Which GPU retains its value best after 5 years?

Most GPUs lose about half their value within 2 to 3 years, especially as newer generations release with better performance or lower power consumption. It's a difficult cycle to overcome, especially with the current emphasis on GPU performance; everyone wants the latest and best, and modern games, artificial intelligence (AI) , and other applications demand it.

 

But one card has defied that decline. Five years after its release, it still sells for a pretty good price, remains popular in the used market, and frequently comes up in discussions about building budget PCs. But as you'll see, retaining value doesn't automatically make them a great investment in 2026.

Why does the Nvidia RTX 3070 still retain its value?

The same story happened with the RTX 3080.

 

The RTX 3070 became a phenomenon upon its release in 2020, as did the RTX 3080. These two GPUs delivered a massive performance upgrade over the 2000 series GPUs and significantly outperformed the previous 1000 series GPUs.

They were affordable, capable of handling 1440p and 4K resolutions , and launched right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic when millions of people were forced to stay home, take temporary leave from work, or otherwise.

Ignoring the political issues surrounding the pandemic, people were more excited about the launch of the RTX 3070 and 3080 than any other GPU launch event. 2020 was also the peak of cryptocurrency mining, and the new GPUs perfectly fit this trend. The combination of bored gamers at home, affluent individuals, and the cryptocurrency mining boom quickly drove the prices of the RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 sky-high, with retail prices for these graphics cards exceeding their list prices by hundreds of dollars.

But now, years after the collapse of the mining industry and after two generations of new GPUs, these GPUs continue to command surprisingly high resale prices. Supply has decreased, keeping resale prices high, and Nvidia's own product line hasn't delivered consistent leaps in mid-range performance. Many buyers still view the "3080" as a premium icon – marketed as more powerful than a modern mid-range card, even if the performance gap is smaller than expected.

They can still play games at 1440p and 4K resolutions.

However, you may need to adjust some settings slightly.

 

A key reason why the RTX 3070 and 3080 still hold their value is their performance; these five-year-old GPUs are still very powerful. High-end gaming enthusiasts complain that they can't concentrate on a game unless it's running at 120 FPS with ultra-high graphics settings at a 120Hz refresh rate.

But in reality, most gamers are trying to find value in their PC build and are willing to lower graphics settings from ultra-high to high to save money on other components. People aren't bothered if their GPU only reaches 80 FPS at high graphics settings. The message about GPUs is heavily distorted by hardware reviewers, but the actual metrics are readily available for everyone to see.

The chart above shows the RTX 3070 achieving 58 FPS at 4K Ultra resolution in Horizon Zero Dawn, a truly impressive figure. The same test also shows the RTX 3070 achieving 79 FPS in Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p resolution, a game known for being a GPU "killer". Similarly, the video from which the images are taken, at the beginning of this section, demonstrates the versatility of the RTX 3070.

However, it's not just YouTubers who confirm this theory. In late 2024, PC Guide re-evaluated the RTX 3070 and found similar results: this GPU is still very powerful at 1440p resolution and in some 4K games.

 

Therefore, if the RTX 3070 8GB is still working well, you know that the RTX 3080 10GB will too. (Note that the RTX 3080 originally shipped with 10GB of RAM before being upgraded to 12GB in 2021).

They're a good value, but how long will they last?

The RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 are not without their problems.

You can buy an RTX 3070 on eBay for around $300, but sometimes it's even cheaper if you find a good deal. You can even find an RTX 3080 for around $300 in the right circumstances. So these GPUs still hold their value, but they're not as expensive anymore. Their real value lies in the fact that if your RTX 3070 or 3080 is still working well, it's best to keep it until you really need to upgrade.

However, the RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 are not without problems. These legendary GPUs are starting to show signs of obsolescence, especially in key areas.

GPU	Typical Power Consumption (TDP)	VRAM
RTX 3070	~220W	8GB GDDR6
RTX 3080	~320W	10GB GDDR6X
RTX 4070	~200W	12GB GDDR6X
RTX 4080	~320–340W	16GB GDDR6X
RTX 5070	~250W	12GB GDDR7
RTX 5080	~360W	16GB GDDR7

For example, both GPUs are facing VRAM limitations . It might sound counterintuitive that 8GB and 10GB aren't enough for modern gaming, but that's the reality today. 8GB from five years ago is starting to become a limitation. Then there's the issue of power consumption. You can't simply say older GPUs are less efficient and modern GPUs require more power, but newer generations generally offer better performance per watt.

 

Next is the practical value of the product. You can buy an AMD RX 7700 XT with 12GB of VRAM for the same price as an RTX 3070, even though the RX 7700 XT was released three years ago. While the RTX has better DLSS, the RX 7700 XT offers better longevity and support. But again, this is true both ways. You can buy the next-generation RTX 4060 for $300 at launch, but an older RTX 3070 will still deliver better performance for the same price.

The real weakness when comparing prices is the RTX 3070 versus the RTX 4070, the next-generation graphics card. You can find a more powerful and affordable RTX 4070 for as little as $400 on eBay, which is much more reasonable if you're upgrading from a previous generation GPU in the 3000 series.

In that case, it's not simply a matter of saying that this GPU is cheap and performs well, and therefore is good. There are other factors to consider, and you have to weigh whether you're getting PC performance commensurate with the money you spend.

Buying an RTX 3070 or RTX 3080 graphics card is still a reasonable option.

Just make sure it's super cheap and not used for cryptocurrency mining.

It's undeniable that the RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 have held their value better than most other GPUs over the past five years. They remain popular, still outperform many modern budget GPUs, and continue to command surprisingly high prices in the used market.

But that impressive resale value doesn't necessarily translate into good value for today's buyers. VRAM limitations, power consumption, declining performance, and more powerful modern alternatives make them imperfect choices at typical used prices. The RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 still hold their value – but unless you find one for significantly less than market price (under $300, around $250), the best-performing GPUs aren't necessarily the ones you should buy.