Massively overkill? I think I know the answer…

Reality Bites · 26 Nov 2022 at 22:38

I’m trying to put a pc together for the first time in many years With a view of running a sim racing rig. The machine will primarily run iracing and I’m keen to have as much detail and smooth rates as I can get. The base of the machine is a 5800x with 32gb ram on an nbmw And RM850x psu. I’ve gone with a single 49” 1440p Samsung screen for now, but may add another couple of 27” wide sim future.

I’ve been looking for cards for weeks now. I’m missed a few on MM and marketplace etc seems full of scammers or overpriced cards. This then makes you look to new. I think the sweet spot is A 3070ti to 3080. However, new prices put these between £650 and £900! Crazy money really.

i got a little impatient tomight, saw a decent price (Compared to some) on a 3090ti and ordered it. Now I’m thinking what have I done….! It’s probably massive overkill for what I’ll use but it seems even more crazy to pay £150-200 less for a 3080. It was an evga 3090ti ftw3 black for 999.

are the 3090ti cards as daft of a consumer purchase as reviewers would make out? Should I just send this back and buy a “sensible“ 3080?
.

Aegis · 26 Nov 2022 at 23:37

The 3090 Ti's a great card but it was overpriced at launch and it's still overpriced now (given the 40-series has launched) - if you got it for what you feel is a good price then just enjoy it.

eeii · 27 Nov 2022 at 01:03

To be honest it all depends what you paid for it and if you are happy with the price you paid. FRom a tech standpoint it will be over the top. However you have future proofed your self for many years. You can also go mad with a many screen system and the 3090ti wont break a sweat. I understand that you can also under volt the card very well so it wont be a power hog. A simple way of doing this, is to cap the frame rate.

Reality Bites · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:17

It was an evga 3090ti ftw 3 black…. got it for £999.

this is my dillema, massive overkill for what I need but getting what I need at a sensible price is rather hard!

azazl187 · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:19

Reality Bites said:
It was an evga 3090ti ftw 3 black…. got it for £999.

this is my dillema, massive overkill for what I need but getting what I need at a sensible price is rather hard!

Upgrade your monitor to a 4k one. Job done

Reality Bites · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:22

azazl187 said:
Upgrade your monitor to a 4k one. Job done

Lol….
I need it for sim racing…. I’ve not even looked if you can get ultrawide 4k, so would likely need 3! I’ve spent a small divorce settlement this week on pc kit and sim racing gear.

azazl187 · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:23

Reality Bites said:
Lol….
I need it for sim racing…. I’ve not even looked if you can get ultrawide 4k, so would likely need 3! I’ve spent a small divorce settlement this week on pc kit and sim racing gear.

I use a 42 inch LG c2. 120htz and 120fps easy in 4k on a 3090

ICDP · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:30

Apt username

Goes on rant about silly money for GPUs and then Pays £999 for for an EOL 3090Ti for sim racing. But ignores the £650 6900 XT a few threads down

Your money of course but it just seems silly to go on a rant about GPU prices while ignoring the obvious choice.

Reality Bites · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:33

ICDP said:
Apt username

Goes on rant about silly money for GPUs and then Pays £999 for for an EOL 3090Ti for sim racing. But ignores the £650 6900 XT a few threads down

Your money of course but it just seems silly to go on a rant about GPU prices while ignoring the obvious choice.

I didn’t ignore it, but it’s not in stock!

for some reason, most people I know in sim racing use nvidia cards so went with the same.
edit - to confirm, iracing and sim racing in general seems to run way better on nvidia technology than amd reaffirming the nvidia choice.

ICDP · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:43

Reality Bites said:
I didn’t ignore it, but it’s not in stock!

for some reason, most people I know in sim racing use nvidia cards so went with the same

So did this build only start last night at 10pm?

Frankly the excuse you gave for ignoring AMD is just jaw dropping. Especially considering you have an AMD CPU and have been on this forum and using PCs for at least 20 years.

Apologies if this seems harsh but paying Nvidia’s scalped EOL GPU prices, is the reason why the high GPU prices you ranted about exist.

SpellowHouse · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:45

The market has been like this for a very long time. You should be guided by value rather than an absolute need to buy a specific GPU. If you got it at a good (relative) price then go with it. If you buy more than you need right now just means it's going to be longer before you need to deal with this mess again, because despite all the shortages and problems being over there is absolutely no sign that the madness will end soon.
And few will ever criticise you for going with NVIDIA rather than AMD, since despite all the words it's what most people do.

Reality Bites · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:47

ICDP said:
So did this build only start last night at 10pm?

Frankly the excuse you gave for ignoring AMD is just jaw dropping. Especially considering you have an AMD CPU and have been on this forum and using PCs for at least 20 years.

as Ive said, the build is for iracing and a sim setup, which, many users will confirm that nvidia cards perform much better. appreciate your input but my “excuse” is made with the knowledge I had about the use the machine will have.

dave28 · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:49

Reality Bites said:
It was an evga 3090ti ftw 3 black…. got it for £999.

this is my dillema, massive overkill for what I need but getting what I need at a sensible price is rather hard!

buy a used 3070 for about 320 on here maybe ? spending a grand on a 30 series card late 2022 is a bad move in my opinion

Reality Bites · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:50

SpellowHouse said:
The market has been like this for a very long time. You should be guided by value rather than an absolute need to buy a specific GPU. If you got it at a good (relative) price then go with it. If you buy more than you need right now just means it's going to be longer before you need to deal with this mess again, because despite all the shortages and problems being over there is absolutely no sign that the madness will end soon.
And few will ever criticise you for going with NVIDIA rather than AMD, since despite all the words it's what most people do.

I guess my decision Was made based on a cost of £680 for a decent spec 3070ti compared to a 3090ti which was £300 more. I just wish I could find a 3070ti or 3080 second hand someone selling at realistic prices or who hasnt created their Facebook account 5 mins ago to sell a “graffic card”.

Reality Bites · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:53

dave28 said:
buy a used 3070 for about 320 on here maybe ? spending a grand on a 30 series card late 2022 is a bad move in my opinion

Just need to find one lol.

i have 30days to return it…..just ordered for the option. Ironically, the 999 puts it in the Price range just short of the 4080 cards.
i think a 3080 will run triple 1440p fine, just need to find one. Or, I can see me just undervolting this one and getting the same performance as A 3080ti for less power …. Daft, maybe, but its about supply sometimes.

ICDP · 27 Nov 2022 at 09:56

Reality Bites said:
as Ive said, the build is for iracing and a sim setup, which, many users will confirm that nvidia cards perform much better. appreciate your input but my “excuse” is made with the knowledge I had about the use the machine will have.

From my experience iRacing runs fine on AMD with a multi monitor setup. Now had you said you play iRacing in VR I would advice an Nvidia GPU. Just not £1k EOL one.

Reality Bites · 27 Nov 2022 at 10:02

ICDP said:
From my experience iRacing runs fine on AMD with a multi monitor setup. Now had you said you play iRacing in VR I would advice an Nvidia GPU. Just not £1k EOL one.

I can only go by what friends are doing and posts from sim racing forums where a move to amd cards have impacted performance. I’m not saying it wouldnt have worked, but saving 300 to go to a card which wouldnt have performed as well and still gives the same “would have gone with a 3080 second hand could I find one” dilemma.

not looking for an argument but you’re coming across that way. I’m not ranting as such, I’m struggling to find a suitable card that isn’t close to £700 new.

had the new prices come out at 700 for a 3070ti and 999 for the fastest card they make, would you have saved the £300?

ICDP · 27 Nov 2022 at 10:07

I wouldn’t pay £700 for a now 8th tier EOL GPU. Let alone £1k for a now 3rd tier one.

4090
4080
3090Ti. <
3090
3080Ti
3080 12G
3080
3070Ti. <

Reality Bites · 27 Nov 2022 at 10:10

ICDP said:
I wouldn’t pay £700 for a now 8th tier EOL GPU. Let alone £1k for a now 3rd tier one.

4090
4080
3090Ti. <
3090
3080Ti
3080 12G
3080
3070Ti. <

You’re telling me what you wouldn’t do, but your advice is to buy a 2 year old amd for £650 which wouldn’t perform as well as an nvidia card for my circumstances?

ICDP · 27 Nov 2022 at 10:42

Edit: for your use case in iRacing.

No I’m telling you that that AMD GPU would drive a single 1440p screen at well over optimal performance in iRacing and give no worse results at max monitor refresh than a significantly more expensive 3090ti. Yet you will have saved £250 and had just as good performance in other games.

Both GPUs are EOL, but at least AMD are selling them at EOL prices.