I currently use an i9-12900K, 32GB of RAM, and an RTX 2080 Ti for gaming at 1080p. A friend is offering me an RTX 5060 Ti 16GB for £390, which seems like a good price in the UK. However, benchmarks suggest the performance increase may only be around 10–15% in regular rasterized games. Would upgrading be worthwhile for the newer features, extra VRAM, ray tracing, efficiency, and longer driver support, or should I keep the 2080 Ti and wait for a larger performance jump?
4 Answers
The decision mostly comes down to whether you want newer features rather than raw speed. The 5060 Ti should be more efficient and gives you extra VRAM and current-generation feature support, but at 1080p the 2080 Ti remains strong. If £390 is close to the normal retail price, skip it; if it is substantially below retail and you value efficiency and longevity, it becomes a reasonable purchase.
I would keep the 2080 Ti and wait for something closer to a 5070-class upgrade or better. A 10–25% increase is difficult to notice at 1080p unless you are targeting very high refresh rates or using demanding ray tracing. Selling the 2080 Ti first could make a stronger future upgrade much easier to justify.
At 1080p, the 2080 Ti is still a very capable card, so the 5060 Ti probably will not feel dramatically faster. The newer card does offer lower power consumption, newer upscaling and ray-tracing features, 16GB of VRAM, and a longer driver-support lifespan. At £390, it is reasonable if those features matter to you, but it is not a particularly exciting performance upgrade.
It is worth comparing the price of a used RTX 3080 or a Radeon RX 9070 in your area. A 3080 can outperform the 5060 Ti, although used mining cards may have had a hard life. The RX 9070 would be a much more substantial upgrade, but it will usually cost considerably more.
I would be cautious with used 3080s unless the seller can provide some history and the card is priced well. The performance is attractive, but power use, age, and possible mining wear reduce the appeal.