Worth upgrading from GTX980 to GTX1070?

[aktorsyl]

Just read what he tells you and think about it, think about it really hard. He tells you to keep a more expensive card which is worse than the cheaper altenative and then even goes as far as to suggest buying a R9 Fury X which is more expensive than both the 980 and the 1070, is on par with a STOCK 1070 after disabling power limits, so in the long run it will cost you EVEN MORE trouble and in general is just an inferior card.

If that makes any sense to you, I don't really have any other arguments. If you can for sure return the 980 and get money for it, it is a no brainer, really. The extra month or so of waiting might sting a little, but it will be definitely worth it in the end, performance and money wise.

I don't know about your country, but can't you for example "preorder" a card from an online hardware storeand then just drive there to get it the day it's released?

I can order directly from the suppliers, but trying to secure stock beforehand depends on the IQ of who you're dealing with on the other end, lol. But that's the idea, yes.

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Kinda unrelated, but I hear the GTX1080 Founders Edition has some thermal problems? If so, any idea if the GTX1070 suffers from the same?

[mauserr]

I can order directly from the suppliers, but trying to secure stock beforehand depends on the IQ of who you're dealing with on the other end, lol. But that's the idea, yes.

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Kinda unrelated, but I hear the GTX1080 Founders Edition has some thermal problems? If so, any idea if the GTX1070 suffers from the same?

The temps are fine, it's the fans that are acting weird. Some older cards seemed to have the same issues and if I recall correctly, a BIOS update would fix that. The 1080 FE has problems with the fans revving up like crazy for no reason.

[aktorsyl]

The temps are fine, it's the fans that are acting weird. Some older cards seemed to have the same issues and if I recall correctly, a BIOS update would fix that. The 1080 FE has problems with the fans revving up like crazy for no reason.

Ah right, will look into whether the GTX1070 is experiencing the fan issue too.
For some reason the FE cooling system just feels better to me.. getting all that hot air out of the case completely. The case I'm building now (or going to build) will have at least 1 intake fan (front) and 2 exhausts (top and back). The PSU is bottom-mounted, so it has its own isolated airflow.
Might try to put another fan at the bottom to blow cool air onto the GPU. Motherboard only supports 3 fans but it's easy enough to run 2 in parallel.

[mauserr]

Ah right, will look into whether the GTX1070 is experiencing the fan issue too.
For some reason the FE cooling system just feels better to me.. getting all that hot air out of the case completely. The case I'm building now (or going to build) will have at least 1 intake fan (front) and 2 exhausts (top and back). The PSU is bottom-mounted, so it has its own isolated airflow.
Might try to put another fan at the bottom to blow cool air onto the GPU.

A liquid cooled 1070 might be a nice thing, I think I've seen the 1080 FE and regular 1080s having liquid coolers mounted on them by third party vendors. Didn't really compare the prices though. A liquid cooled GPU might be a nice thing, but it's probably going to be a significant price increase...

EDIT: Yep, the water blocks are rather costly, but holy shit, the aesthetics... hnghh.

https://www.ekwb.com/news/ek-unveils...-water-blocks/

There's also Corsair announcing their liquid cooled 1080s:



Looks fine, temps are quite lower than the air cooled ones as well, pretty much quieter too .

[Schattenlied]

Hi guys,

As an update to my previous post regarding GPU's, I've since gotten my hands on my brother's GTX980. It's still in its box (I don't want to test it out right now as my motherboard is pretty screwed after a power surge and don't want to risk it). As I've mentioned before, my plan was to get the GTX1070 when it comes out (I currently have the GTX670 running in my soon-to-be-decommissioned PC).

From what we've seen from the GTX1070 benchmarks so far, do you think it's a viable upgrade for the GTX980, considering I'm not going to do VR or any resolution higher than 1080p?

I mean if it's worth it then sure, but if the GTX980 can pull through with Ultra @ 60fps for the next few years, I might as well push back my 1070 plans.

No, the 980 will easily, easily last you into the 1100 series of Nvidia GPUs, probly to the 1200 series, no sense in spending that much money right now for so minor an upgrade.

Also go spend $30-40 on a good, high rated surge protector... absolutely do not settle for one of those $10 power strips from bestbuy.

[aktorsyl]

A liquid cooled 1070 might be a nice thing, I think I've seen the 1080 FE and regular 1080s having liquid coolers mounted on them by third party vendors. Didn't really compare the prices though. A liquid cooled GPU might be a nice thing, but it's probably going to be a significant price increase...

EDIT: Yep, the water blocks are rather costly, but holy shit, the aesthetics... hnghh.

https://www.ekwb.com/news/ek-unveils...-water-blocks/

There's also Corsair announcing their liquid cooled 1080s:



Looks fine, temps are quite lower than the air cooled ones as well, pretty much quieter too .

Shit, that looks good. But yeah, not happening.
I'm reading bad things about signature/FE temps in general, and especially for the 1080. Damn.

[mauserr]

No, the 980 will easily, easily last you into the 1100 series of Nvidia GPUs, probly to the 1200 series, no sense in spending that much money right now for so minor an upgrade.

Also go spend $30-40 on a good high rated surge protector.

Did you read the thread at all? He won't have to spend more than the 980 costs to get an upgrade, he can return the brand new 980, which also happens to cost more than the 1070. Besides, 980 -> 1070 a minor upgrade? It's about 15-20 FPS faster. That's definitely not minor.

Shit, that looks good. But yeah, not happening.
I'm reading bad things about signature/FE temps in general, and especially for the 1080. Damn.

Interesting. Let's see what Nvidia has to say about that. Didn't really see any complaining about the temperatures per se, just about the fans going crazy for a few seconds and then slowing down to normal again which seems to happen quite a lot. My 970 is quite loud at 80% fan speed, I can imagine the frustration when a card with (probably) faster fans goes to like 90-100% fan speed, lol. They should be rolling out some hotfixes soon, I hope.

[Schattenlied]

Did you read the thread at all? He won't have to spend more than the 980 costs to get an upgrade, he can return the brand new 980, which also happens to cost more than the 1070. Besides, 980 -> 1070 a minor upgrade? It's about 15-20 FPS faster. That's definitely not minor.

He said it's still in the box, that doesn't necessarily mean brand new, his brother could have just pulled it out of his own PC and put it back in the box, I would assume it's at least lightly used... He won't necessarily be able to return it, especially if nothing is wrong with it.

[mauserr]

He said it's still in the box, that doesn't necessarily mean brand new... Given he said he got his hands on "his brother's 980" I would assume it's at least lightly used, he won't necessarily be able to return it, especially if nothing is wrong with it.

He said he can return it and it's still unopened, so pretty much brand new, and a brand new 980 is pretty expensive, even when compared to a new 1070. Returning it for the full or near full price is a smart choice. You will get more money than you would if you sold it later. The extra money can be invested in other things, like the surge protector you've suggested. He will then both have a superior card and a hopefully good safety precaution, should god forbid something bad happen to the PC.

[Eroginous]

Thanks, those are helpful. I meant it the other way round though: If only 1080p is considered, is the upgrade worth it. However, from those benchmarks (and some others), it seems that on 1080p the GTX1070 outperforms the GTX980 by about 23% on Ultra, with the former above the 60fps magic line, and the latter below it. 23% is quite alot, when it comes to graphics, IMO.

My GTX980 is at least still unopened. Can return it still, but damn, that's another 2 months (or more) without a graphics card :P Global release of the GTX1070 is in about 2 weeks, but launch in SA will probably hover around August for the founders edition, and who knows when for the aftermarkets. Ahwell.

If it's unopened and you have the option of returning it for full price, you should do that immediately. That card is dropping in value every minute you wait. Get your full money back and then put it away for the new stuff.

[aktorsyl]

He said it's still in the box, that doesn't necessarily mean brand new, his brother could have just pulled it out of his own PC and put it back in the box, I would assume it's at least lightly used... He won't necessarily be able to return it, especially if nothing is wrong with it.

Ah no my mistake, as explained later: it's still unused.

[Lathais]

Just read what he tells you and think about it, think about it really hard. He tells you to keep a more expensive card which is worse than the cheaper altenative and then even goes as far as to suggest buying a R9 Fury X which is more expensive than both the 980 and the 1070, is on par with a STOCK 1070 after disabling power limits, so in the long run it will cost you EVEN MORE trouble and in general is just an inferior card.

If that makes any sense to you, I don't really have any other arguments. If you can for sure return the 980 and get money for it, it is a no brainer, really. The extra month or so of waiting might sting a little, but it will be definitely worth it in the end, performance and money wise.

I don't know about your country, but can't you for example "preorder" a card from an online hardware store and then just drive there to get it the day it's delivered to the store? You could also just camp the store, so you're one of the first ones to get it. A little sacrifice but shit, I guess that's worth it assuming you get it that day.

Did you even read what I wrote? I said an R9 Nano with the power limit removed, which will then perform very near to Fury X.

[mauserr]

Did you even read what I wrote? I said an R9 Nano with the power limit removed, which will then perform very near to Fury X.

My mistake, but then still, you're in the wrong here. A quick glance at the price ranges for that GPU and it still is the inferior choice. Draws more power, it still costs more, requires some meddling with to what, at best match a stock 1070? That's foolishness. Please stop giving him that kind of advice, it's malicious, uneducated.

The 980 is brand new, he can return it. He can secure the 1070 from his store of choice and if everything goes right, he gets a great GPU for less than the alternatives you give him cost. Should he go for overclocking, your alternatives will be even worse.

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

[aktorsyl]

Did you read the thread at all? He won't have to spend more than the 980 costs to get an upgrade, he can return the brand new 980, which also happens to cost more than the 1070. Besides, 980 -> 1070 a minor upgrade? It's about 15-20 FPS faster. That's definitely not minor.



Interesting. Let's see what Nvidia has to say about that. Didn't really see any complaining about the temperatures per se, just about the fans going crazy for a few seconds and then slowing down to normal again which seems to happen quite a lot. My 970 is quite loud at 80% fan speed, I can imagine the frustration when a card with (probably) faster fans goes to like 90-100% fan speed, lol. They should be rolling out some hotfixes soon, I hope.

Reminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFZ39nQ_k90

[Lathais]

My mistake, but then still, you're in the wrong here. A quick glance at the price ranges for that GPU and it still is the inferior choice. Draws more power, it still costs more, requires some meddling with to what, at best match a stock 1070? That's foolishness. Please stop giving him that kind of advice, it's malicious, uneducated.

The 980 is brand new, he can return it. He can secure the 1070 from his store of choice and if everything goes right, he gets a great GPU for less than the alternatives you give him cost. Should he go for overclocking, your alternatives will be even worse.

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

But he can not necessarily return it. Yes, it is new and in the box, but putside of any 30-day refund policies. If you think any company is going to be willing to take it back if they do not have to, you are likely sorely mistaken. They want to get these things OUT of stock and this one is and they are under no obligation to take it back. In addition, he then has to deal with not having a PC for at least a month. You are also banking on the fact that the 1070 is as flawless as they are saying, which we will not know for at least a couple weeks. Yeah, it's doubtful that we'll have another 970 fiasco, but who knows?

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Did you read the thread at all? He won't have to spend more than the 980 costs to get an upgrade, he can return the brand new 980, which also happens to cost more than the 1070. Besides, 980 -> 1070 a minor upgrade? It's about 15-20 FPS faster. That's definitely not minor.



Interesting. Let's see what Nvidia has to say about that. Didn't really see any complaining about the temperatures per se, just about the fans going crazy for a few seconds and then slowing down to normal again which seems to happen quite a lot. My 970 is quite loud at 80% fan speed, I can imagine the frustration when a card with (probably) faster fans goes to like 90-100% fan speed, lol. They should be rolling out some hotfixes soon, I hope.

So you have not seen the benchmarks of the 1080 running in a closed case for more than 4 minutes where it throttles and barely puts out stock clocks, much less boost clocks? That's exactly why the fans go crazy, card is getting too hot, so it ramps the fans up and throttles. Rolling out hotfixes for what? A hotfix is going to somehow magically make the fans work better and quieter? You know what they say, hope in one hand and shit in the other, see what fills up first.

If he did not already have a several month old 980 I would totally agree with you. It would be a horrible choice to buy one right now, or any graphics card at all really. But if you already have a 980, there's no point in waiting for anything.

[mauserr]

But he can not necessarily return it. Yes, it is new and in the box, but putside of any 30-day refund policies. If you think any company is going to be willing to take it back if they do not have to, you are likely sorely mistaken. They want to get these things OUT of stock and this one is and they are under no obligation to take it back. In addition, he then has to deal with not having a PC for at least a month. You are also banking on the fact that the 1070 is as flawless as they are saying, which we will not know for at least a couple weeks. Yeah, it's doubtful that we'll have another 970 fiasco, but who knows?

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So you have not seen the benchmarks of the 1080 running in a closed case for more than 4 minutes where it throttles and barely puts out stock clocks, much less boost clocks?

Source, source, source. If he can return it, he should go for the 1070. If he can't return it but somebody will buy it from him for a price even lower than a brand new 980 goes, he will probably still get more money than a 1070 goes for and he still should get 1070. It's as simple as that. The additional hassle is worth it, and will be worth it in the future.

Even with the whole "fiasco" surrounding the 970 it was the go-to card for anybody who wanted good performance and couldn't afford a 980 Ti. It's still a good card, and the 0.5 memory doesn't in the slightest change that.

OP said in the first post of the thread that he has a PC with a 670 in there which he would soon decommission. We don't know what the soon means, but I'm willing to guess that he would wait with the decommissioning until he gets the new card, assuming he'll go for the 1070. If it works, it can be used for that extra month while he waits for the 1070s.

[babyback]

Unless you have the equipment to support a 1070 or 1080 it's just a waste of money.

You also have to keep in mind that these are the top tier gpus, ergo games aren't build around them since so few have them. The graphical standard leap we take each year is getting shorter and shorter which mean that old hardware are relevant a lot longer too.

If you have the money and equipment to get the full potential out of the 1070, then go for it. If not the 980 is a better choice.

[Lathais]

Source, source, source. If he can return it, he should go for the 1070. If he can't return it but somebody will buy it from him for a price even lower than a brand new 980 goes, he will probably still get more money than a 1070 goes for and he still should get 1070. It's as simple as that. The additional hassle is worth it, and will be worth it in the future.

Even with the whole "fiasco" surrounding the 970 it was the go-to card for anybody who wanted good performance and couldn't afford a 980 Ti. It's still a good card, and the 0.5 memory doesn't in the slightest change that.

OP said in the first post of the thread that he has a PC with a 670 in there which he would soon decommission. We don't know what the soon means, but I'm willing to guess that he would wait with the decommissioning until he gets the new card, assuming he'll go for the 1070. If it works, it can be used for that extra month while he waits for the 1070s.

I doubt anyone would want to buy a 980 right now. I mean, there is a sucker born every minute, but selling that thing is not going to be easy. Why would anyone buy one?

Simple fact of the matter is, he has a 980 currently that will suit his needs(1080p@60FPS) just fine for at least a couple years. It handles things like The Division and The Witcher 3 at acceptable settings and we are not likely to see anything much more demanding that those in the coming years due to the limitations of console hardware.

[Barnabas]

Sell the 980 and buy the 1080 instead of a 1070.

[Aeluron Lightsong]

I wouldn't think so I mean if you have more then enough money on hand to handle the purchase, sure why not. I'd still be jelly though