Feedback on 3080 upgrade for my X99 rig
So, Cyberpunk looming, new Nvidia cards pending, lots of monitor options available now, the time is right for that upgrade.
Current build, I put together basically in November 2015:
Mainboard: ASUS X99-A/USB 3.1 LGA 2011-v3 Intel X99
Power: EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 80+ GOLD
Video: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 980 Ti AMP! 6GB
Processor: Intel Core i7-5820K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.3 GHz
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2800 (PC4 22400)
Primary Storage: SAMSUNG 950 PRO M.2 512GB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V5P512BW - (In motherboard slot, OS installed)
Later Added:
Secondary Storage: SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 1TB NVMe PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive - (Via expansion card in PCI express slot, Games Drive)
Oh and Monitor: already owned, some HP 1080p 60hz 27" monitor. (This will be upgraded as well)
So this setup has served me really well over the last almost 5 years now. Was pretty much able to play Witcher 3, at 1080/60 at max settings (probably some frame dips but whevs). But as I mentioned, with Cyberpunk looming, it's time to upgrade. I have been waiting for that damn game for like a decade now, and I want to do it right.
So obviously, the new RTX 3k series is been announced and slated for near release, and I'm highly interested in the 3080, given the price performance ratio.
I'm not really restricted on budget, per se, but I also don't want to be flat out stupid with money. That card seems like a very good deal, given I am now now 5 year update cycle from the 980 TI.
Obviously I am ALSO going to want a new monitor, as there is no point in a 3080 if I'm still running 1080/60 display.
I'm planning on either upgrading to some 4k resolution display, OR going 1440 16:9, ultrawide, or maybe even super ultra wide?
I'm still struggling with that decision, I MOSTLY actually play Dota 2, which a lot of this is probably admitted overkill (higher refresh rate would benefit though), but I do play plenty of single player RPGS and such (Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Witcher, obviously Cyberpunk I'm highly anticipating). I'll occasionally also play other FPS games, like DOOM, etc.
Dota is probably a better 16:9 experience (edge panning probably a nightmare on SUHD), while these single player, more "immersive" experiences might be worth checking out the ultra wide dimensions...
So, would love a gut check / recommendations in general, but particularly on the following:
I think my power supply is good, being 850 watt. I believe nvidia said cards would have some sort of dongle adapter to support their new power plug. Would love a confirmation that my psu is good though.
I'm HOPING that having older X99 processor won't be too much of a bottleneck, but I am wanting to push 4k or (s)uhd 1440 resolutions at 144hz, so I think the CPU will be less of an issue? The cost of updating the CPU in this platform isn't really worth it, at that point I will have to rebuild, which I'd like to avoid for now, especially given that I don't "feel" like I'm having any CPU bound issues. I also am not overclocking the CPU, so I still have some headroom saved up for a rainy day, if I need to turn up the juice a bit...
Also, any suggestions on monitors, in general, to pair with a 3080? IPS preferred.
I actually did try the following monitor, back in 2016: Acer Predator XB271HU bmiprz 27" WQHD (2560x1440) NVIDIA G-SYNC IPS Display, (Display Port & HDMI Port, 144Hz)"
However, the backlight bleed was horrific, and the fact they actually sent me a clearly open-box, previously returned product (probably returned for the same reason I did), I returned it, and haven't pursued a monitor upgrade again since, opting to hold back for better options and prices (ie, now).
So, would love to get some feedback here before I blow some cash! Many thanks!
Posted Sep 10, 2020, 12:20 AM UTC · edited
This post is very interesting to me because I'm in a similar boat with an aging x99/5930K/1080 Ti rig and I have similar taste in games. X99 has been a great platform and has aged well, with high thread count, PCIE 3.0 (and all those lanes), DDR4, m.2, etc.
I think a new monitor is the single best no-brainer upgrade you can make at the moment. I am using an ASUS PG279Q, although I did have a Predator x34 for a period of time. this was late 2016/early 2017 and ultra widescreen gaming still had some room to grow, so I am still happy with my decision (for context I work on a dell ultra sharp 34).
Unless you're super competitive, I do think the 1440p/165hz or ultra wide 144hz is the sweet spot for high resolution/high frame count. if money is no object than it would have to be the ASUS pg35vq but really any of those new Asus, Acer or Viewsonic monitors are good options. I particularly like the style of the ViewSonic ELITE XG270QG and apparently it has ultra low latency (I haven't personally tested it) so that looks like a good option at $600.
As far as the CPU and GPU concerned (and this is all just conjecture as I have not seen x99/3080 benchmarks), I suspect you'll be more CPU bound with in 2560x1440 workloads with a 3080 (and DEFINITELY CPU bound at 1080p). If you were to go ultra wide, particularly 3840x1600 I think you can still get more out of the 5820k. In 4k workloads the same would apply as they would be ~6mm and ~8mm pixels respectively. Remember - you can always jack up the settings if you have GPU headroom!
In summary, if I had your rig I would prioritize the following:
Remember we are right on the cusp of PCIE 4.0 and DDR5 becoming mainstream so you and I would probably do well to try to squeeze another generation or two out of our rigs and then can repurpose them as very capable servers. Good luck!
Hey, I really appreciate the feedback. I came to the some conclusion as you, in terms of upgrade priorities, and I actually did just buy a new monitor like a week ago. Definitely splurged, but bought Ultrawide 3840x1600 LG 38gn950. (not many options for 1600p!)
Loving the monitor so far, looks great. Wayyy less backlight issues compared to my previous attempt years ago. The one thing though, is that still can't push the refresh rate above 70hz at native resolution, without lowering the color bitrate setting. I guess because the 980 ti is limited by display port 1.2? Still, it looks GREAT at native res a that refresh rate, and still slightly faster than 60hz I'm coming from.
Dota 2, and some older stuff I checked out, still play perfectly at the higher res. And It will be great to unlock the full potential with pending video card upgrade.
Yeah definitely hoping to squeeze a few more years out of this chipset platform and cpu. I'd like to wait until we see a little more maturity (tech and price) on pcie4 components, as at that point I'll replacing mobo, mem, cpu, and likely m2 drives for pcie4 ones.
Doing the monitor and GPU now seems like the best play to prolong the current build. The current GPU has definitely got it's moneys worth, performing top notch in the setup for 5 years.
I think that’s the right call. 70 hz still makes a big difference and you’ll be able to take advantage of the increased frame count when you get a GPU with DP 1.3.
Have fun!