With a new GPU generation not so far away, we’re approaching the point where you’ll have to decide whether to grab the graphics card you want now.
With a new GPU generation not so far away, and new graphics cards coming from all three major chipmakers, we’re approaching the point where you’ll have to decide whether to grab the graphics card you want now or wait for the next generation. Let’s find out what makes the most sense by checking in on the current GPU market and what to expect for the rest of the year, based on some discussions we recently had at Computex.
The decision on whether to buy now or wait can be split into different categories, depending on the type of GPU you usually buy. Do you mostly buy high-end or budget cards? Do you only consider Nvidia GPUs, or are you interested in all the GPU brands? How old is your current graphics card, and does it struggle in games? Are there any upcoming games you want to play on the highest possible quality settings?
Let’s start with high-end buyers. We’ve had it confirmed from multiple board vendors that in the upcoming graphics card generation, only Nvidia will provide high-end options. We’re not sure what Intel will do, but we don’t expect Arc Battlemage to have flagship-tier performers.
We do know that AMD’s RDNA 4 series is currently only planned to have mid-range models. So, if you’re after high-end performance in the $700+ range, GeForce will be the way to go.
When speaking to a wide variety of people familiar with upcoming GPUs, there are mixed signals on exactly when the GeForce 50 series will launch. However the general expectation is the first RTX 50 graphics card will launch in the last few months of 2024, and that will be a high-end card.
Exactly which models or when is still up in the air, though what we’ve heard generally falls into one of two categories: either the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 will launch in close succession around the end of 2024, or the RTX 5080 will launch in late 2024 followed by the RTX 5090 at the beginning of 2025.
We’re talking about plans that are 4 to 6 months away, so nothing is firmly locked in, but board vendors are confident these models will launch first, with the 80-tier card expected before the 90-tier card.
With this in mind, for high-end buyers, we would recommend waiting before making a GPU upgrade. Most high-end GPUs are 18 months old and in the last few months of their release cycle, and there’s been little to no price movement over the last six months. If you weren’t tempted by an RTX 4080 Super back in January when it launched at $1,000 – the last significant launch and price shift in this market segment – that model isn’t going to tempt you today because it’s basically the same price.
The same goes for AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX, which has spent the last 12 months priced between $900 and $950. RTX 4090s are also still very expensive at around $1,750 – it’s not worth paying above MSRP for a card set to be replaced around the end of the year.
Of course, we have no idea whether GeForce 50 series GPUs will provide significant improvements to value, but Nvidia is mostly competing with itself in this price range. If they don’t offer a substantial leap in performance-per-dollar in the $700+ range, they won’t tempt existing owners of RTX 3080s and the like to upgrade.
The RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 Ti were basically the same cost per frame as the RTX 3080, so a third generation at a similar level of value is unlikely to sell in volume. Plus, even if value doesn’t take a step forward, waiting to see what the 50 series has in store will arm you with the most information to make the best purchasing decision.
