So I was under the impression that NVIDIA would be launching two GTX 1080 cards soon, the reference 1080 and the 1080 Founders Edition. With the Founders Edition having a better cooler and better binned chips, the reference being sold for $599 and the Founders for $699. I was fine with this, I can understand this. But after watching JayzTwoCents video on it I find myself thoroughly confused.
This is the video in question:
Anyways, he seems to say that both the Founders Edition and the reference card are identical, but the Founders costs $100 more. I must be misunderstanding something here, is there no $599 reference card, that's just the number they're saying the card is worth? Is there going to be a reference card and the Founders Edition on launch but the reference card will stop once other manufacturers start producing cards?
I'm so confused right now. If anyone knows more about this and can help clarify it for me I could be greatly appreciative.
The founders edition is just the new reference card, costs $100 more than third party cards for whatever reason, it's not better binned chips or anything, the cards are most likely just in short supply
Unless you already have a 4k display you probably shouldn't bother, you're also going to want to wait and see if pascal supports a-sync from DX12
It's virtually the same. Low yields in chips may have prompted them to get the most $$$ out of it by charging extra premium before 3rd party board members roll out their own designs. It's one speculation being thrown out there. Didn't Maxwell sold out for a while too, that's why they're capitalizing on that fact. An economist would probably have a more sound explanation for what seems to be a money grab in the eyes of the consumers.
Nothing confusing about that there's only a Founders additional and it will cost $100 more than the MSRP (Manufacturer Suggest Retail Price) that the resellers will be selling their version of the card for. They can design their own board or custom cooler I'm not 100% sure if they can simply resell the Founders addition though at that MSRP price.
Nothing particularly special about the Founders addition other than the high quality of the parts and cooler. That's my understanding anyway.
Could be but it's not a confusing situation so you can make your own buying decision. Youtubers have to make vids though to make a living themselves :)
So there is no $599 reference card, It's only the $699 Founders Edition and they're just saying that the card is worth $599? That would make sense.
I've already made up my mind and I'll be buying a 1080 whether it's the Founder's Edition or one soon to follow. I have a 4k monitor, a GTX 670 and I just want to see the light of 60fps again.
The reference design is now called founder edition and, once the OEMs run out of the first wave of reference desing, nVidia will keep making that model and sell it to the public under the name founder edition. That's it, easy peasy.
Nvidia feels like the reference card (aka founders edition) should be available throughout the life span of the 1080 and 1070. It is more expensive to prevent people from grabing it over the OEMs models. It is as simple as that. Note: I consider myself a medium to high level AMD fanboy.
What exactly did they say about that showcased card running at 2.1 gigglehertz? Did anyone see the actual card?
The new reference appears to be very similar to the cooler on the reference 980ti. Might be better or worse, absolutely zero data on that yet. It's very probable that it isn't worth a $100 though. Cash grab, they seem to think early adopters are dumb/don't care anyway.
Wait for reviews, no use getting excited about paper launches.
That it was stock on air, nothing about what environment the card was in running though, Probably a chilled room or something, it was running 67c at 2.1.
AS far as I can work out the extra price is; 1. Because there are not many chips, rarer higher cost. 2. Founders edition beats out general launch or something by a few weeks or at least availability will make it seem as such. 3. The components in the founders edition are supposed to the top shelf stuff, this is not saying the chips are binned, they are not by nVidias statements. No the capacitors, and power delivery components are all supposed to be high grade. 4. The design, it is nice to some people, and I remember last gen the 970 reference was gold dust, so places like Overclockers UK had a batch of 970 reference/upgrade cards made for people wanting that stock cooler. So some want that look. 5. The actual cooler its self is magnesium aluminium and looks quality regardless of the Design, and the reference back plate is back. 6. Reference edition in production for the life of the series, not just a few in the first months and then all custom air.
Those and a few others smaller points are why the founders edition is more expensive in my eyes than the AIB Partner boards.
What I am skeptical of is the pricing of the regular boards. They listed a lower price on the slides yes, but with nVidia having its own premium version of their own card, other companies will put out the regular boards cheaper in line with the cheaper than founders pricing, but I also imagine that a few companies will have their own "premium" 1080 and will be the same price as the founders but also all sorts of extras and features.
Thats the thing, they did not show which particular card they were running, just that it was a reference card aka founders edition. But it might have verywell been an overclocked board partner card who knows?
the capacitors, and power delivery components are all supposed to be high grade.
Ah, the very specific "high grade". Until someone has pried off the 980ti cooler off that Founders Ed and analyzed the components, I feel very sceptical. Many a graphics card has claimed to have "better components", but as reviews seldom check stuff like that it is mostly just marketing speak. They even get pissy about it if a reviewer dare ask. Remains to be seen if they actually have better components on there than same old. Might motivate the price hike a bit.
Absolutely, this is just all my own opinion on why it could cost more and be some what justifiable. but one way or another there is some under handed stuff going on somewhere.
NDA ended 32 minutes ago, at least when I remembered the time correctly. TechPowerup has its review public. It is in fact the "founders edition". There is NOTHING special about the founders edition. Just go back in time and replace "reference" with "founders".
Then i suppose we will see some reviews soon. Currious about what it can do. I allready knew that the founders edition is just a new term for reference.
