RTX 3070 or RTX 3080

[RobGC2]

Hi all,
Hoping you can help!

Im running Virtual Golf with Trackman 4 through the BenQ LK953ST 4K Projector. Just about to order PC with

Intel i7 11700KF 3.6 GHz with a turbo of 5GHz
Nvidia RTX 3070
16GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM
1TB of NVME storage

or for an extra £500ish get the below

Intel i9 11900K 3.5GHz with turbo of 5.1GHz
Nvidia RTX 3080
16GB of DDR4 3200MHz RAM
1TB of NVME storage

will there be any difference between the 3070 and 3080 or is it just not worth the extra £500?

thanks in advance

[MongoOnlyPawn]

You're paying more for the CPU upgrade, i9 vs i7, probably a $300 cost, than you are paying for the GPU upgrade, 3080 vs 3070, probably a $200 cost. Either one is going to run your software very well. That being said, if the £500 doesn't put you on the street I'd go with the i9/3080 combo for futureproofing reasons.

[RobGC2]

Thanks, I thought as much con regards the cost……do you thing there would be much visible distance? Or is it more how easy it runs?

[frisi]

Imho i7 and 3070 are more than enough to run virtual golf.... maybe in the future they will add 4k but a 3070 will be enough too..
and probably when a 3070 will not be enough, the prices will be more affortable than now - thanks cryptocurrency -

I am actually running virtual golf at maximum quality with a 1660 and i5 - 1k euros pc

[preludesam]

Both of these setups will easily run any simulator software you have in 4k. Golf simulator software is not a AAA game title like CyberPunk or any other recent game release. You are not going to see a measurable difference with your overall experience with a 3070 or a 3080. Interesting they are offering a 11700KF instead of a 11700K. If you didn't know the KF series means it does not have onboard graphics which means you must have a dedicated GPU.

[aussiebenny]

Yeah. Echoing others. Either CPU won't matter one bit as they are both more than fast enough for any current sim game (or any game for that matter pretty much). In terms of GPU, the 3080 is definitely the better card but that applies to more graphics intensive games with RTX enabled graphics which none of the current golf sim softwares are not. So event the i7 and 3070 will be plenty also for years to come. But yeah, if you are okay with spending extra £500, then the i9/3080 combo would be a beast that you'll never had to upgrade for much longer. (though it would be a waste right now in a technical sense, if it will make you feel better by owning a beast of a pc now for the sake of it, that alone would be worth it also)

[RobGC2]

Thanks so much for your input it is much appreciated.
all the technical stuff go’s over my head but you’ve made total sense. I’ll go for the i9/3080 combo then as it doesn’t sound like I’ll need to upgrade anything for years to come.
I’ll post photos of the entire build once complete in about 3 weeks!
thanks again.

[Dax]

Not to change your mind, but while I will be upgrading my computer next year, I thought you should know that I am running a computer that I built in 2013 (4 core 4 thread processor) with my Tm4 and all has been great. The only upgrade on his computer was the addition of a 2070 super for when I upgraded from my TM3e in 2020. I am running TPS and virtual golf perfectly with no hiccups other than it takes a bit longer than I like to load up a course. Everything else works just fine. At the moment, I think my upgrade will be an i7 as I think that will be plenty for many years to come. Graphics card will be determined at the time of build.

also note that while my 12 core 24 thread home office AMD powered computer works fine with my sim as well TM has notes to me that they do not supplier AMD. This is the only reason why I shy away from AMD for my sim as if it was not for this I would go AMD.

[Dax]

Sorry, noticed a typo. Meant to say that TM has noted to me that they do not support AMD as all their testing is done with Intel products.

[aussiebenny]

There really is no software that runs on Windows that doesn't work with either CPU. You would be very hard pressed to find any general software that only works on Intel or vice versa. (unless you go to enterprise server software) AMD and Intel both run Windows OS exactly the same. Which means that any software that runs on top of Windows will also run fine regardless of CPU brand.

I guess it just means TM doesn't test with it themselves and rather not bother, but it should work 100% on AMD machines regardless. e.g. Uneekor also states that AMD cpu is not compatible, but people here have confirmed that they have zero issues running it on their PC with AMD cpu and gpu. and I expect nothing else with TM software also.

[RobGC2]

Thanks Dax for your input, it is appreciated.

Off the subject Dax, can I ask is there a beta firmware I can access that has the reduced TM to ball, ball to screen measurements. My double garage conversion to sim room is now nearly complete but I only have 15.5 feet from TM to screen and the firmware with reduced measurements is still not out!?
May have to sell my TM4 at this rate.
hope you can help.

[Dax]

I posted a comment on your other thread. I’m thinking more on this, I believe making a support request may be your best bet. Those guys are awesome and respond to questions and issues very quickly.

Also, there has been some discussion on lighting recently and just wanted to make sure that you have your lighting all sorted as part of your build?