Hello everyone,


First time poster here, long-time EVGA customer over several generations of cards.  I was fortunate enough to get a 3080 XC3 Ultra back in November (THANK YOU EVGA for doing the virtual queue "the right way").  I'm an avid flight simmer (my primary gaming hobby), on a 1440p 144Hz panel, with occasionally some time in other AAA games (have been enjoying the COD bundled freebie).  I'm not much in terms of content creation, though.  With flight simming, I'm keenly interested in the whole VRAM discussion, especially as next generation simulators are growing (Microsoft FS, DCS, etc.), so I know 10 GB would come into question at some point.  Since I'm quite due for a system overhaul, rather than waiting for a mythical 3080 Ti months down the road (plus being actually available), I jumped when I had the opportunity for the 3080 XC3 and at least get to enjoy it in the interim while I spec out the rest of my new build.


I've never utilized the EVGA Step Up program before, but I have just under a month left on my step-up program eligibility, which naturally leads me to the question: what opinions would folks have in terms of just keeping my 3080 XC3 Ultra, or paying the hefty $1000 premium to step up to a 3090?  Too bad the mid-range 3090's aren't available to step up to for about $200 less.  It seems the performance benefit is....maybe 10% on average...but I'm genuinely curious from a VRAM perspective what your thoughts are if 10 GB will be enough?  My "ideal" card would have been in the range of 12-16 GB.  Having 10 GB, albeit faster, coming from an 11 GB 1080 Ti just seems odd to me.  Did I shoot myself in the foot for 4K this generation also if I ever upgrade my panel?

Thank you, very much appreciate the community's input.

If you are not owning a 4K panel right now I definitely wouldn’t go 3900. It also seems like Microsoft Flight Simulator is runs better on Intel and the CPU does matter a lot. The only thing that we might see is Microsoft did talk about ray tracing in the flight simulator. That said I would say it might be better to wait humans have $1000 for the next generation or to get a 4K monitor.

If you get in Step Up queue this late you're going to be waiting until after the 4080 is out in ~22 months.  Step Up queue is moving even slower than regular queues, I wouldn't bother.
 
I definitely wouldn't go for a 3090 when you already have a 3080 unless money is no object & you want "the best".  I'm saying that as someone that had a 3080 FTW3 Ultra, and now has a 3090 FTW3 Hybrid (and is going to get a 3090 Kingpin, because I like punishing myself & my bank account).  Especially if you're not gaming at "4K"(2160p)/high resolution, the 3090 is not worth the price difference in the slightest.  I'm at 5120 x 1440 (~7.4M pixels, almost the same as "4K") now, and I'm fairly sure the difference between the 3080 & 3090 at this resolution would at least be noticeable, but still not worth the price increase.

akafats
3080TI not coming any time soon!

Yeah this thread didn't age well.. 3080 ti in 2022 ;(

kevinc313
You could step up to a 3080 FTW3 Ultra, that would get you about half way performance wise to a basic 3090 for a couple hundred bucks. 
 
Then put a waterblock on it. (maybe)

And then RMA it 5 times. (maybe)

No thanks.

safan80
Yeah this thread didn't age well.. 3080 ti in 2022 ;(

Well, if the 3080ti was added the Step-Up a week after my eligibility expired, I would have been bitter.  Now I'm just appreciative of the 3080 I already own.
 
Silver linings!

oldmanian
Honestly,
Option #1 - Get a 3090FE ($1499) then sell the 3080 on ebay (you'd clear $1k atm). You'll likely be paying $500ish for the difference.
Option #2 - get a hybrid kit or block for the XC3 and be happy with it.  It's a beast of a card with EVGA CS (best in the industry) & unless you're at 4K the 3090 isn't going to be much of an upgrade.
Option #2 - List it on reddit hardware swap for local trade with whatever you want and absorb the MSRP difference.
Option #4 - List it for sale on Reddit hardware swap for $1K and it'll be sold in half an hour.
 
Enjoy whatever you decide to do, the 3080's are in huge demand and likely to stay that way.
 
Finally FWIW, I have a 3080 and snagged a 3090 FE from Best Buy, there is really only two 3090's that I would consider, the FE and the KPE.  
I have the 3090 in hand and at 1440p/165hz I have a hard time justifying the added expense for the small increase and remember that whenever the 3080ti does come, it is likely not going to exceed the 3090 performance so you are looking at a <10% gain for all the headache of swapping.
 
Again, best of luck.

I was gonna wait on the 3080 or 3080Ti. I got my 3090 notification in October. Hindsight, the price was insanity, but I've had almost 3 months of seriously impressive 4k gaming. Coupled with a 4k120 panel, the insane price was worth it short term. My enjoyment of PC Gaming is at an all time peak. If you can get a 3090 and you're doing 4k gaming, go for it. 3080 stock is way too hit or miss for my liking. 


 

you can buy 3090, 3080ti is under 3090

I would not get the 3090. It is a great card but in no way is the price / performance justified. As soon as I am confident the 3090 I have it not a dud, I have someone waiting to take it off my hands, and I will get a 3080. Unfortunately after about of week of testing I just started getting system reboots in the middle of gaming. Something I think others pointed out just prior to the card failing.
 
Also consider the poll here, while not definitive, does show that of the reported cards here on the forum, there are nearly twice as many 3090 failed than 3080.