Power, Temperature and Noise
Galax has served-up stellar in-game performance results, at both 1080p and 4K, but that much was to be expected. The true quality of a card is arguably better represented by the graphs on this page, and the 980 SOC slips a fraction when it comes to under-load power consumption. There's not a lot in it, but the card isn't running quite as efficiently as the other GTX 980s on show.
Galax's 980 SOC doesn't run quite as cool, either, which is a surprise when you consider the triple-fan cooling solution. Fan speed jumps from just under 1,000RPM to roughly 2,700RPM while gaming, yet temperature rises higher than competing cards. Mind you, a maximum of 78ºC can hardly be considered hot for a GPU of this ilk.
Do system noise levels matter to you? If so, the Galax GTX 980 SOC isn't the optimal choice. The three fans are always on, they ramp-up quickly, and the amount of noise generated under load is unsurprisingly similar to the Gigabyte G1 Gaming. Both offer sky-high shipping frequencies, but both are boisterous when it comes to fan noise - the MSI and Asus cards are noticeably quieter.