GPU upgrade strategies

wingman99 · Jul 6, 2016

+ 1 I usually wait till all the kinks are out of a new product, then I purchase after the price goes down.

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EarthDog said:
I have never once listed my hardware in my signature here.

I did not consider a TitanX over a 980Ti.

You use to list your hardware.

EarthDog · Jul 6, 2016

If so, it was right when I started(as I conceded a post later) -

Maybe in my really early years here did I have my hardware in my signature, but that was well before the 780Ti days.

... pre "Ti" anything really. I think I had a 560Ti for a short time, but that was post hardware-in-my-signature days. This signature has been like this with few changes for several years. I have only updated the links in it.

peanutbudder · Jul 6, 2016

I personally buy every two years or so and usually I buy new, one generation behind the latest card because of discounts.

caddi daddi · Jul 6, 2016

I just look at my use of it and tend to buy used gpus when it comes to gameing, they tend to be one step down from the top line and the better brands.
my main game cards are new.
cards I buy just to muck about with I buy all used, I have all ways wanted a titan, I just bought one with water and the aircooler but for 1/3 the price of a new card alone.
I'll have it for a while, do some things with it and trade it off.
my working cards I buy new, teslas and quadros, the cost is huge but I need the 24/7/365 hardware/software support for those.
if I am looking into a card just after they are released, I will buy from a known source and will be picky from whom I buy and if none show up on the market, then I'll buy new.
I like to run multi card so it can save quite a bit buying used.
trading my used cards has worked out pretty well, not to long ago I traded my 4 gig 770, that I valued at 150, and 200 bucks for a pretty new 980, he wanted to raise a little cash so I got a current, very good card for 350.

M@rk · Jul 7, 2016

If you game, Buy the top-of-the-line GPU from few generations ago. If you game and you want these ultra settings 60FPS, Then i think buying cards from a few gens ago wouldnt be the best choice, And i did ask 2 companies if they sell GTX4xx, 5xx, 6xx, and maybe 7xx series GPUs, One company was Zotac, They still didnt reply, And one was EVGA, Which did reply, In the reply EVGA said they do not sell old GPUs cause they dont keep old GPUs, But, This is what they said too :

any we receive that is still in good condition is sold on our B Stock page; these are factory-recertified cards that passed all of our testing, and are being sold for a reduced price with a 1 year warranty.

I did not know there was a B-Market for EVGA products (I did not even know there was a B-market for GPUs from their manufacturers lol) so might aswell want to check this out?

EarthDog · Jul 7, 2016

AFAIK, EVGA is the only one that sells B-stock GPUs. The other companies, also AFAIK, do not sell anything DIRECT like EVGA does. So you are comparing apples with red playground balls. I wouldn't imagine any company is selling such old GPUs (4-7 series) either. Buying cards from more than a generation or two back is typically not a good idea unless that is the only thing your budget allows.

M@rk · Jul 7, 2016

EarthDog said:
AFAIK, EVGA is the only one that sells B-stock GPUs. The other companies, also AFAIK, do not sell anything DIRECT like EVGA does. So you are comparing apples with red playground balls. I wouldn't imagine any company is selling such old GPUs (4-7 series) either. Buying cards from more than a generation or two back is typically not a good idea unless that is the only thing your budget allows.

Yeah i was talking about buying good old cards for less money while having GTX960 like performance for less than a GTX960 price, Like GTX 680, Its lil bit better than 960 and sells for less money.

EarthDog · Jul 7, 2016

I understood what you said/meant.

I wouldn't go that old if I could help it... just a budget thing. Otherwise the most prudent advice, IMO, is to get the newest you can afford for the performance you are looking for. What you are saying is viable, but more so for money strapped people. Most wouldn't tell anyone to get 4 generation old cards if they could help it... but if you can't you can't.

Tír na nÓg · Jul 7, 2016

^Agreed: my 780 ti, which is 2 gen old (780ti=>980ti=1080) starts showing its age@1080p, despite its 30%OC. But I'd rather keep it a while longer and grab a 1080ti or its Vega counterpart in a few months. The current gen's leap in performance and the VR option becoming more probable than ever are orienting my choice.

Even if according to the SteamVR test the card is still more than capable (rating 8).

magellan · Jul 11, 2016

Tír na nÓg said:
^Agreed: my 780 ti, which is 2 gen old (780ti=>980ti=1080) starts showing its age@1080p, despite its 30%OC. But I'd rather keep it a while longer and grab a 1080ti or its Vega counterpart in a few months. The current gen's leap in performance and the VR option becoming more probable than ever are orienting my choice.

Even if according to the SteamVR test the card is still more than capable (rating 8).

A 780Ti is >= 980Ti? Really?

I'm sorry I put this whole thread in the wrong forum too.

EarthDog · Jul 11, 2016

No... not really. Not at all. Not sure what point he is trying to make. The performance gap between the 980ti and 780ti at 1080p is huge... on the order of 40% or more.

EDIT: 46% ->https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_1080/26.html

EDIT2: I moved this to General GPU when it started... not sure where you put it initially but due to the title and first post, I put it here.

magellan · Jul 12, 2016

EarthDog said:
No... not really. Not at all. Not sure what point he is trying to make. The performance gap between the 980ti and 780ti at 1080p is huge... on the order of 40% or more.

EDIT: 46% ->https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_1080/26.html

EDIT2: I moved this to General GPU when it started... not sure where you put it initially but due to the title and first post, I put it here.

ED, isn't this the General CPU discussion forum?

Two more questions relevant to this thread:

1. Is it generally better to buy a non-reference design video-card because of the superior cooling solutions usually found on such cards?

2. Is it possible to SLI two 980Ti's that are not the same model/manufacturer?

Alaric · Jul 12, 2016

I bought all my cards NIB (four in a two week stretch a couple years ago). I kept my last card for almost three years and got lucky enough to be able to afford a new build and card. It's not the fastest card but it does what I want it to do (1080p at good settings) so I'm happy. At the price they're going for I may buy another for when I "need" an upgrade. Multiple cards isn't the best solution but it could give me another year or more of gaming when the one I have isn't up to the task anymore.

EarthDog · Jul 12, 2016

magellan said:
ED, isn't this the General CPU discussion forum?

Two more questions relevant to this thread:

1. Is it generally better to buy a non-reference design video-card because of the superior cooling solutions usually found on such cards?

2. Is it possible to SLI two 980Ti's that are not the same model/manufacturer?

May have been a different thread or i moved it to the wrong place. Good eye!

1. Cooling for one thing...more robust power bits.
2. Yes. Please read - http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/sli/system-requirements

Tír na nÓg · Jul 12, 2016

EarthDog said:
No... not really. Not at all. Not sure what point he is trying to make. The performance gap between the 980ti and 780ti at 1080p is huge... on the order of 40% or more.

EDIT: 46% ->https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_1080/26.html

EDIT2: I moved this to General GPU when it started... not sure where you put it initially but due to the title and first post, I put it here.

The point is simple: a top of the line 2 gen old card shows its age already, getting a used card 2 gen or more old is a bad idea!

yes, it is around +50%@stock from a 780ti to a 980ti. I am lucky the card overclocks well. But still, 3GB is kind of low now, even with a 35%OC.

EarthDog · Jul 12, 2016

Now you are clear... up there you stated the 780ti was equal to or greater than a 980Ti.

EDIT: I see now, you made an arrow there, not the greater than/equal to... :rofl:

Tír na nÓg · Jul 12, 2016

EarthDog said:
Now you are clear... up there you stated the 780ti was equal to or greater than a 980Ti.

EDIT: I see now, you made an arrow there, not the greater than/equal to...

Lol! the "=>" is not equal or grater but more like "From A to B" "A=>B"

Sure it's not! hehehe!

ATMINSIDE · Jul 12, 2016

Tír na nÓg said:
grater

I like cheese.

Tír na nÓg · Jul 12, 2016

ATMINSIDE said:
I like cheese.

Yeah, grated sounds better!

Haider · Jul 20, 2016

I usually buy top mid-range/low high-end, apart from the Creative Labs 3DFX Voodoo card which was and is the Daddy. Still got an Power Cooler Radeon X850 XT Platinum Edition AGP. My monitor is 42 inch TV so next up is 4K when it goes mainstream, may be dual RX 480 if DirectX 12 explicit multi adapter tech works out... Try to avoid nVidia as they stop updating the drivers sections for specific games for older cards, been there seen that. AMD tend to carry on updating the drivers for newer games on older GCN platforms. If you plan on updating on each architecture tree not a problem...

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