Should I upgrade to gtx 980ti?

[scorch0062]

Hello fellow Tom's readers.
So I am currently trying to decide on whether it is worth it for me to go ahead and upgrade my gtx 680 to a gtx 980 ti. I play on 1920x1200 and love to have maxed out settings, but my 680 just isn't cutting it anymore. (I'm talking about games like the division and star citizen). I am hoping that by upgrading this, I can extend the life of my computer to last a few more cycles, say 2-3 years. My current specs are as follows :

Core i7 3820 @ 4.3ghz
Corsair H100 cpu cooler
Ocz zx 1000w psu
16gb gskill ram @ 1600mhz 7-8-8-23
Gigabyte x79 up4
128gb ssd for OS
3tb data drive for everything else
Rosewill Blackhawk ultra case

If anyone needs any more information, just let me know.
Also if anyone has suggestions for further upgrades that are not too expensive let me know.
My only other concern is whether I will start getting cpu bottlenecked.

Thank you everyone.

 

[Nuckles_56]

My opinion is that you should wait a few months more and see what Pascal and Polaris bring, as there should be 980ti performance for less money and power too

 

[teambronze5]

NVidia Fanboy here, so I won't recommend an AMD card, no offense to AMD lovers. At that resolution, all you need is a 970 or 980. I honestly don't think you will use all of that 6GB VRM with a 980 Ti at that resolution. You'll also spend a little less, and see the same performance. Also, your CPU won't bottleneck these cards, or the 980 Ti if you choose that. Cheers.

 

[scorch0062]

Has there been any set release date for the new cards? From what I read it could take as long as the end of the year.

And also, I've looked up benchmarks on the 970 and 980 and they just don't cut it when it comes to maxed out settings on some of the new games, even at 1200p. On the division I believe I read that the 970 averages around 40 fps? If games are already taxing it that much, then it definitely won't last a few more years.

 

[Gallarian]

I would strongly advise waiting a couple more months for Pascal to launch. If you do, you end up with two better outcomes: Either you pick up a Pascal card if they turn out to be good, or you get a 980ti at a cheaper price.

As for your CPU; don't worry about it. Its still a very relevant chip, and shouldnt give you any major concerns for a good couple of years yet.

At that resolution, all you need is a 970 or 980. I honestly don't think you will use all of that 6GB VRM with a 980 Ti at that resolution. You'll also spend a little less, and see the same performance.

Sorry to be 'that guy' but that I think you've been misinformed here.

Even at 1080p, a 980ti is still a valid choice if you play demanding games like The Division or The Witcher 3, and especially so at 1920x1200. It is incorrect to say that a 980 or 970 will give the same level of performance. We also do not know the refresh rate of the OP's monitor.

 

[SuperMonkeyKing]

I upgraded my 670 to a 980Ti and the performance jump was epic.

However I'm 1440p G-sync 144Hz so the 670 was struggling big style!

 

[teambronze5]

I would strongly advise waiting a couple more months for Pascal to launch. If you do, you end up with two better outcomes: Either you pick up a Pascal card if they turn out to be good, or you get a 980ti at a cheaper price.

As for your CPU; don't worry about it. Its still a very relevant chip, and shouldnt give you any major concerns for a good couple of years yet.

At that resolution, all you need is a 970 or 980. I honestly don't think you will use all of that 6GB VRM with a 980 Ti at that resolution. You'll also spend a little less, and see the same performance.

Sorry to be 'that guy' but that I think you've been misinformed here.

Even at 1080p, a 980ti is still a valid choice if you play demanding games like The Division or The Witcher 3, and especially so at 1920x1200. It is incorrect to say that a 980 or 970 will give the same level of performance. We also do not know the refresh rate of the OP's monitor.

Don't worry about being that guy, I guess it would have been important to note his refresh rate, but he didn't provide it. I was under the assumption he was at 60 Hz. I have a 970 @ 1080p and it does fine with the division with some of the settings turned down, but I won't notice the difference between that and completely maxed with something like a 980 Ti at the same resolution/refresh rate. Maybe you or he is someone who would notice and care. Also important to consider Pascal, and the specs and price of that line, if he is willing to wait.

 

[azzazel_99]

My opinion is that you should wait a few months more and see what Pascal and Polaris bring, as there should be 980ti performance for less money and power too

the 980ti performance replacement card isn't going to be here until the NEW ti (1080ti) card comes out. At least thats the rumors.

 

[RobCrezz]

My opinion is that you should wait a few months more and see what Pascal and Polaris bring, as there should be 980ti performance for less money and power too

the 980ti performance replacement card isn't going to be here until the NEW ti (1080ti) card comes out. At least thats the rumors.

Yeah but its likely the 980 replacement will be as fast as a 980 ti for less money.

 

[scorch0062]

I am currently playing at 60hz but I plan on upgrading to 144 when I get a new video card. Looks to me as if waiting for the 1080ti will be the best option. I hate having to turn any settings down. I'm hoping for this upgrade will make my computer last another 2-3 years, so will my current cpu and ram set up last that long? Or will I get bottlenecked before then?

 

[RobCrezz]

The rest of your system is still fine to be honest, if you can overclock a bit higher that would help a bit.

 

[azzazel_99]

The cpu may start holding you back. Im not sure where a 3820 falls in as i've never seen that cpu before but the only way say a cpu like a 2500j wouldnt bottleneck a 980ti would be with a overclock. So same would apply for the newer faster replacement for the 980ti.

 

[RobCrezz]

The 3820 was very similar in tech to the 2600k as it was Sandybridge-E, but still a 4 core 8 thread.

 

[sshortguy1]

I have a gtx 980 ti with the asus swift 1440 p and pretty much max all my new games out , for 1080 p gtx 980 ti will be future proof . if you're into going with 144 hz the gtx 980 ti will do it well frame rates and vram upgrading to 4k is doubtful , changing the resolutions require more vram