since the 970 does go like a bat out of hell even at stock settings, lack of overclocking is not that big a deal. This goes double when you take its reasonable asking price in to consideration.
Build Quality & Warranty: 15 out of 20
On the one hand PNY has given this card a stellar warranty – the only way they could make it better is making it ‘double lifetime’ and transferable to a 3rd party. On the other hand this video card is really a mITX form factored video card with a blower stuck on to it. To our way of thinking, the fact that the blower makes it louder and hotter running than a custom design would be just adds insult to injury. Thankfully we don’t expect $300 cards to be built like $500 cards and for its class its fairly average.
Performance: 26 out of 30
While it may not be a chart topper, this second tier video card has performance to burn. Quite honestly, this card offers so much potential that we can hardly wait to see what a ‘fully enabled’ GM204 can do. The fact that it can easily kick a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 to the crub while sipping juice is just icing on the cake.
Value: 18 out of 20
Excellent performance. Check. Lifetime warranty. Check. Reasonable asking price that doesn’t require selling a kidney on the black market to afford one. Double check. Honestly, the only reason the PNY XLR8 GeForce GTX 970 4GB video card doesn’t get a perfect score in the value department is due to its mediocre overclocking performance. As mentioned previously this lack of headroom is a direct result of the stock blower and even an ultra-cool running Maxwell GM204 core can’t stop it from being docked a few points.
Final Score: 84 out of 100
In the end, this XLR8 may not live up to some of its predecessors but it doesn’t exactly embarrass its heritage either. What this card may lack in overclocking potential and low noise it more than makes up for it by its excellent value. Everything from its reasonable asking price, to its lifetime warranty, to its stellar performance, makes this one heck of a great deal. Just don’t expect to be able to push it as hard as some other 970s could be.
