Are GPUs Even Worth it Anymore?

The RTX 4070 has been released – what’s the future of GPUs?


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[carsonberthelot]

I have a 1080ti and was excited about the 40 series until I saw the prices. Not only would I have to pay for the new gpu, I would have to buy a whole new system to support it and not bottleneck. It’s just not worth it anymore

[qretan]

Yeah, I feel like most gamers don't even consider the 4070Ti due to its price. Let alone a 4080 or 4090 - these are purely enthusiast tier.

[rustler]

It's gotten REAAAL hard to not just point people to a PS5 or a Xbox Series X instead of trying to build up a modern PC. They have extremely decent performance and prices have gotten so out of hand that there's no way to build a PC that matches the performance for $500.

[MrMartin]

Personally, I'd like a few more factors to be introduced other than price/performance from the perspective of a would-be-buyer. Specifically:
1) the power draw and noise levels on a fan curve/undervolt that "makes sense". How easy is it to live with?
2) For who is this card? For which resolutions / targeted fps? Would you upgrade to this from an older system (cpu+mobo)?
3) What 2nd hand card from previous generation would you consider instead of this card, and what would the cut-off price difference be? (seeing as every market and 2nd hand market is different)
4) When would you consider similar offerings from AMD/Intel (and vice versa)
I would like to know _your_ opinion, not an 'official reviewer's opinion'. This could be a discussion between 2 or 3 people.

[eliot]

I usually never buy a last-gen card right before the next gen comes out, but I just bought an open-box AMD 6700 XT for $300, and I am 100% confident I won't regret not waiting for the 7700.

[Somene]

Gpu prices have mostly pushed me to drastically reduce my gaming hobby. I've got myself a Kindle recently and am reading more than I game, and I feel much better about my time management too.

[philsowers]

I guess I'm old enough to remember when 3DFX Voodoo Graphics cards and GL Quake were released. Minds were blown in the 90s with that leap in technology.

[arcadealchemist]

i want GPUs to be "a performance increase but also a value metric that mirrros the last versions prices
not something thats double the price each generation top end cards going from 300 bucks to 1200 bucks is beyond stupid and i blame the crypto market, the GPU makers made a LOT of money and didn't improve the technology at all

[SentinelBorg]

2004 was such a crazy year. It was basically World of Warcraft and then every few months another high-end shooter. In order on PC: Far Cry (March), Doom 3 (August), Half-Life 2 (November), The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (December)

Had a GeForce 6800 at that time and also during that year switched from a 19" CRT to the incredible FSC P19-2 19" VA LCD with first generation overdrive that even had native support for 75hz over DVI.

[JohnM]

It would be cool if you guys made a video on stutter. Almost every new game nowadays has terrible stuttering and hitching (Wo Long, Wild Hearts, Dead Space, Callisto, Hogwarts, Atomic Heart). So yeah it doesn’t matter if you have a 1060 or 4090, you are still affected

[Calendyr]

Looking forward to buy the 4070 used in about 3 years. 1080 will remain my GPU till then.

[LuciusVulpes]

New GPUs are only worth it if you 100% need one, i.e. for AI or for 3D rendering or if you have an older card. If you have a high end 20 series or 30 series then you don't need a 40 series card.

[mattmaco]

maybe I will upgrade this year!

"Looks at GPU prices"

Welp, guess my GTX 1070 will do fine for now!

[ClarkWasHere]

I'd say another reason why we haven't had a Crysis moment is simply because we've been making smaller but more frequent steps in improving visuals in video games.

Soon, we'll hit a point where it's not about improving visuals, so much as making it easier for artists to make the assets and games with those visuals. You can already see it with the new Unreal Engine 5 tools, how an algorithm adjusts and creates a game world based off 200 square meters of artist placed assets.

[FSAPOJake]

Plenty of very well-priced new RDNA2 cards still on the market.

It seems like the current meta is to buy previous-gen AMD GPUs if you want a good deal.

[exige]

I guess my 1080ti will have to last a few more years.

[angrygreek]

since linus is an enjoyer of VR, LTT should really do some performance comparisons of various setups in popular VR games.

I'd love to see that content.

The only VR specific gaming performance content out there is from nobody youtubers who don't produce quality content.

[redrock]

Just bought a 6950XT Red Devil. Going for a great price now versus the new generation. Paired with a 5800X3D it should keep me going for a few years.

[jonah]

Nvidia has managed to change the GPU cycle, progress will likely be slower going forward and it will be much more expensive and premium than ever to get the best available. 'Older' cards will be viable for longer, except for the exclusive features that are introduced in new series (dlss 3)

[FlanylShirtman]

From the reviews I've seen, the only saving grace of the 4070 is it's power efficiency. If you only want, or have, a 500W PSU, and have $600 in your build budget for your GPU, this could be the one.