Which 1080 Ti, should i Buy?

[crazedanonymouspcdesigner]

So I am getting ready to switch from a GTX Titan X (MAXWELL) which is basically a stock card, to a GTX 1080 Ti. I play a lot of Fallout 4 on a VERY expensive gaming computer but have been having some pretty terrible FPS drops in many places (anywhere in the Mechanist's Lair). I was looking at which GTX 1080 Ti I wanted to buy because I definitely don't want to get another stock card (although my X has served me well thus far), but this time I want to get a very beefed card to annihilate the FPS drops I've been getting and run FO4 on absolute maximum settings with 90 FPS steady.

So, some expert advice, please. I've been looking at the Asus GYX 1080 Ti Strix with a OC Boost of 1708 MHz.

Q. Is there a 1080Ti currently that gets a higher OC boost that the Asus Strix?

Q. What GPU based on the information that I have provided would you recommend that I acquire as a means of upgrade? OPTIONAL: Should I get an aftermarket air-cooled 1080Ti or a Hybrid? Why? Why that choice over the other?

For your benefit I have included my full build specs:
x1 MSI X99 Gaming9 ACK Motherboard
x1 Intel Core-i7 5960X CPU
x1 Corsair Ax1200i PSU
x1 set of 32GB Corsair DDR4 2400
x1 Thermaltake Core-X9 Computer Case
x1 Samsung 950 Pro M.2 System Drive
x7 Noctua 140mm 3200 RPM Fan-controlled case fans
x4 120mm case fans (in-memorable and off-branded)
x2 Stock 200mm Thermaltake Case Fans
x1 Corsair Hydro 110 GTX CLLC for CPU
x1 EVGA GTX Titan X (MAXWELL) GPU
x1 Asus PG348Q 3440x1440 Curved 100 Hz OC Gaming Display

As always, thanks for info!

 

[Cioby]

The Aorus Extreme is probably the best air cooled one. Or the EVGA superclocked.
Otherwise get a watercooled one, tho I wouldn't bother with all the hassle for 1-2 fps when you can just OC the Aorus with 15% performance.

 

[Shotta06]

Like a million threads on this question. All pretty much equal minus the FE. Get the cheapest one available. Right now the Gaming X is 40$ cheaper on Newegg than the Strix. I would get that.

 

[crazedanonymouspcdesigner]

I'm not looking for cheap, no offense. I "got what I could afford" when I bought the X and I'm probably paying for that now in my FPS. This time I'm looking to get whatever the best market-available card in the 1080 Ti flavor is. Ok, so far, the cards to look at are the Aorus Extreme and the EVGA SC and the Gaming X. What are the full names of these cards so I can check them out? Thanks.

 

[crazedanonymouspcdesigner]

Aorus Extreme:
https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GeForce-Graphic-GV-N108TAORUS-X-11GD/dp/B06XXJL3HM/ref=sr_1_1?s=boost&srs=12034488011&ie=UTF8&qid=1505749356&sr=8-1&keywords=Aorus+Extreme

Core Clock (MHz): 1746/1632 (Boost/Base) in OC Mode and 1721/1607 (Boost/Base) in Gaming Mode

EVGA SC:
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Optimized-Interlaced-Graphics-11G-P4-6393-KR/dp/B06Y11DFZ3/ref=sr_1_2?s=boost&srs=12034488011&ie=UTF8&qid=1505749404&sr=8-2&keywords=EVGA+SC

Real Base Clock: 1721 MHz / Real Boost Clock: 1860 MHz; Memory Detail: 8192MB GDDR5X

Gaming X:
https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GTX-1080-TI-GAMING/dp/B06XVG7M23/ref=sr_1_1?s=boost&srs=12034488011&ie=UTF8&qid=1505749459&sr=8-1&keywords=1080+Ti+Gaming+X

Doesn't tell me the Core/Boost Speeds.


That EVGA card's speeds are insane if the stats are correct, but it only has 8 GB DDR5 though. The Aorus has 11GB DDR5 I think and I'm not sure about the Gaming X. All in all the Aorus has a might slower speeds that the EVGA but a 4 GB more DDR5 so which is the better?

 

[Cioby]

Aorus Extreme has a great cooler. And very good performance. Otherwise go for the Aorus waterclocked (I think they got one watercooled GPU out also). And you also need to pray for getting a good chip. All my high tier Gigabyte cards always overclocked very well.

 

[krells]

Aorus Extreme:
https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GeForce-Graphic-GV-N108TAORUS-X-11GD/dp/B06XXJL3HM/ref=sr_1_1?s=boost&srs=12034488011&ie=UTF8&qid=1505749356&sr=8-1&keywords=Aorus+Extreme

Core Clock (MHz): 1746/1632 (Boost/Base) in OC Mode and 1721/1607 (Boost/Base) in Gaming Mode

EVGA SC:
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Optimized-Interlaced-Graphics-11G-P4-6393-KR/dp/B06Y11DFZ3/ref=sr_1_2?s=boost&srs=12034488011&ie=UTF8&qid=1505749404&sr=8-2&keywords=EVGA+SC

Real Base Clock: 1721 MHz / Real Boost Clock: 1860 MHz; Memory Detail: 8192MB GDDR5X

Gaming X:
https://www.amazon.com/MSI-GTX-1080-TI-GAMING/dp/B06XVG7M23/ref=sr_1_1?s=boost&srs=12034488011&ie=UTF8&qid=1505749459&sr=8-1&keywords=1080+Ti+Gaming+X

Doesn't tell me the Core/Boost Speeds.


That EVGA card's speeds are insane if the stats are correct, but it only has 8 GB DDR5 though. The Aorus has 11GB DDR5 I think and I'm not sure about the Gaming X. All in all the Aorus has a might slower speeds that the EVGA but a 4 GB more DDR5 so which is the better?

All 1080 ti's have 11gb of vram. Also, the factory overclocked boost clocks don't mean much since the real world boost clock will be higher and does depend a bit on the chip itself. The aftermarket air cooled cards will hit real world boost clocks in the 1900 mhz range and with a bit of luck and overclocking will run at 2ghz.

The prices in the links I see are all pretty high, especially for the EVGA SC Black card. That version uses a reference pcb and isn't a bad card but it shouldn't be in the same price range as the other two listed. The MSI Gaming X card is the quietest air cooled card followed by the Asus Strix. If you like the EVGA brand I would look at the FTW3.

 

[crazedanonymouspcdesigner]

Thanks for that! As far as the sound goes that isn't a huge deal because my computer already sounds like a high performance server build when in gaming mode because of the case fans I run. Basically if you're gaming you won't hear anything without noise cancelling headphones, which I am completely alright with, but it isn't for everybody. I'd rather have performance than complete silence. Thank you for the info about the RW boost speeds. How about you specifically Krells? Which card would you buy if you were me?

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Well of course the ones to avid would be:

Reference card
EVGA SC series (basically same as above w/ better cooler since 5xx series)

Reviewer Ratings:

Worth looking at:

(9.8) - MSI GTX 1080 Ti Lightning Z 11 GB
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_1080_Ti_Lightning_Z/

(9.6) Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti AMP! Extreme 11 GB
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GTX_1080_Ti_Xtreme_Gaming/

(9.9) Gigabyte Aorus GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Gaming 11 GB
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GTX_1080_Ti_Xtreme_Gaming/

(9.7) MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11 GB
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_1080_Ti_Gaming_X/

(9.7) ASUS GTX 1080 Ti Strix OC 11 GB
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GTX_1080_Ti_Strix_OC/

Best avoided:

(9.4) EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 11 GB
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EVGA/GTX_1080_Ti_SC2/

(9.4) Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GameRock Premium 11 GB
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Palit/GeForce_GTX_1080_Ti_GameRock_Premium/

(9.3) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition 11 GB
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_1080_Ti/

2. Max OC - What the card does out of the box is basically meaningless as its basically the number he bean counters are happy with based upon what % of cards they are willing to have returned because they can not remain stable at advertised speeds. With EVGA, have been there and done that. It's what it does when you have installed Afterburner that matters.... By order of fastest card

I don't know what to make of the reference card finishing so high even tho it was throttling, but the EVGA and Gigabyte land at the bottom of the heap. All following data from above links.

MSI GTX 1080 Ti Lightning Z 11 GB - 221.5 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition 11 GB - 216.2
Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GameRock Premium 11 GB - 215.1
MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11 GB - 214.3
ASUS GTX 1080 Ti Strix OC 11 GB - 214.2
Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti AMP! Extreme 11 GB - 213 fps
EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 11 GB - 209.3
Gigabyte Aorus GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Gaming 11 GB - 209.1


3 Power Peak gaming / Noise / Heat (Load w/ OC)

MSI GTX 1080 Ti Lightning Z 11 GB - 309 watts / 33 dbA / 67° C
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition 11 GB - 267 / 84°C/ 39 dBA
Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GameRock Premium 11 GB - 315 / 75°C / 38 dBA
MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11 GB - 305 / 72°C / 35 dBA
ASUS GTX 1080 Ti Strix OC 11 GB - 292 / 69°C 33 dBA
Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti AMP! Extreme 11 GB - 318 watts / 69°C / 36 dBA
EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 11 GB - 272 / 69°C / 37 dBA
Gigabyte Aorus GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Gaming 11 GB - 266 / 71°C / 33 dBA

It would appear that the EVGA and Gigabyte Arorus are nerfed by their power handling ability.

Answer to question 1 - Again, highest clocks do **not** necessarily result in fastest fps/. The 4 cards that delivered the fastest fps in the OC test are:

MSI GTX 1080 Ti Lightning Z 11 GB
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition 11 GB
Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GameRock Premium 11 GB
MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11 GB

Answer to question 2 - Things I'd consider

a) Sound/ Noise and power consumption ... data above.

b) PCB Components ... The reference card and the EVGA SC series have historically only differed in respect to the cooler with VRMs and other componentry unchanged. Whenever ya see, "just by the cheapest one, they are all the same", go read this article. By the time ya get done reading pages 2 - 4 and see who invested money in PCB improvements and who cheaped out, you already know who finishes 1st and who will finish last.

https://www.bit-tech.net/reviews/tech/graphics/nvidia-geforce-gtx-970-review/2/

With Boost 3 however, nVidia has kinda nerfed the ability of those vendors who invest in custom PCBs to realize performance improvements that they would otherwise be capable of. However, while the spread is smaller, it's still there are we see a 12.4 fps difference between fastest (MSI) and slowest (Gigabyte) cards. However we have also seen another thing w/ Boost 3 and that is manufacturers are skimping on their performance lines thinking that "well, no sense spending the money because Boost 3 will shrink any improvements". We saw that with EVGAs SC and FTW lines with 10xx series as they cheaped out on both lines, failing to provide thermal pads on VRM and memory resulting in a product recall / issuance of thermal pad kits. The low power limit on the SC tells me that the VRM isn't capable of handling the 300+ watts that the faster cards can handle.

c) Tech Support - When selected for a job in tech support, TS101's 1st lesson of the day is "get the user off the phone, blame the other guy whenever possible." having MoBo and GFX card same manufacturer eliminates that tactic.

d) Ventilation - make sure that ya have 50% more case intake fans than exhaust fans. Inlet air filters reduce case fan efficiency by up to 30% when moderately clogged with dust. To maintain positive air pressure, if ya have 5 fans go w/ 3 intake 2 / exhaust at worse. While this is mainly touted as a dust issue, what is rarely mentioned is that that dust will be carried by hot exhaust air from ya GFX card and PSU.

e) Alternate cooling - Hybrids are a waste of time, money and effort. have yet to see a CLC that beats a comparably priced air cooler. Usually provided with extreme speed fans to get close to air coolers in thermal performance, when you select quiet models, the thermal performance suffers terribly. If ya attracted to the all in ones, then use an AIO assembled from **real** custom water loop components w/ 1+ gpm pumps, copper radiators such as the Swiftech H240 X2 (2 x 140mm) or H32 X2 (3 x 120mm).

Also hybrids cool the GPU only, sometimes leaving the memory and VRM lwith less cooling than the stock coolers. This can be OC limiting. Here's a 1080 Ti w/ preassembled, full cover EK water block which you can connect to the Swiftech units quite easily.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814137144

Cost - The impact of cost, like noise, depends on the individual. If i can tell that my PC is on by using my ears ... well poppa ain't happy. For you, it doesn't matter. Cost is a similar item. In past years, folks would pay an extra $100 - $200 for Classified, Lightning and Matrix cards ... not today and the cost increase generally delivers too little return.

MSI GTX 1080 Ti Lightning Z 11 GB - Given limited availability, expect costs > $1,000
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition 11 GB - Not Recommended
Palit GeForce GTX 1080 Ti GameRock Premium 11 GB - Not Recommended
MSI GTX 1080 Ti Gaming X 11 GB - $755
ASUS GTX 1080 Ti Strix OC 11 GB - $795
Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 Ti AMP! Extreme 11 GB - $760
EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 11 GB - Not Recommended
Gigabyte Aorus GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Gaming 11 GB - $770

As far as what i see from the above....

If you had or were changing to a Swiftech All-in-One, I'd get the MSI 108 Ti Seahawk EK. There were 4 cards that beat the Strix, if only by a hair on last one ... but given the price advantage of $40 ... Id go with the MSI Gaming X

 

[krells]

Thanks for that! As far as the sound goes that isn't a huge deal because my computer already sounds like a high performance server build when in gaming mode because of the case fans I run. Basically if you're gaming you won't hear anything without noise cancelling headphones, which I am completely alright with, but it isn't for everybody. I'd rather have performance than complete silence. Thank you for the info about the RW boost speeds. How about you specifically Krells? Which card would you buy if you were me?

I have the Asus Strix and have been happy with it. Out the box performance was good and the cooler was pretty quiet as well. I like to overclock but also don't like fan noise so I did remove the stock air cooler and water cooled it so it is basically silent.

 

[crazedanonymouspcdesigner]

Wow this is all such great info! Thanks guys!