Nvidia GTX 1080, 1070 'Founders Editions' Just Reference Cards

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Someone on Gamersnexus speculated that Nvidia's higher MSRP for the Founder's Edition (i.e. the card they personally sell) was (at least partially) to prevent competing with/undercutting their AIB partners. Seems like as reasonable an explanation as any to me.
 
I'll be really interested to see availability in the early weeks and months. I expect really high demand to make it hard to get these cards and even drive up prices above RRP. Usually demand-related price rises just give extra profits to the retailers who pocket the difference. This is an interesting play from Nvidia.

I'm just speculating here, but we may well see the cheaper aftermarket cards either released later, or just sell out quickly. This would force those determined to buy early to turn to the more expensive "founder editions". In this case Nvidia themselves would be able to enjoy the higher margins which usually go to retailers in an early high-demand phase. Once supply catches up and demand settles, the non-reference cards take over. It would effectively allow Nvidia to get higher margins and profit during the early high-demand phase without losing face or upsetting existing customers by cutting prices later when demand settles.
 
So if im understanding this correctly, these "founders edition" cards are the same as what we always called "reference"? And as with previous cards, third party manufacturers can make basically the exact card right down to the cooler? And if you're buying from nvidia, you're only paying the extra $100 to get a card with higher quality components?
 


That's correct. Just for the vapor cool chamber is redesigned. The board components are the same.
 

So even the shell of the cooler will be the same? Just like the last two generations of nvidia cards? Though perhaps this redesigned vapor chamber might be why nvidia got such an impressive overclock with air cooling, that might make nvidia's card worthwhile...
 
Lots of hate for after market coolers. They are proven to be better and impact the rest of the system's temperatures minimally. My Noctua D15 can spin on minimum fan speeds and keep my CPU in check even if the GPU is at 100% load, dumping 75*C air all over the place. Get a nicer case.
 
Basically, NVIDIA wants to keep offering their "reference" cards, but doesn't want to undercut their partners. You don't have to buy it if you don't want to, so there's no harm here.
 
If AMD doesn't have anything good then these cards will stay expensive for a long time. I really want competition. Unfortunately AMD is broke and can't afford the R&D to compete 🙁
 
I don't think the aftermarket cards will be cheaper. Nvidia says the founders edition has premium components. The resellers will probably want to implement some components of their own. And that will probably raise the cost.
 
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No reason to buy reference especially since aftermarket are better and can be cheaper.
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Well the reference design has the upside that all heat is blown out the back of the case. When the closed loop watercooler for the CPU does the same thing, this means that I have better temperatures on the air entering the fans. For all components.
 
The real question is, being that my 980 is going to be obsoleted, how can I sell to buy into the new generation? My $600 investment (EVGA Hybrid cooler added on) feels like it's going to be worth next to nothing.
 
I'll simply wait for the GTX 1080 'Inexpensive Edition'. How ya like that, NVIDIA? 😛
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Good luck with that one. Nvidia is the Apple of computer part makers. Well, that's a bit harsh to Apple, they at least update products only 1 year old. Nvidia stops updating their cards after next-gen drops and usually introduce new features that hurt performance on older cards. Anyone notice how the insane tessellation of GameWorks destroys FPS on the 700 series?
 
It seems to me that Nvidia pulled one on us and the world has yet to notice. Why would any manufacturer charge the MSRP when they can charge 100 euro more? It doesn't make a lot of business sense.

With that in mind, the price/performance of these cards isn't actually as good as it might originally have seemed. It might be a while before we see those prices and would probably happen when AMD provides similar offerings at a lower price.

 
nVidia basically made it possible for boardpartners to sell their upcoming custom PCB and coolers at the 8-900$ range. I'm sure they're all happy.
 
They literally said "We're trying to incentivize people to buy reference cards". And then the only thing they did to make people buy it is charge more for it. Is that how the market works?
 
Typical nVidia to use an awesome name for a meh product. I remember the astronomical bullshit they pulled with the GeForce 4 MX.
 
As I understand Founders edition is for boutique PC makers. They want a variant of the card that is:
a) high quality so they don't get lots of problems and rma's (expensive).
b) lasts for the entire lifetime of the card so they can qualify it once (expensive) and then be able to use it for as long as that card is available.
c) exhausts air out the back so it works for SLI or tiny cases.

While as an enthusiast you can buy one (and if you are going to SLI it might be worth it) we are not who Nvidia is aiming these cards at primarily.
 


Closed loop water cooling as an exhaust lol it should be intake. Also, I lol to having closed loop watercooling when you only own a GTX 1070 and that watercooling won't do crap to help over a better GPU.
 
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