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The Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end graphics card built for 4K gaming. It was introduced in the summer of 2021 and has since been replaced by the RTX 4080.
However, with prices falling, many gamers are considering buying the 3080 Ti, since most gaming audiences would not want to spend over $1,000 on a graphics card.
Nvidia is left with a ton of RTX 30 series stock due to a chip shortage. Thus, the 3080 Ti will not be discontinued anytime soon. The card looks like a solid option for gamers looking to put together a 4K gaming rig without breaking the bank; however, there are a few more points to consider before finalizing the GPU.
The RTX 3080 Ti's pricing is killing it
The RTX 3080 Ti is a solid card for 4K gaming. The card is based on the Ampere flagship, the GA102 GPU found on the RTX 3090 and the RTX 3090 Ti.
The card packs 10,240 CUDA cores, 320 Texture Mapping Units (TMUs), 112 Render Output Units (ROPs), and 80 RT cores. Thus, on paper, it is a beast, and these specs translate pretty well to video games.
The GPU packs 12 GB of 19 Gbps GDDR6X video memory based on a 384-bit memory bus. The memory has a massive bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s.
However, the pricing is not optimal. The GPU was initially launched for $1,119. In December 2022, the prices fell to less than $1,000, and the card made sense considering the prices of the RTX 3090, the 4080, and the 4090.
However, recently, prices have shot back up above $1,000, with some models costing $2,000. Gamers can buy the much faster Radeon RX 7900 XT and the 7900 XTX for much lesser than what Nvidia asks for the RTX 3080 Ti. In another world, the RTX 4080 is almost as pricey as the 3080 Ti.
Thus, the high-end 80-class GPU represents a bad value today. The upcoming RTX 4070 Ti GPU, which is rumored to be priced at $799, will be about 350% faster than the 3080 12 GB. Since this will be launched soon, gamers might consider waiting for this option as well.
However, gamers looking for a cheaper card can consider the RX 6900 XT and the 6950 XT. AMD has reduced the prices of the RX 6000 series cards recently. These days, they are available for around $700.
Conclusion
The RTX 3080 Ti, although a great video card, does not make sense in 2023. Multiple new options and the competition have launched graphics cards that offer better price-to-performance ratios than the last-gen 80-class card.
Thus, for the most part, gamers can settle with the Radeon RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX. These cards are better priced and perform much better in video games and productivity software.
In addition, gamers looking for more performance can consider the RTX 4080, and those who want to save a few bucks should side with the RX 6900 XT or the 6950 XT.
