Nvidia has recently announced their next generation of graphics cards called the RTX 20 series cards, with a promise of at least 35 to 45% performance advantage over the last generation Pascal Graphics cards. The hype around the new hardware is at its highest since they are going to hit the shelves in a matter of days now. It will bring down the prices of the old Graphics cards which are still capable of performing better in most games, we have analyzed these all Graphics cards of Pascal series. You can find the separate reviews and over the year articles here. The new Graphics cards, however, are a lot expensive, and the performance gap between both series is roughly 35% to 45%. The extra premium is because of the new features such as DLSS (Using AI to improve image quality) and Raytracing (Making the behavior of light rays physical apt).
In the perspective of building or upgrading your PC the answer to the question whether to buy the new RTX series Graphics cards or get the cheaper GTX 1080Ti is more difficult than ever. The GTX 1080Ti is still a powerful contender that is only second to the new RTX 2080Ti. Nvidia’s marketing director in an interview said that he had seen one or two instances where the RTX 2080 perform better than the GTX 1080Ti and (the important part) he thinks the RTX 2080 is at least as powerful as the GTX 1080Ti. To see how powerful and effective the new Graphics cards we have to wait for a little while now and to seek clarity on which GPU is for you. Following are the factors to help narrow things down.
Set a budget and stick to it
Graphics cards are the most expensive component of PC building; you can dodge a Graphics card if you want. However, Graphics cards have much more professional use cases than you can think of. Read: Why non-gamers should invest in Graphics cards. Your use may vary, and it will determine your budget for the GPU. Now if you have never spent on a Graphics card, you may want to save money now and get the performance boost you would never regret. Or if you own a decent previous generation Graphics card such as a GTX 970 or GTX 1060 then selling it would also add to your budget for the GPU. Now if you want a capable Graphics card that can at least last for three years in your rig and provides decent gaming experience, then the GTX 1070Ti or GTX 1080 should be the Graphics card to go for.
They may not provide the Raytracing or DLSS features, but they can provide decent framerates to almost all games at 1080por 1440p. If you are one of those people who is ‘sold’ by the new features of the RTX series, then saving a bunch more bucks and waiting for at least a month more is advised. These graphics are on the verge of getting into the market have a look at their reviews and hope that the prices come down a bit.
What is your use case?
If you are not getting a Graphics card for gaming purposes, then a low-end Graphics card would suffice. Or if you are a casual gamer then, most of the integrated Graphics on the processors would play games like League of Legends, DOTA 2, Fortnite, Cuphead, Overwatch or FIFA. Even a low-end processor like GTX 1050Ti would be enough for you. If you want to play intensive games like PUBG, Shadow of Tomb Raider, Deus-EX Mankind divided or Batman Arkham Knight, then you may want to save up at least 300 dollars.
Casual gaming
For casual gaming, the Nvidia GTX 1050 SKU, GeForce GTX 970 or AMD Radeon RX 560 would be enough for you. Keep in mind though they can play most games at lower resolutions with medium or low settings. These Graphics cards would not cost you more than 150 dollars; you may not have to save up for these Graphics cards. Many old AAA titles would run fine on any of the above mentioned Graphics cards, but if you want to play intensive games, then the 150 dollars budget is a little too low.
More than casual gaming
If you play games at least 2,3 days a week and want almost absolute best in any of the games you play, then you should invest more in your Graphics cards. A GTX 1060 or RX 580 would be ideal for you as these Graphics cards can play almost all AAA games at 1080p with medium to high graphics settings. But if you are spending 300 dollars on a Graphics card then saving a little more would be better for the sub 400 dollar category Graphics cards like GTX 1070 or VEGA 56. These Graphics cards will provide a huge performance boost compared to the GTX 1060 or RX 580 while they are also future proof.
Additionally, the price of the GTX 1070 would go down, even more, when the RTX 2070 will hit the market on September 20. Expect at the very least 50 dollar discount on the GTX 1070 which would make it an obvious choice for the mid-range PC builders.
Hardcore gaming
Lastly, if you are a PC enthusiast and want to go all out in gaming and you want absolute best Graphics card in your arsenal, then the RTX 2080Ti would seem the right choice. But even if you are ok to spend a grand on the Graphics card only the 1099 dollars price of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080Ti is very high. Especially if compared side by side against the GTX 1080Ti the performance boost is not much, according to Nvidia the performance advantage is only 35% to 45%. On the other hand, the price of the RTX 2080Ti is almost double than the price of the GTX 1080Ti.
If you want the added benefits of the Raytracing technology and DLSS with 4k resolution and 60 Frames per second, then you the RTX 2080 or RTX 2080Ti should be the way to go. Nvidia downplayed the performance of the GTX 10 series Graphics cards, while these cards are not slack when it comes to performance. Even if you take Nvidia’s words the specifications will tell a clearer version of the story; it is no doubt that the newer Graphics cards have more punch in their inventory. However, the pascal flagships have more than enough CUDA cores to make them play even the most demanding games at the highest possible settings.
So, it all boils down to your preference, what you want to do with your Graphics hardware, your choice will affect your decision as mentioned in different categories above.
The display you will use
The display factor may seem odd but trust me it has become one of the deciding factors while buying the Graphics cards. If you have a decent 1080p monitor with 144Hz refresh rate, the GTX 1070 Graphics card will do the trick for you. Due to the limited resolution, you will be able to play games at a much higher framerate. You may want to buy the newer monitors that have G-sync or Freesync technologies while either of these will also affect your decision. AMD Graphics cards will benefit from Freesync while Nvidia’s Graphics cards will benefit from G-sync monitors.
So, at the end these factors will mold your choices to a specific Graphics card and if you are smart enough you will buy the Graphics card that will suit best to your needs.