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 ESTDriver Performance & The Test
Alongside the launch of the GTX 1080 Ti, NVIDIA is also touting the performance of their drivers. For most users who have been regularly updating their drivers to begin with, I don’t think there’s anything too surprising here. But because of NVIDIA’s talk of driver performance gains, I’ve already seen some confusion here over whether the GTX 1080 Ti launch driver (378.78) is a special performance driver or not. For the record, it is not.
In their presentation, NVIDIA outlined their driver performance gains in DX12 since the launch of various DX12 games, including Ashes of the Singularity, Hitman, and Rise of the Tomb Raider. All of these games have seen performance improvements, but what’s critical here is that this is over the long-run, since the launch of the GTX 1080 and these respective games.
The 378.78 driver in that respect is nothing special. In terms of driver release, NVIDIA is already a few releases into the R378 branch, so any big code changes for this branch have already been released to the public in earlier driver builds.
In any case, for reference purposes, here’s how performance of the GTX 1080 stacks up now compared to performance at launch.
| GeForce GTX Driver Performance Gains: July 2016 vs. March 2017 (4K) | |||
| Game | GTX 1080 | GTX 980 Ti | |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider |
Even
|
Even
|
|
| DiRT Rally |
+8%
|
+7%
|
|
| Ashes of the Singularity |
+11%
|
+14%
|
|
| Battlefield 4 |
Even
|
Even
|
|
| Crysis 3 |
Even
|
Even
|
|
| The Witcher 3 |
|
Even
|
|
| The Division* |
-7%
|
-9%
|
|
| Grand Theft Auto V |
+2%
|
Even
|
|
| Hitman (DX12) |
+26%
|
+24%
|
|
As was the case with NVIDIA’s data, the performance gains vary from game to game. Some games have not budged, whereas others like Hitman have improved significantly, and outlier The Division has actually regressed a bit due to some major updates that have happened to the game in the same time period. But at the end of the day, these are performance gains that have accumulated over the months and are already available in the latest drivers from NVIDIA.
The Test
For our review of the GTX 1080 Ti, we’re using NVIDIA’s 378.78 driver.
| CPU: | Intel Core i7-4960X @ 4.2GHz |
| Motherboard: | ASRock Fatal1ty X79 Professional |
| Power Supply: | Corsair AX1200i |
| Hard Disk: | Samsung SSD 840 EVO (750GB) |
| Memory: | G.Skill RipjawZ DDR3-1866 4 x 8GB (9-10-9-26) |
| Case: | NZXT Phantom 630 Windowed Edition |
| Monitor: | Asus PQ321 |
| Video Cards: | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Founders Edition NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti AMD Radeon Fury X |
| Video Drivers: | NVIDIA Release 378.78 AMD Radeon Software Crimson 17.3.1 |
| OS: | Windows 10 Pro |
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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.