2 hours ago, ryanbatcund said:

But that was the 900 cards.  My gtx 970 was about 300 usd.  The gtx 1070's are approx 420 usd.  I could see a 1080 to going to 500-600

If Volta is really what the rumors say it is, a bigger jump from Pascal than Pascal was from Maxwell, then those prices will PLUMMET once the new cards are out for a little while, happens every new product generation in tech.

I have an i5 3570k with a 970 card. I have the funds to upgrade but don't think I will see a big enough improvement to say its worth it. When people with i7700k are looking to improve their hardware I think waiting another year is worthwhile for me!

Based off of what I have installed now, if I did upgrade to the 1080TI, what types of improvements would I see?  It is a pretty hefty price so if I bit the bullet, I'd want to see a good improvement.  Also, having never installed anything into my PC, how difficult would it be to install one of these on my own?

The graphics card is the only component in that system that you should even be thinking about upgrading.

Thanks.  But I guess my real question is, if I do upgrade that, what can I expect to see based on my original system?  I don't want to spend $800 and barely notice any differences. 

That's a good question, and it will require an answer from someone who has a bit more experience of those top end graphics cards than I do.

There are always some possibilities to test if your setup is mainly CPU bound or GPU bound and consequently, if an upgrade of the GPU will help to get more out of your sim. Check the load. Check the settings. First, you can use a tool to monitor your GPU load. If you GPU load is anywhere between 90 and 100%, a GPU upgrade will most probably provide you more FPS. If you GPU is running below 90%, e.g. at around 50-70%, a faster GPU will provide you with nothing but lower loads, means not a single FPS more. Otherwise, if you do not want to use a tool, you can try lower resolutions. If you get 30FPS at 1920x1080, try a specific scenario once with only 1280x720 and once with 4K and check how your FPS change. If you get considerably more FPS (not only 1-2, but rather 5-10 or more) with the low resolution and considerably less or similar FPS with the 4K resolution, a GPU upgrade will help. 

Then, when you know what your GPU is capable of, you have to decide if the upgrade is worth the price. Nobody can tell you that you will have 30FPS using GPU XY on 1920x1080, as each and every rig behaves slightly different. And: more GPU power can always be invested into something, either higher antialiasing modes, dynamic lightning, higher resolutions or, if you go for a card with lots of VRAM, higher radius of high resolution textures. Whether or not this is worth the upgrade price remains always your personal choice...

 

 

15 hours ago, Zimmerbz said:

Thanks.  But I guess my real question is, if I do upgrade that, what can I expect to see based on my original system?  I don't want to spend $800 and barely notice any differences. 

To be honest don’t expect a $800 difference. 

I went from a 1070 to a 1080ti. You can afford to increase anti aliasing and a few other options such as water quality and shadow quality but that’s about it. Also if you fly at night and use dynamic lightning you will have to drop SSAA back down. 

The sim is still largely CPU bound TBH. 

I use my system for other things so the upgrade was worth it. 

LOL @ $3000

Madness