WTB: Replacement for a RTX 3080

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networkn

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#3491181 15-May-2026 10:50

tangerz:

Yeah the RX 9070 was actually really well reviewed on the performance/watt metric. I think the XT is just being pushed to the limit, as seems standard for all silicon these days, both GPU and CPU. No more overclock headroom!

I'd say if your PSU was handling your 3080, (30-series having it's own power issues!), then you should be fine with the XT. There's always the option to power limit it, if you're prepared to leave a little performance on the table...

Yeah, I was contemplating undervolting as an option, but I hate messing with stuff like that, it feels like I should just do things 'properly'.

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#3491191 15-May-2026 11:16

networkn:

Yeah, I was contemplating undervolting as an option, but I hate messing with stuff like that, it feels like I should just do things 'properly'.

The way I see it, undervolting, (and the extra hassle that entails!), is really only necessary if you're looking for better efficiency, (less power, same performance).

Power limiting, (as you would do with MSI Afterburner, or in Adrenaline software), you simply cap the power draw at say 85-90%, (less power, less performance).

A 10-15% power drop will often only result in 3-5% performance drop so it's not linear. That would drop the RX 9070XT from around 300W to around 260W with likely minimal performance loss.

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#3491193 15-May-2026 11:24

Depends what you want out of the card, get what you can afford but bear in mind how both companies hold over time. Overall support level nvidia is miles ahead, and if you want to do anything with raytracing get nvidia. If it’s just raster, esports/older titles then amd.

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#3491268 15-May-2026 16:05

Put your 3080 up for sale on trademe, should be able to get a couple hundred for the Vram alone in this market atm to help offset the cost a bit for a new GPU

Handle9

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#3491273 15-May-2026 16:29

tangerz:

networkn:

Having a look the 9070 seems appropriate, but there aren't any around.

For me it's basically a decision between more vram vs DLSS.

Being just a down binned version of the XT, there was never much supply of the RX 9070. Yields were probably too good!

And while DLSS is still better, don't discount AMD FSR 4.1, which is MUCH improved and sits just behind the latest DLSS in terms of image quality and performance.

I went for a 9070 because of a physical constraint rather than any other choice. If I hadn’t been physically constrained I would have gone with a 9070XT

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#3491274 15-May-2026 16:30

Huntakillaz:

Put your 3080 up for sale on trademe, should be able to get a couple hundred for the Vram alone in this market atm to help offset the cost a bit for a new GPU

Who is paying $200 to desolder RAM chips on a faulty card? $20 maybe.

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networkn

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#3491276 15-May-2026 16:36

I ended up biting the bullet and got a monster hunter 9070XT.

It would have been team green except the vram.

I really hope missing out on the ray tracing dlss isn't going to end up being a regret.

On the plus side I can get it on forza horizon 6 over the weekend!

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#3491279 15-May-2026 16:45

The 5060ti 16GB variant is an option if it was just replacing the 3080 performancewise, less power and better tensor performance.

Check the new Forza comparison shots of raytracing, the 9070xt should still do okay in that title.

I guess I am not too fussed about vram because despite the hubbub games are still aiming at PS5 pro level.

Edit: if you install adrenaline double check settings as it likes to enable a bunch of stuff that might not be compatible with all games.

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#3491282 15-May-2026 16:55

networkn:

I ended up biting the bullet and got a monster hunter 9070XT.

It would have been team green except the vram.

I really hope missing out on the ray tracing dlss isn't going to end up being a regret.

On the plus side I can get it on forza horizon 6 over the weekend!

I think you'll be very happy. You still get ray tracing with much better performance than a 3080 and FSR 4.1 is very good while not being as good as DLSS. If you're playing at 1440P you may not be using it all that much anyway.

networkn

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#3492023 17-May-2026 16:54

Handle9:

I think you'll be very happy. You still get ray tracing with much better performance than a 3080 and FSR 4.1 is very good while not being as good as DLSS. If you're playing at 1440P you may not be using it all that much anyway.

So far, very happy bar two things which haven't ended up quite right.

Despite a clean uninstall of the drivers, the PC ungraciously reset mid install of the adrenaline driver, which prevented the install completing. A second run sorted that out seemingly. Also, there seems to be a stutter in my youtube now, I am still working through the reasons for that, but it's super strange, I haven't had youtube play up for YEARS. Even integrated graphics deal with 1440P youtube these days!

Thanks for your input. I am happy with the choice of Red Team this time.

networkn

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#3492025 17-May-2026 16:57

Whilst installing my 9070XT I think i found the issue with my 3080 annoyingly.

Whomever installed it (not me), installed both 8 pin connectors in a daisy chain rather than 2 separate cables for each.

Means the 9070XT was probably not required, but does mean that the 3080 is almost certainly OK. All tests including a prelonged stress test and VRAM test have passed.

On the plus side, the temps in my office, are significantly lower when gaming, with the card even full noise, not getting above 80c.

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tangerz

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#3492103 17-May-2026 19:48

networkn:

Whilst installing my 9070XT I think i found the issue with my 3080 annoyingly.

Whomever installed it (not me), installed both 8 pin connectors in a daisy chain rather than 2 separate cables for each.

Means the 9070XT was probably not required, but does mean that the 3080 is almost certainly OK. All tests including a prelonged stress test and VRAM test have passed.

On the plus side, the temps in my office, are significantly lower when gaming, with the card even full noise, not getting above 80c.

That can definitely cause issues! It's a real bugbear of mine that 2 x 6+2 connectors are ever allowed to exist on the same cable! A single PCIe cable is rated for up to 250W, so a 6+2 and 6 pin on the same cable is fine, (that draws up to 225W), but when 2 x 6+2 pin connectors are used on the same cable, that can try to draw up to 300W which can cause all sorts of issues! 🤬

networkn

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#3492122 17-May-2026 21:14

tangerz:

That can definitely cause issues! It's a real bugbear of mine that 2 x 6+2 connectors are ever allowed to exist on the same cable! A single PCIe cable is rated for up to 250W, so a 6+2 and 6 pin on the same cable is fine, (that draws up to 225W), but when 2 x 6+2 pin connectors are used on the same cable, that can try to draw up to 300W which can cause all sorts of issues! 🤬

It's quite frustrating that an experienced system builder I trust, made that error.

On the plus side the upgrade just got a hell of a lot cheaper.

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