GTX 780 vs 780 TI

[Keemann]

My friend is looking to build a new PC and he's considering a GTX 780 ti but is the extra £100 worth it?

What is the difference in the two apart from minimal performance increases?

 

[13thmonkey]

the performance increases are it. In 3 years time it might be the difference between high and ultra in some games.

 

[Eggz]

Yeah, it's about a 20% increase. It's actually pretty substantial. If you are going to get a gaming GPU with a GK110 processor, the 780 ti is the best one. The regular 780 has a partially locked-down processor. I think the ti is worth the money.

Here are two articles about the difference between the two cards that are well worth reading


AnandTech - http://www.anandtech.com/show/7492/the-geforce-gtx-780-ti-review

Tech Spot - http://www.techspot.com/review/738-gigabyte-geforce-gtx-780-ti-ghz/


And here is a comparison sheet between them

GPU Boss - http://gpuboss.com/gpus/GeForce-GTX-780-Ti-vs-GeForce-GTX-780

 

[bystander]

Keep in mind that the 780's have big OC headroom, so if your friend is going to OC, the performance gap closes.

 

[Eggz]

Keep in mind that the 780's have big OC headroom, so if your friend is going to OC, the performance gap closes.

Each Mhz on the 780 ti is faster than each Mhz on the 780, and the 780 ti still has a lot of headroom. Doing an OC to both cards would leave the 780 ti still ahead.

 

[bystander]

Keep in mind that the 780's have big OC headroom, so if your friend is going to OC, the performance gap closes.

Each Mhz on the 780 ti is faster than each Mhz on the 780, and the 780 ti still has a lot of headroom. Doing an OC to both cards would leave the 780 ti still ahead.

I did not say they'd become equal, only that the gap shrinks a bit.

 

[_MOJO_]

To put it quite simply, you will pay a hefty premium to purchase a TI. Most enthusiasts would agree that the nominal gains of the TI vs. the price difference to an SC or FTW edition do not outweigh the value or overclocking potential. Get a FTW edition, overclock it if you desire, save $200 and I promise you will be very satisfied with your purchase. When the prices drop, SLI the cards and you will have an already existing beast on steroids.

 

[Eggz]

I did not say they'd become equal, only that the gap shrinks a bit.

Yeah, I took that to be your point. I guess my response meant to imply that the gap might not shrink at all.

Here's a TechSyndicate video talking about the OC performance of each card: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6WFQ2vjRso

Here's a DigitalFoundry video that puts several high-end video cards side-by-side while running modern in-game benchmarks, which lets you see the difference yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAROjjGTH0c

I just think that there's no way around the fact that the 780 ti has a fundamentally stronger processing capability than the normal 780.

 

[_MOJO_]

I did not say they'd become equal, only that the gap shrinks a bit.

Yeah, I took that to be your point. I guess my response meant to imply that the gap might not shrink at all.

Here's a TechSyndicate video talking about the OC performance of each card: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6WFQ2vjRso

Here's a DigitalFoundry video that puts several high-end video cards side-by-side while running modern in-game benchmarks, which lets you see the difference yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAROjjGTH0c

I just think that there's no way around the fact that the 780 ti has a fundamentally stronger processing capability than the normal 780.

 

[bystander]

I did not say they'd become equal, only that the gap shrinks a bit.

Yeah, I took that to be your point. I guess my response meant to imply that the gap might not shrink at all.

Here's a TechSyndicate video talking about the OC performance of each card: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6WFQ2vjRso

Here's a DigitalFoundry video that puts several high-end video cards side-by-side while running modern in-game benchmarks, which lets you see the difference yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAROjjGTH0c

I just think that there's no way around the fact that the 780 ti has a fundamentally stronger processing capability than the normal 780.

The 780 ti is stronger as it has more CUDA cores, but their max OC is about the same, yet the ti has a higher starting clock. The cap, at least in percentage, is smaller when both are OC'ed in most cases. Of course there is some luck involved.

 

[_MOJO_]

The truth is that these cards are all beasts. Many debates can be created ove the difference between "warp speed" and "ludicrous speed" but remember that the 780 stock will meet or exceed your expectations, and the TI just takes it further. IMHO, the extra coin is a bit excessive for the nominal return in the context of the 780 video card comparison. I have a FTW edition. Out of the box stock it is truly impressive. I am beyond happy with my investment, and savings purchasing the card.

 

[bystander]

The resolution may also play a role in what would be recommended. On most monitors (avg is 1080p 60hz), many if not most games will hit the refresh rate quite easily on a 780. Then if you don't have a super fast CPU, you may find the CPU often bottlenecks at the same FPS for both.

The whole system should also be taken into account.

 

[Kekoh]

Depends what his goals are. The Ti definitely has more performance. I can say now that a 780 TI at 1080p is NOT overkill. Some of my games manage to drop under 60fps at times. The TI pretty much lets you play Ultra on any game without having to worry about tweaking settings to get a solid 60+ fps.

Does he have a 60hz monitor? Go with the 780.

Does he have 120 or 144hz monitor, or plan to upgrade to one? Go with TI.

 

[Eggz]

CUDA core count is a (if not the) primary consideration when it comes to comparing renditions of the same chip (e.g. GK110 vs GK110), though it's an almost meaningless number across different chips (e.g. GK107 vs GK110).

When you look at the different GK110 cards, the benchmarks directly correlate to the CUDA core count: 780 < Titan < 780 ti, which have 2,304, 2,688, and 2,880 CUDA cores, respectively. The Titan is obviously faster than the 780, and the 780 ti is obviously faster than the 780 and the Titan.

I understand where you are coming from with overclocking potential, but the differences are slight. Each card has good overclocking potential.

If you just want to save the money, that's all good. But there's no reason to deny the facts in order to justify getting one card over another. The 780 is a great card, but it is just a slower processor than the 780 ti and the Titan. Every benchmark I've seen confirms that, and Nvidia prices accordingly. Whether the price difference is justified to you personally is another question, but the performance numbers are there. There's no denying it.

 

[bystander]

You seem to have put a lot of words in my mouth. I simply stated that the gap closes a bit when OC'ed, between the two cards. And depending on the rest of the system, the gap may close more due to bottlenecking.

Never did I say the 780 TI wasn't faster. I assume you have a 780ti by your comments?

 

[Eggz]

I've had the 770, 780, 750 ti, and 780 ti. They are all great, but the best combo has been a 780 ti (main) + 750 ti (PhysX), which is currently what I use. I just wouldn't recommenced spending $500 on a 780 when an extra $180 gets you a significantly better card. That's all.