I'm replacing my old PC, which has an i5-2500, GTX 1050, and 8GB of DDR3 memory. My total budget is about €700 in Iberia, and I'm planning to use an i5-12400F, 16GB of DDR4, my existing 1TB SATA SSD, and a 1TB hard drive. For the graphics card, I can buy a GTX 1080 Ti 11GB for €225 locally, an RTX 2060 Super 8GB for €220 online, or an RTX 2070 8GB for €230 online. The 1080 Ti seems to offer the best raw performance, but it is much older and no longer receives the same level of driver support. I'm wondering whether it is still the best choice for a new budget build, or whether the newer RTX cards will age better because of features such as ray tracing and DLSS. I can also buy 2x8GB DDR4-3600 for €98, or 2x16GB DDR4-3200 for €160. Is upgrading to 32GB worthwhile for this build, or should I stay with 16GB to remain within budget?
4 Answers
At these prices, the RTX 2070 looks like the most balanced option if the card is in good condition. It should be close enough to the 1080 Ti in performance while offering ray tracing and DLSS. If the 2070 is actually a 2070 Super for €240, that would be an even stronger choice. Check temperatures, noise, and whether the seller offers any warranty before buying used.
Start with 16GB of RAM if that keeps the build within budget. It is still adequate for gaming, and you can add another matching kit later if needed. The 32GB kit is preferable for multitasking and newer demanding games, but I would prioritize the better graphics card first. Also consider checking for used RX 6600 XT, RX 5700 XT, or RTX 3060 Ti deals, since they may offer better value depending on local prices.
I’d lean toward the RTX 2060 Super or RTX 2070 rather than the 1080 Ti. The 1080 Ti is generally faster in traditional rasterized games and its 11GB of VRAM is useful, but it is an older card with higher power consumption and no DLSS support. The RTX cards are a little slower in some games, but their newer feature set should make them easier to live with over the next few years.
The 1080 Ti is still perfectly capable for 1080p and can outperform the 2060 Super in many games, so it is not automatically a bad purchase. However, newer games increasingly use ray tracing or depend on upscaling technologies, and the 1080 Ti lacks both DLSS and hardware ray-tracing support. I would only choose it if maximum traditional performance and the extra VRAM matter more to you than longevity.
The 2060 Super will eventually stop receiving updates too, but it is newer and supports features the 1080 Ti cannot use. That does not make it dramatically faster, just somewhat more practical for newer games.