GTX 980 ti or wait for 2016?

A

Aumakua

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
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I have been running a GTX 970 with my Dell U2710 (2560X1440) since last year and have been happy with the performance (was running a GTX 670 with that monitor before, so big improvement).

I recently upgraded to skylake (from sandy) and was considering jumping into the ultra wide 34" 3440X1440 market (probably the Dell U3415w) but prices are dropping quickly on those and I am hoping they will be around $600-$700 in the 4th quarter (already seen deals for $800 on them through newegg.com).

I know the GTX 970 will struggle with the ultra wide res, while the 980 ti should be plenty for my demands, BUT its also tough for me to buy what I consider "old tech" at market prices, yes the ti just came out a few months ago but its still the 9 series tech and the pascal is coming next year, like with past Nvidia cards, the 1070 or whatever it will be called could match the performance of the 980 ti for half the price!

Am I throwing money away if I go with a 980 ti & ultrawide monitor now versus waiting 6-9 months?
 
I would wait if you want to upgrade both at the same time. G-sync equipped ultrawide displays with AHVA panels are on the way. By the time prices on those drop Pascal will be out.

Another option, if you can't wait, is to add another GTX 970 for SLI, which will give about the same performance as a single 980 Ti for half the cost. I don't know if VRAM will be an issue at 3440x1440 or not, though.
 
yeah VRAM is an issue, which is the biggest reason I wanted to switch. Plus I don't care for SLI, used it a few times in the past and I would rather go with the best single GPU even if the cost/performance isn't as good.

I would prefer a gsync monitor and even though I like IPS for photo editing the VA would be better for gaming.

My ultimate monitor would be a 39" ultra wide 5160X2160 but I don't think those will be out for some time and would need Pascal for sure (probably in SLI) to get 60fps+
 
Wait for the G-sync Ultrawides. I just ordered a Dell 34" for 800€, will pick it up saturday, but I'm not a hardcore gamer. My GTX 770 will suffice until I upgrade to the next X80 ti.
 
No point waiting. Tons of games coming out this season and if you want to give a WQHD screen a workout you need the horsepower of 980 Ti.
 
Despite having the letters "VA" in the acronym, AHVA is actually an IPS-based panel technology from AUOptronics. It gives response times close to that of a TN while offering the color and viewing angle advantages of an IPS. They have an AHVA panel that is able to hit 144 Hz now with little to no ghosting. The G-sync ultrawides from Acer and ASUS coming out soon will be able to hit 75 Hz.

Thing about technology is there will always be something new and better just around the corner. You ultimately have to decide for yourself whether or not it is worth it at this moment in time. Pascal may not actually be out until Spring 2017, even though NVIDIA's product launch history points to the fall next year. Will you be willing to potentially hold out for another year and a half?
 
I would grab another 970 to hold you off. I just bought two of them myself for 3d surround and they run great for me. 5760x1080 in 3D is at least as demanding as 4K if not more so and I'm getting 40+fps in ultra mode on many games in 3D surround with these cards.
 
I dont know about half the price, but possibly less.. Ive been considering an ROG swift, the IPS gsync when it releases. Im still on x2 780 tis atm. I dont think ill be going 4k till a competative FPS type releases.

You could find some 2nd hand TiX cards :D
 
Im jumping now, mainly because of fallout. I will be getting the ACER Gsync Ultrawidewhen it becomes available this or next month, and a 980 ti
 
BroHamBone said:
I dont know about half the price, but possibly less.. Ive been considering an ROG swift, the IPS gsync when it releases. Im still on x2 780 tis atm. I dont think ill be going 4k till a competative FPS type releases.

You could find some 2nd hand TiX cards :D
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A used TITAN X still goes for around $800. For 3% more performance it still doesn't make sense to get one over a 980 Ti at that price.
 
Aumakua said:
I know the GTX 970 will struggle with the ultra wide res, while the 980 ti should be plenty for my demands, BUT its also tough for me to buy what I consider "old tech" at market prices, yes the ti just came out a few months ago but its still the 9 series tech and the pascal is coming next year, like with past Nvidia cards, the 1070 or whatever it will be called could match the performance of the 980 ti for half the price!
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Eh I think it'll be a bit different this time around. 14/16nm is a pretty expensive node (inflection point of cost per transistor), then throw in HBM2 and I really doubt the savings will be that significant.

BroHamBone said:
I dont know about half the price, but possibly less.. Ive been considering an ROG swift, the IPS gsync when it releases. Im still on x2 780 tis atm. I dont think ill be going 4k till a competative FPS type releases.

You could find some 2nd hand TiX cards :D
Click to expand...

IPS G-Sync already exists in the form of Acer XB270HU, although QC and build quality are subpar at least for the initial batches.
 
Cygnus A said:
Im jumping now, mainly because of fallout. I will be getting the ACER Gsync Ultrawidewhen it becomes available this or next month, and a 980 ti
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You can probably run Fallout 4 on a Gtx 680 at 4k maxed out since that game is not about the graphics or animations or you know stuff that makes games look good (like Witcher 3).
 
n=1 said:
IPS G-Sync already exists in the form of Acer XB270HU, although QC and build quality are subpar at least for the initial batches.
Click to expand...

If its not 1ms, i dont want it....and its not.(both acer and asus ips whoch i just realized.)

Whoch o may settle for the TN swift...or wait for another year
 
lol well in that case you can forget about IPS for the next few years if 1ms is what you're gunning for
 
Get a 980 Ti. I game at 25x14 and I'd say a 980 Ti just barely does the job at this resolution if you want high fps with high details so I can't imagine a 970 being a satisfactory experience at 34x14, at least for me anyway. Even when Pascal comes next year, what guarantee is there that big pascal will come first or soon after? They may just start with the GP204 core which I'm sure the 980 Ti will be very close to in performance to, going off past trends I'm gonna take a guess that the big Pascal won't arrive till 2017 so enjoy your 980 Ti till then.
 
980 Ti 4K test

970 SLI 4K test

BF4 2160p
980 Ti - 44.8, 4X AA, Ultra
970 SLI - 54.3, 2X AA, Ultra

...that's the only game that is used between both reviews.

I'm sure you can find a lot more single 980Ti vs 970 SLI reviews across the web and make the determination about which is better for your needs and plans.
 
DejaWiz said:
980 Ti 4K test

970 SLI 4K test

BF4 2160p
980 Ti - 44.8, 4X AA, Ultra
970 SLI - 54.3, 2X AA, Ultra

...that's the only game that is used between both reviews.

I'm sure you can find a lot more single 980Ti vs 970 SLI reviews across the web and make the determination about which is better for your needs and plans.
Click to expand...

FPS won't tell the whole tale. The 970 SLI generally just doesn't have enough VRAM for 4K whereas the 980 Ti is just barely enough to run games at 30-40 fps depending on the game if you want to keep high details. I've had both 970 SLI and now a single 980 Ti and there is no real difference in frame rates at 1440p but the 980 Ti is maybe a bit smoother overall.

At the moment we know nothing about Pascal performance. The first cards might just as well be a slight upgrade on 970 and 980 (possibly more of an upgrade for laptops as they can run at lower temps) and the full blown cards could come out much later. Or at least that's what I'm hoping as a 980 Ti owner! :D

But seriously, I don't recommend upgrading OP's display or graphics card right now. 3440x1440 and 4K still require lots of performance and can't run at as high refresh rates as 144 Hz G-Sync displays. When Displayport 1.3 cards start becoming available then we might start seeing 4K displays at 100-120 Hz and that's when you want to get the best GPU available. For now 970 is adequate for 1440p as long as you don't use MSAA and max settings.
 
I say upgrade if you need the performance and can afford it. I say you will be waiting about 9 months for little pascal, 1-3 months for good availability afterwards. I don't see big Pascal happening next year.
 
I'm holding out until next year. I'm running a gtx 570, and almost bit on the 900 series, but it's just a re-iteration of the 800 series. I'm waiting until they come out with brand spankin' new everything. Plus, by then, hopefully, hopefully, AMD will put out their new processor and breathe some fresh air into the marketplace, and our wallets win. I plan on upgrading everything at once as well.
 
I would personally get a 980ti and stay away from multiGPU. Too many good games to be enjoyed! Then reassess in 2017.

I absolutely love ultra wide. I've had Titan X and 34" 21:9 for six months now.

Only you can answer if it's worth it... I can say it greatly increased my immersion. I always wanted something close to multi display without the bezels.
 
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As someone that used to have a dell u2711, changing monitor was my best gaming decision, that thing was a blur fest, could barely see anything during motion, now fps/racing games are actually enjoyable and my eyes are not bleeding...
 
I bought now. Can't wait to see performance with one gpu over two in sli. Pascal and Volta (and any hope for AMD) are just to far out.
 
Most likely GPx04/x06 will arrive first, which judging by previous gen will give you about 10-30% boost. But that's still pretty far out.

I'd say if you have the cash, buy the 980Ti and get the enjoyment now. You can always sell it and upgrade when Pascal drops, if it's a worthy upgrade.

I don't expect the first crop of Pascal cards to be a worthy upgrade to the 980Ti in pretty much every way except price and TDP, considering manufacturing difficulties I've read about.
 
I am in a similar situation and I have decided to wait. I use a 4k monitor, so high VRAM is a necessity so as not to bottleneck the resolution. Supposedly the Pascal flagship card is going to be a monster when it comes to VRAM: nVidia has stated it will have 32gb, which seems like overkill, but as long as the rest of the card is up to spec as well, you won't be hearing any complaints from me!
 
Casual, or part-time gamer cause you have a bunch of other shite going on in your life, wait.

Hard core, I'd rather game then bang my GF, then BUY NOW DAMMMMMMIT.
 
I really have to wonder why people ask this question OVER and OVER again???? Really??? You can ALWAYS wait....or buy now.....why ask the same question every damn time a card is released?!?
 
Sprayingmango said:
I really have to wonder why people ask this question OVER and OVER again???? Really??? You can ALWAYS wait....or buy now.....why ask the same question every damn time a card is released?!?
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I think some people want to be nudged into buying now. Who doesn't like new hardware? Trouble is, it can be difficult to justify the purchasing decision, so people are always on the look out for a rationale that will soothe their conscience :)
 
spintroniX said:
I think some people want to be nudged into buying now. Who doesn't like new hardware? Trouble is, it can be difficult to justify the purchasing decision, so people are always on the look out for a rationale that will soothe their conscience :)
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or maybe the OP simply wonders if someone here has heard some rumors that will make waiting easier (i.e. new card is just around the corner, will be much faster at same price point, etc.)
 
spintroniX said:
or maybe the OP simply wonders if someone here has heard some rumors that will make waiting easier (i.e. new card is just around the corner, will be much faster at same price point, etc.)
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yeah I agree, people just want to make sure they are not buying now when the next best thing is like next week or next month. I like to buy now and then also buy later.

When will then be now? Soon!
 
spintroniX said:
or maybe the OP simply wonders if someone here has heard some rumors that will make waiting easier (i.e. new card is just around the corner, will be much faster at same price point, etc.)
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If there were any rumors they'd be plastered everywhere already without needing to ask. Nvidia's time frame for Pascal is certainly not going to be any earlier than March 2016
 
New shiny syndrome. New...Shiny...all that is left is your choice.

If you have a 970, might be buyers remorse come 2016 with Pascal if you buy a 980 ti now. Of course, you're talking to a guy who is still on x58 and SLI 680's, since I don't play many high-end games lately.

If it were me, I'd wait. Now when I upgrade, i want to FEEL the upgrade. No more of this crappy 5-10% increase. I want minimum 50%+ increases now.
 
Buy now and enjoy it. There's always going to be new hardware around the corner. I just bought a 3440x1440 monitor and a 980 ti, no regrets.
 
If you upgrade every 4+ years buy later. If you upgrade every ~1-2 years (maybe every 3) buy now. It really depends on how much money you have to spend and how much pc gaming you do. No one can tell you what to buy. We don't know how much pascal will improve and when it will be matured.
 
I also am debating upgrading to a 980ti or waiting. Can't seem to find Maya 2014 and Adobe benchmarks for 980 ti.

Other question 980ti performance at 5760x1200 for Battlefield 4, Hardline and Battlefront. Considering getting a 3rd screen for surround.

FF14 runs great on the 780 at 1920x1200.
 
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