Time for an update GPU GTX680 to....? ? ?

[SammeyC]

Hello Members,

Looking for some advice, as the title suggests.

I have been using the same computer that I first built in late 2013/ early 2014 and have been running the same Graphics card since, an Asus GTX 680 Direct CU II Oc model, the card has served me well for the last 3-4 years.

It's only the last year or so with the new games coming out as an example MGS Phantom Pain, Witcher 3, Titanfall 2, BF One, and perhaps the up coming Mass Effect and patches for World of Warships/tanks are things not looking as good as they use to.

Hence I'm looking for an upgrade- to my next GPU

I've got on 1 corner friends telling to get the older GTX980 or 980ti models, for saving money and on the other side of the ball park I have people saying you should get the latest and greatest from Nvidia the 1070 or 1080 models.

My computer as it stands has the following specifications

CPU- I7 3960X
Motherboard- RIVE
Ram- 16gb
Storage- 480 ssd boot and 3tb hdd
GPU - GTX 680
Monitor- 1920 by 1080

My main priority is the GPU, as it stands, I think I can get at least 2 maybe 3 or push it 4 years of life with the main components, or in another way to put it 2-4 generation of GPU's before a complete new build, I mean I have lasted this long.

What do you guys think ?

[Arne_Saknussemm]

Nice set up.....3960X still a powerful system....

Overclock a 980Ti and you have similar performance to 1070/80...so if you can find a bargain maybe worth going for Maxwell GPU...if you can wait a bit longer the 1080Ti should land...

[Heini]

At "Monitor- 1920 by 1080" a 1070 should serve you well. But if you like to OC a 980Ti would save some cash as Arne suggests.

[Arne_Saknussemm]

If you like to OC then the headroom on Maxwell cards means that fully Ocd they more or less match 1070/1080 OCd too. Of course if you don't OC then a 1070/80 is clocked higher at stock and will bring more performance out of the box. At 1080p a 1070/80 will play everything at full eye candy no problem...

I mention the 1080Ti because that would put you "future proof" at 1080p or let you go 1440p and still be maxing visuals

[panzlock]

The 1070 is the sweet spot. More powerful than a 1060 but cheaper than a 1080. And although the 980 Ti can do what the 1070 can do, the 1070 does it using much less power.

Another option, if you have patience, is to wait for AMD's Vega and see how Nvidia reacts (1080 Ti, etc...). As a result prices will surely drop on existing stock but if money is no object the product assortment increases.

Should you choose to go with a 1070 or 1080 and you're evaluating AIB's, the ROG Strix would definitely be the card to choose. Sleek yet aggressive features with a subdued vulgarity. The RGB LED's provide an alternate ambiance and the card's lighting can be tuned to reflect your hardware assembly. Performance is consistent across all AIB offerings, always marginally higher than Founders Edition cards but you can do your own research in that regard, as well as quality.

[Chino]

The Strix GTX 1080 is a worthy successor for your GTX 680. 🙂

[kkn]

what games do you play?

[SammeyC]

How longs a piece of string, to list a few ones that I'm starting to struggling with include- not limited to Witcher 3, MGS Phantom Pain, BF One, Titanfall 2 and more recently with new patches of World of Warships/ Tanks.

Not going to change my display from 1080p gaming anytime soon, although may supersample.

[Klute_Onren]

On my 3570k I had a 580 and upgraded to a R9 380, it did 1080p just fine. I would have to imagine that an rx480 should do anything at 1080p. But if you want to future proof I'd go nvidia.

One important question: what's the refresh rate of your monitor? 60 75 120 144? That makes a big difference, 1080p 60hz is easy to max out.

[SammeyC]

My monitor has a refresh rate of 120 Herts.

The GPU I'm planning to get will hopefully 'future proof' this computer for at least 2-4 years, before I think about a new build.