My RTX 3080 recently died after I bought it for about $850 in 2022, so I'm looking for a replacement. I game at 1440p and want to maintain at least 60 FPS at ultra settings, with medium to high ray tracing when possible. My system has an i9-13900K and 64GB of RAM. I'd prefer to stay around $1,000, but I can stretch to roughly $1,200–$1,300 if the upgrade is worthwhile. I'm hoping the new card will last another three to four years. Which GPU makes the most sense?
4 Answers
The RX 9070 XT is probably the best value choice. It should be a very noticeable upgrade from the RTX 3080 and generally offers performance comparable to a much more expensive RTX 5070 Ti. At around $700, it leaves plenty of room in your budget.
A used RTX 3080, RTX 4070 Ti, or RTX 4080 could also make sense if you find one at a genuinely good price. Buying new is less appealing for Nvidia cards at the moment, while the cheaper RX 9070 XT offers a stronger performance-per-dollar balance.
If you specifically want Nvidia features such as DLSS, the RTX 5070 Ti is worth considering, but only if it’s within roughly $100–$150 of the 9070 XT. Current pricing makes it difficult to recommend when the performance is similar.
The RTX 5080 would provide more performance and may be a good long-term option if you can find one close to its intended price, but inflated pricing makes it a poor value right now. For 1440p, the RTX 5070, RX 9070, and RX 9070 XT should all be capable of meeting your target settings.

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