KFA2 GTX 1080 HOF

Sipha · 4 Sep 2016 at 11:23

What's the deal with these cards ? I know they are top of the line models and are supposed to be built really well etc but what real world benefits are you getting ?

Do they use binned GPU's ? Are they really made with higher quality components ? How about UK RMA support ?

I can't really find much out about them other than whats available on KFA's website. Would be interested to hear real world experieinces ?

Thanks all

Cleeecooo · 4 Sep 2016 at 11:45

HOF is the KFA2 equivalent of the EVGA Classified, Gigabyte G1, Asus Strix. So, they're KF's best card and highest factory OC. I've seen good reviews of previous HOF cards, but nothing to indicate that they're miles better than other 3rd party coolers.

I believe KFA2 has a Wales based RMA centre and they're the UK arm of Galaxy, which has a very good reputation in the US. Warranty is 2 years, as opposed to 3 with lots of other brands though.

Sipha · 4 Sep 2016 at 16:13

Good to know they have UK support. They have a very high end power phase in wondering if they actually use higher end components though ? And of course if they are binned GPUs?

The cooler looks absolutely massive too hopefully it would run quiet again I can't find any info or real life reviews on this.

Thanks

Kaapstad · 4 Sep 2016 at 16:21

Very hard to justify the prices of highend 1080s.

Money better spent on a FE 1080 + WB or save a bit and get a Pascal Titan.

AWPC · 4 Sep 2016 at 16:39

Get the cheapest 1080 you can the difference is not worth the extra money. You may as well buy a Pascal Titan X rather than spend £600-800 on a 1080!

Unless you have a 40" or larger 4K display though its a waste of money just get a 1070 & put the saved money towards something else or keep in your pocket for a rainy day!

Sipha · 4 Sep 2016 at 16:42

I've already spent that kinda money on a 1080 though and haven't really been happy with what I received, for that kind of money I expect near Perfection ! Hence me now looking at the exotic/high end 1080s and what they have to offer ��

Kaapstad · 4 Sep 2016 at 16:46

Sipha said:
I've already spent that kinda money on a 1080 though and haven't really been happy with what I received, for that kind of money I expect near Perfection ! Hence me now looking at the exotic/high end 1080s and what they have to offer ��

Performance wise all 1080s are very similar.

The only thing worth having with the more expensive ones is a better quieter cooler and maybe better warranty.

The beefed up power supply is not worth squat as the card will never use it.

Cleeecooo · 4 Sep 2016 at 16:50

Sipha said:
Good to know they have UK support. They have a very high end power phase in wondering if they actually use higher end components though ? And of course if they are binned GPUs?

The cooler looks absolutely massive too hopefully it would run quiet again I can't find any info or real life reviews on this.

Thanks

Higher end than the reference (non FE) card, almost certainly. I'm not sure that there's a discernible difference in component quality between all the top end non-ref cards. That opinion is based on reviews I've read on all the most popular coolers - they all seem to perform pretty much the same, with minor differences only.

Which 1080 do you have now that you're unhappy with?

E: With regards to binning, I'm afraid I don't know. My best guess is that they are binned to some extent because obviously they have to reach that high a clock out of the factory.

Sipha · 4 Sep 2016 at 17:04

Cleeecooo said:
Higher end than the reference (non FE) card, almost certainly. I'm not sure that there's a discernible difference in component quality between all the top end non-ref cards. That opinion is based on reviews I've read on all the most popular coolers - they all seem to perform pretty much the same, with minor differences only.

Which 1080 do you have now that you're unhappy with?

E: With regards to binning, I'm afraid I don't know. My best guess is that they are binned to some extent because obviously they have to reach that high a clock out of the factory.

I've had a Gigabyte G1 Gaming from another etailer, although the card worked perfectly, it had VERY loud coil whine under load and the general feel of the card was one of budget and cost cutting the shroud was plasticy and didnt fit very well.

I then bought an EVGA 1080 FTW, which although had 'less' coil whine under load one of the fans was particularly noisey and the LED lighting in the Logo was very non uniform and faded at one end. Just not what I expect from a near £700 card !

My main concern is coil whine, which it seems is a complete lottery hence me looking into cards with 'higher quality' components (chokes) to see if I could lessen the chance of me getting a card with problems.

The MSI Gaming X is also on my list as I've heard good things but I'm pretty much totally undecided :confused:

AWPC · 4 Sep 2016 at 17:04

Sipha said:
I've already spent that kinda money on a 1080 though and haven't really been happy with what I received, for that kind of money I expect near Perfection ! Hence me now looking at the exotic/high end 1080s and what they have to offer ��

Titan X Pascal is the only option but that's not really worth it either. Wait another 12 months or so see what else arrives or be happy with what you have!

Sipha · 4 Sep 2016 at 17:06

AWPC said:
Titan X Pascal is the only option but that's not really worth it either. Wait another 12 months or so see what else arrives or be happy with what you have!

I've got nothing at the mo

It's not really the speeds that I'm unhappy with, just need a card that is quiet (coil whine & fan noise) and built properly with no imperfections like the previous 2.

Cleeecooo · 4 Sep 2016 at 20:34

Sipha said:
I've had a Gigabyte G1 Gaming from another etailer, although the card worked perfectly, it had VERY loud coil whine under load and the general feel of the card was one of budget and cost cutting the shroud was plasticy and didnt fit very well.

I then bought an EVGA 1080 FTW, which although had 'less' coil whine under load one of the fans was particularly noisey and the LED lighting in the Logo was very non uniform and faded at one end. Just not what I expect from a near £700 card !

My main concern is coil whine, which it seems is a complete lottery hence me looking into cards with 'higher quality' components (chokes) to see if I could lessen the chance of me getting a card with problems.

The MSI Gaming X is also on my list as I've heard good things but I'm pretty much totally undecided

Coil whine may well be caused by your PSU too, I don't think the brand of card matters with that regard.

The quality of the MSI Gaming X cards is astoundingly good. I've got a Sapphire Nitro and an EVGA FTW coming tomorrow so I'll give you a comparison in quality then

Sipha · 4 Sep 2016 at 20:42

Thanks Cleeecooo, I have a GOLD rated EVGA SuperNova PSU that I used previously with ny EVGA 980 Ti FTW and had zero coil whine issues, so I'm fairly certain it's not PSU related. Unless of course the 1080's have taken a dislike to it

Thanks for your feedback.

Cleeecooo · 4 Sep 2016 at 20:44

It's a weird issue, I've seen reports of cards being coil whine free, then the user upgrading their card and the new ones having whine, but only with their current PSU. I think it's entirely down to luck (or lack thereof!)

Panos · 4 Sep 2016 at 20:51

Kaapstad said:
Performance wise all 1080s are very similar.

The only thing worth having with the more expensive ones is a better quieter cooler and maybe better warranty.

The beefed up power supply is not worth squat as the card will never use it.

Actually the MSI Armor cooler is very quiet at 100% fan speed, while the card is sub £600. I was impressed those few days used it, before put the waterblock on the card.

And did good job also.

Sipha · 4 Sep 2016 at 21:02

Maybe I should try MSI then, the Gaming X would look good in my system as I havea red theme. Either that or I give EVGA another chance, they do have the best support so..

Panos · 4 Sep 2016 at 21:19

Sipha said:
Maybe I should try MSI then, the Gaming X would look good in my system as I havea red theme. Either that or I give EVGA another chance, they do have the best support so..

EVGA indeed.

Besty · 4 Sep 2016 at 22:20

the MSI is not in the same league as the HOF or the Evga classified.

the classified has more phases but the hof pcb is a work of art.

given the choice the evga 1080 ftw will remain popular as it has a good balance of pcb, cooler and it has waterblock support.

Brazo · 4 Sep 2016 at 22:43

All 1080's are give or take identical speed wise so don't go spending extra in a fancy card thinking you'll get better performance. The cheapest card will give you that.

What spending a little extra will give you is less noise. And that's it, oh maybe those fancy lights too.

Cleeecooo · 5 Sep 2016 at 00:27

Brazo said:
All 1080's are give or take identical speed wise so don't go spending extra in a fancy card thinking you'll get better performance. The cheapest card will give you that.

What spending a little extra will give you is less noise. And that's it, oh maybe those fancy lights too.

You're right about all the 1080s being somewhat identical, but they can still be bottlenecked by the PCB.

Non reference boards give more power options, meaning that you have the ability to overclock more, assuming you also get lucky with the precise 1080 chip you get.

So if you got a 1080 chip that could go to a max of 3ghz on the best board, that same chip may only be able to get to 2.5 ghz on a reference board. (number plucked out of thin air - just illustrating a point)

On top of that, if the chips are binned, then only the best ones will go on the more expensive cards