Question Is Upgrading From a 10gb 3080 to the 4080 S Worth it at This Juncture?

[TacticalCargoShorts3]

Hello everyone,

Let me first just say that I know this is a pretty privileged "problem" to have, but I can't seem to make up my mind and am hoping to get some advice here

I currently have a 10gb 3080 FTW3 Ultra that has honestly been excellent at 1440p and has served me really well since building this rig back in early 2021. I definitely don't "need" to upgrade, but, like many I'm sure, I was originally planning to upgrade to the 5080 in the hopes that it would offer close to a 2x performance jump over the 3080 and now that it's looking sort of underwhelming compared to the 4080/4080 S, and is selling for way over MSRP, I'm wondering if I should sell my 3080 while it still has a relatively decent value and then jump on a 2nd hand 4080 at a good price.

I have a lead on an MSI 4080 (non super) Suprim X for ~$800 and also another lead on an Asus TUF 4080 Super for ~$900 (this one still under warranty). Figured I could sell my 3080 for like $400 at least, and then get a decent 50% upgrade for $400-$500 out of pocket and then be able to continue to play the newest games unrestrained at 1440p until a better value comes along in a couple years. Also, what price difference would justify spending extra for the TUF Super variant over the non Super MSI Suprim X?

But the other side of me feels sorta silly just for considering this upgrade/side grade, even if it's only temporary. I technically can still play most of the games I enjoy at good settings, but there are a handful of cases that the 3080 just can't handle that I wish I could experience. I would love to experience path traced Cyberpunk and I still haven't played Black Myth Wukong, Alan Wake 2, Indiana Jones and SH2 Remake just cause the 3080 can't reach 60 fps at my preferred settings. Then there's the terribly optimized stuff like Monster Hunter Worlds that's been running at 45-55 fps on my 3080 and 5800X3D. Definitely not a "need" per se, but it would be nice to have the ability to play those games with their intended art styles. Especially if imported goods are about to shoot up in price and we're looking at another 1-2 years before a new card in the same tier comes out with true 2x performance over the 3080.

I suppose there's also 2nd hand 4090s too, but even with selling my 3080, I think I'd be looking at close to $1k out of pocket, and I don't know if I can justify that right now.

What does everyone think? Hang tight and accept that I need to drop settings to keep using my 3080 until I'm fully dissatisfied with the performance? Jump on a relatively cheap 4080/4080 Super? 4090?

Other system specs:
5800X3D
32GB DDR4 3600MHz
1TB 970 Evo Pro
1TB Crucial P5
Corsair RMx850 Gold rated PSU
NZXT H5 Flow case


Thanks!

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Leaving all topic of your system aside(whether your PSU is up to the task or if you're going to need a processor/platform upgrade), I'd say to save your money until prices come down or until Nvidia decides to mature their drivers so their claims are what they've stated in their slides/presentation.

 

[TacticalCargoShorts3]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Leaving all topic of your system aside(whether your PSU is up to the task or if you're going to need a processor/platform upgrade), I'd say to save your money until prices come down or until Nvidia decides to mature their drivers so their claims are what they've stated in their slides/presentation.

Hey thank you for the warm welcome and the feedback! Good point on the other specs too. I'll add them to my original post. But yeah, my gut is telling me to wait. Especially since my 3080 is still plenty capable, I'm just being a spoiled gamer since I'm not able to run RT and max settings anymore 😆

 

[geofelt]

Every time you sell the old and replace, you lose a bit.
If budget is no issue, go for it or, you will wonder if you should have.
Take the time to assess just how much your games are limited by gpu or by cpu.
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

 

[TacticalCargoShorts3]

Every time you sell the old and replace, you lose a bit.
If budget is no issue, go for it or, you will wonder if you should have.
Take the time to assess just how much your games are limited by gpu or by cpu.
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

That's a good idea. I used to have a 5800X that somehow fried itself in early 2024. I replaced it with the 5800X3D thinking that it would be a rock solid CPU, but I haven't conducted any actual testing like you're suggesting. Given that budget is somewhat import to me with my current life circumstances, I'll try those tests before deciding. But then again, with prices presumably about to skyrocket, I still wonder if it would be better to side grade now while it's still somewhat feasible, that way I'm able to hold out until the market settles down and a better value/true worth while uplift comes along.

Thanks!