4Game

I want to run Odyssey at a good frame rate at 1080p for now, possible upgrade to 4k and/or VR later.

OK so not being rich by any stretch, I have come to an agreement with a mate to by an older motherboard, CPU and RAM (Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H, 32Gb Vengence DDR3 RAM, Intel i7/Gen 4, Corsair h100i 240mm CPU Cooler). He wants £220 which I think is reasonable for that rig – I could also upgrade the processor to Gen 5 on that board if I wanted to.

But… which GPU? I need a case, a good fat PSU, and a QUIET GPU. I see the new 3050 (8Gb) range is coming in cheap, I've seen it at £185 which is amazing. However, the trusty old 1080ti outperforms it in most areas (except Ray Tracing and DLSS; and I don't think you can use FSR on it). Trouble is, the 1080ti is like £300-£500 depending where you look. It's also 5 year old tech.

Is there a better slot to put my money in? I won't buy AMD because I don't trust their shit; so it's NVidia or nothing – but I'm VERY confused by the price comparison/model number.

Is the 3050 going to be the best "bang for my buck"? Am I better buying an older range card? Bang for my buck is what I need – the best power available at a reasonable price. (I know prices are starting to re-balance so before long I might be able to get an even better card – but for now let's concentrate on today's prices and offerings).

Can someone please help with this decision? (No evangelists please – I simply won't buy AMD and I also have a tight budget – I want to ensure it's well spent).