Should I get the RX Vega 64 or GTX 1080?

[JEMC]

Scisca said:

JEMC said:

But we don't know if Turkish is going to buy a monitor anytime soon, so recomending a videocard because buying a new monitor, but not any monitor, only the ones that have a certain tech inside, will be cheaper is pointless.

Considering he hasn't mentioned the monitor issue, it is worth pointing it out, since he may simply not be aware that it actually is a big deal I mean, watch this:

https://youtu.be/bIGpvBrwXvA?t=943

The guy puts Liquid Vega + FreeSync monitor over 1080ti with a normal monitor - and I think nobody can disagree. By that token, Vega 64 and even Vega 56 coupled with a FreeSync monitor are superior to a 1080 without a G-Sync monitor. We should spread awareness about it, since this adaptive sync matters much more than extra average 5 fps and buying a monitor that complements our GPU is the way to go.

It's a big deal... if you notice it. I game on a 60Hz monitor with relatively high response time of 8ms, and I don't have any trouble playing any kind of game.

Both FreeSync and G-Sync are cool techs that are helpful for some users, but they don't do much for others. 

Arkaign said:

JEMC said:

He only asked for a GPU advise, so let's not move that discussion into other things like monitors because we don't know if he's also planning to get a new one or even if he cares about faster than 60Hz monitors or things like FreeSync/G-Sync. 

In Vulkan titles Vega 64 is much faster than a 1080, and in DX 12 they trade blows all the time, albeit for the fact that when the 1080 wins, it is by a small margin, and when the Vega 64 wins, it's usually with a bigger lead.

In DX 11 the 1080 is usually faster.

Power consumption is clearly better on Nvidia cards, but that will only matter based on how many hours a week Turkish play, because at idle, where most cards spend their time, the differences are minimal (and that also depends on the rest of the build).

Vulkan is barely supported sadly.

The current reviews should be taken with a fairly large grain of salt in most cases, as the 'FE' 1080 in particular is extremely outdated, AIBs have dramatically faster 1080s on the market, and for less $$ as well (MSRP to MSRP). FEs were craven cash-grabs by Nvidia due to pent-up demand, greed, and lack of competition. But at the end of the day it's comparing May 2016 1080FE to August 2017 Vega 64, and in most games, the 1080FE still wins.

Will AIBs somewhat fix/improve the Vega 64 (or unlock the 56 potential better?) .. well, hopefully. It's pretty rare when AIBs can't improve on pretty basic OG design, for better clocks, noise, temps, etc.

For a buyer right now, today, it's Vega 64 vs 1080 AIB though. 1080 AIB wins 100% of that battle, provided you can even find a 64 to buy.

OTOH, Vega 56 imho is decidedly better than 1070FE, and better than AIB 1070 OC in pure performance levels. If I was in the market for 1070 or 56, I'd still honestly wait for Vega 56 AIBs though. The reviews I've seen have noted across the board that the air cooled 56 and 64 cards are LOUD. You can either set clock speeds down, or fan speeds low and throttle like crazy, or just run full speed and suffer the noise. I had a loud 6970, a really REALLY loud OG 290X, and a loud 580GTX. It sucks. If you play exclusively with headphones or blasting your volume it may not be a big deal. However, temps in excess of 100C have also been noticed on STOCK clocked Vega cards during reviews. Is that going to be safe long term? I honestly don't know, but I wouldn't own a card that ran that hot stock, no way.

So :

No buy : 1070FE/1080FE/1070AIB/Vega 56/64 Launch

Buy : 1080AIB, Vega 56 AIB

That's how I see it anyway, presuming AIB 56s fix the noise/temp concerns (and will almost certainly clock better). Vega 56 is still pretty inefficient, but not so much that a single GPU config isn't totally feasible. Show me an AIB with reasonable temps and noise levels, and it beats 1070 imho.

Mystery : Vega 64 AIB .. will aftermarket designs fix Vega 64 enough to save it? I honestly don't think so, just given the ludicrous power consumption when clocked high enough even to TRY to battle ancient 1080FE, forget about 1080AIB. DOA imho, outside of miners.

It's true that Vulkan isn't gaining any traction, sadly.

As for which card to get, I agree that Vega 56 seems to be a much better choice than its bigger brother, and I wholeheartedly agree that Nvidia's Founders Edition cards aren't good choices (unless you need a blower cooler). That said, I disagree with your negative view on the 1070. It's a very competitive card and, if the news about the real Vega pricing is true, it will offer a better price/performance ratio than Vega 56.

So, in my opinion

No buy : 1070FE, 1080FE, Vega 56/64 Launch

Buy : 1080AIB, 1070AIB, Vega 56 AIB