GTX 1080 Ti in 2025: Does It Still Make Sense?

Long gone are the days when the flagship of a GPU generation was available for the MSRP of $699. At the time, this sounded expensive, but today, flagships cost well above $2,000, if at all available. When you consider everything, the GTX 1080 Ti offered an insane value, as it remains relevant in 2025, eight years later.

Yes, it’s starting to show its age, but it’s still more than capable of playing games at 1080p and some at 1440p. While I purchased this card for my Plex server, I had the opportunity to pair it with AMD’s Ryzen 7 5700X3D and test it in multiple games. I opted for a used Asus ROG Strix GTX 1080 Ti, because my old rig’s motherboard is an Asus ROG Z170 Maximus Hero board.

Let’s see how the GTX 1080 Ti holds up in 2025.

Quick Specs Table

NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti Performance in 2025

I tested this GPU in several titles that I own. I must say that I am impressed with how this GPU performs in 2025, particularly for esports titles like Fortnite. Let’s take a look at how well it did in the following games.

Test Rig specs:

• MSI B550 Gaming MPG
• Ryzen 7 5700X3D
• 32GB RAM CL 18 running at 3200MHz
• 1 TB Kingston Fury SSD

Diablo 4

Diablo is one of my favorite franchises by Blizzard, and the GTX 1080 Ti runs the game smoothly in both 1080p and 1440p.

When set to high, the game hits 147.4 fps on average, with 1% lows being 84.6 fps. This is a smooth experience for those with 144 hertz monitors.

Things change significantly at 1440p, but the game still averages 93.7 fps, with lows being slightly lower at 73.3 fps. This is amazing for an online RPG that was released in 2023.

When compared to B580, which was paired up with the Ryzen 5 9600X, the 1080 Ti performed better by roughly 10%. You can see more about Intel’s budget offering in my AsRock B580 Steel Legend review.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is a demanding title that pushes everything that the 1080 Ti has to offer. Amazingly enough, the GPU manages to put up a fight at 1080p by providing an average framerate of 65.6 with 1% lows staying above 40 fps. The game runs smoothly on High preset, offering a fantastic gameplay experience.

Things start to fall apart at 1440p, as the game’s framerate drops to 40.4 fps, with 1% lows being 29.9 fps. This might be playable for some gamers, but it generally has a low framerate.

These newer titles are where the B580 easily beats the 1080 Ti, offering over 90 and 60 fps at respective resolutions.

Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a favorite among many gamers, and it was considered a significant benchmark for GPUs. I gave it a try running on DX11 and DX12. The DX11 offers a much higher framerate, so consider using it when playing this title. In DX11 and Ultra/Ultra+ preset, the game ran at 144.5 fps and had 1% lows of 82.6. Things drastically change at 1440p as the framerate drops to 97.2 fps, and 77 fps for 1% lows.

DX12 showed a significant impact on performance. The 1080p framerate averaged 97.2 fps, while the 1% lows remained at 77.5 fps. At 1440p, this drops to 37.1 with 33.3 1% lows, making the game unplayable. 

The B580 performed significantly better at both DX11 and DX12. While the DX11 performance was 10-15% higher in favor of Intel’s budget card, the DX12 framerates were 40% to 80% higher, depending on the resolution. For instance, in 1440p, the B580 offered 67 frames, which was almost double compared to the 1080 Ti’s 37.1

Space Marine 2

This is a new title that’s really heavy on both CPU and GPU. I played the game for 15 minutes while conducting tests to ensure that framerates were correct. All of the framerate figures were captured with the High preset. At 1080p, the 1080 Ti did put up a fight and remained at 54.3 fps, with 38.3 1% low. Framerates fall to 40 fps and 31 fps, 1% low at 1440p. It’s still playable, but not as smooth as it is on 1080p.

B580 is 10-15% faster in this modern title as well, offering a slightly better gaming experience.

Hogwarts Legacy

Hogwarts Legacy is another newer title that puts a lot of starin on a PC. It’s another title that lets you enjoy the game to its fullest on 1080p. With the Ultra preset, the game runs at 75.1 fps and 58.1 1% lows. It runs smoothly, ensuring a satisfying gameplay without any hiccups. 1440p is a different story, though, as the framerate drops down to 47.5 fps and 33.7 fps 1% low. This is still playable, but not as smooth on 1080p.

Hogwarts Legacy is another title where the B580 outperforms the 1080 Ti by roughly 15%.

Fortnite

Esports lovers will love how the GTX 1080 Ti performs in titles such as Fortnite. It’s a competitive card that easily drives more than 200 fps in this title. To be precise, with Medium preset, the game runs at 240.2 fps on DX11 and 231 fps on DX12 at 1080p.

It is equally impressive at 1440p, staying above 200 fps on DX11 and going down to 172 fps on DX12. 1% lows are also good staying between 118 and 150 fps across all resolutions on both DX11 and DX12.

Overall, 1080 Ti offers a compelling performance on 1080p, but it’s definitely starting to show its age in modern games.

Features and Limitations

Despite being released in 2017, this GPU still has plenty of power for 1080p. Its 11GB of VRAM is more than what modern GPUs are released with. Also, the GPU supports DX12 and Vulkan, which are still used by modern games. It also comes with G-Sync compatibility, used by numerous modern monitors.

There are a couple of important things missing from this GPU, presenting serious limitations. They are as follows:

• No ray tracing support
• No DLSS support
• No driver support as of 2025

While ray tracing is still a luxury, DLSS is an important benefit that you get with modern nvidia cards. Also, dropping the 1080 Ti driver support means no performance optimization for newly released titles. So if you like playing the latest triple-A games, this GPU is no longer useful. New demanding games will not perform well.

Still, that doesn’t mean that this GPU is not a good choice. Millions of players enjoy multiplayer games, and the 1080 Ti is more than capable of running the majority of them.

As a reminder, you’ll need a PSU with 600 watts or higher to run this GPU.

Competitor Comparison

The most important question is whether it’s better to get a 1080 Ti or modern budget GPUs. That will depend on what you’re seeking and your budget. If we compare this GPU to the 3060 and 4060, it’s clear that modern GPUs are better performers. However, there is a difference in pricing. New GPUs are more expensive than used 1080 Ti models.

It outperforms many modern AMD GPUs, including the RX 6600 and RX 7600. Arc A770 performs better, but at a much higher price.

It’s important to note that all these GPUs have much lower power draw.

One additional disadvantage is the age of the GPU; buying a used GPU comes with risks. Still, if found for the right price, the 1080 Ti is a great budget GPU for 2025.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Budget-friendly
• Competitive 1080p performance
• 11GB VRAM

Cons

• No ray tracing support
• Used market risks
• No DLSS support

Pricing and Value

The primary reason why 1080 Ti is still relevant in 2025 is its used price. It’s possible to find this GPU in great condition for about $150. Modern budget GPUs start at $250-$300, which for a budget gamer presents a much higher price.

The only downside is the risk that comes with buying a used GPU. That’s why buying from a known source is crucial. If you have a friend who wants to get rid of this GPU and you know it hasn’t been overclocked or used for mining, buying it is a good idea.

If you’re buying it from an unknown person, it’s a good idea to change its paste and cooling pads to ensure stable temperatures.

Check out eBay or Amazon for used deals. You’ll find the most competitive GTX 1080 Ti prices in 2025 on those two platforms.

Conclusion

So the question remains – Is the GTX 1080 Ti worth it in 2025? It strictly depends on your expectations and gaming habits. If you’re someone who plays online games, this might be a GPU for you, as it can deliver 200+ fps in numerous titles in 1080p. The GPU starts showing its age in 1440p, where its performance suffers a notable decline.

Additionally, all this makes sense if you don’t care about ray tracing and DLSS support. If you want to use any of the modern features, you’ll need to prepare for a higher expense.

If you’re planning to play the latest triple-A releases, getting a modern GPU might be a better choice as they come with support for frame generation.

My overall impression is that this GPU is still relevant in 2025, but its decline will begin in 2026 and continue rapidly in 2027 as there’s no longer any driver support. Depending on your use case, this iconic GPU might still be a good buy in 2025.

Thank you for reading my GTX 1080 Ti review in 2025. Feel free to leave a comment and request a game test with this GPU, I’d be happy to do it and include the results in the review.