I recently finished upgrading my PC after a long delay caused by a lack of free time. My system has a Ryzen 7 5800XT, 16 GB of RAM, and a GTX 1660 Super. I originally planned to buy something around the RTX 4060 Ti or RTX 5060 performance level, but used GPU prices locally have increased and money is currently tight.
A used GTX 1080 Ti has become available for $110. I mainly play competitive games and only occasionally play demanding AAA titles, usually without ray tracing. The 1080 Ti is old, but it still offers strong raw performance and has 11 GB of VRAM. Would it make sense to buy it as an inexpensive upgrade from the 1660 Super and replace it later, or should I keep saving for a newer card with features such as modern driver support, DLSS, and frame generation?
5 Answers
Since you mostly play competitive games and are already managing with a 1660 Super, waiting is also perfectly reasonable. Prices and local listings are unpredictable, but you may eventually find a newer used card around the same price range. I would only buy the 1080 Ti now if you want an immediate performance boost and understand that it may need to be replaced sooner.
For your current games, the 1080 Ti should be more than capable. It will not provide the modern upscaling and frame-generation features of newer cards, but those features are less important if you mainly play lighter competitive titles. In that specific situation, $110 is a defensible short-term upgrade.
The deal is good, but it is not automatically a bargain if the card has been heavily used or is about to fail. Ask to test it under load, check temperatures and fan noise, and inspect it for obvious damage. At this age, the condition matters as much as the model.
The biggest drawbacks are its age, high power consumption, and lack of ongoing driver support. Newer games increasingly benefit from DLSS, frame generation, and newer hardware features, so a modern card will age better. If you can comfortably wait, looking for a used RTX 3060, 3070, 4060, or similar newer model may be the better long-term choice.
At $110, the 1080 Ti would be a substantial upgrade from the 1660 Super and should handle competitive games extremely well, including at 1440p in many cases. Its 11 GB of VRAM is also still useful. If the card is in good condition and $110 is close to your entire budget, it can be a reasonable temporary card that you resell later.
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