I am currently re-working my computer build due to a failing water pump. I have most of the build sorted out already, but the one major component upgrade I am considering is a new GPU (I can share the rest of the build, but will also be posting a build log after I am finished).
I would like this GPU to be around GTX1070 performance, have support for a waterblock, and have good power design for watercooled overclocking performance.
Does anyone on the forum have a recommendation for a model of GTX 1070 to get based on personal experience, or technical expertise? I have looked at pairing either an EVGA GTX 1070 FTW Gaming or an ASUS GTX 1070 Strix OC with their corresponding EK waterblocks and currently am leaning toward the EVGA model card.
Note: I was also considering going for 2xRX480 cards in crossfire, but am concerned about game support and the added cost of 2 waterblocks, though that is still a consideration. Feel free to share thoughts on this option.
the evga FTW series with acx 3.0 has a problem, the vrm's are improperly cooled and can get up to 110 C. im using the zotac amp extreme and im pretty happy with it. it can get up to 2ghz with boost and no OC and much farther with OC (too bad 32 bit skyrims unstable when oc'd =/) and stays in the low 60's on load. i have heard good things about the evga cards in every way btu the cooling, if you add some vrms heat sinks and have a fan blowing on them they should be fine. also heard good things about the galax and palit vesions.
and for rx480's the saphire nitro version is king.
The DIGI+ VRM design on the Asus card is killer, I think you should go for that card. Also the MSI Gaming-X looks really really good. Is always better to go for a single card in order to avoid any kind of issue of multi card configuration.
Yeah, I'm aware of the FTW series VRM cooling issue, but that won't be of concern because I will be slapping a waterblock on it, so the VRMs will be cooled in an entirely different, and more effective way. I am more considering the differences in the PCB design themselves, and how well they will support overclocking with greatly improved cooling.
@MetalizeYourBrain, I have had good luck with the ASUS Strix cards in the past, though their support has seemed to be steadily declining in my experience. Since I am a pretty old customer, and know what I am talking about, I can usually get them to replace things, but my friends have had slightly worse luck unless I step in for them.
That being said, I do like their PCB designs.
MSI is territory I haven't expanded into, I had one motherboard of theirs that was pretty decent many years ago. I like the looks of the Gaming-X, and it has good support from the EK block choices. Do you know anything about their customer service and reliability?
get as per nv i recommend buy from local store - so that you can check asic and return if its below 80%, and get another one (try to get within 85-89%).
For amd if i were you i'd wait for vega. But 2x 480 is still a good deal -- just get the xfx that was recently tested and showed quite the asic quality. (xfx has more love on polaris series - their cards are much better by asic quality)
If you buy either, you'll likely loose anyway... 1080ti is going to be out soon, and Vega will also.
You're welcome. Unfortunately I've never had a first hand experience with the MSI customer support. But I guess you can find somewhat decent informations on the internet.
I was trying to make the same decision just recently and this time around it has been quite a hassle as i don't see any obvious feel good/winning option. I agree with Cyklon that waiting to see how 1080ti and vega impact the market makes a ton of sense, but i for one lost patience and want to get rid of my chip only water cooled ghetto 770.
1070 performance is also what i want, but the prices have kept me away since launch rage quitting my browser.
1060 would double my current performance but the missing sli option feels like a solid middle finger from nvidia - more rage.
RX 480 seems to benefit massively from water, to me making it seem very tempting and fun but still the performance is slightly lower than i'd wish for, and when you put a block on it you're closing in on 1070 prices. Sad face with tear and i wish there were an RX 490 as i like alternating brands.
After months of this i bit the bullet on the 1070 and my research on which to buy didn't point any useful direction either. I've seen claims that founders reference boards tend to boost slightly higher than the beefed up board partners (?), and then there's the whole deal about added power phases in theory allowing for more extreme overclocks. I have yet to come across any good examples proving it to make any real difference current gen on air or water, please enlighten me if you guys have. I imagine unlocked bios or volt mods could maybe start showing some if that's your deal, and if so dual bios might be a nice feature to look out for as well.
Anyhow, i made my decision based on cheapest i could find w. block support and a decent stock cooler for safe keeping. For me locally that was the EVGA 1070 SC with the overheat issues, but i don't mind as i knew in advance, it's an easy fix and getting a water block anyway. It's now here in the unopened box waiting for either the thermal mod pads or the EK block, whichever arrive first... Personally i'll be satisfied if it just boosts to 2 ghz but it will probably be another week before i get to start testing it. >_<
Hmmm, there are decisions abound certainly with this. Thank you for sharing your story @lzrx, I think the feelings you were having are what I've been struggling with also.
From what I have read, it looks likely that the 1080ti will be priced well above the 1080, which means the 1080 and 1070 may not drop in price. Thus, the only thing that is tempting for me would be awaiting the release of an RX490 card. I definitely think one card solutions are the preferable choice in any setup and I feel much safer that way. I also am frequent Linux user, and the lack of respect NVidia shows for the Linux community is something that frequently disappoints me.
One argument that plagues my thoughts though is, there will always be the next best thing just around the corner, so if you always wait, you may never actually upgrade. Especially if each next best thing is a little more out of reach in terms of price. At the moment, I can do the cost of a 1070 + waterblock, and presumably an RX490 + waterblock would be the same for me IF it gets released sometime soon. Otherwise, I think my desire to get good frame rates on my 2K display outweighs the benefit of waiting for the 1080ti release.
@lzrx, one other comment, I would highly recommend running your card for a while under stress before installing the water block on it because sometimes manufacturers will not honor the warranty if the card has a waterblock installed before the defect was discovered. -- That being said, it sounds like EVGA is really good about supporting their customers, and considering the current heating issues on those cards, it seems like they would be willing to honor the warranty even if you had installed a waterblock, or done the VRM heatpad modification that they are directly recommending to all their customers. Seems like a pretty cool company, and really makes me want to buy from them. I take customer support very seriously, and while they made a manufacturing mistake to save pennies, they are not leaving the customers helpless at all, and that takes courage and honor in my book.
Vega seems to be the perpetual wait, the data that is available now is AMD's investors docs that says Vega will release H2 2017. That probably means a six month wait.
1080/1070 can be watercooled sure, just won't change much. As been said a card with good ASIC quality is more important. I would just check EK WB cooling configurator an choose a card from there. Or get a Watercool DIY block with their micro-block VRM cooling. As for unlocked bios etc on NV cards, that is just not something that usually happens at all. It would be the rare exception. There are always hard mods, but Pascal doesn't seem to scale with voltage much if at all. So ASIC quality is very important.
I have two custom cooled 480s. I don't reccomend it for the casual user. I have to modify almost every game to get things working right, plus as you said, the cost of two blocks.
With that said, I had just got done using an Nvidia card so I wanted to give AMDs new products a try. As someone familiar with getting around in the guts of games to get things working, I do not at all mind crossfire and I actually enjoy it.
I agree. Been using AMD cards in crossfire for years, the support is spotty and there are many pitfalls to be aware of. Definitely for advanced users that like to tinker. I also agree that it can be a rewarding experience, Fallout 4 for example was a nice ride of improvements months after release to the point were it runs pretty well for a Bethsoft game.
As for water blocks, I used to just buy EK blocks, but they tend to end up unused, just expensive hunks of metal and plastic eventually. I will try to use universal blocks in the future. Blocks like Watercool Heatkiller DIY: EK also have cheap universal blocks, but no VRM cooling.
