i think it would be better to buy an EK block and the "custom reference" 1080 nvidia is selling for $610. in the end it's the same thing. 

I would first look for EVGA Hydro Copper, because card is ready for installation, if not than waterblock separately. 

solomonshvi think it would be better to buy an EK block and the "custom reference" 1080 nvidia is selling for $610. in the end it's the same thing. 

 
The Hydro Copper is based on a custom PCB with extra power phases for GPU and RAM and also has an extra 8-pin power connector which will provide higher and more stable overclocks. And it is fully assembled so one does not void the warranty when installing a new waterblock. And the HC includes a backplate where as the Founders Edition's backplate will have to be removed and a new one purchased if using an EK block because it is not compatible with EK. And lastly, the HC looks better than an EK block with it's EVGA logo in LED. So, not the same. And worth the wait.
 
Edit: I forgot to mention the HC will have extra BIOS which, I assume, will be able to run extra voltage/power for the claimed 2.5Mhz.

All of a sudden AMD RX 480 seems viable as temporary card until Hydro Copper is released.
...but releases end of June...
The GTX 980 Ti price should start going down due to 1070 release (June 10th).
 
Not a great time to have an HTC Vive and old video card. :(
 
Edit: Update
Went ahead and upgraded to used GTX 980 for $260 off ebay.
Should be enough to last me through to end of July :)

The_Ether_Bunny

solomonshvi think it would be better to buy an EK block and the "custom reference" 1080 nvidia is selling for $610. in the end it's the same thing. 

 
The Hydro Copper is based on a custom PCB with extra power phases for GPU and RAM and also has an extra 8-pin power connector which will provide higher and more stable overclocks. And it is fully assembled so one does not void the warranty when installing a new waterblock. And the HC includes a backplate where as the Founders Edition's backplate will have to be removed and a new one purchased if using an EK block because it is not compatible with EK. And lastly, the HC looks better than an EK block with it's EVGA logo in LED. So, not the same. And worth the wait.

It still looks like the amount of power supplied is irrelevant at this point.  As per Tom's Hardware:
 
Let’s get back to the voltage regulator's PWM controller, though. Nvidia’s GPU Boost 3.0 has a new set of voltage regulation requirements, resulting in significant changes. We would have expected a controller like International Rectifier's IR3536A to be paired with a pure 5+1-phase design. But that's not the case. A µP9511P is used instead, which is bad news for anyone who likes to overclock, since the interface and protocol used by tools such as MSI Afterburner and Gigabyte’s OC Guru won't work with this card. The change to a new controller, which isn’t very well documented at this point, is probably due to technical considerations.
 
EDIT: However...
 
Capacitors are located directly underneath the GPU to smooth out any spikes. The PWM controller is on this side of the board as well (it was on the front previously). Again, that gives Nvidia's partners some freedom to add their own power boards with different PWM controllers
 
 
I guess there is still some hope.  The HOF 1080 that hit better OC apparently has a different controller, though it isn't know if this is an approved board design yet from NVIDIA.

The_Ether_Bunny

solomonshvi think it would be better to buy an EK block and the "custom reference" 1080 nvidia is selling for $610. in the end it's the same thing. 

 
The Hydro Copper is based on a custom PCB with extra power phases for GPU and RAM and also has an extra 8-pin power connector which will provide higher and more stable overclocks. And it is fully assembled so one does not void the warranty when installing a new waterblock. And the HC includes a backplate where as the Founders Edition's backplate will have to be removed and a new one purchased if using an EK block because it is not compatible with EK. And lastly, the HC looks better than an EK block with it's EVGA logo in LED. So, not the same. And worth the wait.
 
Edit: I forgot to mention the HC will have extra BIOS which, I assume, will be able to run extra voltage/power for the claimed 2.5Mhz.

It's appearing that these cards just don't OC well... Voltage or not. Newer articles are now thinking that the 8 pin is not the limiting factor. Also buying an EVGA FE won't void the warranty when you put in on water. Don't care about the LEDs because without a window no one is seeing it anyway. I'll go with this for a year until the Titan comes out.

My main issue now is that no reseller seems to have the FE in stock. I don't want to order from EVGA because they won't allow the package to be redirected to a ups location for pickup which is ridiculous because I have a job and I'm not taking a day off for this.

eisenb11It's appearing that these cards just don't OC well... Voltage or not. Newer articles are now thinking that the 8 pin is not the limiting factor.

I have been reading/watching how this card performs and 2.1Mhz seems the limit with the FE cards. But, like the guy mentioned in the above post, it could be the new controller which doesn't work with the popular OC software suites. I am assuming the extra BIOS and 8-pin on the HC is what is going to be the difference. Since a 2.5Ghz liquid cooled card was announced weeks ago. And EVGA is the ONLY company out of the seven that sell GPUs that will allow one to add a waterblock without voiding the warranty.

The_Ether_Bunny

eisenb11It's appearing that these cards just don't OC well... Voltage or not. Newer articles are now thinking that the 8 pin is not the limiting factor.

I have been reading/watching how this card performs and 2.1Mhz seems the limit with the FE cards. But, like the guy mentioned in the above post, it could be the new controller which doesn't work with the popular OC software suites. I am assuming the extra BIOS and 8-pin on the HC is what is going to be the difference. Since a 2.5Ghz liquid cooled card was announced weeks ago. And EVGA is the ONLY company out of the seven that sell GPUs that will allow one to add a waterblock without voiding the warranty.

Yeah, I have the most faith in them figuring out the controller. Just read that another company got theirs up to 2.2 GHz on air, but they had to override the voltage lock to get to 1.3V (I believe) with a custom BIOS and it's unknown if NV will let them sell the card that way. If that's the case, it sounds like NV, themselves, is possibly another hurdle.
 
Wish I had more time to wait for the HC because it looks awesome, but I've been on a shopping spree and almost everything is here. SM950 Pro, AX1500i, I7-6900k, R5E mb, EK monoblock, fittings, acrylic tubes, etc... almost all good to go. Not to mention new tools (drill bits, hole saws, mandrels, new heat gun, etc.). Just need 2x 1080s and the EK blocks/backplates to get here. Would wait for the HC, but my 2x 780 GTX SCs are struggling with my Oculus and the current AAA releases. Looks like I'll have to settle for a 2.0GHz-ish OC for now.
 

eisenb11Wish I had more time to wait for the HC because it looks awesome, but I've been on a shopping spree and almost everything is here. SM950 Pro, AX1500i, I7-6900k, R5E mb, EK monoblock, fittings, acrylic tubes, etc... almost all good to go. Not to mention new tools (drill bits, hole saws, mandrels, new heat gun, etc.). Just need 2x 1080s and the EK blocks/backplates to get here. Would wait for the HC, but my 2x 780 GTX SCs are struggling with my Oculus and the current AAA releases. Looks like I'll have to settle for a 2.0GHz-ish OC for now.

 
I'm have the same situation; 50% through my new build but now waiting for the premium 1080s to drop so I can finish the PTGE loop.
 

Interesting, it looks like design for cooler and probably PCB for hydro changed... compare it to the picture on page 2...