Which GPU For High Settings 1080p

[tmansteve]

I have rounded up my choices and would appreciate some inpit.

RTX 3060, 3080 or 4060?

I have seen that more VRAM helps. I don't want to overkill as only running 1080p.

[TheBiggerBass]

For me the price vs. performance sweetspot is at 4070 Ti super.  I choose a Geforce RTX with 16GB VRAM. The performance is good, also at 4k but power consumption, price and physical size are still within reasonal limits. However, pairing with a good CPU and sufficient RAM helps unlocking the GPU potential.

[tmansteve]

I think a 4070 ti super is just out my reach.

[LucShep]

On 4/19/2025 at 10:07 AM, tmansteve said:

I have rounded up my choices and would appreciate some inpit.

RTX 3060, 3080 or 4060?

I have seen that more VRAM helps. I don't want to overkill as only running 1080p.

Of those three you list, only the RTX 3080 is worth the money (the 12GB version, not the 10GB version!).

Another alternative to the RTX 3080 12GB from Nvidia, that you may find worth looking for, is the RX 6800XT 16GB from AMD.

Any triple-fan model of these two is good (they were near-flagships) and much, much faster than the 3060 and 4060 (forget these, not worth the money at this point).
Still very good GPUs, pretty much equivalent in raw performance to the RTX 4070 12GB (far more expensive) and the current AMD equivalent, the RX 7800XT 16GB.

The problem is... you can only find RTX 3080 and RX 6800XT in second hand market now (EBAY, etc) at around £400.

I see that you're in Scotland - maybe try looking at good old CEX (https://uk.webuy.com/) as it could present the better solution.
They sell used and refurbished units (with a warranty, although limited) and should also accept returns if any problems arise.
They may also accept your older GPU (if you have any) as trade-in, which is worth considering.

If you insist in buying brand new today, then the best solutions are from AMD, the RX 7800XT 16GB (around £500) and, as ideal minimum, the RX 7700XT 12GB (around £400). 
And if "it has to be Nvidia" then the newly released RTX 5060Ti 16GB (around £500) is the only valid solution, albeit at an inflated price.
Note that these can also be found with ocasional discounts, and sometimes refurbished or open box (lower price, nearly same as brand new), worth looking for in places like Amazon.co.uk, Overclockers.co.uk and Scan.co.uk (etc). They may be also found in the already mentioned CEX.

For DCS at 1080P resolution "High" settings, these are the only GPUs that I'd recommend in the current crazy state of the market.

You could also wait for the upcoming AMD RX 9060XT 16GB (June 2025) and the RX 9070GRE 12GB (unknown date), then see from reviews if they're good options (should be?).

Lastly (long post, I know), you'll notice Nvidia GPUs have generally inflated prices (now more than before), bonkers really, to a point where they're not getting recommendations.
Nvidia does have better video encoders for streaming/content-creation, and it's better for 3D/rendering apps, but these are meaningless if the intended use is to run PC games. 
Nvidia is also still better for VR (Virtual Reality) but that gap is slowly closing and, really, at this price point DCS VR is out of the picture (needs 4070Ti Super 16GB or better). 
My point is, AMD has direct GPU alternatives for PC gaming at considerably lower prices and, unless you're a brand zealot, they now make all the sense.
 

Edited April 22 by LucShep
added links

[tmansteve]

Well Lucshep,

That was certainly in depth and informative and I thank you for it. I will take the jnfo you have given and check out prices.

Much appreciated

[Qcumber]

19 hours ago, tmansteve said:

I think a 4070 ti super is just out my reach.

What about a 4070? 12Gb RAM and pretty good performance in VR. I used to have one before upgrading. 

[tmansteve]

Its a thought. I will check them out. Thanks

[TheBiggerBass]

Am 19.4.2025 um 12:48 schrieb tmansteve:

I think a 4070 ti super is just out my reach.

As many simmers are actually looking towards a 50xx GCU upgrade there might be some good classified deals available.

[Aapje]

13 hours ago, TheBiggerBass said:

As many simmers are actually looking towards a 50xx GCU upgrade there might be some good classified deals available.

Are they? The 50-series is rather poor and it makes little sense for 40-series owners to upgrade.

[TheBiggerBass]

vor 1 Stunde schrieb Aapje:

Are they? The 50-series is rather poor and it makes little sense for 40-series owners to upgrade.

Well, I'm still happy with my 4070TiS and I don't  but those hardcore simmers who always want the ultimate performance will want to upgrade to a 50xx graphic card now and sell their "old" GCU hardware.

Edited April 21 by TheBiggerBass

[Qcumber]

37 minutes ago, Aapje said:

Are they? The 50-series is rather poor and it makes little sense for 40-series owners to upgrade.

4080 to 5080 maybe not. But 4070 to 5080 was more than double performance for less than double the price. 

[Aapje]

15 hours ago, Qcumber said:

4080 to 5080 maybe not. But 4070 to 5080 was more than double performance for less than double the price. 

Of course if you go up a tier and pay way more, you can get something better (if the 50-series drivers don't cause you issues), but not that many people are suddenly going to spend twice as much.

And because of that the supply of second-hand 40-series cards is probably going to be low and the prices high.

[tmansteve]

They stopped making the 4070 for the 50 series. I forgot to mention I will be upgrading from a gtx 960 4gig card so I will have a nice experience with a good gpu.

I will keep looking and make a decision and go for it.