Compared to other PC components, it almost seems like a lost cause trying to find a legitimate discount on a graphics card. Thankfully, Amazon Prime Day once again brought gamers hope of finding a relatively affordable way to upgrade their rig’s performance. Many of still running GPU deals won’t match thesteep discounts on gaming mice, keyboards, and headsets. Even so, some of thebest graphics cardsfrom NVIDIA and AMD will be up for grabs at prices well below their previous record lows.
Some of these deals are exclusive to Prime members, but don’t fret! New members can try Prime for 30 days, free.
For buyers who still can’t decide on which is the right graphics card for them, there are a few key factors to focus on. The resolution of a gamer’s display can quickly narrow down a crowded field of GPUs. There is little point in investing in a Radeon RX 7900 XT or NVIDIA RTX 4080 just to play games on a 1080p monitor. On the other hand, achieving smooth framerates at 4K is a costly endeavor, and high-end graphics cards like these become more sensible purchases. Since some GPUs are larger and more power-hungry than others, buyers need to also consider whether they have the case and power supply to accommodate a new purchase.
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With the age of GPU shortages largely over, gamers finally have a more diverse selection of in-stock graphics cards to choose from. Still, there is a belief among some insiders that these extremely costly parts will come down in price further in the years to come. After studying the best GPU deals Game Rant has found following Amazon Prime Day, gamers can determine if they should play the waiting game or grab a powerful graphics card now at a discount.
ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition GPU
ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 4080 16GB AMP Extreme AIRO
The Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO is the card every gamer needs for 4K performance without compromise. Making the most out of NVIDIA’s Ada Lovelace technology, the RTX 4080 is more powerful while using less power. With 16GB of GDDR6X memory and a boost clock speed of 2565 MHz, the Zotac GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO provides a noticeable performance upgrade over the Founders Edition. In addition, IceStorm 2.0 cooling on the card benefits from larger and taller fan blades directing air toward enlarged heatsinks.It’s difficult to improve on the Founders Edition for the RTX 4080, but Zotac has managed to do it with the GeForce RTX 4080 Amp AIRO. It’s on sale now at Amazon’s lowest-ever listed price.
Withdiscounts nearly non-existent on NVIDIA’s flagship RTX 4090, the RTX 4080 is the more reasonable purchase post-Prime Day for gamers demanding the best performance. The Zotac GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO is the surest way to game at 4K, even with framerate-crushing features like ray tracing activated. With a boost clock speed of 2565 MHz and 16 GB of 22.4Gbps GDDR6X memory, the Zotac graphics card is an incremental step up from the Founders Edition RTX 4080. If a gamer is interested in overclocking the card, they are likely to achieve a clock speed well above the default mark. However, there are some other noteworthy changes in terms of the card’s shape, cooling, and RGB effects.
What’s most obvious about the design of the Zotac GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIRO is its curved shroud which stands out among the rectangular-shaped graphics cards most gamers are accustomed to. Also, Zotac’s SPECTRA 2.0 RGB lighting is present throughout the card, making it a showpiece when taking up more than 3 PCIe slots in a case. Zotac’s IceStorm 2.0 cooling system benefits from taller-than-average fans and larger blades to maximize air pressure. Along the same lines, the GPU’s heatsinks are jumbo-sized to absorb as much heat as possible while gaming.
The most obvious point of reference for the GeForce RTX 4080 is the RTX 4070 Ti, which remains considerably cheaper, although the price gap has closed somewhat. For gaming at 1440p, there is less reason to consider the RTX 4080, as cheaper graphics cards are plenty powerful enough to maximize framerates at this resolution. Ray tracing at 4K is where the RTX 4080 really shines, allowing gamers to simply set graphical settings to ultra or maximum in titles and enjoy steady 60 fps or higher framerates.
ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4070 Ti OC 12G
The ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4070 Ti OC 12G sees ASUS’s high-end vapor chamber return to cool this powerhouse RTX 4070 Ti chip. This card has one of the highest boost clocks in the business across a tri-slot GPU, making it an impressive feature-packed, albeit expensive choice that ROG fans will appreciate.Prices are finally starting to fall on NVIDIA’s high-end graphics cards. You can score this overclocked Asus ROG branded RTX 4070 Ti for a discount on this Amazon Prime Day.
As far as previous GeForce RTX graphics cards go, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti compares most closely to the last generation RTX 3080 Ti. It provides more than acceptable framerates for many games at 4K, even if NVIDIA themselves focuses on the 1440p performance of the card. The ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4070 Ti OC 12G is a souped-up version of the stock card, but like with all RTX 4070 Ti options, flexes its compatibility with NVIDIA’s DLSS 3 which boosts performance even more than DLSS 2. Thanks to additional dedicated cores, ray tracing is better than ever with this Asus graphics card, with gamers treated to some stunningly lifelike lighting effects.
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On paper, the 12 GBs of GDDR6X memory in the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 4070 Ti OC 12G doesn’t seem that impressive, but it’s more than enough for high-resolution gaming with most modern titles. With a boost clock speed of up to 2790 MHz, the card is sure to generate a lot of heat. To counter these temperatures, Asus' Axial-tech fans are supersized to send more airflow toward the heatsinks. Users also have the ability to connect 2 PWM fan headers to connect the card to chassis fans and adjust fan speeds according to CPU and GPU temperatures.
If considering purchasing a Radeon RX 7900 XT, the performance of the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is similar. The RX 7900 XT ships with more memory, which could benefit the card years down the line as games employ larger textures. At 4K, theGeForce RTX 4070 Ti compares closely to the RX 7900 XT, but of course, features like DLSS 3 and ray tracing can help or hinder framerates. The story is slightly different at lower resolutions like 1440p, where the Radeon option matches or exceeds what the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is capable of. Price is ultimately the determining factor, and if you can find NVIDIA’s card for the same price or cheaper than its Radeon competition, then the RTX 4070 Ti is marginally the better value.
The ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition is a GPU based on the Nvidia Ampere Streaming Multiprocessors. The card delivers two times the FP32 throughput compared to its predecessor, ensuring improved power efficiency.Thanks to the 2nd generation RT Cores, the GPU also delivers much better ray-tracing performance, improving the graphics. Experience realistic lighting in the newest games with the RTX series cards.
Any shopper hoping for a deal on a mid-range graphics card is in luck in the days after Amazon Prime Day 2023. The ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition is a strong followup to the RTX 2080 Ti and is ideal for gamers with 1080p or 1440p displays. This graphics card is not meant for 4k gaming, though with some lowering of settings, some games actually perform decently at the resolution. At its discounted price, the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition is an excellent value and highlights the still enormous difference in the MSRPs of middle-of-the-road and more expensive alternatives suited for 4K displays.
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Compared to the Founders Edition, the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC performs similarly at base clock speeds. However, in boosted mode, gamers will see a decent bump in framerates. To live up to its TUF branding and to withstand overclocking, Asus has equipped the card’s fans with dual ball fan bearings and a backside venting system. Military-grade capacitors are also part of the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC’s construction as well as a reinforced backplate. The card has a hint of RGB effects on its side which can sync with other Asus Aura-enabled peripherals.
Another aspect of the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC that differs from the Founders Edition is the number of available video ports. The Asus graphics card comes with 3 DisplayPort 1.4a connections and 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, while other RTX 3060 Ti variations only have a single HDMI 2.1 port. This makes it much easier to connect multiple TVs or AV receivers to the back of the card. The RTX 3060 Ti OC is also a bit more friendly to newer system builders since it only requires 1 8-pin connection to a power supply.
NVIDIA graphics cards have an unfortunate but not unwarranted reputation for being overpriced. While not exactly abudget graphics card, the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition is an exception to this rule, providing excellent value for buyers focused on 1080p or 1440p performance. It’s also one of the cheapest ways to experience ray tracing and DLSS on a gaming rig.
Post-Prime Day GPU Deals for Any Budget
The previously mentioned graphics cards are up for sale at some tempting prices and are great options for either 1440p or 4K gaming. TheZotac GeForce RTX 4080 AMP Extreme AIROis the best alternative to NVIDIA’s flagship RTX 4090 capable of generating high framerates at 4K even with ray tracing on and maximum detail settings. For buyers looking for the highest refresh rates possible at 1440p, there are few better GPUs on the market than theASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 Ti OC Edition GPU.
Even with these Amazon Prime deals, no gamer can be blamed if they pass up spending 3 or more times what any other PC component costs. The crypto mining craze which strangled the supply of GPUs has now calmed down and a more steady supply of graphics cards has led to some long-awaited discounts. Regardless, certainhigh-end graphics cards like the RTX 4090remain either in limited stock or are extremely hard to find at reasonable prices. It’s no surprise that there have been few if any sales on NVIDIA’s latest GPU.
The fact is that no industry expert can predict the landscape of the GPU market in a few years. PC gaming continues to increase in popularity and a variety of global events could once again see scalpers taking advantage of gamers desperate for new GPUs. One thing that is more certain is that prices on most graphics cards are unlikely to change significantly in the next several months. As a result, unless a buyer is willing to wait longer to upgrade their rigs, the lingering Amazon Prime Day deals above deserve strong consideration.
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