Which GPU should I get?

[MattC231]

At first, I was gonna get the RX Vega. After watching some reviews from Linus Tech Tips, Joker Productions, JayzTwoCents, and Hardware Unboxed, I was looking forward to getting a Vega but, after watching a video about the price increase by Joker Productions, it soured my enthusiasm. So now I want to get a 1080ti but am unsure about the many aib cards out there. Right now, I'm thinking about getting this card: http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hydro-gfx-gtx-1080-ti-liquid-cooled-graphics-card

Should I and should get a liquid cooled card? or should I stick with air cooled? If so, which aib would you suggest?

 

[Barty1884]

I don't believe the "bait and switch" pricing rumours have been confirmed by any truly reliable source at this point.......and honestly, I'd be surprised if it were the case...... but either way, the top end Vega card was trading blows with a 1080....... a 1080TI would be the "better" card regardless.

Assuming you utilize a resolution that would take advantage of the raw power, and you have a rig that'll pair nicely with it.

As for liquid vs air..... that's a matter of opinion.
The Corsair card has lower stock clocks than something like the Gigabyte Auros, near $100 cheaper.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB AORUS Video Card ($708.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $708.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-17 15:14 EDT-0400

It should run a little cooler, and potentially has more Overclocking headroom, but I haven't seen any direct comparisons of the Corsair vs any other 1080TI right now, so it's just an assumption.


Personally, provided you have adequate airflow in your case to keep an air-cooled GPU sufficiently cool, I wouldn't look past the Auros for the money.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

I have 2 1080ti's in SLI and I run them under water. My temps never go above 50C and it is very quite. But I cant see any "visual" difference in the games for air vs water. Only when I run a FPS counter or in benchmarks.

If you are on a budget, then I would go with an air card because the performance difference does not out weigh the extra cost. But if your a junkie like me, then definitely go for the hybrid cooler as they do perform well and are very quite.

 

[MattC231]

I don't believe the "bait and switch" pricing rumours have been confirmed by any truly reliable source at this point.......and honestly, I'd be surprised if it were the case...... but either way, the top end Vega card was trading blows with a 1080....... a 1080TI would be the "better" card regardless.

Assuming you utilize a resolution that would take advantage of the raw power, and you have a rig that'll pair nicely with it.

As for liquid vs air..... that's a matter of opinion.
The Corsair card has lower stock clocks than something like the Gigabyte Auros, near $100 cheaper.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB AORUS Video Card ($708.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $708.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-17 15:14 EDT-0400

It should run a little cooler, and potentially has more Overclocking headroom, but I haven't seen any direct comparisons of the Corsair vs any other 1080TI right now, so it's just an assumption.


Personally, provided you have adequate airflow in your case to keep an air-cooled GPU sufficiently cool, I wouldn't look past the Auros for the money.

Is that card I linked called the sea hawk? 'cause when I google the card to find reviews, sea hawk pops up.

So, about case airflow, my case is the 760t with 2 front intake fans (Corsair Air Series SP 140 LED Red High Static Pressure Fan), 1 bottom intake fan (Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Quiet Edition High Airflow Fan), 3 top exhaust fans (Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Quiet Edition High Airflow Fan), and 1 rear exhaust fan (Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Quiet Edition High Airflow Fan). Is that ok or should I make adjustments?

 

[WildCard999]

My EVGA GTX 1080 ti Hybrid runs cool and has yet to go over 40C while gaming. It's also really quiet compared to my CPU AIO (H100i) but you pay a premium for the card/AIO.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC2 HYBRID GAMING Video Card ($794.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $794.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-17 15:34 EDT-0400

If I went with a air cooler I would of looked at the Zotac GTX 1080 ti AMP Extreme but I don't currently see it in stock anywhere at the moment.

 

[Barty1884]

Is that card I linked called the sea hawk? 'cause when I google the card to find reviews, sea hawk pops up.

So, about case airflow, my case is the 760t with 2 front intake fans (Corsair Air Series SP 140 LED Red High Static Pressure Fan), 1 bottom intake fan (Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Quiet Edition High Airflow Fan), 3 top exhaust fans (Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Quiet Edition High Airflow Fan), and 1 rear exhaust fan (Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Quiet Edition High Airflow Fan). Is that ok or should I make adjustments?

Essentially, yes. They're either identical, or extremely similar.

Both the GFX Hydro and SeaHawk X are cards by MSI with Corsair liquid coolers.

I'm not 100% sure if there is any differences, or whether it's simply the GFX is sold by Corsair directly (it's not available anywhere else) and the SeaHawk X sold via 'normal' retail channels.

 

[MattC231]

My EVGA GTX 1080 ti Hybrid runs cool and has yet to go over 40C while gaming. It's also really quiet compared to my CPU AIO (H100i) but you pay a premium for the card/AIO.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB SC2 HYBRID GAMING Video Card ($794.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $794.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-17 15:34 EDT-0400

If I went with a air cooler I would of looked at the Zotac GTX 1080 ti AMP Extreme but I don't currently see it in stock anywhere at the moment.

Is that card I linked called the sea hawk? 'cause when I google the card to find reviews, sea hawk pops up.

So, about case airflow, my case is the 760t with 2 front intake fans (Corsair Air Series SP 140 LED Red High Static Pressure Fan), 1 bottom intake fan (Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Quiet Edition High Airflow Fan), 3 top exhaust fans (Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Quiet Edition High Airflow Fan), and 1 rear exhaust fan (Corsair Air Series AF120 LED Quiet Edition High Airflow Fan). Is that ok or should I make adjustments?

Essentially, yes. They're either identical, or extremely similar.

Both the GFX Hydro and SeaHawk X are cards by MSI with Corsair liquid coolers.

I'm not 100% sure if there is any differences, or whether it's simply the GFX is sold by Corsair directly (it's not available anywhere else) and the SeaHawk X sold via 'normal' retail channels.

i guess i'll go for air cooled. Would you recommend any msi cards, or are the others better?

 

[Barty1884]

In a simplistic sense, a 1080TI = a 1080TI. They have the same GPU chip at heart.

The differences are in cooling, binning (although less so for 1080TIs) and factory overclocks.

Almost any card in the 1080TI space should be solid enough. Some will have better cooling than others, others have higher clocks.
Personally, given the price and relative performance/clock speeds, the Gigabyte Auros I linked in my first reply would appear to be the best "bang for your buck".

 

[MattC231]

In a simplistic sense, a 1080TI = a 1080TI. They have the same GPU chip at heart.

The differences are in cooling, binning (although less so for 1080TIs) and factory overclocks.

Almost any card in the 1080TI space should be solid enough. Some will have better cooling than others, others have higher clocks.
Personally, given the price and relative performance/clock speeds, the Gigabyte Auros I linked in my first reply would appear to be the best "bang for your buck".

ok, ty