Question Buy now, or wait?

[James Blonde]

I'm likely to be in the market for a 4070Ti or 4080 level of card for my new system. However every reviewer, every commenter - everyone except the manufacturers - says that current gen card prices are around $£€250 above what they should be as a hangover from mining (I guess manufacturers trying to force the prices up artificially)

My current system (i7 9700K, 64Gb DDR4)has a 3070Ti which I can take over to the new system - it could buy me time. As I understand it, the games I play (the 2 I have most issues with are Cities Skylines and Transport Fever 2 - not the only games I play though, honest) are more processor bound than graphics bound so I don't think I have an immediate need for a new graphics card, if prices are likely to come down meaningfully.

Does anyone think they might come down? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy now?

Also conscious it would probably be easier to sell my current system with a 3070Ti than a my old, spare 1070, and I'll be trying to sell pretty much as soon as the new system is up....

Any thoughts?

 

[hotaru.hino]

I don't think it's worth the cost to upgrade if you're going to the next gen and not going at least two tiers higher getting the same tier two generations later.

Unless you really want that extra performance, wait.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

If willing to look at amd maybe consider the 7900xtx. You could wait or if you upgrade, sell the 3070ti while it’s still got good value.

 

[sonofjesse]

Sell the old system buy the best card your budget allows for at the time.

good luck!

 

[Avro Arrow]

It's like this... It's always better to wait because the prices of tech only go in one direction and, mining crazes aside, that one direction is down. Of course, sooner or later you have to buy otherwise you'll never get anything. So, you should wait as long as you're willing to wait, no more and no less.

Now, I can tell you what I would do in your situation, but this is just going to be my opinion. You're free to agree or disagree as you see fit.

If I had a card as potent as an RTX 3070 Ti, I sure wouldn't be in a hurry to buy a new video card, especially considering what my posterior would feel like after paying what nVidia wants for an RTX 4080. If I was just going to upgrade every generation, I wouldn't have purchased something as high-end as an RTX 3070 Ti in the first place because there would be no reason to pay that much for a card that I was going to replace as soon as the next generation came out. A big reason that I would pay more for a high-end gaming-class card like that is because I don't want to upgrade every generation.

I generally buy enthusiast-class cards like my RX 6800 XT but I plan to keep it and use it for the next 5 years. Now, I realise that the RTX 3070 Ti only has half of the RX 6800 XT's VRAM so it won't live nearly as long. The thing is though, you should still be able to get at least another year of great gaming from an RTX 3070 Ti and I can guarantee you that prices will have fallen dramatically by then.

Don't be in such a hurry to pay exorbitant prices like what exist right now because that will only encourage them to gouge consumers even worse than they are now. The cards are too expensive and you're not exactly suffering so vote with your wallet. Buying cards at the current prices tells nVidia that you consider these prices to be acceptable. Not buying cards at the current prices sends the opposite message, that nVidia is demanding way too much money for what they're offering.

Two questions you should ask yourself:

Q#1: "Am I ok with the current video card prices?"

Q#2: "Do I really need to upgrade my RTX 3070 Ti or am I just jumping at the shiny new cards because they're shiny and new?"

If you answer those questions to yourself honestly, you'll know the answer to your original question. Remember that there is no wrong answer, because everybody's different.

 

[5900x]

I don't know about AMD and Intel but I'm pretty sure Nvidia prices will never come down. Don't quote me on this and I am just giving my opinion but after scouring through a couple of quarterly data in recent months, I think Nvidia are making so much money in the data sector, they have no need for gamers, at ALL. Also is why Nvidia is so much involved into AI now, that is where is the money is, the business and the future is. So, Jensen doesn't care for what average consumers want or need. Those days of yore and gaming are gone. It's either pay up or shut up now.

So upto you what you want to do. I have waited years like you hoping what you are hoping. But did anything positive happen? Nah. Buy now or buy in six months, nothing will change atleast in matters of Nvidia's high end hardware.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I think you've got a point. Nvidia may drop prices just enough to placate customers to where people only are grumbling. But the old days of the 1050ti for $150 bucks were nice. I think AMD and intel will be better options for a budget, though if AMD can catch up more they may try to raise prices too as they already tried that. Intel seems to be decent value but again in their case they are just trying to break into the market really And with Raja leaving, will they stay in the game?

 

[James Blonde]

Two questions you should ask yourself:

Q#1: "Am I ok with the current video card prices?"

Q#2: "Do I really need to upgrade my RTX 3070 or am I just jumping at the shiny new cards because they're shiny and new?"

If you answer those questions to yourself honestly, you'll know the answer to your original question. Remember that there is no wrong answer, because everybody's different.

Oh that bit's easy....

Q1 - No
Q2 - Meh.... and damn right!

I get that my gaming experience has probably been more processor limited than graphics card limited, which is what stopped me just buying a new card when I pressed go on the rest of the system. I get that the card I've got is half decent. But.... I've just got a shiny new system, I want a shiny new card!!!!

But it's the answer to Q1 that's making me ask this question - head is beating heart so far. If me not buying now means it's one less customer for NVidia and it might maybe make them reconsider their consumer card prices, or if I wait a little bit longer the price will come down to a reasonable level before the card is obsolete, then I'll wait

If NVidia don't care that they've priced consumers out the market and prices are never going to come down (or could even keep going up with future gens), then part of me thinks I might as well just buy now and then not have to worry about it again for a long long time.


As much as anything, I'd have guessed my 3070Ti would help make my i7 9700K system a bit more sellable than my old 1070. (and a 1070 will make my really old 3570K system more sellable than my dusty GTX680! But... those were the cards I originally used with those systems, so maybe not)

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Yeah, part of my thinking is almost buy the best card you can afford then you've got 2-3 years anyway and see what happens. Seems like there are good deals on the high end cards of last generation as well.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Historically the MSRP from either side almost never budges. If there is a drop in MSRP, the card's on its way out or the company is really desperate to move stock (or both). More often than not, they release another SKU that's cheaper.

 

[James Blonde]

I'm never going to justify a 4090, no matter how hard I try I don't want it or need it. Honest.

So 4080 would be the highest I'd relatively happily go. I guess the only real difference for me is future proofing - It would allow 4K gaming some time in my future and give a longer lasting high level of performance. With a 4080, I wouldn't be wishing I'd got the higher spec card.

However I currently game at 1440. Which is where the 4070Ti came from. I think....the general consensus in this case is that a 3080Ti would be the better bet, but prices for those (in the UK at least) on eBay are higher than a 4080, let alone the 4070Ti, and suppliers only seem to be carrying refurbs - which feels like a false economy.

For the new cards, MSRP is one thing, but most cards are well above the MSRP before we start - whether they ever migrate downwards... hmm! and.... what's the difference between a....say.... Gigabyte Aero and a Gigabyte Aorus? Other than £100ish?

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I'm never going to justify a 4090, no matter how hard I try I don't want it or need it. Honest.

So 4080 would be the highest I'd relatively happily go. I guess the only real difference for me is future proofing - It would allow 4K gaming some time in my future and give a longer lasting high level of performance. With a 4080, I wouldn't be wishing I'd got the higher spec card.

However I currently game at 1440. Which is where the 4070Ti came from. I think....the general consensus in this case is that a 3080Ti would be the better bet, but prices for those (in the UK at least) on eBay are higher than a 4080, let alone the 4070Ti, and suppliers only seem to be carrying refurbs - which feels like a false economy.

For the new cards, MSRP is one thing, but most cards are well above the MSRP before we start - whether they ever migrate downwards... hmm! and.... what's the difference between a....say.... Gigabyte Aero and a Gigabyte Aorus? Other than £100ish?

While I agree with you, here's another side. They might be playing the long game. In say 5 years, a 6090 could be 2000 and then the 6080 at 1600, then your 6070 at 1200 and so on. So if you are Nvidia, keep adding little by little until people get used to paying higher prices. Unfortunately many people are. Sad that the days of gaming on a budget aren't like they used to be.

 

[hotaru.hino]

While I agree with you, here's another side. They might be playing the long game. In say 5 years, a 6090 could be 2000 and then the 6080 at 1600, then your 6070 at 1200 and so on. So if you are Nvidia, keep adding little by little until people get used to paying higher prices. Unfortunately many people are. Sad that the days of gaming on a budget aren't like they used to be.

However at the same time, things aren't getting any simpler or easier. It's getting increasingly harder to design for smaller nodes, designs are getting increasingly more complex as we add features, and there's only so much bandwidth the human brain can comprehend before you have to hire more people to tackle those components.

Maybe NVIDIA's pushing the envelope harder, but everyone's gradually pushing the envelope.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I don't know about AMD and Intel but I'm pretty sure Nvidia prices will never come down. Don't quote me on this and I am just giving my opinion but after scouring through a couple of quarterly data in recent months, I think Nvidia are making so much money in the data sector, they have no need for gamers, at ALL. Also is why Nvidia is so much involved into AI now, that is where is the money is, the business and the future is. So, Jensen doesn't care for what average consumers want or need. Those days of yore and gaming are gone. It's either pay up or shut up now.

So upto you what you want to do. I have waited years like you hoping what you are hoping. But did anything positive happen? Nah. Buy now or buy in six months, nothing will change atleast in matters of Nvidia's high end hardware.

Or he can do what I did and say "To hell with nVidia" and buy a Radeon card. They'll be far more reasonably-priced far more quickly than any GeForce card, even ones that are objectively slower.

 

[falcon291]

I'm likely to be in the market for a 4070Ti or 4080 level of card for my new system. However every reviewer, every commenter - everyone except the manufacturers - says that current gen card prices are around $£€250 above what they should be as a hangover from mining (I guess manufacturers trying to force the prices up artificially)

My current system (i7 9700K, 64Gb DDR4)has a 3070Ti which I can take over to the new system - it could buy me time. As I understand it, the games I play (the 2 I have most issues with are Cities Skylines and Transport Fever 2 - not the only games I play though, honest) are more processor bound than graphics bound so I don't think I have an immediate need for a new graphics card, if prices are likely to come down meaningfully.

Does anyone think they might come down? Or should I just bite the bullet and buy now?

Also conscious it would probably be easier to sell my current system with a 3070Ti than a my old, spare 1070, and I'll be trying to sell pretty much as soon as the new system is up....

Any thoughts?

Your monitor? Oh I saw QHD.

I have 9700K and 32 GB of RAM with 3070. CPU already started to show its age. But for QHD resolution my monitor is the slowest component, and that shows upgrading the system will not gain much performance.

I have started to look at an upgrade at the CPU+ mainboard + RAM, PSU side. I have just upgraded my GPU to RTX 3070 and it will stay for at least 2 years.

In my opinion, I think it is better to skip a generation. I have upgraded from GTX 1070 to RTX 3070. And for me now it is time to upgrade mainboard + CPU + RAM. If you don't skip a generation, the gain would be marginal. Of course it is my opinion. So in 2 or three years I will be upgrading to RTX 5070 or RTX 5080.

About selling RTX 3070 Ti, you will get a third of the price of the new RTX 3070 Ti. Skip a generation and upgrade mainboard + CPU + RAM.

 

[John Chesterfield]

Total waste of money at 1440p and for the actual visible difference you'd see.

But it's your money, it's yours to spend as you please. To me, who can afford a 4090 if I wanted one, the difference I'd see would be absolutely not worth the spend. If I was at 4k, totally different matter.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Oh that bit's easy....

Q1 - No
Q2 - Meh.... and damn right!

I get that my gaming experience has probably been more processor limited than graphics card limited, which is what stopped me just buying a new card when I pressed go on the rest of the system. I get that the card I've got is half decent. But.... I've just got a shiny new system, I want a shiny new card!!!!

Excellent! Being honest with yourself is the most important thing that you can do in this situation. As I said, there's no wrong answer, it's just a matter of what you personally want.

But it's the answer to Q1 that's making me ask this question - head is beating heart so far. If me not buying now means it's one less customer for NVidia and it might maybe make them reconsider their consumer card prices, or if I wait a little bit longer the price will come down to a reasonable level before the card is obsolete, then I'll wait

If NVidia don't care that they've priced consumers out the market and prices are never going to come down (or could even keep going up with future gens), then part of me thinks I might as well just buy now and then not have to worry about it again for a long long time.

Or you could do what I did back in 2008 and say "To hell with nVidia" and get a Radeon card instead. I've had only Radeon cards since 2008 and I've been very happy with them because they're great video cards and it made me immune to nVidia pricing. Well, it did until AMD decided to start following nVidia's insane pricing. I can't say that I blame them because with everyone and their mother throwing money at nVidia, it was the only way that ATi could afford the R&D to keep Radeons competitive. However, instead of getting angry at nVidia, I just laugh because they can't touch me.

As much as anything, I'd have guessed my 3070Ti would help make my i7 9700K system a bit more sellable than my old 1070. (and a 1070 will make my really old 3570K system more sellable than my dusty GTX680! But... those were the cards I originally used with those systems, so maybe not)

You're right though. There's no shortage of people who will do anything to get a green card (I'm not talking about immigrants here..heheheheh) and a 3070 Ti would definitely sell.

Right now, the RTX 3070 Ti is selling for no less than $640. Meanwhile, the RX 6800 XT, a card that is 17% faster and has literally double the VRAM is selling for only $565.

There's no question that there is demand for your RTX 3070 Ti. As for me, I never cared because I don't generally sell my old parts, I just build new PCs for my parents with them. Baby-Boomers are not the least bit difficult to please when it comes to PC performance.

 

[James Blonde]

Thanks all - I think you've persuaded me of the error of my ways! I'll stick with my 3070Ti till it becomes the problem! That could be quite some time, or it might not be - who knows? But probably not losing too much.

My graphics card upgrades have always been out of sync with my processor / system upgrades - usually because of cost (too much at once!). I could afford it not to be the issue this time, but it just doesn't make sense, does it. I can change my mind ay any time - it's not a difficult or disruptive upgrade after all, but yep - every other generation it is! and you never know, by the time I get there, you might have converted me to the red side!

 

[falcon291]

Thanks all - I think you've persuaded me of the error of my ways! I'll stick with my 3070Ti till it becomes the problem! That could be quite some time, or it might not be - who knows? But probably not losing too much.

My graphics card upgrades have always been out of sync with my processor / system upgrades - usually because of cost (too much at once!). I could afford it not to be the issue this time, but it just doesn't make sense, does it. I can change my mind ay any time - it's not a difficult or disruptive upgrade after all, but yep - every other generation it is! and you never know, by the time I get there, you might have converted me to the red side!

Later than sooner your GPU will be the problem. Its low VRAM will be the problem. But it very much depends on the games you play, and the severity of the problems. But if you continue with QHD resolution it will be fine for the near future.

My GPU upgrades also out of sync with my processor. However, this time I am planning to upgrade earlier, as I saw CPU related problems with CPU dependent games (BFV, BF 2042, Chivalry 2). Upgrade your CPU, so mainboard, so depending on your mainboard, your RAM.

 

[James Blonde]

Later than sooner your GPU will be the problem. Its low VRAM will be the problem. But it very much depends on the games you play, and the severity of the problems. But if you continue with QHD resolution it will be fine for the near future.

My GPU upgrades also out of sync with my processor. However, this time I am planning to upgrade earlier, as I saw CPU related problems with CPU dependent games (BFV, BF 2042, Chivalry 2). Upgrade your CPU, so mainboard, so depending on your mainboard, your RAM.

Going all in on a i9 13900K, Z790 and DDR5 6000Mhz - so will be a big step change to what I've currently got. Was almost talked into AMD there too, but chickened out!