The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founder's Edition Review: Bigger Pascal for Better Performance
by Ryan Smith on March 9, 2017 9:00 AM ESTFinal Words
Bringing this review to a close, the launch of the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founder’s Edition gives NVIDIA a chance to set their pace and tone for the rest of 2017. After a fantastic 2016 powered by Pascal, NVIDIA is looking to repeat that success this year. And that success starts with a very strong launch of what is NVIDIA’s new flagship GeForce card.
Because the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founder’s Edition isn’t NVIDIA’s first GP102-based product – even if it is their first GeForce product – I don’t think anything we’ve seen today is going to catch anyone by surprise. In fact as the third time now that they’ve released a 250 Watt Ti refresher at the high-end, I don’t think any of this should be surprising. At this point NVIDIA has their GeForce launches down to an art, and that ability to execute so well on these kinds of launches is part of the reason that 2016 was such a banner year for the company.
| GeForce GTX 1080 Ti: Average Performance Gains | |||
| Card | 4K | 1440p | |
| vs. GTX 1080 |
+32%
|
+28%
|
|
| vs. GTX 980 Ti |
+74%
|
+68%
|
|
| vs. GTX 780 Ti |
+154%
|
+154%
|
|
Taking a look at the numbers, as a mid-generation refresh of their high-end products, the GTX 1080 Ti delivers around 32% better performance than the GTX 1080 at 4K, and 28% better performance at 1440p. NVIDIA said they were going to get a 35% improvement over the GTX 1080 with the GTX 1080 Ti, and while our numbers don’t quite match that, they are close to the mark.
For GTX 980 Ti and GTX 780 Ti owners then, who are the most likely groups to be in the market for a $699 video card and looking to upgrade, the GTX 1080 Ti should prove a suitable card. Relative to the last-generation GTX 980 Ti, the GTX 1080 Ti offers 74% better performance at 4K and 68% better performance at 1440p. This is very similar to the kinds of gains we saw in the GTX 1080 over the GTX 980 last year, and in fact is a bit better than what the GTX 980 Ti did to its predecessors.
Speaking of which, it’s now been three-and-a-half years since the GTX 780 Ti launch, and GTX 1080 Ti’s performance shows it. At both 4K and 1440p, NVIDIA’s card offers just over 2.5 times the performance of their Kepler-based powerhouse. Internally, NVIDIA tends to plan for a two to four year upgrade cadence on their video cards, and 2017 is going to be the year they push remaining GTX 700 series owners to upgrade through a combination of product launches like the GTX 1080 Ti and better pricing. If you didn’t already upgrade to a Pascal card last year, then your benefit for waiting a year is 32% better performance for the same price.
Relative performance aside, in terms of absolute performance I feel like NVIDIA is finally reaching the point where they can offer no-compromises 4K gaming. While both NVIDIA and AMD pushed 4K hard on their 28nm generation of products, even parts like the GeForce GTX 980 Ti and Radeon Fury X weren’t quite fast enough for the task. 4K gaming in 2015 meant making compromises between image quality and framerates. GTX 1080 Ti on the other hand is the first card to crack 60fps at 4K in a few of our games, and it comes very close to doing so in a few others. While performance requirements for video games are always a moving target (and always moving up, at that), I think with the FinFET generation we’re finally at the point where 4K gaming is practical. And that’s in an “all the frames, all the quality” sense, not by using checkerboarding and other image scaling techniques being used by the game consoles to stretch into 4K.
Overall then, the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is another well-executed launch by NVIDIA. The $699 card isn’t for the faint of wallet, but if you can afford to spend that much money on the hobby, then the GTX 1080 Ti is unrivaled in performance.
Finally, looking at the big picture, this launch further solidifies NVIDIA’s dominance of the high-end video card market. The GTX 1080 has gone unchallenged in the last 10 months, and with the GTX 1080 Ti NVIDIA is extending that performance lead even farther. As I mentioned towards the start of this article, the launch of the GTX 1080 Ti is both a chance for NVIDIA to take a victory lap for 2016 and to set the stage for the rest of the year. For now it puts them that much farther ahead of AMD and gives them a chance to start 2017 on a high note. But GTX 1080 Ti won’t go unanswered forever, and later on this year we’re going to get a chance to see where AMD’s Vega fits into the big picture. I for one am hoping for an exciting year.
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ddriver - Friday, March 10, 2017 - link
Also, granted, there are some amd optimized games, albeit few and far in between. But that doesn't excuse what nvidia does, nor does it justify it.Besides it was nvidia who started this practice, amd does simply try its best to balance things out, but they don't have nowhere nearly the resources.
amd optimized games are so rare, than out of my many contacts in the industry, I don't know a single one. So I cannot speak of the kinds of terms amd offers their assistance. I can only do that for nvidia's terms.
If amd's terms for support are just as exclusive as nvidia's, then amd is being guilty too. But even then, that doesn't make nvidia innocent. It makes amd guilty, and it makes nvidia like a 100 times guiltier.
eddman - Friday, March 10, 2017 - link
What terms? Are we back to "If we help, you cannot optimize your game for AMD"? How do you know there are such terms?Also, you said the entire helping out thing is illegal, terms or no terms. Now it's illegal only if there are certain terms?
ddriver - Friday, March 10, 2017 - link
Read the reply above. nvidia doesn't state the terms, because that would be illegal, the terms are implied, and they refuse further support if you break them... and worse... so it is a form of legal briberyand since their drivers are closed source, any hindrances they might implement to hamper your software remain a secret, but hey, there is a good reason why those drivers keep getting more and more bloated
eddman - Friday, March 10, 2017 - link
What if is nothing implied? Why are you so sure something must be implied if they're helping a dev? What if they simply want that game to work best with their hardware because it's an important game in their mind and might help sell some cards?We are heavily into guessing and assuming territory.
I'm not saying shady stuff doesn't happen at all, but to think that it happens all the time without exception would be extreme exaggeration.
ddriver - Friday, March 10, 2017 - link
There is no "nothing implied". It doesn't take a genius to figure what nvidia's motivation for helping is. Of course, if it is an important, prominent title, nvidia might help out even if the studio optimizes for amd just to save face.But then again, nvidia support can vary a lot, it can be just patching up something that would make them look bad, it can be free graphics cards and strippers as in the case of our lad above. I am sure he didn't optimize for amd. I mean that developers don't really care all that much how well their software runs, if it runs bad, just get a faster gpu. They care about how much pampering they get. So even in the case of a studio which is too big for nvidia to blackmail, there is still ample motivation to please it for the perks which they won't be getting from amd.
There is no assuming in what I say. I know this first hand. nvidia is very kind and generous to those willing to play ball, and and very thuggish with those who don't. So it doesn't come as a surprise if most of the developers chose to be on its good side. The more you please nvidia, the more you get from it, if tomorrow you apply for a job, and there is a sexy chick competing for the position, it can get the job by blowing the manager, and even if you would too, he is not into guys. You are not in the position to compete, and it is an unethical thing that wins her the job. U happy about it?
eddman - Friday, March 10, 2017 - link
You know this first hand how? You are claiming a lot and providing nothing concrete.eddman - Friday, March 10, 2017 - link
I already listed the motivation. Game runs good on their cards. People buy their cards.cocochanel - Saturday, March 11, 2017 - link
I don't understand your stubbornness. What ddriver is alluding to is questionable practices. In a free market system, fierce competition and all that, it becomes the norm. But it doesn't make it right. Free markets, you know, are like democracy. And you probably know what good old Winston had to say about that.eddman - Saturday, March 11, 2017 - link
No, he's outright calling such partnerships illegal. He claims to have "first hand" info but reveals nothing.Hardware companies working with software studios has been going on for decades. It wasn't illegal then and it isn't now.
DMCalloway - Saturday, March 11, 2017 - link
Agreed. Had Intel been fined the true value of what it gained with global dominance over the next 10+ years, things would be vastly different in Sunnyvale right now. So much so I would even speculate that Green team's only hope of viability would have come in the form of an acquisition on Blue team's part.