The GTX 970 was heralded as one of the biggest video card launches of last year – and it lived up to those expectations. However, due to a misrepresentation in Nvidia’s advertising, the company is being forced to pay $30 to every single person who purchased the popular video card (within a certain time frame).
You’ve probably been hearing about the GTX 970 refund all summer. Finally, after a long wait, the GTX 970 refund website has gone live. That website, found at GTX970Settlement.com, walks you through the process of claiming your $30 GTX 970 refund.
That website is the only way to receive a cash refund as part of the settlement. You’ll need to submit your online claim by November 30, 2016.
If you want to opt out of the class action lawsuit and sue Nvidia yourself, then you’ll need to exclude yourself from the Class by November 8, 2016. Otherwise, you give up the right to individually sue Nvidia.
Why is Nvidia Paying You $30?
Nvidia’s GTX 970 memory controversy has been raging since the video card was released earlier this year. It’s a false advertising lawsuit stemming from hardware inconsistencies advertised by the company.
Nvidia dug an even deeper hole when the CEO’s immediate response to the lawsuit was this controversial apology. In that apology, the CEO described the memory difference as a “feature” and not a flaw.
Basically, Nvidia got into trouble because the GTX 970 has a 4GB RAM allotment, which Nvidia split into a full-speed 3.5GB segment and a drastically-slower 512MB segment. That’s not illegal in itself – but not telling customers this information is illegal.
Nvidia also got into trouble for erroneously claiming their card had 64 render output units – when in reality, it only has 56.
Both of those affect performance. If they had known about these flaws, some users would not have purchased the GTX 970. Thus, users are eligible for a $30 settlement per card.
Who’s Eligible?
Not all GTX 970 users are eligible for the refund – obviously, those who purchased the card after the lawsuit broke are not eligible for a refund. Here’s the restriction:
-You’re only eligible if you purchased a card from Nvidia or one of its manufacturing partners (like Asus or EVGA, for example) or an authorized retailer
-You must have purchased the card between September 1, 2014 and August 24, 2016
-The settlement is only for American GTX 970 purchasers
-Some of those who purchased a desktop computer containing a GTX 970 from an authorized retailer within that time frame may also be eligible
-You need to prove you purchased the GTX 970. The best way to do this is with a credit card statement, a purchase order, or an email confirmation. You can also do it using your device ID – which means you could qualify for your $30 settlement online in the next 5 minutes. You can find your GTX 970’s device ID by going to the Nvidia Control Panel (just type it into your Start menu search bar), then click System Information in the lower left corner, and look for Device ID in the default Display tab, which should be second from the bottom.
Despite the controversy, the GTX 970 remains a popular card. It’s easily the most popular video card among Steam users. The “-70” brand of video cards is known for offering excellent performance at a budget price – so if you want performance of a GTX 980 without the price tag, then the 970 (or the newer 1070) is a popular option.
You can find the GTX 970 online today from Newegg and Amazon at a price of around $300 to $350.
Once again, the website to apply for your $30 settlement is here: https://www.gtx970settlement.com/Home.aspx
