Is a GTX1080ti massive overkill for 1080p?

[casshern09]

Hey folks,

I've just ordered a new PC and I'm just looking for some advice on the GPU, which I ordered separately. I've been looking at the GTX 1080ti, but I'm wondering if this is overkill since I'm only using a 120hz, 1080p monitor?

Just for reference, the rest of the build is...

i7 8700K
Asus TUF B360-PRO GAMING
240GB SSD
2TB HDD
750W PSU

I was thinking that I could either order a GTX1080, which I assume with the rest of that build, will be fine for 1080p max settings for a good while. Or I could order the 1080ti and then maybe get a 4K monitor around Christmas.

For those that use 4K, is it worth it? Is it a "I would never go back" kind of thing? I'm completely happy using 1080p to be honest, but since I will have a fairly powerful PC for the first time in a while, I thought it might be a good opportunity to try out 4K gaming.

 

[TechyInAZ]

Yeah it's insanely overkill for 1080P, it's not a crime to use it at 1080P, it's just that a 1080 or heck a 1070 would be more than good enough for 1080P.

Now if your planning on upgrading to 4k in the future, that's a whole other story. If your coming from 1080P, yeah it's a never go back thing, but if your coming from 1440P it's not that big of a deal.

 

[WildCard999]

If you'll be making the upgrade to 1440P/4K or a ultrawide in the near future then it's fine to use it at 1080P/120 for now. I have mine hooked up with a 1080P/144hz monitor and 4K/60hz HDTV and it works great for both.

Utilizing 2x/4x DSR on the 1080P monitor can create a better image for gaming and will utilize the GPU a bit more. This works great in animated titles such as DBZ: Xenovers (1/2) to smooth it out.

 

[DSzymborski]

4K gaming is quite nice, as Techy notes, it's most noticeable if you're coming from 1080p. The thing is, the 1080ti just barely squeaks by at 60 fps in a lot of AAA games at 4K, so if you're not a chronic upgrader, you might find yourself having to tone down some quality settings at 4K earlier in its life cycle than you might want.

We're still relatively early in the 4K game. I generally recommend a high-refresh rate 1440p monitor with a high-end GPU right now, though it also depends on the games you play.

 

[InvalidError]

Now if your planning on upgrading to 4k in the future, that's a whole other story. If your coming from 1080P, yeah it's a never go back thing,

Dunno about that. To me, 4k gaming falls in the "don't care gimmick" bin: the only time where I might notice the difference with higher resolution or detail settings is while sitting still in one spot instead of actively playing a game. Usually, I don't play games just to stare at the scenery and most extra details get lost in persistence of vision during movement.

 

[TechyInAZ]

Agreed Invalid, yeah it also depends on the person, if they are more of the eye candy guy or the guy who doesn't care that much and just wants to play his game.

 

[WildCard999]

Now if your planning on upgrading to 4k in the future, that's a whole other story. If your coming from 1080P, yeah it's a never go back thing,

Dunno about that. To me, 4k gaming falls in the "don't care gimmick" bin: the only time where I might notice the difference with higher resolution or detail settings is while sitting still in one spot instead of actively playing a game. Usually, I don't play games just to stare at the scenery and most extra details get lost in persistence of vision during movement.

I think it really comes down to the game, on a game such as Battlefield the action is so quick that you don't have time to really admire the scenery but in a game like Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice you really should up the detail as not only does the game look absolutely beautiful but it also helps solve the multiple puzzles to progress forward as there hidden in the scenery.

 

[Toxic_Cobra]

Does the monitor gave g sync? I just got a EVGA laptop with a 1060 and was expecting the 120hz display to go unused but the MOBILE 1060 actually keeps up with the 120 hz quite nicely in most games maxed out. If your monitor has g sync, there's no point in a 1080 ti as g sync will just be disabled in a majority of games where you get too high fps! be other hand, I use a 1080 ti on my build with a 120hz 3440 x 1440p monitor and it's still probably a bit over compensating. A 1060 6 gb or 1070 will easily push that 120 hz 1080p monitor, unless your looking to scale the resolution or something pointless like that. Coming from a 1070 and 144hz 1080p monitor, that was even way too much. At 1080p, if you switched a 1080 ti with a 1070 you really won't notice the difference as the 1070 easily maxes out the fps at 1080p.

 

[casshern09]

Thanks for the answers, everyone. Not certain yet, but I think I might just get a 1080. I suppose the 1080ti would future proof it a bit, but seems like it might not be worth it.

 

[InvalidError]

Thanks for the answers, everyone. Not certain yet, but I think I might just get a 1080. I suppose the 1080ti would future proof it a bit, but seems like it might not be worth it.

According to hype earlier this year, the next big thing in gaming photorealism is going to be selective ray-tracing and if that ever becomes mainstream, you'll need completely redesigned GPUs to handle the massive increase in compute workload. A 1080Ti isn't going to save anyone from that when it is barely able to keep up with 4k60p.

 

[casshern09]

Thanks for the answers, everyone. Not certain yet, but I think I might just get a 1080. I suppose the 1080ti would future proof it a bit, but seems like it might not be worth it.

According to hype earlier this year, the next big thing in gaming photorealism is going to be selective ray-tracing and if that ever becomes mainstream, you'll need completely redesigned GPUs to handle the massive increase in compute workload. A 1080Ti isn't going to save anyone from that when it is barely able to keep up with 4k60p.

I hadn't heard of that, but yeah, I think what you say about future proofing is right. It might mean I have to upgrade a bit sooner to keep things running at 60fps, but I don't think it's worth the extra £300.

 

[Toxic_Cobra]

You should close this thready by picking an answer.
With high refresh rate 4k monitors coming out, I wouldn't get a 4k monitor right now as it will be outdated soon and probubly drop in price. Not to mention high refresh rate 1440p ia amazing and will do great with a 1080.