I recently upgraded to a 1440p monitor and now want a graphics card that can handle modern games at mostly high settings. I can buy a used RTX 3080 Founders Edition for €345, or an RX 6800 for €300. I'm unsure whether the 3080's extra performance and features are worth the additional cost, or whether the RX 6800's 16GB of VRAM would be more useful than the 3080's 10GB at 1440p. I'll be upgrading to an 850W power supply, and my CPU is an i5-10600K. Which card would make more sense?
3 Answers
The RTX 3080 is closer to an RX 6800 XT in overall performance. The regular RX 6800 is slower, so the 3080 is the stronger choice if you care mainly about frame rates and features such as DLSS. The RX 6800’s 16GB of VRAM is useful for future-proofing, but it does not automatically make up for the performance gap at 1440p.
The power supply is worth checking before choosing. The RTX 3080 can have noticeable power spikes above its rated 320W and uses a special adapter, while the RX 6800 is less demanding and uses standard 8-pin connectors. Since you’re moving to an 850W unit, power should be covered. At 1440p, 10GB is generally still workable at high settings, and DLSS can be more useful than the extra VRAM in many games.
I’m upgrading the power supply anyway because the current one is too old and underpowered. I’m considering undervolting the 3080 to reduce its power spikes while keeping most of its performance.
I’d lean toward the RTX 3080 at those prices. It generally delivers better 1440p performance and has stronger upscaling and ray-tracing support. The RX 6800 is still a good value if lower power use and 16GB of VRAM matter more to you, but the €45 premium for the 3080 seems reasonable as long as the card is in good condition.
I was also considering raw performance, since even higher-end Radeon cards can be faster in rasterization. I’ll compare the games I play most before deciding.
That makes sense. I was mainly wondering whether the extra VRAM on the RX 6800 would outweigh the 3080’s performance advantage.