Graphic Card Replacement

I'm thinking about upgrading my graphics card.  I use a PC platform if that makes a difference.  I am currently using an NVIDEA GeForce 960 GTX 2GB card.  The helpdesk at Newegg recommended a Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Winforce OC 4GB - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product. ... 6814125914.  Does anyone have any yays or nays on this, or other/better suggestions?

Get the 1080 if you are going into the "10" series! Much more future proof with the extra memory.

Doesn't a lot depend on your power supply? I know I ran into that problem when I upgraded and had to use a 1050 that could draw power from its slot.

Mike in O wrote:Doesn't a lot depend on your power supply?  I know I ran into that problem when I upgraded and had to use a 1050 that could draw power from its slot.

Yes that is true but I haven't run across many computers that have that limitation - almost all have spare power ports on the power supply and the 1080 is actually a relatively miserly card for power.

Thanks E.J., as always. You mention "if I'm going with the"10" series". Is there another series or name you woould recommend instead of the 10 series?

Bill Chambers wrote:Thanks E.J., as always.  You mention "if I'm going with the"10" series".  Is there another series or name you woould recommend instead of the 10 series?

No, that's what I recommend to most people right now, the 1080.  you can go higher, you can go lower but to get in to true 10 bit at the same performance level as a 10 series you are as much as tripling the cost

I have been thinking about replacing my gpu, but the cost of these 1080 series cards has gone way over the top, if you can even get one. I really don't understand the bitcoin thing - I realize it is a way of making (bitcoin) money from nothing (provided that you have a warehouse full of computers), but the set-up cost and running cost, even if located in places like Iceland with low power costs - it seems crazy to me. Who does transactions in bitcoin (or other crypto-currencies) anyway?

I settled for a nvidia quadro p2000 5gb. Not quite what I wanted due to the lower memory bit rate, but it provides 10bit color and is half the (UK) price of the 1080 cards.

Phil Shaw wrote:I have been thinking about replacing my gpu, but the cost of these 1080 series cards has gone way over the top, if you can even get one.  I really don't understand the bitcoin thing - I realize it is a way of making (bitcoin) money from nothing (provided that you have a warehouse full of computers), but the set-up cost and running cost, even if located in places like Iceland with low power costs - it seems crazy to me.  Who does transactions in bitcoin (or other crypto-currencies) anyway?

I settled for a nvidia quadro p2000 5gb.  Not quite what I wanted due to the lower memory bit rate, but it provides 10bit color and is half the (UK) price of the 1080 cards.

What does bitcoin and the 1080 have to do with one another?

Last time I read folks bought AMD graphic cards for bitcoin mining, not nVidia GTX.

The 1080 seems to be the mining tool of choice https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B073SMF21G/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1
Check the second image and note the description - stackable   

OK, so now I've educated myself on bitcoin mining but I still don't understand the relevancy of discussing it here as it relates to photo application performance. When I switched from a GTX 780 to a GTX 1080, my Capture One performance with 101 megapixel files with many layers and even my 42 megapixel files with multiple layers went to a completely new level. That's all that matters to me. Bitcoin mining is completely irrelevant to photo processing.

I think the point of the discussion is with regard to the inflated cost of high end graphics cards due to demand by crypto currency miners. For example, the 1070 and 1080 cards currently seem to be selling for almost twice the MSRP ( that is, if they are available at all at the retail stores).

John

I see them available almost anywhere that sells these things at MSRP.

The price of most NVIDIA graphics cards starting going up big time the end of last year. I hear the VR world is eating them up as fast as they can. Yes, you can find them at retailers such as Newegg. A GTX 1080 Ti 11GB now runs just over $1,000. But NVIDIA sells them also. On their site, the GTX 1080 Ti 11GB is $699. The problem is they are almost always sold out. They have a "Notify Me" button you can select so you can be notified when they become available. From experience, I know that when you get an email that they are available you need to immediately purchase one. They will become unavailable again in a matter of hours.

On a side note, if you bought NVIDIA stock a year or so ago, congratulations!