So it's early 2018, you've got a GTX 980 Ti that you've been rocking for the better part of 2017, and you're wondering if it's still worth upgrading to the GTX 1080. Do you think maybe it'd be better it to upgrade to the GTX 1080 Ti instead? I think, like in most things of this nature, the answer is "it depends."
Let me tell you why I decided to upgrade to the GTX 1080, instead of the GTX 1080 Ti, and maybe it can inform you of the factors you should consider before plopping down the cash for that shiny, new card.
1. Your preferred resolution or current display
I play on 1080p, and there are a number of reasons fro that. One is cost - I bought an Asus PG248Q a few months ago for the 180Hz refresh rate. I am a framerate whore. And with a GTX 980 Ti, I didn't think going 1440p or higher would net me the same framerates I wanted to get. I know the GTX 1080 is best suited for higher resolutions, but it'll serve you well at 1080p if you really want to squeeze as close to 180FPS on twichy games as much as possible. A GTX 1080 Ti, at an added cost of Php10,000 or $200, will be way too overkill for 1080p. It's a card you should use for high framerates at 1440p or higher.
2. Cost
I was able to acquire the GTX 1080 at the same cost as the GTX 980 Ti when I got that card, which was already at a discounted price compared to when that card launched. I sold off the GTX 980 Ti for Php15,000 or $300 and got the GTX 1080 for 30,000 or $600, so I technically paid for a GTX 1080 for Php 15,000 ($300) + the remaining value of the GTX 980 Ti. That's a REALLY good price for a GTX 1080, even at this point, in a world where the GTX 1070 Ti exists.
We all know that Volta cards are coming early 2018, which means that the 1080 might drop in price even more. Thing is, even now, the GTX 980 Ti brand new is still pretty pricey. I guess I could've waited until that happens. But once that happens, the selling price for a 2nd hand GTX 980Ti will decrease as well. And that would mean I wouldn't be able to get as much for it and would've probably had to shell out some more money for the GTX 1080.
And when those new cards do come out, they're going to be prohibitively expensive, at least for me. So I'd have to wait another year or so again before I upgrade (and who knows what'll happen if cryptocurrency mining doesn't stop). But now that I've already upgraded, I plan to do the same thing in a year - sell off my GTX 1080 and use those funds to buy my next card. Hopefully, by that time, I should have upgraded to a higher resolution, high refresh rate monitor hopefully (with G Sync because I can't live without it anymore).
3. Games you play
I like a wide variety of games - games that you'd need as high a framerate as possible like Overwatch and Titanfall 2, and games where 60 FPS is enough but it's very pretty at high or ultra settings and enjoyed better at higher resolutions. Since I work off a very limited budget, I have to prioritize one over the other. I chose higher framerates. And because of that, I opted to go with the GTX 1080 with the current set-up I have. Eventually, when I finally upgrade to a higher resolution monitor with a high 144Hz refresh rate, maybe I'll get that next level GPU, when both technologies are a little cheaper.
4. Performance
Let's get to the meat of it - the benchmarks. First I tried the GTX 980 Ti, then GTX 1080 in OC Mode (1,847 Mhz) via the Gaming App, then a manual overclock at +140 Mhz, ending at (2,123 Mhz). The tests were done at this clock speed, but I've since reduced it to +130 Mhz (2,113 Mhz) because I was getting artifacts in Witcher 3 and PUBG kept crashing on me. Remember, these test were all done at 1080p resolution.
So, yeah, all in all, I am very satisfied that I upgraded when I did. Let's see if I feel the same way once those new cards are announced.