You need to stop arguing about facts we sorted out over a month ago and derailing this thread.

Here's a reality check

The icx sensors do nothing other than report temps.

They do not improve the cooling of the card in any way and asynchronous fan control is a gimmick.

Just got an email that i'm in step 2 of 4. I think things are starting to slide with the step ups :-)

I started mine on 11 May (Thursday) and I've heard nothing as of right now.

invite

Aarkane

invite
Never done a step up before but just put in one for this card.

I get that it's all dependent upon stock/demand but do the step ups ever get denied or is it just that you could be waiting a while?

As long as you are within the 90 day period I have never heard of a denial unless people were asking for a card that wasn't on the step up list. Once approved, you need to make sure your existing card arrives in the same condition you bought it (remove over clocks, no damage, etc).

Do the step up within those parameters and you should be good to go...just note it could be a couple months before you are approved...depending on demand. The optional ICX upgrade I did took 2 months...but that was an extraordinary circumstance...so hopefully it won't take that long.

Thanks, appreciate the response.  I'm okay with it being a few months as long as I eventually get it :P
 
In the past, did they send you the new card before you returned the old?  I feel like I remember reading something from EVGA about how "step up is great because you never have to go without a graphics card".

I have actually never done an actual "Step Up".  
 
I was one of the users that got a bad 1080 FTW.  They exchanged that for free (shipping me the new one before sending the old one back).  Then they had the optional FTW2 upgrade, which I did for $99 (plus overnight shipping each way).  I had to send my card in to them first for that one, but it was a 3 day total turn around with the overnight shipping each way after about a 2 months wait for them to approve it due to availability.  I did the FTW2 upgrade as a gamble that the 1080Ti was going to be released so I could step up...my gamble paid off.
 
However, I have not yet started the step up, I have ~30 dy left to do it.  I've been waiting for them to offer something better than the FE, which they are now doing...so my gamble continues to pay off.  I'm still holding out to see if there is any possibility they will offer the SC2 with the ICX tech, since that's what I have now on the FTW2 and really like it...but something tells me that won't happen.  So I'll probably end up with the SC Black, which is fine.  But it will require some more down time while the cards are in transit.  No biggie...I have a kid about to be born, so my time will be limited in the immediate future anyway. 

bswope35

wbonami

Medico

wbonami
Just got an email that i'm in step 2 of 4. I think things are starting to slide with the step ups :-)

That is great. When did you start the step up, Friday morning when become available or later?

may 11th about 6pm CET time (europe)

Interesting. It seems EU region is moving faster than the US for the step-up. I am in the US and applied on May 10th at 10:30 PM EST and I am still in the queue at Step 1. Hopefully this is a sign that it will move forward shortly.

I became aware of the step up on Friday May 12 around 10:41am CDT by email received from one of the thread that I initialed that I was informed no step up ever.  Some people as I were hoping that their changed their minds which they did. I did not have a chance to check other sources before. It looks like the step up became available on Wednesday May 10. Am I right? What time did it become available? It became available first for people in Europe or all at the same time?

Medico
 
 
I became aware of the step up on Friday May 12 around 10:41am CDT by email received from one of the thread that I initialed that I was informed no step up ever.  Some people as I were hoping that their changed their minds which they did. I did not have a chance to check other sources before. It looks like the step up became available on Wednesday May 10. Am I right? What time did it become available? It became available first for people in Europe or all at the same time?

To the best of my knowledge, the evening of May 10th was when the US step up went live. I believe that I had checked earlier that day and it was still only the FE available. Later that night, I saw another forum thread pop up stating the SC Black was now available for step up. I applied for the step up 45 minutes after the thread was created. I can't say if that is the same date and time that the SC Black was available for Europe.

Be patient, you notice that the card's not even listed in stock on here right?  They'll process your orders as they come in and when they have the products to ship! 

total cost 

staypuft
My 1080Ti SC Black step up will arrive tomorrow. 

sweet bro,  congrats.  Put a pic up when you get it.

May 10 approx. 11pm CST and nothing yet.

staypuft
My 1080Ti SC Black step up will arrive tomorrow. 

Can you and everybody share this info;step up process?
 
1. When you applied for the step up and time if you have it available-step 1
 
2. Region (ie: USA, Euro)
 
3. When you got approved.-step 2
 
4 When EVGA got your card-step 3
 
 5. When they shipped out your step up card-step 4
 
6. When you receive it 

cfuggetta
I started mine on 11 May (Thursday) and I've heard nothing as of right now.

I submitted mine before you. May 11th, at 7:19 am Pacific Time. Nothing yet.

Medico
Can you and everybody share this info;step up process?
 
1. When you applied for the step up and time if you have it available-step 1
 
2. Region (ie: USA, Euro)
 
3. When you got approved.-step 2
 
4 When EVGA got your card-step 3
 
 5. When they shipped out your step up card-step 4
 
6. When you receive it 

1. I switched my 1080Ti FE stepup-in-process to the 1080Ti Black on May 11th
2. USA
3. N/A, was approved prior to the switch
4. May 12th
5. May 15th
6. May 19th
 
Will test it soon.

staypuft

Medico
Can you and everybody share this info;step up process?
 
1. When you applied for the step up and time if you have it available-step 1
 
2. Region (ie: USA, Euro)
 
3. When you got approved.-step 2
 
4 When EVGA got your card-step 3
 
 5. When they shipped out your step up card-step 4
 
6. When you receive it 

1. I switched my 1080Ti FE stepup-in-process to the 1080Ti Black on May 11th
2. USA
3. N/A, was approved prior to the switch
4. May 12th
5. May 15th
6. May 19th
 
Will test it soon.

Thank you for sharing with us your step up experience.  Your situation is different from ours.  They decided to change your approved FE to the Black Edition. That was an exception. This means none of us has been in step 2 yet.  So far, no one has reported step 2 with no exchange. 

I just wish Elite Members were allowed to Step-up to Elite Member only variants of the Ti. I'd so much rather have an Elite FTW3 instead of a Black SC. I started the process with my FTW2 on the 12th and haven't heard anything back, other than it's based on a first come first serve basis. You'd think being an Elite Member and spending thousands of dollars on products from the company would get you some sort of special treatment or opportunities but alas, there really are no special opportunities for Elite Members...