Buy GTX 1080 / 1080 Ti or wait? (August deadline)

[Alkiviadis]

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to ask the following:

I am thinking of upgrading PC but my main question is regarding GPU.
Aiming for a mid to high end system.
My monitor is an Ultra Wide LG 4K (https://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics-34UM95-34-Inch-LED-Lit/dp/B00JR6GCZA?tag=skim0x3152-20) & the aim for the near future is mostly WoW but potentially other games too (maybe the new battlefield as well - very different requirements I know - WoW is prio).
Would like to be able to record video will I play as well - not very fussy about streaming.

Thinking of buying:
CPU: Ryzen 7 1800x or i5 8600K (with appropriate mobo & 16GB RAM)
I already have 1200W Power supply & SSDs etc from present build.

& the question is with GPU prices inflated due to crypto currency mining should I get an GTX 1080 or maybe a GTX 1080 Ti now or wait a little bit more?
(Ideally I would like to have system ready and running by mid August = max deadline)

Thank you for your time and effort in advance.
Kind regards,
Alkis

 

[Dunlop0078]

I would probably go for the 8600k for primarily WoW, better single thread performance. However that or the 1800x (which I think is a waste I would get the 1700 or 1700x and overclock it) should perform very similarly in most games at 4k where most of the load is going to be on the GPU.

As for GPU, it does not look like prices are going to drop anytime soon unless the cryptocurrency market tanks again. A 1080 ti would be a better choice for 4k gaming, however in a game like WoW a 1080 should be more than enough.

 

[4745454b]

Why are you asking about something for Aug in early March? AMD and Nvidia should launch new GPUs by then, and who knows what the market will be like ~6mo from now. Save up your money and ask ~1mo before you go buy something.

 

[ChuckNorse]

It may be possible to pre-order a new Volta generation card directly from Nvida when they come out, and bypass the retailers who are price gouging. That's what I'm considering. Nvida gave me the option of buying two Titan V's at MSRP, but $3K is too rich for my blood. Titan cards have always been priced for the all-in enthusiast, so I'm guessing that the lower models will be more reasonable.

 

[Snipergod87]

It may be possible to pre-order a new Volta generation card directly from Nvida when they come out, and bypass the retailers who are price gouging. That's what I'm considering. Nvida gave me the option of buying two Titan V's at MSRP, but $3K is too rich for my blood. Titan cards have always been priced for the all-in enthusiast, so I'm guessing that the lower models will be more reasonable.

AFAIK Volta is not being brought to to the consumer market, but a completely different chip

 

[King_V]

A 1080 should be able to handle it just fine. The resolution of the monitor in question is NOT 4K (3840x2160), nor 4K ultrawide (3840x1600), but is 3440x1440. That's only 60% of the number of pixels of a 4K monitor, or 80% of the number of pixels on a 4K ultrawide. In any case, given that you're not running a full 4K, then the 1080Ti is probably overkill.

But, the prices ARE ridiculous now. You can, if lucky, snag a reasonable deal, but it's not easy.

I'd say hold off, but keep your eye out for any deals.

 

[Dunlop0078]

The gaming cards are rumored to be called Turing or Ampere. It wont be Volta.

 

[velocityg4]

As this isn't happening until August. You could wait for pre-orders to begin for the GTX 2080 Founders Edition. Instead of trying to go through a store. Immediately order/pre-order through nVidia's web store. Unless something drastic happens with the crypto market. That will likely be your best bet at getting a high end GPU at MSRP. It would need to be done quick before all preorder/order slots are filled. Just watch the news and wait for announcements. Be ready to pounce.

As for the GTX 1080/1080 Ti. Do you have a Microcenter near by? They have very strict GPU ordering limits. One GPU (any kind) per customer about once per month and they check your ID and purchase history. They are by far the closest to MSRP right now. They also get new stock one or two times a week. So, check the website localized for your nearest store and be ready to drive down there quick. They also usually have killer CPU prices plus a $30 motherboard combo discount which applies to most CPU and motherboards except some of the really low end CPU like a Celeron. RAM and case prices are decent. There is a good selection of cases and you can see them in person. Cooling and PSU prices/selection are bad the last I checked.

The only problem with waiting. No one says prices are topped off. If bitcoin jumps back up to $20K. Those obscenely expensive GPU will just get even more expensive and harder to find.

I'd take the 8600k over the Ryzen 1800x for your needs as well. If you do have a Microcenter near by. Perhaps you'll spend less than you expected in current market conditions. Making it possible to opt for an i7-8700K instead.

 

[EpIckFa1LJoN]

As an owner of a 3440x1440 monitor, I can tell you a 1080 will let you play even the most demanding games on Ultra at 60Hz.

The only reason I personally have a 1080 Ti is because I play at 100Hz.


Having said that, I would wait for the next gen. Whatever is closest to a 1080 in performance I would get that. New stuff should be out by then, I hope.


As a lover of WoW, I can tell you, you don't need anywhere close to that much GPU power for WoW. At that resolution you can run preset 10 (AA off, render quality 100%) with a 1070, maybe even a 1060 6GB, and maintain 60fps with the GPU.

For a CPU you're going to want something that can overclock VERY well. If you're at ALL interested in other games, get an 8600k or 8700k. Either should be able to clock to at least 5.0GHz assuming you don't get a crap chip.

If you don't care about other games that much, you can even get away with an 8350k, which will also clock to about 5.0GHz, however at that point you will lose some multi-tasking performance at the cost of a massively cheaper chip. So you really have to think hard.

If you do any kind of heavy multi-tasking at all, get the 8700k. Even with my 6700k @4.7GHz I would have trouble running sims, having a browser open, and having discord open. With my 8700k even clocked lower, I have almost no issues multi-tasking and the game suffers almost no performance hit and pretty much the same performance when multi-tasking as I would get with my 6700k.

However, even with both of those i7's and one with a pretty good OC on it, my min. fps at times was about 45. So be aware there is no chip on earth that can keep WoW at a constant 60fps at all times, even on preset 1.

 

[Alkiviadis]

Thank you oh so much for all thoughts and info provided.

Exactly like @Dunlop0078 said the new cheap is not going to be Volta and the reason for my Question was the information that came to life yesterday which is that it is not going to be Ampere either but Turing. But since no specs have been give to manufacturing companies it is going to be delayed towards the 4th Q of the year.

Mr @4745454b your very helpful reply was great and included significant information for me to come to a decision.
Obviously I am asking now and not in August because if nothing critical is gonna be released / change by then I might as well get the system now. But yeah, thanx.

So basicly nothing new is gonna be released anytime soon (except the 2000 GTX series) which is gonna be again ridiculously priced and as all you mentioned an overkill I'll just have to go with a GTX 1080. Because -correct me if I am wrong- but from what I've gathered so far based on what you said and my online search, GPU prices are not gonna drop anytime soon & the only new thing is Nvidias super expensive (and unnecessary) GPUs for what I need.

And thanx for the single-core Vs multi-core performance reminder & nudge for further research.

Will simply get the i5 8600K with a GTX 1080.

Much appreciated!

 

[4745454b]

So basicly nothing new is gonna be released anytime soon

According to the rumor mill we should see new cards soon. AMD is rumored to have issues, but nvidia is readying something for march. Volta or Ampere, the name doesn't matter. *Something* is coming.

https://wccftech.com/rumor-nvidia-gtx-2080-2070-ampere-cards-launch-march-gtc-2018/