Nvidia RTX 4080 and 4070 Ti are finally selling well – but I still can’t recommend them
GPUs for the GPU god
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Well, it finally happened. According to theSteam Hardware Survey, theNvidiaGeForceRTX 4080andRTX 4070 TiGPUs were both among the top ten most purchased (or at least, ‘most recently plugged in and connected to Steam’) graphics cards in February 2023.
This comes after months of stock limitations and controversies surrounding Nvidia’s new GPUs, and could signal a shift toward the current generation of graphics cards among PC gamers. Interestingly, the flagshipRTX 4090was absent from the top ten list, despite being undeniably thebest graphics cardon the market right now (read: it’s because it’s phenomenally expensive).
In comparison,AMDsaw very,verymodest market gains in February, with the most-sold Radeon GPU being the last-genRX 6600 XT, which is an excellent choice ofbudget graphics cardright now but still only accounts for 0.38% of all the cards owned by Steam users. For comparison, the trusty old Radeon RX 580 is used by 1.1% of gamers on Steam, while the most popular overall is still the three-year-old Nvidia GTX 1650.
Analysis: These gains are good for Nvidia, but bad for gamers
I’m not overly pleased to see Nvidia’s next-gen graphics cards gaining traction in the PC gaming market, personally. The RTX 4080 is a disappointingly expensive GPU that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone given the currently-available alternatives, while the RTX 4070 Ti is far better but still carriesthe controversy surrounding its release. As for the RTX 4090, well, that’s simply more money than any gamer needs to spend on their PC.
I’ve accused Nvidia (and just about every PC hardware company, to be fair) of anti-consumer moves in the past, and the current trend of GPU pricing makes me want to tear my hair out. Don’t even get me started on Nvidia reportedlythrottling RTX 4090 stockin order to shift unsold 4080 units nobody wanted to buy - although judging by theseSteamstatistics, that plan may have worked.
The simple fact is that while Nvidia’s new GPUs are great, nobody really needs them.DLSS 3 is coming to previous-gen Nvidia GPUs, and AMD’s price cuts to its RX 6000 cards are a sight for sore eyes too; why bother dropping $800+ on a GPU (retailing upwards of £799 / AU$1,499) when you can pick up a4K-capable (with upscaling turned on, anyway) card like theRX 6800for under $500 (retailing from £499 / AU$949)? Those cheaper GPUs don’t come with a chance toset your PC on fire, either.
Perhaps I’m worrying too much, though. While the RTX 4080 might’ve been the sixth most purchased GPU in February according to Steam’s data, the RTX 4000 cards are nowhere close to being the most-used on the survey. Theactualtop ten list is populated almost entirely by Nvidia’s budget xx50 and xx60 cards, with four being older GTX models. The most popular next-gen card is the RTX 4090 (understandable, since it launched first) all the way down at position 56, garnering a feeble 0.31% of users.
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Keep it up, gamers. We don’t need those stupidly overpriced GPUs - I stuck with my trusty GTX 1060 for years, and before that I was gaming on a bulky old laptop with a GTX 950M. As is always the way, vote with your wallets. Come on, Nvidia; give us the RTX 4050 already.
Christian is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing Editor. He came to us from Maximum PC magazine, where he fell in love with computer hardware and building PCs. He was a regular fixture amongst our freelance review team before making the jump to TechRadar, and can usually be found drooling over the latest high-end graphics card or gaming laptop before looking at his bank account balance and crying.
Christian is a keen campaigner for LGBTQ+ rights and the owner of a charming rescue dog named Lucy, having adopted her after he beat cancer in 2021. She keeps him fit and healthy through a combination of face-licking and long walks, and only occasionally barks at him to demand treats when he’s trying to work from home.
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