Is the GTX 980 worth it?

[AnAwesomeName]

After looking through a lot of different GPUs and models and brands, I would like to know if buying the 980 is worth right now. With Pascal coming and the 980 ti specs being a little...meh, I need someone to tell me if I should either wait or buy any other high-quality GPU and which one. Thanks.

 

[IntelTurtleFan]

You should wait a few more weeks. Hopefully the 980 will drop a hundred dollars then you can get it
The release of the 980ti will likely cause it to drop.

 

[krells]

It depends on budget, resolution, and the rest of your system. The 970 is a much better buy for the money.

 

[Noah Siano]

If you currently have a gpu, then I would say wait it out and see what amd and nvidia release by the end of June.

If you don't currently have a gpu, then the 980 is a great single card gpu. Two 970's will beat it at a similar price, but many people think that having one card is better than dealing with SLI/Crossfire. Your choice though. I personally would get two 970's over one 980, but I also personally am waiting to upgrade my graphics cards until the new releases drop. And, if you don't like the new cards, the prices of current cards should drop and you can likely get some good deals on a 980 or 970.

 

[chenw]

If 980 drops $100 then it's a serious contender to 980ti.

Otherwise if 980 stays exactly at where it is, I'd get 980ti, depending on resolution of course (1440p I'd be strongly considering it, for 4k I don't think I'd even contemplate on the choice, 1080p, i'd probably just get 970 and save the money and go for an earlier upgrade, depending on whether or not you sell your GPU.

 

[geofelt]

Buy what you need today... today.
If you are gaming on a single 1080P or 1440P monitor, a GTX980 would be fine.

GTX980 prices will not drop until there is a equal performing card at a lower price.
Upcoming GTX980ti is a higher end card and probably priced appropriately.

If you already have a card, make certain that any upgrade is a significant one, yor you will be disappointed.

In the end, worth is something only YOU can determine.

 

[McKoolly]

Right now at Newegg, and until May 31st, you can get the EVGA 980 Classified at 15% off with Promo code "EVGAMAYDEALS1". Current price of that card is $699, this deal brings the price down to $594.15 before taxes. Something to think about for you!!!!

 

[17seconds]

GTX 980 Ti as early as next week.
http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/geforce-gtx-980-ti-clock-speeds-surface.html

 

[AnAwesomeName]

But even if the 980 ti comes out, will it be the best option for my build?

 

[hotter-than-Vishera]

But even if the 980 ti comes out, will it be the best option for my build?

It depends on what you mean by "best option". Also, we know literally nothing else about your system. If you're running a Haswell Extreme system, I'd say by all means go GTX 970 SLI. Even if you're on a Z97 system GTX 970 SLI is still a good idea. But if you're doing 1080p, or even 1440p, the GTX 980 will likely give you more performance per dollar - I recommend the EVGA GTX 980 FTW. The Classified and Kingpin cards are "better" but they are disproportionately more expensive unless you like having customizable LEDs and if you're a super hardcore GPU overclocker and when you're paying $800 for a GTX 980 you should be asking yourself why you aren't buying an $800 GTX 980 Ti instead.
Now, for the GTX 980 Ti. The 980 Ti will have 6GB of VRAM and it will support this VRAM because you can say the GTX 980 Ti is the Titan X's little brother. That will do very little for 1080p. It will make a difference at 1440p, for sure. If you have a 1440p monitor, I'd say that if the 980 Ti is at the $750 price point, you might want to grab a 980 Ti, especially if you have a Z97 system - long story short, the 980 Ti will likely give you better performance because on a Z97 system, the SLI scaling isn't as good as an X99 system, plus heat production and power consumption will be lesser than GTX 970s in SLI. IMO worth the extra $100 (two basic EVGA GTX 970s will go for $650, asus strix will cost a bit less). And if it's 4K, grab the 980 Ti for sure. At 4K, maybe the new AMD HBM cards may be an option, unless you don't like space heaters or if you have weak circuit breakers in your residence.

 

[chenw]

1 980ti will be an ideal solution for 1440p (similar in performance to SLI 970's, costs a little more but worth it if you do not already have a setup that can support SLI), 2 980ti would be a good option for 4k gaming. 970 or 980 is good for 1080p. 970 at most for anything less.

980 is wee bit underpowered for 1440p, but by and large it can handle most things at high in all but the most demanding games, medium at least. I got SLI 970's because I wanted to see how SLI works in general, and 2x 970's has more performance per dollar than 980, assuming a modest 50% scaling.

 

[Mugglensu1984]

Buy what you need today... today.
If you are gaming on a single 1080P or 1440P monitor, a GTX980 would be fine.

GTX980 prices will not drop until there is a equal performing card at a lower price.
Upcoming GTX980ti is a higher end card and probably priced appropriately.

If you already have a card, make certain that any upgrade is a significant one, yor you will be disappointed.

In the end, worth is something only YOU can determine.

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