My RTX 2080 has died, and I'm trying to decide whether to replace it cheaply or upgrade my entire system. New graphics cards are priced well above MSRP, and my i7-8700K may bottleneck a modern GPU. Replacing the CPU would also mean buying a new motherboard and RAM, which could get very expensive. A friend is offering me a used RTX 2070 Super for $80. Is that an excellent temporary deal, or should I spend more now before hardware prices climb further?
4 Answers
That price is extremely good, even if the card doesn’t last forever. A used 2070 Super should still provide solid 1080p and 1440p performance, and you could likely resell it later without losing much. Just test it thoroughly and check temperatures before buying.
If you want a broader upgrade, you could consider moving to AM4 and reusing your existing DDR4 memory. A B550 board and a reasonably priced Ryzen processor would give you a noticeable CPU improvement without the full cost of AM5 and DDR5. Still, for the immediate problem, the $80 2070 Super is probably the best value.
You don’t necessarily need to replace the 8700K immediately. At 1440p with higher settings, the CPU probably won’t hold back a reasonable graphics card in most games. CPU limits are more noticeable in competitive games, simulation titles, and other heavily CPU-dependent workloads, so upgrading the GPU first is perfectly reasonable.
At $80, the 2070 Super is an easy choice. It’s only a little slower than the RTX 2080, so if you were happy with your old card’s performance, this should let you keep gaming without rebuilding the whole system. You can save for a proper upgrade later.
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