Is a 1070 a bit overkill for 1080p gaming?

n111ck · 20 Jun 2016 at 13:17

Whats better evga 1070 gaming sc @ £410 with no ETA or msi gaming x next week at £430?

philo-sofa · 20 Jun 2016 at 17:47

Others have said the EVGA SC is just an FE with a better cooler. If that is accurate, you'll probably get a bit more performance out of the MSI due to it's higher power limit and better Voltage Regulation. Whether an extra 5% cost is worth it for a probably 2-4% performance advantage is your call.

n111ck · 20 Jun 2016 at 19:18

philo-sofa said:
Others have said the EVGA SC is just an FE with a better cooler. If that is accurate, you'll probably get a bit more performance out of the MSI due to it's higher power limit and better Voltage Regulation. Whether an extra 5% cost is worth it for a probably 2-4% performance advantage is your call.

Cheers - went with the MSI in end seems to be better and will be here quicker.

Vertigo · 20 Jun 2016 at 19:53

It's only overkill if it will run every game at maximum settings without the framerate ever dropping below 60 (i.e. the refresh rate of your monitor)

Which it won't.

So it's not.

oldestgregg · 20 Jun 2016 at 20:27

Vertigo1 said:
It's only overkill if it will run every game at maximum settings without the framerate ever dropping below 60 (i.e. the refresh rate of your monitor)

Which it won't.

So it's not.

This,100% this.

yoyo59 · 20 Jun 2016 at 20:41

I had an 1070 FE @ 3440 x 1440 it was great but in certain games struggled

you would be future proof for ages at 1080p I would grab a 1070 FE Zotac which has 5 years warranty

also would grab a FE over others as I think they have better quality silicone, others seems to be rushed out asap and only care about hitting advertised boost clocks. IMO

Dygaza · 20 Jun 2016 at 20:46

Cards won't be overkill for 1080p for ages yet. Until we reach "photorealism". So far we have nowhere nearly maxed image quality that 1080p can produce. Devs will just make more demanding games in the future.

NirK · 20 Jun 2016 at 21:00

No its not overkill, if you have 60hz you can max everything and not drop under 60, if you have 144hz then you can run everything at 100fps. Or if you want you can use DSR as well.

steveoz · 20 Jun 2016 at 21:05

I wouldn't say it was 'overkill' but, for many with 1080p @ 60 frames it's certainly not needed.

My daughtes card is a 670 cuii, we have managed to overclock it just above the TOP cuii's so it is a good one. But she plays many games on ultra with intermediate to high post processing at 60 FPS.

The ONLY game that stresses it a bit is the Division, and that is because of the lack of VRAM, so textures have to stay on high, above it will lag.

TBH, I think even just one 780TI should still be plenty for most people gaming on one 1080 screen.

As time goes on you will need more VRAM, you might run more resolution or a higher refresh rate, but I guess the question is, do you need to or WANT to now?

My bro is running a HD 7950, he's having one of my 780's as an upgrade soon and he still has no issues even running fallout4 and other games he plays on Ultra with the 7950 with good FPS, yet still the 780 will be an upgrade to him.

If I were you, why not keep you eyes open for a nice OC model 980 on ebay? Might get one for 200 and it may last you.

Dicehunter · 20 Jun 2016 at 21:38

No such thing as overkill

Seanspeed · 20 Jun 2016 at 21:44

Vertigo1 said:
It's only overkill if it will run every game at maximum settings without the framerate ever dropping below 60 (i.e. the refresh rate of your monitor)

Which it won't.

So it's not.

People need to read the entire OP.

He wants a good 1080p/60fps card at the best price.

In this case, a 1070, which can do 1440p/60fps quite comfortable, is certainly overkill when he could get a much cheaper card that does 1080p/60fps equally well.

READ THE OP people, please, instead of just responding to the thread title.

Stop giving bad advice.

Scougar · 20 Jun 2016 at 22:04

Is it overkill? Yes. But then it will last a lot longer as well, and you sure as hell won't be limited by anything at that resolution.

If you must safe money, take a good long look at the RX 480 when it comes out, or even at the 390 8GB if the price is right.

Dave2150 · 20 Jun 2016 at 22:49

Nope, though I would recommend an upgrade to 1440P.

Thoroughly enjoying my 1070 FE, cracking card

yoyo59 · 20 Jun 2016 at 23:11

steveoz said:
I wouldn't say it was 'overkill' but, for many with 1080p @ 60 frames it's certainly not needed.

My daughtes card is a 670 cuii, we have managed to overclock it just above the TOP cuii's so it is a good one. But she plays many games on ultra with intermediate to high post processing at 60 FPS.

The ONLY game that stresses it a bit is the Division, and that is because of the lack of VRAM, so textures have to stay on high, above it will lag.

TBH, I think even just one 780TI should still be plenty for most people gaming on one 1080 screen.

As time goes on you will need more VRAM, you might run more resolution or a higher refresh rate, but I guess the question is, do you need to or WANT to now?

My bro is running a HD 7950, he's having one of my 780's as an upgrade soon and he still has no issues even running fallout4 and other games he plays on Ultra with the 7950 with good FPS, yet still the 780 will be an upgrade to him.

If I were you, why not keep you eyes open for a nice OC model 980 on ebay? Might get one for 200 and it may last you.

if only I could see the future

a 7950 was probs one of the best cards for 1080 for how long its stayed strong on 1080

still remember my friend buying a 7950 sapphire vapor X

57c silent as anything playing games

ukxenon · 21 Jun 2016 at 06:19

Dicehunter said:
No such thing as overkill

Beat me to it

JoeF1 · 21 Jun 2016 at 07:51

Awesome responses guys!

Thanks.

Uriel · 21 Jun 2016 at 10:53

If you want 1080p/60 in today's games at ultra settings a GTX 970 is usually enough. There are exceptions though - and they will become more frequent as more games are released.

With a 1070 you're buying time - or the potential to upgrade resolution and keep the ultra settings now.

steveoz · 23 Jun 2016 at 17:11

yoyo59 said:
if only I could see the future

a 7950 was probs one of the best cards for 1080 for how long its stayed strong on 1080
still remember my friend buying a 7950 sapphire vapor X

57c silent as anything playing games

IKR, I he 'upgraded' to that as a bargain SH deal on ebay at the end of last year from an old GTX 570 I gave him, and we were seriously impressed with how it ran! He's still running a socket 775, although I fitted a xeon and got him a liquid cooler and got it @ 3.9ghz stable. With the 7950 he has a real pleasent gaming experience with high details at 1080

Must have been a cracking card in it's day.

On paper the 780 I will be giving him is better, but to be fair, I'm not sure if it is judging by what he manages to run on it lol.

Phixsator · 23 Jun 2016 at 17:14

Dicehunter said:
No such thing as overkill

was just about to write that myself. Someone give this guy a beer.

steveoz · 23 Jun 2016 at 17:17

Going back to the OP.

I walked past a CEX shop in town the other weekend, they had a HD6870 in the window with 1GB DDR5.

I decided to buy it and see out of interest what a £25 6 year old GPU gets you.

I plugged it together with only 4gb ddr2 800, and a spare xeon x5460 I had. Put it into one of my 1080 screens and loaded up overwatch to have a game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BasjwmOyNso

It ran at high 50's during quiet times and 40+ during busy times. Perfectly smooth enough to play.

And I know people that have said their I5 and 960 can't run it on ultra without judder lol. Note the recording was only done at 30 FPS

And here it was on a 1680x1050, still looked nice and never dropped below 59FPS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=409P7Yb2RUw