If I can't get a custom GTX 1080 Ti is the FE still a good option?

[Joshuan]

So I wanted to get a GTX 1080 Ti for a new high-end build but going for the Ti is already quite a monetary push above the regular 1080. Now reports that the custom versions with aftermarket coolers like the Asus Strix will be 100-150 on top of the 1080 Ti FE, so I might not be able to afford that much. In that case is the 1080 Ti Founders Edition still a good option instead of a regular 1080? Performance shouldn't be much different but I'm mostly concerned about thermal throttling as those run always above 82 degrees under load.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Wait for the aftermarket versions.

 

[Joshuan]

Wait for the aftermarket versions.

That doesn't really answer my question. I didn't mention wait times but the premium cost over an already expensive GPU at reference model price.

 

[burtman88]

You can always modify the FE edition, Just did this with my buddy. We cut half the heat sink in half, the part that covers the gpu. Installed a EVGA liquid cooling closed loop to it. Kept the other part of the fan/heat sink covering the memory and rest of the card. Now it barely goes above 50c over clocked full load.

 

[burtman88]

gif uploader

 

[Krytecks]

Customs versions are normally cheaper or at the same price than the FE ( except some, like ASUS ... )

1080Ti FE still a good choice.

 

[burtman88]

screenshot program

 

[DanielSpaending]

So I wanted to get a GTX 1080 Ti for a new high-end build but going for the Ti is already quite a monetary push above the regular 1080. Now reports that the custom versions with aftermarket coolers like the Asus Strix will be 100-150 on top of the 1080 Ti FE, so I might not be able to afford that much. In that case is the 1080 Ti Founders Edition still a good option instead of a regular 1080? Performance shouldn't be much different but I'm mostly concerned about thermal throttling as those run always above 82 degrees under load.

The Founders Edition will still be a very good card, and especially in small cases the exhaust type cooler can actually help with keeping temps down. Its not like Nvidia would laucnh a card that doesn't work properly

But when the custom cards really hit the market, then you should be able to find some cards, with a reasonable price tag. The MSI Armor for example, should be fairly close to the FE. The MSI Aero could actually end up cheaper.

 

[DanielSpaending]

screenshot program

Pretty cool Did you get inspiration from Steve from Gamers Nexus?

 

[KyleADunn]

Wait for the aftermarket versions.

That doesn't really answer my question. I didn't mention wait times but the premium cost over an already expensive GPU at reference model price.

GTX 1080 Ti + aftermarket cooling ($50-100) and risk/voiding warranty is not cheaper than waiting for the aftermarket versions. I did this approach with my r9 290 reference/kraken g10...one of the worst investments of my rig's life.

One thing to consider is factory core clocks and fan speeds. The one's that will come out soon will be clocked higher by default. You can achieve the same resuls if you buy the FE version now, but you will need to manually increase the blower fan speed (stock max is 50% speed to keep noise down) and OC a bit. If you're okay doing this, go ahead and buy the FE. If not, wait.

 

[burtman88]

Also FE seem to sometimes come with better quality parts, look at what happened with the 1070s. FE's and some Aftermarkets came with the Samsung Chips. Then were switched out with the crappier Micron MEM chips. I went through 3 different 1070s before i was able to find a Samsung versions. Each Micron ones over clocked like crap and crashed a lot. Got the samsung overclocks really well and rarely crashes.

 

[Joshuan]

Also FE seem to sometimes come with better quality parts, look at what happened with the 1070s. FE's and some Aftermarkets came with the Samsung Chips. Then were switched out with the crappier Micron MEM chips. I went through 3 different 1070s before i was able to find a Samsung versions. Each Micron ones over clocked like crap and crashed a lot. Got the samsung overclocks really well and rarely crashes.

I don't intend to mod the stock cooler, would the FE still be a good option then? How bad is the effect of its thermal throttling in games?

 

[ahoj__]

Also FE seem to sometimes come with better quality parts, look at what happened with the 1070s. FE's and some Aftermarkets came with the Samsung Chips. Then were switched out with the crappier Micron MEM chips. I went through 3 different 1070s before i was able to find a Samsung versions. Each Micron ones over clocked like crap and crashed a lot. Got the samsung overclocks really well and rarely crashes.

+1
my (inno3D) 1070 FE also has no coilwhine

 

[ahoj__]

Also FE seem to sometimes come with better quality parts, look at what happened with the 1070s. FE's and some Aftermarkets came with the Samsung Chips. Then were switched out with the crappier Micron MEM chips. I went through 3 different 1070s before i was able to find a Samsung versions. Each Micron ones over clocked like crap and crashed a lot. Got the samsung overclocks really well and rarely crashes.

I don't intend to mod the stock cooler, would the FE still be a good option then? How bad is the effect of its thermal throttling in games?

FE are top notch quality products
no thermal throttling at all - it will run atleast at its stock 3d clocks and no less

 

[Joshuan]

Also FE seem to sometimes come with better quality parts, look at what happened with the 1070s. FE's and some Aftermarkets came with the Samsung Chips. Then were switched out with the crappier Micron MEM chips. I went through 3 different 1070s before i was able to find a Samsung versions. Each Micron ones over clocked like crap and crashed a lot. Got the samsung overclocks really well and rarely crashes.

I don't intend to mod the stock cooler, would the FE still be a good option then? How bad is the effect of its thermal throttling in games?

FE are top notch quality products
no thermal throttling at all - it will run atleast at its stock 3d clocks and no less

Check out some of the released benchmarks and reviews. The authors are saying that they do throttle. :/

 

[burtman88]

Yep, sometimes the added power phases from after market companies are nice. However as we also witnessed before, those cool looking after market coolers are not as great as they look from the outside. I remember many being taken apart for these pascal cards, where heat pipes barely cover GPU or mem. Even some may have, but did not have it hooked up to the fans to disperse the heat well. Also coil wine, For me i went with the MSI Seahawk EK X since i already had a custom water loop. It came with the extra Power phases. Also only card that wasn't purchased immediately due to price. So it had the Samsung memory still. I can max it out with over clocking rarely go over 45c. My point here is if you're going to choose a after market product, make sure it as great after market cooler. Do your research, when these 1080ti come out. First thing will happen they will be tested also taken apart so you can see how each heat sink works and how well it covers every thing. MSI did a great job with my 1070 version, it may have been pricey, but worth it. I didn't feel like saving 20 dollars only and installing Ek water block myself like i had before with my sli 580 gtxs. Sure its simple, but at same time a pain in the Arse.

 

[ahoj__]

Also FE seem to sometimes come with better quality parts, look at what happened with the 1070s. FE's and some Aftermarkets came with the Samsung Chips. Then were switched out with the crappier Micron MEM chips. I went through 3 different 1070s before i was able to find a Samsung versions. Each Micron ones over clocked like crap and crashed a lot. Got the samsung overclocks really well and rarely crashes.

+1
my (inno3D) 1070 FE also has no coilwhine

Also FE seem to sometimes come with better quality parts, look at what happened with the 1070s. FE's and some Aftermarkets came with the Samsung Chips. Then were switched out with the crappier Micron MEM chips. I went through 3 different 1070s before i was able to find a Samsung versions. Each Micron ones over clocked like crap and crashed a lot. Got the samsung overclocks really well and rarely crashes.

I don't intend to mod the stock cooler, would the FE still be a good option then? How bad is the effect of its thermal throttling in games?

FE are top notch quality products
no thermal throttling at all - it will run atleast at its stock 3d clocks and no less

Check out some of the released benchmarks and reviews. The authors are saying that they do throttle. :/

then you dont understand what is meant with thermal throttling. Ive had all three FounderEditions (1060,1070, 1080) and they never ran under stock 3d clocks on full load
the "boost" is nothing more like overclocking - so dont expect the stock cooler to give nice temps and/or being silent at a 2000mhz speed

 

[burtman88]

Well, yes i didn't say it wasn't going to thermal due thermal throttling. Just said better quality in some sense. I would rather put a Water block on a FE card over other cards. Stock cooler is for stock speeds, we understand that. Exactly why it's stock lol. Stock speeds will be fine for many, if you dont mind voiding your warranty do what my buddy.

 

[ahoj__]

Well, yes i didn't say it wasn't going to thermal due thermal throttling. Just said better quality in some sense. I would rather put a Water block on a FE card over other cards. Stock cooler is for stock speeds, we understand that. Exactly why it's stock lol. Stock speeds will be fine for many, if you dont mind voiding your warranty do what my buddy.

nothing wrong with you here, I just dont get why people suddenly come up with this and say a stock graphic card will thermal throttle itself
in case of partner cards, yes I would closely look which card to buy, however, the FE or any reference cards from nvidia I have had didnt fail one time or had coil whine or anything like that - hence theyre top notch products to me - but I guess all this RGB color crap has more value than a quality product

nice 1080ti right there =)

 

[Gaidax]

1080Ti FE throttles when stressed, it's all over reviews. Of course it's still blazing fast, but it is capped by that cooler.

Non-FE 1080Tis with good coolers are run cooler and are up to 7% faster simply because they do not throttle and/or come with bumped clocks. Again, you have reviews already of such cards.

At the very least you are guaranteed to have better thermals due to better coolers with non-FE version and it's important because Nvidia boost is dependent on thermals and it's not some "overclocking" like previous poster suggests - it's part of the product and is under warranty - it's basically a product feature turned on by default and of course you want to benefit from it.

Furthermore - consider that with time dust will settle and this FE cooler will cap you even more, while good non-FE coolers have a very nice headroom there.

 

[Joshuan]

Well, yes i didn't say it wasn't going to thermal due thermal throttling. Just said better quality in some sense. I would rather put a Water block on a FE card over other cards. Stock cooler is for stock speeds, we understand that. Exactly why it's stock lol. Stock speeds will be fine for many, if you dont mind voiding your warranty do what my buddy.

nothing wrong with you here, I just dont get why people suddenly come up with this and say a stock graphic card will thermal throttle itself
in case of partner cards, yes I would closely look which card to buy, however, the FE or any reference cards from nvidia I have had didnt fail one time or had coil whine or anything like that - hence theyre top notch products to me - but I guess all this RGB color crap has more value than a quality product

It has nothing to do with RGB. Aftermarket cards simply have better coolers than FE and that's why they're more expensive. Have you seen the tests of the Asus Strix 1080 Ti? It completely blows the reference card away in terms of thermals. Also, have you seen the graphics with benchmarks by Anandtech and others? They do show that the FE thermal throttles even at stock clock speeds, bouncing clock frequencies up and down to compensate for hitting that thermal limit. Actually the wording used by the analysts was that it "severely" thermal throttles, stating the users should wait for the superior aftermarket cards and not go for the inferior reference model except if they were planning on doing custom liquid cooling. So in face of all the evidence provided by different sites for the past week how can you insist that the 1080 Ti doesn't throttle at all? Are you sure you have one? Because your claims don't match the evidence found in all benchmarks currently released to the public.

 

[burtman88]

There's a possibility his doesn't in the sense he has amazing air flow through out his case, in a cool room. Anyways i get where you're going with this and i do agree. Exactly why i stated what i said, FE i would use for water cooling. AE cards make sure to do your research on each one before hand. I like the added warranty i got with my 1070 because installing a water block you can easily break something and not be covered. Depending how bad you break it like psb damage. These AE coolers can be nice look great add cool features, like the added thermal sensors. RGB lighting or LGBT versions come with rainbow colors,

 

[ahoj__]

Well, yes i didn't say it wasn't going to thermal due thermal throttling. Just said better quality in some sense. I would rather put a Water block on a FE card over other cards. Stock cooler is for stock speeds, we understand that. Exactly why it's stock lol. Stock speeds will be fine for many, if you dont mind voiding your warranty do what my buddy.

nothing wrong with you here, I just dont get why people suddenly come up with this and say a stock graphic card will thermal throttle itself
in case of partner cards, yes I would closely look which card to buy, however, the FE or any reference cards from nvidia I have had didnt fail one time or had coil whine or anything like that - hence theyre top notch products to me - but I guess all this RGB color crap has more value than a quality product

It has nothing to do with RGB. Aftermarket cards simply have better coolers than FE and that's why they're more expensive. Have you seen the tests of the Asus Strix 1080 Ti? It completely blows the reference card away in terms of thermals. Also, have you seen the graphics with benchmarks by Anandtech and others? They do show that the FE thermal throttles even at stock clock speeds, bouncing clock frequencies up and down to compensate for hitting that thermal limit. Actually the wording used by the analysts was that it "severely" thermal throttles, stating the users should wait for the superior aftermarket cards and not go for the inferior reference model except if they were planning on doing custom liquid cooling. So in face of all the evidence provided by different sites for the past week how can you insist that the 1080 Ti doesn't throttle at all? Are you sure you have one? Because your claims don't match the evidence found in all benchmarks currently released to the public.

no, actually I have had only 1060,1070,1080 FE's (as I said in a previous post) and they all ran very fine and stable.
In case of these power and thermal target issues, you simply can tweak the card with a few mouseclicks to do even better than stock.
however,giving the better cooling capability of the partner cards, a stock 1060 6gb GoldenSample had an +10fps average than the FE so I give you that, but:
I also know of more than a handfull of people who bought 1070 and 1080 partner cards (zotac extreme, evga ftw, etc) and they all have (to some degree severe) coil whine which none of your sites mentiones (tested again with a bequiet dark power pro platinum, just to clarify the issue) whereas the FounderEditions didnt have that.

Just because the partner cards have better cooler, doesnt mean the PCB is of quality - hence all this RGB etc stuff seems to be more important than sorting out issues like coil whine.

 

[burtman88]

Exactly so much is in play here little things can be a huge make it or break it per card or company. So why you shall wait and see the break down of all the AFter market cards see what they offer.

 

[Joshuan]

Well, yes i didn't say it wasn't going to thermal due thermal throttling. Just said better quality in some sense. I would rather put a Water block on a FE card over other cards. Stock cooler is for stock speeds, we understand that. Exactly why it's stock lol. Stock speeds will be fine for many, if you dont mind voiding your warranty do what my buddy.

nothing wrong with you here, I just dont get why people suddenly come up with this and say a stock graphic card will thermal throttle itself
in case of partner cards, yes I would closely look which card to buy, however, the FE or any reference cards from nvidia I have had didnt fail one time or had coil whine or anything like that - hence theyre top notch products to me - but I guess all this RGB color crap has more value than a quality product

It has nothing to do with RGB. Aftermarket cards simply have better coolers than FE and that's why they're more expensive. Have you seen the tests of the Asus Strix 1080 Ti? It completely blows the reference card away in terms of thermals. Also, have you seen the graphics with benchmarks by Anandtech and others? They do show that the FE thermal throttles even at stock clock speeds, bouncing clock frequencies up and down to compensate for hitting that thermal limit. Actually the wording used by the analysts was that it "severely" thermal throttles, stating the users should wait for the superior aftermarket cards and not go for the inferior reference model except if they were planning on doing custom liquid cooling. So in face of all the evidence provided by different sites for the past week how can you insist that the 1080 Ti doesn't throttle at all? Are you sure you have one? Because your claims don't match the evidence found in all benchmarks currently released to the public.

no, actually I have had only 1060,1070,1080 FE's (as I said in a previous post) and they all ran very fine and stable.
In case of these power and thermal target issues, you simply can tweak the card with a few mouseclicks to do even better than stock.
however,giving the better cooling capability of the partner cards, a stock 1060 6gb GoldenSample had an +10fps average than the FE so I give you that, but:
I also know of more than a handfull of people who bought 1070 and 1080 partner cards (zotac extreme, evga ftw, etc) and they all have (to some degree severe) coil whine which none of your sites mentiones (tested again with a bequiet dark power pro platinum, just to clarify the issue) whereas the FounderEditions didnt have that.

Just because the partner cards have better cooler, doesnt mean the PCB is of quality - hence all this RGB etc stuff seems to be more important than sorting out issues like coil whine.

I understand what you mean. I really don't care about all the RGB stuff in the partner cards, my only concern with the FE is noise. Most reports say that the FE are much louder due to single fan design and worse cooling than partner cards, so that kind of worries me as I can appreciate a relatively silent build. In your experience how loud are the FE cards under load after a few tweeks so that it doesn't throttle as much?