Before flagship GPUs became luxury goods priced over $1,000, there was the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, which changed the face of PC graphics in 2017. The successor to the already excellent GTX 1080 release the previous year, the GTX 1080 Ti represented a rare convergence of a transformative performance leap, relatively reasonable pricing, and unparalleled longevity.
After 8 years, you might consider it outdated, especially since it is outperformed by today's 60-class cards priced at $300. However, for gamers who're still rocking this iconic GPU, it's hard to part ways, since it can still prove its mettle in the latest titles. It might not be an "RTX" graphics card, but the most powerful GTX GPU for gamers is far from done in 2025.
10 older GPUs that are still going strong in 2024
It's a tough world out there for old graphics cards, but these 10 champs are still kicking it
The GTX 1080 Ti was a giant leap for the industry
Perhaps the greatest GPU ever released
Before Nvidia's Pascal series became the face of modern graphics in 2016, the Maxwell series was already regarded as a significant upgrade over the preceding generation. So, when the GTX 1080 delivered a 30% average uplift in performance compared to the GTX 980 Ti, it was a crazy development. The real kicker, however, came around 10 months later, when the GTX 1080 Ti arrived with a whopping 60–80% jump over the GTX 980 Ti.
The best part? The GTX 1080 Ti didn't come with a huge price jump over the GTX 980 Ti; it launched at $699 vs. the $649 MSRP of the GTX 980 Ti. The GTX 1080 Ti shot to instant stardom in the PC hardware space, and despite it not being a cheap GPU even in 2017, it still provided massive value at its performance tier. Nvidia hasn't released a GPU quite like this monster ever since. Yes, there have been some bigger gen-on-gen performance jumps, but not without a whopping price jump with it.
The GTX 1080 Ti was not only capable of 4K gaming in 2017, but it also remained relevant for around 5 more years as a solid mid-range performer. And in 2025, eight years after launch, it still offers long-time users more-than-respectable gaming performance in many modern titles, including some released in 2024.
7 top GPUs of all time
Of all the great GPUs ever made, there are seven that really stand out.
It still powers through modern titles
Very much a solid non-RT GPU
Now, let's talk numbers. I'll keep this section limited to non-ray-traced scenarios, since, well, the GTX 1080 Ti isn't an "RTX" card. You can run ray tracing with it, but I'll come to that later. The GTX 1080 Ti is still a force to be reckoned with as far as rasterized performance is concerned. It can deliver 60+ FPS at 1080p in many modern titles like Forza Horizon 5, Call of Duty: Warzone, Red Dead Redemption 2, Hogwarts Legacy, Ghost of Tsushima, Dying Light 2 Stay Human, and Dead Space (2023).
Even when you consider titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Black Myth: Wukong, you can expect a solid 60+ FPS experience — obviously without turning on ray tracing and with the assistance of FSR (DLSS isn't supported on GTX 10 series cards). It's great that FSR upscaling allows older GPUs to stay relevant for longer than they would have otherwise. The 11GB VRAM of the GTX 1080 Ti means you can even take things up a notch to 1440p in some games, and not suffer due to limited video memory.
Even when you can't quite crack 60 FPS in some games, the GTX 1080 Ti still delivers a playable 45–50 FPS experience. With a mix of medium settings and slightly aggressive FSR upscaling, you can often get past the magical 60 FPS benchmark. For an 8-year-old GPU, this level of performance in the latest games is nothing short of incredible.
10 games that prove you don't need ray tracing for phenomenal visuals
Ray tracing might be the cool new tech in gaming visuals, but these games manage to look amazing even without it
It can even run some ray-traced games
Despite its name
Although ray tracing on GPUs didn't exist in the days of the GTX 1080 Ti, you can still turn the setting on in some titles. Using software-based implementations running on shader cores, and not dedicated RT hardware, GTX cards can run ray-traced games to some extent. For instance, some of the earliest ray tracing titles, like Battlefield V and Metro Exodus, are very playable at 60+ FPS on the GTX 1080 Ti with ray tracing enabled.
You can even try your hand at Control, which is a more modest 30 FPS experience on the GTX 1080 Ti. Similarly, in Watch Dogs: Legion, the GTX 1080 Ti delivers a 30–40 FPS experience. Games like Cyberpunk 2077 don't support ray tracing on this GPU, so you're limited to non-RT sessions there. Your mileage might vary, depending on your CPU and other hardware, but you should try various ray tracing settings in other RT titles to see how the Pascal GPU fares.
Despite the GTX 1080 Ti not being an RTX card, what it can do in some ray-traced games is impressive. Buying a pre-owned 1080 Ti in 2025 might not be recommended, since you can get better performance with other new and pre-owned GPUs at the same price, but those who are still using it need not get rid of it for a few more years.
3 reasons why ray tracing is here to stay
Get used to it, because it's not going anywhere.
The GTX 1080 Ti was legendary, and it still is
Despite its performance against the likes of the RTX 3060, RTX 4060, and others, the GTX 1080 Ti will always remain legendary. It did what no other GPU has done before or since, delivering a massive generational uplift in performance for not a huge price increase. It continues to deliver a solid 1080p gaming experience, even 8 years after its launch. If you're still rocking one on your gaming PC, you can make it last a few more years, enjoying 1080p and even 1440p gaming in some titles.