still dilemma non ref or ref 980ti.. if the difference in price is too huge, might go for ref then future cool it wit aio wc. gona hit the trigger this saturday !

better than WHQD driver

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=400347

i use DDU from guru3d to do a clean install everytime there is an update.
nah i don't agree 980ti is overkill for a 1080p.
review of 980ti
http://www.trustedreviews.com/nvidia-gefor...-results-page-2
most of the review benchmarks show that for a 1440p at ultra setting can most part reach the sweet spot of 60fps+ on average.

but if your planning using a 144hz gsync monitor, you can go above the capped 60fps when using vsync, by using the gsync. So you can take advantage of the higher fps.

only old monitors without gsync, you'd be interested only that the gpu performs on average 60fps ideally (because your locked there if your using triple buffer vsync).

So i'd say 980ti even on 1080p would be great with gsync ideally the acer predator gsync 144hz ips monitor :}

1440p for 27'' monitor is these days quite capable of being driven by the gpu especially by the 980 ti.

4k seems you need to lower your graphics settings. and especially lower AA which is less needed at this resolution.

the hardocp review pointed out what kind of settings tweaks was needed when trying to get a playable setting at the highest quality possible
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2015/06/15/...rd_gpu_review/7
Anyway there is actually a topic talking about this issue  1080p @60hz (vsync) monitor vs @144hz (gsync)
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/...last_for_1080p/
PS: another reason i think 980ti is needed even for 1080p, back when i bought the 680gtx, it barely lasted 2-3 years before i was not able to ultra setting some of the games by then    so i rather reduce the chances of that by future proofing when possible whenever i get a gpu upgrade every 5 years or so.

too many people to quote lel.

970 might be fine for 1080p for less than half the price which is substantial for most people, especially regular gamers (not truly enthusiast high end level pc gear).

but i think the 970s were 3.5gb vram 

some gamers at ultra use almost 6vram like mordor. 1440p recommended is minimum 4gb, with 6gb being ideal. 4k need minimum 6gb. 2gb vram is hardly enough these days i know for a fact because i have a 680gtx    i notice every now and then there was an error where it said ran out of vram (no joke). Hasn't happened lately, maybe because of newer gpu drivers    ?
anyway here is the direct comparison 980ti vs 970
http://gpuboss.com/gpus/GeForce-GTX-980-Ti...GeForce-GTX-970
here is a dragon age inquisition benchmark for 1080 and 1440p resolution using different settings from low, medium, high and ultra.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/drago...k_review,7.html
notice ultra for 970 is 50fps
for 1440p it was only 33fps for ultra
http://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/drago...k-review,8.html
bottomline
970

pro
---------
- more than half the price of a 980ti
- sufficient for 1080p even at ultra for a heavy title like DAI
cons
-------

3.5vram instead of 4vram. How this may affect gaming
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/198223-...emory-problem/2

ultra settings on intensive games like DAI will only reach between 40-50fps. whereas a 980ti would hit 60fps and probably higher.

if you invested in a gsync monitor with 144hz, you'd definitely want a higher end card like a 980ti to achieve much better fps thx to gsync technology :}

Except, the QC for the Acer XB270HU has not been stellar. Take a look over the OCN owner's club, the Reddit owner's club, and the Neogaf owner's club. The rate of RMAs has been quite high, even if it's not uncommon.

And remember, Acer Malaysia does not actually have the the XB27 as an official product here (or have they now, correct me if I'm wrong). If any issues, RMA will cost a lot of time and money.

glad to hear that. now for a new monitor... any recommendation for 1440p 144 g sync monitor ? cheapest to most exp.  TN or IPS

How much is this?

but you dont have an AMD card

how are you gonna test Freesync le

C-Zone have the Powercolor Fury X @RM2649 but limited stock though

FreeSync Pros :
– Easier to integrate into a wider range of monitors due to lack of any additional hardware.
– Significantly less expensive than G-Sync, no licensing fees.
– Enables all the usual monitor features and display outputs.
– Gives users the option of V-Sync on or Off.
FreeSync Cons :
– Currently limited to six graphics cards and six APUs.
FreeSync Compromise (not a pro or a con) :
– Reverts back to the monitor’s maximum fixed refresh rate when the framerate dips below the minimum threshold.

G-Sync Pros :
– Compatible with a wider range of graphics cards.
G-Sync Cons :
– Requires dedicated hardware in the monitor and demands licensing fees.
– Limits monitor features, sound and display output options to DisplayPort.
– Measurably more expensive than FreeSync.
– Currently doesn’t give users the option to disable V-Sync above the maximum refresh rate of the monitor.
G-Sync Compromise (not a pro or a con) :
– Frame duplication extends G-Sync’s functionality below the minimum threshold but causes flickering.

If your graphics card can do high FPS without dipping to 40-50FPS and have a 144Hz, forget about GSYNC or Free Sync, I don't think you will miss much

I have never seen the need for those stuff.

So damn hard just to get the framerate to tear to begin with.

Ugh, everyday I'm getting less and less interested in replacing my 2500k with a skylake platform.  I guess what I'm gonna do with my rig overhaul budget(about 4k or so) is just get a new case and go all out on gpu...maybe get a 1080ti or whatever they decide to name it lol.

My u2412m is only 3 years old now. Have promised myself to not change it till the warranty is over, but it's getting harder and harder to do so, whatnot with the existence of 27" ips 144hz WQHD monitors these days!!!!

I'm planning to get the Acer from IdealTech next month once I save enough cash. I didn't know about the one month wait, meaning I'll only get the screen in September?

Anyone has tried this vga max setting 1080p on Lord of the Fallen? I think this game really sweats any vga muscle at max setting. Care to comment about the temperature and GPU usage percentage? My gtx770 got reboot automatically many times although resolution has been reduced to 1280x720.  Now playing with constant 100% fan speed (with max loudness ).

So far only Lord of the Fallen. I tested Alien Isolation (which I think on par graphic with the LOF ) at max setting 1080p no problem. Witcher 3 as well can run at max setting (minus hair animation) at less than 30fps tou but no sudden reboot occurred so far. So before I invest for the 980Ti, I want to make sure if it really worth and can run the LOF without sweat like my current GTX770 . I'm graphic intensive gamer fyi 

I was watching the temperature all the time during gameplay (windowed mode), it can spike all at sudden even the event in the game seems not too graphic intensive. scary.

"Kastam" can be bribed one...... 
As mentioned, not willing to put the other foot in due to price. Definitely the itch is there but just have to scratch and scratch and scratch......

Anyway, going to survey and see what 1440p monitors are good. 
144fps? Never had such frame rates unless it is 5-10 year old games!!!

I used to love console gaming when I was young but ever since trying out PC's, I never looked back.
PC hardware are getting more and more expensive for us. 10 years back the highest end graphics card would only be 1K+ but these days it can go around 3K+ (980 Ti). Not to mention other parts like CPU, motherboard, etc.
A decent setup that allows you to enjoy proper gaming would cost you +/- 3K range. You can easily calculate (i5, 8GB RAM, board, mid end graphics card) and this does not include other components like SSD, LCD, keyboard.
My believe is that everyone deserves to enjoy life and this means enjoying their PC experiences as well. If someone doesn't bother much about technology, has little demands of what PC gaming means, turn down settings to medium or low just to play the game (even at 1080p - seriously in 2015?), use a HDD and make coffee while waiting for games to load, use a RM20 mouse/keyboard then yes, buy everything used and settle with 1080p like what you said. Buying used might be an option but old hardware could potentially cause problems more than fun and for someone that doesn't know how to deal with it, that's extra head ache.

I wouldn't even want to get close telling people to game at 1080p with "few setting turned down" because I myself could not accept it. To me, that's not PC gaming and might as well go buy a console. I'm not even talking about a high end build, a decent graphics card alone is RM700-900 like you mention and that itself is not expensive? Ok, I think that's subjective

Bro what is going on to your ref card?
I will put a waterblock by next week for my ref card.