The GPU shortage of the last several months continues to rage on, but there might be hope for buyers. After sending a GTX 1080 Ti in for RMA, a user on Quasar Zone spotted something interesting on their replacement. The serial number showed that the card was produced in 2021, suggesting that Nvidia’s four-year-old Pascal-based behemoth might be making a comeback.
The GPU in question was an EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC, still protected under warranty. On Twitter, harukaze5719 traced the serial number and confirmed that the card was produced in 2021. EVGA likely has some 1080 Ti’s from before the card was discontinued, as well as spare parts for repairs. That doesn’t explain why an entirely new card is showing up in 2021.
Or why it’s a GPU from a few years ago. Hopeful as it may seem, Nvidia probably isn’t producing the GP102 GPUs inside the GTX 1080 Ti anymore, and the original poster has yet to confirm that the GPU itself is new. The GTX 1080 Ti lacks features like DLSS and ray tracing, too, both of which Nvidia continues to push as part of its brand.
From a performance standpoint, though, the GTX 1080 Ti can still hold up in 2021. It packs about as much power as an RTX 3060 Ti, which, under normal circumstances, would show how far graphics cards have come. Now, it goes to show what many PC builders are willing to give up to get their hands on a graphics card.
With miners, gamers, and enthusiasts all vying for the latest cards — plus some hefty tariffs — seeing any GPU from the last few years is great. You shouldn’t get your hopes up, though. EVGA and other manufacturers likely have parts on hand for any cards still covered under warranty. EVGA offers a three-year warranty with its cards, and new 1080 Ti’s were available a couple of years ago.
Nvidia is going to continue ahead with its latest GPUs. We hope that Nvidia and AMD are coming up with solutions to provide more graphics cards to customers that need them. However, there probably isn’t a world where those solutions should include re-releasing cards from a few generations ago.
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