$509 MSI Armor OC 1080 do I pull the trigger?

[Apollo68]

I'm wondering if this is a good deal / if it will drop in the future. Sold on Amazon and concerned the price will drop further on Prime Day or soon after.

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

what do you currently have as your GPU?

 

[Apollo68]

what do you currently have as your GPU?

1050 ti

currently run an i3 6100 with a shitty mobo that recently broke so I'm looking to sell spare parts and build a new system.

Looking at:
i5 8600K
Asus Z370-A
2x8gb 3200MHz DDR4 RAM

also going for a white with black accent asthetic (so I was also looking at GALAX's 1070ti exoc-sniper white card)

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

Holy mother balls of Satan. That choice of GPU is extreme. unless GALAX cards have magically become more competitive in pricing as of late.

You don't need the fastest of RAM with Intel chips, You'll do just fine with slower speeds as long as you don't go below 2400Mhz, so if your options get you cheaper price to make it worth it, I'd look into slower speeds around 2666Mhz to 3000Mhz so that you can save a little cash.

But as it currently stands, if your goal is to go beefier then at current, the $500 price of a 1080 is basically MSRP which is good. Honestly, I don't see them getting any cheaper until a sale happens such as black friday. If you feel like you can hold off until black friday then do so and don't be picky about the brand of card you go get and just get the card that has the best deal on it since you can overclock and get virtually the same performance as another card that get's overclocked as well. Some cards overclock better than others for sure, so don't go with the low end versions of the 1080 but get a mid range to high end model if the price is right.

 

[Apollo68]

Holy mother balls of Satan. That choice of GPU is extreme. unless GALAX cards have magically become more competitive in pricing as of late.

You don't need the fastest of RAM with Intel chips, You'll do just fine with slower speeds as long as you don't go below 2400Mhz, so if your options get you cheaper price to make it worth it, I'd look into slower speeds around 2666Mhz to 3000Mhz so that you can save a little cash.

But as it currently stands, if your goal is to go beefier then at current, the $500 price of a 1080 is basically MSRP which is good. Honestly, I don't see them getting any cheaper until a sale happens such as black friday. If you feel like you can hold off until black friday then do so and don't be picky about the brand of card you go get and just get the card that has the best deal on it since you can overclock and get virtually the same performance as another card that get's overclocked as well. Some cards overclock better than others for sure, so don't go with the low end versions of the 1080 but get a mid range to high end model if the price is right.

Yeah I mean after seeing this card being a mid-tier option from msi at close to MSRP I've handily ruled out the GALAX lol despite it's awesome looks. I am looking for some upgrades and future proofing for 1080p 144Hz gaming. I'll sleep on it tonight and probably decide in the morning

 

[iamacow]

NOOOOO! Armor cards have horrible heatsinks. MSI just threw on a heatsink that can barely cool a 1060, let alone a 1080 or 1080 TI. Total junk. The PCB is custom and the same as the high end cards, so MSI other cards like the Titanium, Gaming Z, Gaming X will all fit if you can find a cooler on ebay.

 

[Apollo68]

NOOOOO! Armor cards have horrible heatsinks. MSI just threw on a heatsink that can barely cool a 1060, let alone a 1080 or 1080 TI. Total junk. The PCB is custom and the same as the high end cards, so MSI other cards like the Titanium, Gaming Z, Gaming X will all fit if you can find a cooler on ebay.

What would you recommend for a water cooled gpu to really make this thing fly? I have never dabbled in GPU coolers (only really know that they void warranties - but if it's water cooled it'll probably last a while).

I currently plan on using the Deepcool - CAPTAIN 240EX WHITE to cool my CPU.

 

[iamacow]

Other than custom waterblock from EK you cannot watercool with with a AIO cooler. It will not fit.

https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc1080-gtx-tf6-acetal-nickel

 

[Apollo68]

Other than custom waterblock from EK you cannot watercool with with a AIO cooler. It will not fit.

https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-fc1080-gtx-tf6-acetal-nickel

I was just looking at a $560 EVGA 1080 FTW Hybrid water cooled solution - do you think that would be a good idea?

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

The hybrid is probably the best you can get without going custom loop for water cooling. and for only $60 more than MSRP, I'd say it's a good deal to buy. It'll run cooler than most other cards. Not a ton cooler, but cooler nonetheless.

 

[bmockeg]

I don't think you'll have cooling issues with any 1080.

 

[Apollo68]

The hybrid is probably the best you can get without going custom loop for water cooling. and for only $60 more than MSRP, I'd say it's a good deal to buy. It'll run cooler than most other cards. Not a ton cooler, but cooler nonetheless.

Decided on a lightly used EVGA 1080 FTW2 ICX from Ebay for $410. Thank you for the help though!

 

[Apollo68]

I don't think you'll have cooling issues with any 1080.

Decided on a lightly used EVGA 1080 FTW2 ICX from Ebay for $410. Thank you for the help though!

 

[iamacow]

Much better choice! enjoy!