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Debating if I should do Nvidia Step-up from a 780 Classy HC to a ref 780 ti

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GTXJackBauer

Water Cooling Senior Member, #TEAMH20HNO
Joined
May 22, 2011
Location
USA
Debating if I should do Nvidia Step-up from a 780 Classy HC to a ref 780 ti. I pay no difference other than the shipping which is $10 and pay to ship the 780 classy back to them.

I hear that at 3 GB we're already Vram capped in BF4 in surround (5760x1080) which ticks me off. I purposely bought this GPU to be ready for BF4 in surround and I see why my FPS was all over the place because I was Vram capped!

Thing is I am hearing there might be a GTX 780 Ti 6GB GPU but that's up to the 3rd party companies if they choose too but I'd be out of the step-up window.

So I am debating if I get rid of my 1400+ OCer with 7000 OC ram that gives me a 18c Delta in my loop and gets my CPU all toasty for a reference which would be about even in performance at stock (assuming) with my OC'd Classy I am guessing. Even though I don't do anything about the issues with the Vram cap I guess I can't have AA than in surround.

I said no last night that I wouldn't do it because I would eventually spend for a water block for it to be added to the loop. Than this morning I am getting a different vibe going around reading the forums with different reviews.

A stock 780 ti is about 5-10 FPS faster than a highly OC'd 780 classified my guess is and saw some charts last night. I think if you took the stock 780 ti and OC'd it a bit you could get another say 5 FPS avg. That's 15 FPS added to my already hot steamy classy. Not to mention the 500+ more cuda cores it has. GK110 fully unlocked?

Anyways, I'd like to start a debate about this. I have till Wednesday next week to make my step-up decision. A lot of premium buyers are ticked at how the step-up works since it only really benefits those in the lower/medium market. Classified to Classified isn't allowed. Oh btw they will be coming out with a 780 Ti Classified Hydro Copper which is looking to be around the $800 mark which I paid for in august but I am not qualified for that. They only do reference cards. Smh......:bang head :rain: I also figured if I do go with the 780 Ti wouldn't I hold better value before Maxwell with that than my 780 Classy Hydro Copper since they are both the same price?

Let the debates begin.
 
Here are some great examples of some tests done in surround.

Bench 1

Bench 2

Now that's not including the 780 Classified. I am wondering since I can go 1400+mhz / 7000mhz on my classy if I am willing to beat a stock 780 Ti and say I do the step-up on this 780 Ti with a slight OC, would I still beat the high OC'd classy?
 
the 780ti@stock seems to match a 780 at 1241-1267Mhz. That being said. With the price drop on the 780 Classy. I assume you bought it before the price drops. It's currently 599 or less so for the cost of shipping you are getting 100 more expensive card. Seems like it has no downside. If you want to switch to the Classy when it comes out you will get more for resale of your 780ti than you would for the classy too. Win win?

EDIT: I didn't realize you had the hydro copper classy. You could buy the air 780ti classy, take the cooler off it and put it on the 780. The Classy 780ti PCB is exactly the same as the 780 Classy PCB so the waterblock will transfer over. That saves you 100 dollars on the 780ti Classy if you choose to go that route.
 
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Wait for clocked after market 780Ti? Seriously, how much is 5-10fps going to drain your fun for a few months?

Would considering a CPU/motherboard change not make a difference? There must be a gain, unless of course your waiting for next gen X chipset?
 
I would because even a 1300+ oc classified cant touch a 780ti @ 1250+.

if you overpaid on the 780 then i see no downside either with the swap.

if you have time though waiting for the 780ti classy might be a better idea.
 
Personally, I would buy the 780ti Classy when it comes out, and swap the coolers and sell the 780 classy with the air cooler on it. I've waiting for the 780ti classy myself, its the reason I'm selling my 2 670's.
 
I would wait for the inevitable 6GB 780Ti HC and just sell your current card when you get the new one.
 
I'd go for the step up program: isn't the block/cooler the same on both cards?
 
Personally, I would buy the 780ti Classy when it comes out, and swap the coolers and sell the 780 classy with the air cooler on it. I've waiting for the 780ti classy myself, its the reason I'm selling my 2 670's.

why would he do that when 780's have dropped from 700ish to 500ish a 2nd hand 780 classy or not is going to fetch under $500 used.

its loose loose situation really esp when he can always get a waterblock for around 100$ later on if desired.

and i should add. air cooled vs water cooled the 780ti is still going to wax the 780 reguardless and a waterblock later will just extend that lead.
 
So, what about stepping up and buying a block?

Edit: the 780 ti does the same job as a 780@1250MHz. And the 780 ti looks like it OCs very well on the stock cooler.
 
Whoa! Mass confusion going on. For the record lol I have a EVGA GTX 780 Classified Hydro Copper. Preinstalled WB. I can turn that in for a reference blower style 780 Ti and buy a block for it later on and OC'd it that way. I have no funds to get the 780 Ti classy. It wouldn't make sense since I lost value on the GPU and if I did decide to sell it I would get $550-$600 off of Ebay plus the 10% ($50-$60) they would take from it? So say I get $500 credited for this GPU towards the 780 Ti classy. I would still need at least $200 to get a 780 Ti classy. Reference is $700. I am guessing like they did it before the 780 Ti HC will be $800 and the 780 Ti Classy HC will be $830.

I can ONLY get the reference 780Ti or any reference in general going by the terms and conditions for the step-up program and that option is for everyone no matter what card you have as long as you're in the 90 day window. The 780 Ti will be no cost from me other than having to pay for the shipping and later on for a WB. Figure it would basically be a 780Ti Hydro Copper.

My GPU was 799.99 back in August. Bought it on the 13th so I have till the 13th next week to make up my mind before step-up expires.

You guys see the dilemma I am in? Not to mention the Vram issues going on.

Here's a post in another forums I felt would be proper to be posted in here as well.

if he paid the original 780gtx classified prices then it would be though.

or does evga only honor current pricing and not what you paid for it?

seems like highway robbery if they only honer the current massively price cut prices though as most people could step up their 780gtx for like 50$ to the 780ti if they honor the original pricing.

Yup. It's original pricing and a lot of people who bought the Classifieds in august end of july have either got their step-up run out on them since the 780Ti wasn't released in their time frame and the majority buyers of the reference as well since June/July I want to say or have a few days to a few weeks left like me. Notice the timing of the release of the 780 Ti. But not sure how relevant that would be for Nvidia when EVGA is just a 3rd party and I am sure it was based on the timing of the 290x anyways.

I feel I got ripped off with this GPU that is already Vram capped for a premium price. Been debating this on the EVGA forums. Love the IT-Know-It-All chair generals telling me I didn't do my research and I made a mistake by buying the 780 Classy hydro and not entitled to such high expectations of High/Ultra settings on a premium product when in fact this guy from overseas bought a Titan for more than $1k only for gaming. He says I should lower my settings to medium/low would be my solution and not expect more.

Even some folks are saying they are Vram capped at 1440p on BF4! This is outrageous. Didn't they use to give you extra headroom? Now its all about how much you can milk your customers? :mad: :bang head
 
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Im thinking about the step up too. I paid $250 in the end for my GTX780 and the invoice shows $550 which is what they go off of. Would only be another $150 to upgrade for $400 for a 780Ti :D

And Im not sure how users are reporting maxing out at 1440p with a 780. I havent hit 2.7gb on ULTRA settings yet.
 
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If you don't have funds for the ti classy then you can't justify the funds for the 6gb card either really. It then becomes would you rather have your card on water or air? The 780ti overclocked on air will still beat the 780 classy on water I think, but not by an amount that really matters. So the choice becomes whether or not you want water or air cooling. And I guess to a certain extent the resale value of either card. 780 classy HC may have been more expensive at release than the 780ti ref but its going to be less valuable at resale.

with the 780ti classy completely out of the cards i would step up for sure. Overclock it on air to slightly better performance vs your current card. and in a couple months when you can afford it get a waterblock for the thing and get even more performance.
 
If you don't have funds for the ti classy then you can't justify the funds for the 6gb card either really. It then becomes would you rather have your card on water or air? The 780ti overclocked on air will still beat the 780 classy on water I think, but not by an amount that really matters. So the choice becomes whether or not you want water or air cooling. And I guess to a certain extent the resale value of either card. 780 classy HC may have been more expensive at release than the 780ti ref but its going to be less valuable at resale.

with the 780ti classy completely out of the cards i would step up for sure. Overclock it on air to slightly better performance vs your current card. and in a couple months when you can afford it get a waterblock for the thing and get even more performance.

Huh?

780 Ti Classified is out of the questions. It's between the GTX 780 3GB Classified Hydro Copper stepping up to the GTX 780 Ti (reference/air) and only paying shipping costs and a WB down the line.
 
What's huh? Basically what is said is step up and get a waterblock down the line. The bump in performance is worth the shipping cost. And the resale value is higher. When you grab a waterblock it will really destroy your 780 Classified.
 
Huh?
It's between the GTX 780 3GB Classified Hydro Copper stepping up to the GTX 780 Ti (reference/air) and only paying shipping costs and a WB down the line.

It sounds tempting, doesn't it? Since I just bought three GTX 780 Classy Hydro Copper cards after the price cut you probably already know where I stand on the question. But my situation and priorities aren't the same as yours.

A few things to consider in kicking this one around:

1. Maxwell GPUs are expected Q1/Q2 of 2014. So even if you go for the EVGA step up now Nvidia will have something to tempt you with again in the very near term future. If I was a frequent upgrader (for me it really depends) then I might be inclined to sit tight and wait. A few frames per second isn't going to kill me for the next three to six months.

2. How satisfied are you with the performance of the card you have? If I found the GTX 780 Classy HC wanting then I might be inclined to take the step up to a reference GTX 780 Ti and add a water block, especially if I was determined not to bite on a Maxwell GPU when it launches. I think it comes down to whether or not the 780 Ti is worth the cost of a water block to you (and the hassle of draining your loop to install it).
 
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What's huh? Basically what is said is step up and get a waterblock down the line. The bump in performance is worth the shipping cost. And the resale value is higher. When you grab a waterblock it will really destroy your 780 Classified.

Exactly is what I am thinking. Another thing that comes to mind is I am still getting a 3 GB Vram card and we're all experiencing Vram caps already. Sob.....There are also rumors that there might be non-reference 6GB/12GB cards. Don't even know if I'll see them in my step-up window aka next week lol or be eligible if they did come out.

Could the ram issue be caused by premature drivers? Memory leakage?

It sounds tempting, doesn't it? Since I just bought three GTX 780 Classy Hydro Copper cards after the price cut you probably already know where I stand on the question. But my situation and priorities aren't the same as yours.

A few things to consider in kicking this one around:

1. Maxwell GPUs are expected Q1/Q2 of 2014. So even if you go for the EVGA step up now Nvidia will have something to tempt you with again in the very near term future. If I was a frequent upgrader (for me it really depends) then I might be inclined to sit tight and wait. A few frames per second isn't going to kill me for the next three to six months.

2. How satisfied are you with the performance of the card you have? If I found the GTX 780 Classy HC wanting then I might be inclined to take the step up to a reference GTX 780 Ti and add a water block, especially if I was determined not to bite on a Maxwell GPU when it launches. I think it comes down to whether or not the 780 Ti is worth the cost of a water block to you (and the hassle of draining your loop to install it).

I don't think I'll be looking at Maxwell as I need to relax a bit after this GPU debacle and focus on upgrading the main components to the rig since its 4 yrs old already. (CPU/MB/RAM/SSD)

Yeah, I just wanted enough Vram and anywhere from 45-60 FPS on ultra in surround @ 5760x1080. I never wanted anything spectacular. I don't think that's asking for too much but others might disagree.

I am 65%-70% sure I'll be doing the step-up but have till mid next week to finalize my answer.
 
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I'm in a similar boat. I never had a reference card and everyone seems to be all over the place for this stuff.

I just wish that the superclock acx model was in the step up program.
 
in zoink's case he got the new and much cheaper pricing so it makes much less sense for him to do the upgrade to 780ti with step up program because hes really not gaining anything .

to the people who paid the overpriced premium it does make sense though. they got ripped off and if it was me i would be stepping up and then waterblocking the card later down the road.

keep the reference cooler and perhaps if you sell the card down the road your resale will be much higher selling both the card and the waterblock.

its really a no brainer to me since nvidia tanked the value of the 780's with that 250$ price drop.
 
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