Anyone else a 1st-time bleading-edge GPU buyer because of the 1080?

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pcgeekesq

[H]ard|Gawd
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In another thread,
Araxie said:
... GTX 1070 and GTX 1080 are extremely popular and demanded GPUs.
Click to expand...

As a data point on popularity and demand of the GTX 1080, this is the first time since my wife and I started building our own PCs back in 1994 or so that we have both wanted to buy ourselves the bestest fastest GPU in the world immediately after we finished reading the [H]ardOCP review of it. We just want more out of our gaming than we used to, I guess. Or maybe this is just the first time that the best in the world has been this cheap.

No luck buying them yet, but I check stock several times a day - also a first for me.

Anyone else in this situation ?
 
Potentially, depending on the availability of 10xx hybrid cards later In the year (ideally 1070 but a $250 jump to 1080 for hardware that is released a year earlier, assuming later release of 1070 variants than 1080). I think the new 10 series hardware capabilities compared to software demands and the fact I have much more disposable income than 10 years ago plays a major factor in this.

I won an EVGA GeForce 2 ULTRA years ago and that was the only top of the line card I've had to date, at the time I remember it being fantastic.
 
I usually buy the 1 step down from the top card because usually the performance delta can be made up by overclocking. This time the delta is ~20% and a max OC 1070 is still quite a bit behind a stock 1080 not to mention an overclocked 1080. I want to keep this card and not have to upgrade for as long as possible so 20%+ seemed like a lot as far as long term keepability.
 
Yes, as a matter of fact-- I've always bought one step down. The 1080 is the first time I've purchased a top-end GPU ever, in my life.
 
pcgeekesq said:
Or maybe this is just the first time that the best in the world has been this cheap.
Click to expand...

You only have to go back 1 generation and the GTX 980 was cheaper in absolute terms. $550 MSRP vs $599 (or $699 if you want to go there).
 
pcgeekesq said:
No luck buying them yet, but I check stock several times a day - also a first for me.

Anyone else in this situation ?
Click to expand...

I've been watching like a hawk myself. Got lucky yesterday at a local Best Buy and picked up a 1070. Only one on the shelf. Going to do some overclocking today and see what the card can do. This is for my HTPC and is quite overkill right now considering my tv is 1080p but that will be changing soon:) My wife got the 970 that this replaced.
 
I believe the GTX1080 is actually the most expensive non-"big chip" gpu in recent years. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Mainstream Chip (smaller die):
GTX680 [GK104] ($500)
GTX980 [GM204] ($550)
GTX1080 [GP104] ($600 OEM /$700 Reference Design)

Flagship Chip (bigger die):
GTX580 [GF110] $550
GTX780 [GK110] - $650
GTX780 Ti [GK110] - $700
GTX 980Ti [GM-200] - $650
 
First flagship GPU I purchased was last gen. (Fury X) I usually purchase 2 or 3 down from the top. But the Fury X allowed for Portrait Landscape Portrait monitor rotation and Nvidia still doesn't have that function. I want that for my 20" 30" 20" monitor setup. (PLP) and specifically for the game Battlefront.

This 1080 and 1070 card does seem to be a significant step up over the normal release cycle though. This generation might be like the older Nvidia 260 and 280 generation --- which was a card that seemed to have really long legs over the subsequent couple years.
 
There is nice video on hardware unboxed channel which shows how x80 cards were performing gen from gen. Where since 480 till 980 performance increase over previous x80 was abou the same percentage step - 1080 about doubles 980 and you can see how huge the gap is comparing to all gens since 480 which kinda justifies this price increase.
 
I was a "step-down"/mainstream guy for a long time, (7900GS, 8800GTS, HD6770 (low cash on hand, 8800GTS bit the dust), GTX 760, GTX 970). The only question for me this go round is if I want the 1080 now, or if I have the will to wait for the Ti.
 
I am trying to be a first time bleeding edge buyer but I really want the ASUS STRIX model but can't catch it in stock yet. Currently on amazon there is a person trying to sell the 1080 for $949 and the 1070 for just over $1,000, oh plus $6.49 shipping. hmmm now to find that jar of cash I buried for such occasions.

Historically I have always been a 1-2 step down buyer.
 
goodrob said:
I am trying to be a first time bleeding edge buyer but I really want the ASUS STRIX model but can't catch it in stock yet. Currently on amazon there is a person trying to sell the 1080 for $949 and the 1070 for just over $1,000, oh plus $6.49 shipping. hmmm now to find that jar of cash I buried for such occasions..
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Anyone know what kind of warranty issues might arise if you buy from a scalper? Other than possibly getting an empty box, of course.
 
Not a chance. 1080 joins a long lineup of other high end GPUs I have owned.
 
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No. I quit buying the top card 10 years ago. My uses were not that demanding, plus using a crt was far more flexible and made a card last alot longer as i could play high detail games at 30-60 fps and it was still smooth as butter. With Lcds, you basically are forced to keep 60fps or above and certainly if you have a 120Hz lcd then you are going to be inclined to stay as close to that 120fps as possible. So there is a paradigm shift with rising response times/refresh rates, resolutions and fps requirements. My pan is to use the 1070 until the 1070Ti is released, sell this upgrade to that and probably be using that for the next 4-5 years.
 
I haven't been a bleeding edge guy since the days of the Geforce 2 MX and Radeon 8500. Since then I would generally tend to grab the more mainstream priced cards, especially as I've gotten older. But I really want a 1080 and I'm trying to hold out for one versus a 1070. :p
 
I was going to but I couldn't get my hands on one. Ended up with a 1070 which has been good so far, but I'm still thinking about upgrading. I could use a little more power for this 34" ultra wide screen.
 
I would be if the *#^#^ scalpers were not around. I want a STRIX bad, but not THAT bad.
 
GTX 1080 is still short of what I am looking for (proper single GPU 4k capability), but it's actually pretty close, so I have high hopes for 1080ti.

I used to use 970 SLI's because at the time that was better money for the performance than 980 (I had the budge for 2 970's or 1 980), but after what I saw from SLI, I would prefer 1080 this time round (skipped 980ti because it was too expensive of a side grade).

Also, due to my setup, I no longer have SLI as an option as I require at least 1 card to NOT have a backplate, otherwise I'd lose either my Wireless (and only internet) connection, or I lose SLI. So far I have not seen a single 1080 or 1070 that does not come with a backplate (I prefer getting one without than to take one off).

That being said, 1080 and 1070 is continuously tugging my brain, mainly because I am now down to 1 970, had to loan my other 970 to another family member as their 570 bit the dust.
 
The Hercules Dynamite TNT2 Ultra was the only bleeding edge GPU I ever bought. And to add insult to injury the card didn't work out of the box and Hercules went bankrupt before I could RMA it. I bought directly from them so I ended up disputing the charge with my credit card company and getting my money back. A bleeding edge GPU was $230 back in 1999.
 
I just bought the ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 STRIX-GTX1080-8G-GAMIN. Finally! I haven't been bleeding edge since the 8800GTX, always a step down, but since this card more than doubles performance at 1440p from my current 970, I felt it was justified
 
TheMadHatterXxX said:
I just bought the ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 STRIX-GTX1080-8G-GAMIN. Finally! I haven't been bleeding edge since the 8800GTX, always a step down, but since this card more than doubles performance at 1440p from my current 970, I felt it was justified
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Heheh, were you watching Newegg just now too? Yup, I am now officially a bleeding edge sucker.... and this is probably the most I spent on a GPU ever.
 
I've bought several top level cards though the years and I was really debating picking up a 1080, but decided to pick up a 1070 for now until Vega and the 1080ti come out. I sold my 980ti a couple months ago for $550, so I have the cash, but I just have a 60hz 1440p monitor at the moment, so while the extra power is always nice to have, I do not think I would benefit enough to justify the extra $200+.
 
NoxTek said:
Heheh, were you watching Newegg just now too? Yup, I am now officially a bleeding edge sucker.... and this is probably the most I spent on a GPU ever.
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Yea just got home early ...popped into nowinstock and saw 3 cards available...first tried for the ROG one and then it was removed from my cart when I went to pay...so I said screw it I can OC myself and just got the Strix one.
 
My 1080 FE purchase was the first time I went with the flagship card on release since I bought an 8800GTX from ZipZoomFly like a hundred years ago. I think I spent the same amount on both too. No tax with overnight shipping vs local bought with tax. ;)
 
Normally I hang one tier back. Had three 970's pushing three thirty 2560x1680 monitors in portrait (Nvidia surround). When I added two more thirties I switched to three 980ti's. Powerdraw, fan noise and heat get pretty insane at times. Waiting for the 1080ti and hope two of those can push my five, 30 inchers. If I get equal performance at lower heat and powerdraw I'll be happy. If they can't hack it I'll add a third 1080ti and see if it'll still run less hot and draws less power than the three 980ti's. Hoping for a curved, 70 or 80 inch, high res 21:9 tv to replace the 5 thirties. I hoped the Rift could replace the wall of monitors but for a dedicated flight sim cockpit, with lots off knobs and switches, VR is not suitable. Anyone out there, by chance, that swiched from three 980ti to two 1080's?
 
Gordon Ma Ung called it a upgrade Treadmill where you can keep upgrading but it might not be necessary. I upgraded enough now to know that it won't matter when and how I upgrade and I won't get much out of it if I do upgrade personally and that I own a G-Sync monitor so that makes upgrading even more optional then ever before.
 
pcgeekesq said:
In another thread,

As a data point on popularity and demand of the GTX 1080, this is the first time since my wife and I started building our own PCs back in 1994 or so that we have both wanted to buy ourselves the bestest fastest GPU in the world immediately after we finished reading the [H]ardOCP review of it. We just want more out of our gaming than we used to, I guess. Or maybe this is just the first time that the best in the world has been this cheap.

No luck buying them yet, but I check stock several times a day - also a first for me.

Anyone else in this situation ?
Click to expand...

I am waiting for BIG Pascal (GP102), no interest in medium pascal (GP104)...as I am upgrading from a BIG die (Gxxx0)

Funny how people only can read marketing names (GTX680, GTX 780 etc.) and not SKU names (GK104, GK110) and thus they sidegrade into mediums cores, just because it is new.

GPU from NVIDIA follow a simple path:

High end SKU's: GF100, GF110, GK110, GM200 -> GP102 (+500mm^2 dies, +256 bit Memory bus)
Mid range SKU's: GF104, GK104, GM104 -> GP104 (2-300 mm^2 dies, 256 bit memory bus)
Low range SKU's: GF106, GK106, GM107 -> GP106 (1-200 mm^2 dies, 128-196 memory bus)

Now two GPU's will stand out:
GTX 680 - GK104: NVIDIA was able to use their midrange SKU (GK104) to compete with AMD's high end GPU 7790 - Bonaire XT - GNC2

GTX 1080 - GP104: NVIDIA's midrange GPU (GP104) was able to beat AMD's midrange Polaris 10 SKU - GNC4 by a large margin.

But times was AMD dropping the ball, giving NVIDIA the option of makeing more profit form their mid range SKU's.

So to recap...this is a bleeding edgde midrange GPU.

I wish people start reading about the GPU, not just look at pretty PR letters on a box...
 
Factum said:
I am waiting for BIG Pascal (GP102), no interest in medium pascal (GP104)...as I am upgrading from a BIG die (Gxxx0)

Funny how people only can read marketing names (GTX680, GTX 780 etc.) and not SKU names (GK104, GK110) and thus they sidegrade into mediums cores, just because it is new.

GPU from NVIDIA follow a simple path:

High end SKU's: GF100, GF110, GK110, GM200 -> GP102 (+500mm^2 dies, +256 bit Memory bus)
Mid range SKU's: GF104, GK104, GM104 -> GP104 (2-300 mm^2 dies, 256 bit memory bus)
Low range SKU's: GF106, GK106, GM107 -> GP106 (1-200 mm^2 dies, 128-196 memory bus)

Now two GPU's will stand out:
GTX 680 - GK104: NVIDIA was able to use their midrange SKU (GK104) to compete with AMD's high end GPU 7790 - Bonaire XT - GNC2

GTX 1080 - GP104: NVIDIA's midrange GPU (GP104) was able to beat AMD's midrange Polaris 10 SKU - GNC4 by a large margin.

But times was AMD dropping the ball, giving NVIDIA the option of makeing more profit form their mid range SKU's.

So to recap...this is a bleeding edgde midrange GPU.

I wish people start reading about the GPU, not just look at pretty PR letters on a box...
Click to expand...

There is one major reason why 1080 is selling much better now. In the past, when midrange GPU came out, the performance increase is not there. Titian/780ti to GTX980 is a sidegrade. But here 1080 is 20-30% faster than 980ti which is why so many people are buying this card. In the past you will need to come up with another flagship to come up with that kind of increase (Titian compared to 680).
 
First for me, I managed to snag an EVGA sc last week on newegg. Pretty much all my previous cards were a notch below (except for the geforce 256, but that got pushed down by the DDR variant quite quickly.)
 
socialjazz said:
There is one major reason why 1080 is selling much better now. In the past, when midrange GPU came out, the performance increase is not there. Titian/780ti to GTX980 is a sidegrade. But here 1080 is 20-30% faster than 980ti which is why so many people are buying this card. In the past you will need to come up with another flagship to come up with that kind of increase (Titian compared to 680).
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That you just called the GTX 680 for a flagship indicates you didn't read.
The GTX 680 is called GK104...aka midrange GPU.
No wonder you will see a large performance boost going from GTX 680 (GK104) to the Titan (GK110).

Kinda the same boost you will see going from GTX 1080 (GP104) to the Pascal BIG die (GP102)...

Hence my point about the shiny PR letters on boxes being useless in a technical debate...
 
Factum said:
That you just called the GTX 680 for a flagship indicates you didn't read.
The GTX 680 is called GK104...aka midrange GPU.
No wonder you will see a large performance boost going from GTX 680 (GK104) to the Titan (GK110).

Kinda the same boost you will see going from GTX 1080 (GP104) to the Pascal BIG die (GP102)...

Hence my point about the shiny PR letters on boxes being useless in a technical debate...
Click to expand...

Oh man this "midrange" stuff is always so rich when talking about the 680/780/980/1080. "But, but...it's a cut-down chip" - so what? What range is the RX 480 if we're calling the 1080 "midrange"? Such bullshit, lol.

The next TITAN will be the "full chip" but the 1080 will still be the boss hog gaming GPU until the Ti releases (if one releases).
 
Factum said:
That you just called the GTX 680 for a flagship indicates you didn't read.
The GTX 680 is called GK104...aka midrange GPU.
No wonder you will see a large performance boost going from GTX 680 (GK104) to the Titan (GK110).

Kinda the same boost you will see going from GTX 1080 (GP104) to the Pascal BIG die (GP102)...

Hence my point about the shiny PR letters on boxes being useless in a technical debate...
Click to expand...

What is the point you're trying to make in your rant?

No matter what your opinion is, the 1080 is the fastest GPU you can buy right now. Sure they will release another version later but as it stands, the 1080 is as good as it gets. So what PR are you talking about?
 
I'd say that, if nVidia didn't sell the GK104 chip as 680, but rather the GK 110 chip (780ti/Titan), what WOULD have happened to AMD?

290x, the often touted last great chip from AMD, was released in september 2013. GTX 680 was released in March 2012. If nVidia didn't sit on Kepler for as long as they did, but instead gave us the very full chip that is GK110 right off the bad, chances are, we don't have an AMD anymore. 290x could not have been sold at the price they were selling at the release price, and that's neglecting whatever nVidia would have released between March 2012 and September 2014 (when Maxwell was released), as opposed to just a Kepler Microarch refresh.
 
sk3tch said:
Oh man this "midrange" stuff is always so rich when talking about the 680/780/980/1080. "But, but...it's a cut-down chip" - so what? What range is the RX 480 if we're calling the 1080 "midrange"? Such bullshit, lol.

The next TITAN will be the "full chip" but the 1080 will still be the boss hog gaming GPU until the Ti releases (if one releases).
Click to expand...

If you are having trouble, lets go down to entry-level...perhaps you will be able to keep up then:

NVIDIA has 3 "tracks" for their desktop SKU's:

GT 440 Low End SKU (GF108) - 116 mm² - 128 bit / 43 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 650 Low End SKU (GK107) 118 mm² - 128 bit / 80 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 750 Low End SKU - 148 mm² - 128 bit / 80 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 960 Low End SKU (GM206) - 227 mm² - 128 bit / 112 GB/s

GTX 460 Midrange SKU (GF114) - 332 mm² - 256 bit / 128.26 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 680 Midrange SKU (GK104) - 294 mm² - 256 bit / 192.256 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 980 Midrange SKU (GM204) - 398 mm² - 256 bit / 224 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 1080 Midrange SKU (GP104) - 314 mm² - (256 bit / 320 GB/s)

GTX 480 Highend SKU (GF100) - 520 mm² - 384 bit / 192.384 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 580 Highend SKU (GF110) - 520 mm² - 384 bit / 192.384 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 780 Ti Highend SKU (GK110) - 561 mm² - 384 bit / 336.4 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 980 Ti Highend SKU (GM200) - 550 mm² - 384 bit / 336 GB/s SKU REPLACEMENT = GTX 1080 Ti Highend SKU (GP102) ~ 472mm² - (Memory details not public yet)

You will notice how die-size and memory bus width gives you clues as tho where in NIVIDIAs SKU stack are product resides.

These are the technical data.

If you don't get these, you will read on the "purrdy box" and think GTX 680 is a high end GPU.
And not in reality the failure of AMD's high end SKU, that allowed NVIDIA to match it with their mid range SKU.

Combine that with the tweets of the day (NVIDIA was very happy when they realzied their GK104 would be able to match 7790...) and we suddenly end up with two groups of peope on the forums.

The ones that read the pretty letter on the box art...and would call GK107 for a HIGH range GPU if the box art read "GTX 790 Ti"...despite what SKU was being used.

And the other group, able to look past PR and look at the SKU for what it is.

Everytime NVIDIA beats AMD's high-end SKU with their 256 bit Mid-range part (GTX 680) or leapfrogs ahead of AMD's competing midrange SKU (GTX 1080) it's because AMD failed to keep up with NVIDIA.

You keep reading the pretty letter...I will keep looking at the actual SKU's...I know whom of us that will not get surprised by a product...or mislabel it.
 
demingo said:
What is the point you're trying to make in your rant?

No matter what your opinion is, the 1080 is the fastest GPU you can buy right now. Sure they will release another version later but as it stands, the 1080 is as good as it gets. So what PR are you talking about?
Click to expand...

I am just trying to make people stop looking at just the box art and start looking at the underlying SKU's...that way people will learn something (I hope)...instead of just regurtiating PR garbage based on ignorance
 
pcgeekesq said:
Or maybe this is just the first time that the best in the world has been this cheap.
Click to expand...

I'm not going to read all the replies, but are you trolling us?

Pascal is a disappointment so far. 20% faster but fails on overclocking and 20% really is low. I wasn't one of those who expected 80-100% gain, but a 40% gain on new architecture over 980Ti was realistic to expect.
Too bad AMD fails over and over again, nVidia is a business company, they are not crazy to release something much faster than 980Ti because there's no competition. 20% here and now, +20 more in 6 months, and so on, milking idiots.
Now my computer isn't cheap, but I went from 670 SLI to 980Ti SLI, and only because one of my 670 died. I will stick with this for another 3 years or so.
 
I'd like a 1070 or 1080, but my 970 has yet to really choke on anything. I'm not running 4k yet. 1440 @ 144Hz, no problem.
 
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