Question What model of 3080 should I buy?

[consptheory77]

So I've finished my build otherwise, and now it's time to add a graphics card.

I decided on the 3080 or the 4070. I am definite on getting a Nvidia. I want 4K@60fps gaming. I want to use Stable Diffusion.

Power efficiency aside, they seem relatively equal. Aesthetically, I prefer the Founder's Edition. Functionally, most of the custom GPU seem to be just as good as the FE, or vice versa.

I cannot seem to procure a retail 3080 or 4070, they are either out of supply or outrageously marked up.

The floor on the price of a used 3080 seems to be $400. Add in tax and shipping, it's $500.

The only exception is the Dell Alienware 3080, which I might be able to get for $300+, but it won't have a warranty and its bad reputation precedes it. And it's brand new, which is worse than mined on. I am not worried about whether a given unit has been used for mining, as (a) its longevity suggest its quality, and (b) there are diagnostic tests to check for a bad card.

I am tempted to go 3070, but I am going to have three monitors, I already have two, and I would like to (try to) game across all three monitors in 4K. (If you think that would be a bust even with a 3080, let me know.)

So within this $400+ plus range, I have options between several FEs, a MSI Gaming Z, and a Galax (a brand I've never heard of).

My card will accommodate a three fan card, but I do prefer the look of the two fan FE.

And also, all else being equal, including the reputation of the seller, if I have a choice between two of the same items, is it more prudent to choose the one closer to me? Because I have an option in Texas (where I live) and one in Alberta. The one in Alberta will give the original invoices, that's the only difference.

 

[Lutfij]

Galax are actually known under KFA2 in Europe and was known as Galaxy in the USA. They are a good brand, reverse engineering most cards out there that Nvidia launched.

Please mention the make and model of your case and the PSU(alongside the latter's age, if it's been in service for a while).

 

[consptheory77]

Please mention the make and model of your case and the PSU(alongside the latter's age, if it's been in service for a while).

Case is Lian Li Lancool III, brand new

PSU is Corsair Shift 1000W, brand new

 

[consptheory77]

Galax are actually known under KFA2 in Europe and was known as Galaxy in the USA. They are a good brand, reverse engineering most cards out there that Nvidia launched.

One thing I have noticed so far is that Galax/KFA2 seems to have retained the habit of the weird cover art that used to adorn GPU boxes and has now gone out of vogue since I don't know when.

 

[sonofjesse]

4k 60FPS, I would go with 4080 for vram and better card.

If it was me I would stick with 2k and use the 4070ti.

I got the lan III, hxi 1000 watt and 4070TI strix works great at 2k.

 

[Avro Arrow]

The brands and models make very little difference. However, the RTX 3080 isn't a 4K card, it's a high-end 1440p card like the RX 6800 XT. Sure, it might be capable of 4K60Hz at lowered settings but with that tiny 10GB frame buffer, you won't be getting it for long.

If you want 4K60Hz performance that's going to last any significant amount of time, you're looking at an RTX 4080 at least.

 

[consptheory77]

The brands and models make very little difference. However, the RTX 3080 isn't a 4K card, it's a high-end 1440p card like the RX 6800 XT. Sure, it might be capable of 4K60Hz at lowered settings but with that tiny 10GB frame buffer, you won't be getting it for long.

If you want 4K60Hz performance that's going to last any significant amount of time, you're looking at an RTX 4080 at least.

I wound up buying a 3080 FE from a professional refurb company for about $500, which seems to be about the best price one can get unless one is lucky at an auction. Shipped in the original box, looks practically new. I suppose the MSI or the Galax would have been fine, but my instincts about the FE were correct. Although my case is large to have fit the other two cards, the "smaller form factor" of the FE still seems pretty large to me, compared to the RX 580 in my old system. A larger card would have messed with my cable management and been an annoyance.

I've got a dual monitor set-up right now, I ran benchmarks on Rise of the Tomb Raider, first single monitor in 4K Ultra, it ran up to 145fps, in two monitor mode this was cut down to a high of I think it was 76fps. Since my monitors are only 60Hz, it doesn't matter if it gets higher, but it is capable of it. With three monitors, I suspects Ultra at 4K would go below 60fps high. And yes, I know, it's an eight year old game. But I have plenty of older games that I still haven't played, and the ability to play them in "widescreen" still looks pretty amazing with the 3080's now minimal hardware.

I got +16000 in 3DMark, which, while I'm given to understand is not the highest potential possible of the system, is still 88% better than other systems in the database.

The 3080 was the limit of what I could afford right now, I've sunk about $2500 into this build, I will be paying it off over a year. Maybe by that time the 4070 or 4080 will have dropped to a reasonable price.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I wound up buying a 3080 FE from a professional refurb company for about $500, which seems to be about the best price one can get unless one is lucky at an auction. Shipped in the original box, looks practically new. I suppose the MSI or the Galax would have been fine, but my instincts about the FE were correct. Although my case is large to have fit the other two cards, the "smaller form factor" of the FE still seems pretty large to me, compared to the RX 580 in my old system. A larger card would have messed with my cable management and been an annoyance.

I've got a dual monitor set-up right now, I ran benchmarks on Rise of the Tomb Raider, first single monitor in 4K Ultra, it ran up to 145fps, in two monitor mode this was cut down to a high of I think it was 76fps. Since my monitors are only 60Hz, it doesn't matter if it gets higher, but it is capable of it. With three monitors, I suspects Ultra at 4K would go below 60fps high. And yes, I know, it's an eight year old game. But I have plenty of older games that I still haven't played, and the ability to play them in "widescreen" still looks pretty amazing with the 3080's now minimal hardware.

I got +16000 in 3DMark, which, while I'm given to understand is not the highest potential possible of the system, is still 88% better than other systems in the database.

The 3080 was the limit of what I could afford right now, I've sunk about $2500 into this build, I will be paying it off over a year. Maybe by that time the 4070 or 4080 will have dropped to a reasonable price.

I'm sure that it'll serve you well for a good, long time. If I were you, I'd ignore the "current-gen" video cards.