looking for opinions. selling off my 750 ti's. still want to be able to mine just in case something becomes profitable, also want to be able to rock all the new games

should i get a 970 or a 980. and what is the preferred brand.
If your primary activity will be gaming, and mining is secondary, then get the 980 (will outperform a 780Ti in gaming, but is also still very energy-efficient when you want to mine with it). Also, my personal brand recommendation would be MSI. I got an MSI card about five years ago randomly, and was so impressed by them, that I've only bought MSI cards ever since.
My thoughts on the new 900-series MSI cards
Thank you.