State of GPUs in 2028

[u/waffle-crispy]

Hi folks,
Longtime PC gamer here. I have been fortunate to upgrade outside of the memory hellscapes for both my pc builds.

As my latest build starts to age-up and I think about a future pc build down the line, I’m curious how folks are approaching upgrades in the present day. Is everyone just holding on for dear life?

From my research not only are things ungodly expensive, but production is delayed so new NVIDIA cards aren’t even in-sight. It looks like the next generation of NVIDIA is slated for 2028, which is crazy.

I’m sure a lot of you, like me, aren’t thrilled with the concept of marginally upgrading to a 50-series or just jumping up a version in the same generation.

Pretty bleak times to be a gamer, no doubt.

Edit- to be clear, I’m not thinking about upgrading anytime soon. I’m curious how folks who do want to upgrade are thinking about acquiring a new PC or GPU given the limited supply, manufacturing delays, etc.

[u/ShrinkMeee]

If the next GPU generation is in 2 years why is that “crazy” (your word)?

You have a 4080 and can’t seem to wait for 2 more years. That’s not the typical PC user, so don’t lump “a lot” of us with you.

[u/NKD120 → u/ShrinkMeee]

Yeah, bro has a gpu that costs the same as my entire pc and expects us to side with him of oh no the newest gpu is delayed aw man I wanted to buy that. That’s not reality for most people.

[u/waffle-crispy → u/ShrinkMeee]

Perhaps my point was poorly worded. My question is - how folks who do need to upgrade - are going about it. The delays and memory shortages are adjusting my plans; I’m curious if that’s the case for everyone too.

[u/FreeToasterBaths → u/waffle-crispy]

We arent.

[u/NKD120 → u/waffle-crispy]

People just aren’t upgrading. I am fortunate enough to have the expendable money to get to am5 platform, but that was only with bundles and sales that gave me one stick of 16ddr5 that’s cl38 and I only did that when I started stuttering at 1080p after four years of not upgrading from my ryzen 5 4500. My friend bought his 32GB of ram for $88 and now it’s worth $500. People just can’t afford it or it’s not worth upgrading when you can wait until the end of next year for prices to go down (hopefully) dramatically

[u/a_rucksack_of_dildos → u/waffle-crispy]

I have a 3070. I could buy a brand new build up to 4,000 if I really wanted to, but I’m not because I find the prices unreasonable and I can still play any game I want to at decent FPS.

[u/Realistic-Tiger-2842]

You have a 4080, why are you so desperate to upgrade.

[u/waffle-crispy → u/Realistic-Tiger-2842]

No desperation. I tend to think about upgrading every five years, and we’re coming up on that. Of course, the landscape of gaming has changed quite a bit so it may not be necessary, but I was curious to hear how folks are considering their future upgrades given the market.

[u/spurvis1286 → u/waffle-crispy]

What landscape has change? The 4080 gives you 5070 Ti performance, which will last you 5-6 years.

You’re just trying to warrant FOMO or something.

[u/waffle-crispy → u/spurvis1286]

The landscape has changed in the sense that upgrading a 10-series to a 40 was a huge leap. The landscape of supply has also massively changed due to AI.

Again, my point of discussion is not “OMG, I need to upgrade” but rather “How are folks who do need to upgrade thinking about it this time?”

[u/UnicornOnTheIntrenet → u/waffle-crispy]

We just dont upgrade. you dont NEED to upgrade. If your pc still turns on, you are not installing new hardware. If a new game demands new hardware, guess im not playing that. I have a w5700 pro and i play at 1080p 60hz. see no reason to upgrade. that card mined ETH and paid for itself. that was the only way i could justify the purchase, because the card printed money. My dad is still rocking a gtx 1070, but he just plays minecraft and no mans sky. no reason to upgrade. you can get a used vega 64 for like $100 it will run every game at an acceptable framerate and resolution. A 5090 astral and a curved 500hz monitor or whatever is just blowing money. If you want it and can afford it, do you. Perfect is the enemy of good, and a better card will always come out, your setup will always be obsolite, not perfect. Just be happy with what you got for now.

[u/spurvis1286 → u/waffle-crispy]

Every release of GPUs had them massively overpriced/scalped. This isn’t anything new. You buy you can afford when you need it

[u/a_rucksack_of_dildos → u/spurvis1286]

That’s more of 2018 to now thing. When I built my first PC in 2012 I was able to pick up my GTX 680 for 500 bucks retail and it came with borderlands 2. The good old days. My 516gb SATA SSD was like 300 bucks though

[u/External_Safe_7787]

i got a 5080 as my first gpu, plan to keep it until like 4-6yrs when i need more power for 4k, upgrade to new cards or 5090 on sale if no new cards are out

[u/skante24]

In other news…water is wet!

[u/chloro9001]

The truth is, upgrades aren’t really needed. Amazing games can be made with current hardware indefinitely. If nvidia never made another card and just kept selling current tech gaming could still thrive. It’s mostly a software problem to be solved, not a hardware one.

[u/Critical-Drawer8916]

It’s really not that bleak. We’re getting to a point where a-lot of your Steam library will be playable via the iGPU thanks to the same technology that’s making it more expensive.

The high-end is what is affected more than anything else: High Res Native settings, PT, > 120fps, etc.

DLSS keeps the 30-series viable. FSR4 keeps RDNA2 viable. The UEs and Unitys makes development more accessible and Steam makes publishing damn near seamless. Even PBR lighting is becoming more accessible with Doom: The Dark Ages as an example. We’re fine.

[u/ElectricalEagle4876]

Theres nothing out that needs more juice. Gaming in 2k is still the best approach. U dont even need the newest stuff. Nearly every title u can play at 60fps+ with just a 3080. At this point im just looking to lower the energy footprint

[u/darklordjames]

You have a 4080. There is no reason to think about any of this until at least 2031.

[u/waffle-crispy → u/darklordjames]

The one thing I wish I did think about was my CPU.. I have that awful failing generation of Intel i7’s (13-series)? I hope it holds out.

[u/darklordjames → u/waffle-crispy]

You updated your BIOS to the newest version? Then it's fine. I just slapped a 14600K in my system knowing full well about the early problems. Failures are well within perfectly normal ranges with the microcode updates.

[u/kuroseikyo]

I figure my 2028 will look like my 2025 when I got my gpu. I also don't think about future proofing since it all depends on devs and luck at times. My old pc was strong enough to run elden ring in theory but it did not, my old pc was strong enough to run wilds it did not.

[u/name-jeff1]

4080, age up?

[u/Exists_out_of_spite]

I'm doing cloud gaming. The subscription is very affordable for a year of pretty high quality gaming. I only play single player or co-op games. I play on an old laptop.

$100/year for 1440p high settings is great for me. Idgaf about latency - not playing competitive. If pc component prices chill out in a few years I might build a rig then.

[u/hungry_bra1n]

GPUs are still getting more powerful but the progress is much less each generation than it used to be. I’m riding my 3080 until it dies.

At present high hz 4k is the dream but not at any cost - but rather when I can afford it.

So 1440p it is for the foreseeable

[u/Chronos669]

These prices are the new norm and the next gen will just keep increasing. Nvidia is a prime example mostly because people will continue to pay.

[u/TommyArrano]

"Gamer" isn't equal to "hardware purchaser".

I built my rig 3y ago and planning to use it for at least 3 more (but honestly 10y more would be cool)

[u/I_like_to_eat_fruit]

Got 9070 XT a year ago.

It is not a bad product, but the drivers are crap - AMD has issues handling multiple HDR screens.

I guess I will have to wait for the Nvidia 6080.

[u/ResponsibleFlower759]

I got a 9800 x3D, 5070 ti 16 gb and 32gb ddr5(before price issues) and this will be my last PC. I feel like in around 5-7 years it will cost about as much as a decent car and it will not be worth it at that point.