Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. Deals

GTX 1080 graphics card prices plunge following Nvidia’s RTX announcement

Chuong Nguyen
By
Zotac GeForce GTX 1080Ti AMP
Bill Roberson/Digital Trends

Unless you’re an enthusiast gamer chasing the latest graphics card, it pays to be patient. Now that Nvidia has announced its latest GeForce RTX 2080 flagship consumer graphics card at Gamescom, pricing for the current generation GeForce GTX 1080 cards are dropping, so if you don’t mind going with an “older” card — which is still today’s top-of-the-line graphics offering — you can save some money by going with the GTX series instead of jumping on the new RTX cards.

In addition to Nvidia’s improved performance claims, the highlight of the RTX series is a feature called ray tracing, which brings cinematic lighting effects to games. To take advantage of ray tracing, developers will need to build support into their games, and only a limited number of games with ray tracing will be available this year. For most, if not all, current games, a GTX 1080 card will more than serve most gamers’ needs.

While the flagship GTX 1080 Ti was priced close to $1,000 a few weeks ago, the pricing has dropped significantly since Nvidia’s announcement. Zotac’s GTX 1080 Ti is now priced at just $526.50 on Amazon. This is the AMP Edition with 11GB of video RAM. It was previously selling at $679. The standard non-Ti edition now sells for just $449, while the GTX 1070 with 8GB of RAM is now selling for $296.

Related

In addition to standard games today, all these cards also come with support for virtual reality games. However, connecting to a VR headset requires getting multiple cables up and running. The new RTX card supports a newer VirtualLink interface over a USB-C connection. With VirtualLink, you’ll need just a single USB-C cable to drive power, display, and data, eliminating the need for a multi-cable VR setup. Keep in mind, however, that in order to take advantage of VirtualLink, you’ll need both Nvidia’s new RTX graphics card and a new VirtualLink-compatible VR headset to work.

The new RTX cards will be available next month, and we’ll likely see more discounts on GTX cards from other manufacturers in the weeks to come. If you prefer not to wait, Nvidia announced that the RTX cards start at $500, with the RTX 2080 Ti Founder’s Edition coming in at $1,199.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Chuong Nguyen
Chuong Nguyen
Computing Writer
Silicon Valley-based technology reporter and Giants baseball fan who splits his time between Northern California and Southern…
Best Dell laptop deals: Cheap laptops on sale from $300 to $2,000
dell xps 13 9310 specs price release date 02

Dell is almost universally considered one of the best laptop brands, and that may lead many to believe it can be hard to get a Dell laptop at a discount. Dell, however, is always coming up with some of the best laptop deals, and that’s certainly the case right now. Many of the best Dell laptop deals include newer models, but you’ll also find some impressive discounts on laptops that are a generation or two old yet still managing to hold their own. We’ve rounded up all of the best Dell laptop deals out there, so read onward for more details on how to land some savings.

Dell Inspiron 15 -- $300, was $330

Read more
You’ll have to wait a long time for a Steam Deck 2
Steam Deck sitting on a pink background.

Just as we started getting excited at the prospect of a Steam Deck 2, it now seems that gamers will have to wait a lot longer for the handheld. According to a recent statement, Valve is not looking to release the new Steam Deck for at least a couple more years. Will the console be able to stay competitive against its rivals?

Pierre-Loup Griffais, the designer of Steam Deck and a rep for Valve, spoke to The Verge and revealed some information about the future of the gaming handheld. While the company has plans to upgrade, it's playing it safe and doesn't see that happening until late 2025 at the very least -- but it could be even longer than that.

Read more
Best gaming PC deals: Powerful gaming rigs starting at $860
young woman playing video games on a PC

Gaming PC deals are important to the gaming community in a way that few outside of it can truly understand.

If you play games on a Nintendo or Playstation, for example, all you have to do is wait for gaming console deals that match your preferences and buy things up quickly. They come around at predictable intervals, though, and once you get a console you can feel confident you'll be able to play every game released for it. If you have a Playstation 5, for instance, you can rest assured that you'll be able to play all of the best Playstation 5 games. It requires a sort of stoic patience, but there is a sense of assuredness at every step of the process.

Read more