[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by Meelapo

Thanks for the advice, PsYcNeT and Coys1882. I eventually went with the EVGA GTX 1080. So far it seems really nice. I've not done a lot other than load Nvidia GeForce Experience to see what my game settings were before and what they recommend for being "optimized" after. One thing that stood out was in Overwatch it said I should render it at a nutso resolution.

Speaking of Overwatch, I played it and noticed a boat load of screen tearing. I don't have a fancy GSync monitor or one that plays at 144Hz but I assume those would help. With my limited knowledge I thought that the solution was to turn on VSync. However, it turns out that I might be able to use "fast sync":

https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comm...ble_right_now/

I'm also now thinking about buying an LG 34" Ultrawide curved monitor. It seems like that would go nice with this new card. The LG is $1100 and the closest one to size with GSync is about $1600.

Here's what I've been thinking about getting for the rest of the computer. I can't afford it all now so I'll have to prioritize. Maybe the monitor and case first because it makes the set up look nice. Maybe that'll help get my wife gets on board.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($460.89 @ Vuugo)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($99.02 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus Z170-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($213.93 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($99.73 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($219.71 @ Vuugo)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($97.63 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Glass ATX Mid Tower Case ($230.98 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($140.62 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($121.27 @ shopRBC)
Monitor: LG 34UC98 34.0" 60Hz Monitor ($1233.49 @ Amazon Canada)
Total: $2917.27
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-03 10:41 EDT-0400

Yikes that's a lot of money for a 21:9 UW 1440p monitor that only runs at 60hz.

Regarding screen tearing, yeah VSync/GSync fixes that, but if your PC can't push 60 FPS (on a 60 hz monitor) constantly in a game, you'll notice stuttering with VSync as the GPU tries to maintain the constant. That's why GSync is better, since the monitor itself is re-tuning it self to the videocard's FPS output rather than the other way around, and the GPU can just focus on rendering.

If you realllllly want to game hard, a 4K GSync is probably a better option than a 21:9 UW 1440p (even if it's bigger) like the Acer XB280HK, but for general use and productivity tasks, it's hard to beat a 21:9.

If you're stuck on a 34" ultra-wide, Acer makes a GSync enabled Predator monitor (the X34) that runs at UW 1440p @ 100hz and it's immaculate, but it's also $1700.

As a GSync early adopter, I will say, it's a game-changing technology. I'm sure a few of the other GSync owners can chime in about it.

As a side note, UW 21:9 1440p is ~5 million pixels, so a full "4K" monitor (like UHD 3840x2160) would be pushing ~8.3 million, which is like, a pretty huge amount more.