@ereckgoose: @hyperfire7:

The cooler is the most obvious difference when comparing non-reference boards. However, the board can be built differently and is only made obvious when the cooler is removed. Layouts and sizes of the board components can differ, which can make it impossible to fit some GPU waterblocks on such video cards.

The number of VRMs can differ and premium video cards usually carry more for cleaner power delivery to the GPU for more stable overclocks. There have even been "cheap" video cards that had fewer VRMs than the reference design. XFX has done this and was called out for doing so.

Even the manufacturer of the VRAM can differ (Samsung, Hynix, etc.), despite having the same specifications as the reference.

@apexalpha: Not really. Like @ereckgoose mentioned, they just have different cooler designs which affects your ability to overclock the card. Realistically speaking, it does give you a boost by a couple FPS.
If that matters to you, get the Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 970.
If not, just get any GTX 970.
But again, wait till the GTX 1070 comes out then buy the GTX 970 at a huge discount because the 1070 will only cost $50 more than the 970's current MSRP, but is ~2x more powerful.

@apexalpha: Different brands offer either a marginal boost in clockspeed, ability to be Overclocked and/or better cooling. Size is also a factor.

EDIT: Although I said to go with a GTX 970, the 1070 gives a noticeable boost to AAA games. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FWtJXmtITs.

Just know the GTX 1070 has really good value per dollar that will be worth in the long run. At least wait for a non reference GPU instead of paying for the Nvidia premium.

If you are still adamant about the MSI GTX 970, it should be fine for it will run GTA V on max (according to the video).

@hyperfire7: I'll probably be sticking to the gtx 970. Does the brand matter? I'm seeing a lot of positive reviews for MSI

....... Ya'll are being mad technical with him for no reason. 750 is perfect it'll play almost every single game maxed out @1080p. Someone with a 750 budget isn't going for 1440p gaming...

@greatbolshy: That's why I suggested to WAIT till the 1070 comes out. Many who's fond of tech news knows that Maxwell is going to be replaced within weeks. I suggested that build if OP's max budget was $750. I was also under the notion that he wanted to build ASAP with the $750 build as well, but I guess I was wrong there.

@apexalpha: Here's my question to you: What resolution and refresh rate are you going to be gaming at?

If you're going to be gaming at 1440p/1600p/2160p (4K), or on 1080p @ 144Hz, then get the GTX 1070 when it comes out and follow the revised build below since you said your budget could be extended to $850.

http://www.pcpartpicker.com/p/PCV7Yr (Ignore the GTX 980 thrown in there as that was just done to match the price of a GTX 1070).

Judging from your budget though, I assume you're going to be gaming at 1080p @ 60Hz, which is the de facto most popular option. If this is what you're going to be gaming at, you do not need a GTX 1070 and thus you don't need to extend your budget to $850. A GTX 970 will be plenty to max out the latest AAA titles at 1080p @ 60Hz. With the money saved, get a higher capacity SSD.

However, a new GTX 970 will set you back $319~349, which IMO is silly to buy right now since the GTX 1070 that will come out in a few weeks will cost only $50 more ($379) and is roughly ~2x more powerful than the 970. When the 1070 comes out though, the 970 will drop in price by quite a bit (they're already going for $220~250 on eBay).

What I would do if I was in your shoes is to wait till the 1070 comes out and buy the 970 as GPU manufacturers will put huge discounts on them as they attempt to get rid of their stock to make room for next-gen GPUs.

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TL/DR: If gaming at 1080p @ 60Hz, wait till the GTX 1070 comes out, then buy a GTX 970 at huge discount.
If gaming at higher setups (i.e. 1440p/4K), buy the GTX 1070 when it comes out.

apexalpha: Apparently the gtx 1070 uses 5 more TDP over the GTX 970 (150 vs 145). I doubt you need to change the PSU if you plan to use @hyperfire7 's build.

The motherboard you get will be based on the features it has that you need. (DIMM slots, OC ready, multiple PCIe slots, etc). No point in paying extra for features you won't need.

The cpu usually doesn't matter when it comes to gaming, but it just comes down to optimization on the games you plan play. Some games can be CPU intensive, so higher thread counts could affect gameplay.
Example: Core Counts, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVl8Eupbr_E . GTA5, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDWBQPGxGD4

Just be aware of daily deals on the parts you end up buying, so you can save a couple of dollars. They do stack up if you do this for most or all of the parts. (Saved $50 on my CPU, $70 on my mobo, $30 on GPU). PC part picker only gives you an idea on current price, so you may need to do constant research on the deals.
I used reddit for some deals: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales

@hyperfire7: if I were to get the new graphics card would the rest of the build change? Also, does the cpu or mobo really matter too much?

@hyperfire7: for the love of god don't get a 970 at that price. the 1070 is like $80 more or something and beats a titan x and uses way less power. if u get a 970 find one that's way lower priced because 1 1070 is likely to be about as powerful as 970 sli and for like $200 cheaper

$850 I can push to. Though GTA V runs pretty well on medium.

Good timing with these new Nvidia cards coming out. Might be worth holding off to save up a bit longer. The difference between 980s and 1070s is gonna be shocking with the price considered.

Seems around what one would expect^. Nothing too fancy, but the gtx 970 is pretty good. Maybe wait for the gtx 1070

If you can push your budget to ~$850 and already have a monitor with a native resolution higher than 1080p (i.e. 1440p), I would wait a few more weeks and get the GTX 1070 when it comes out.
If you're just gonna be gaming at 1080p and/or $750 is your absolute limit, then here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/HPgDCJ

750 you say? You can use pcpartpicker.com to toy with the prices.