A lot of graphics artists using NVIDIA RTX products are either proud of their current GPU configuration or dreaming of a better one. Yes, I know that is a firm grasp of the obvious, but questions generally lurk in the back of Nvidia users' minds unless they already have an upper-end card.
Is it affordable yet? Do I have to sell a kidney? Can I get one without putting my significant other up for a second or third job and would it be worth all the hassle that brings?
The answer to the first question is that it is more affordable than in the past but still a steep price for many in the digital arts community. The data mining-driven prices have subsided substantially as demand wanes for that type of GPU but that doesn’t exactly mean they are giving them away. For the second question, the answer is finally no, you can keep your kidney but barely, and for the third question, well you got more courage than I do to even contemplate that scenario.
Why then am I looking at the top of each line instead of some middle-ground pricing? Some users already have a middle-ground card so to speak and are always on the lookout for a good deal on a 3090 or 4090-based adapter without taking out a second or third mortgage.
Currently, I use two RTX cards. The older RTX Titan with 24 Gigs memory and the newer RTX 3060 came with a Dell XPS. It has 12 Gigs of memory which works well with most of the applications I use on it. In comparison, the Titan is the stronger of the two cards even though it has an older architecture.
I’m not currently looking to replace either but like many, I’m always on the lookout for a high-end RTX card that might fit the budget so I can still eat without having to hawk digital drawings off of a portable printer in a highly trafficked public space. That is embarrassing anyway, I’m always running out of ink.
Why RTX? Am I biased against other video cards? Not at all. I just have a lot invested in the RTX Omniverse Pipeline so I’m sticking to what I have experience with.
Let’s take a look at what I found while searching for RTX pricing on these GPUs.
RTX 3090
Amazon:
NVIDIA RTX 3090 Founders Edition – New $1,559.95
NVIDIA RTX 3090 ZOTAC TRINITY – New $1,329.99
eBay:
NVIDIA RTX 3090 24 GB Founders Edition – Used $ 848.00
NVIDIA RTX 3090 24 GB Founders Edition – Used $ 799.99
StockX
NVIDIA RTX 3090 24 GB Founders Edition - New $1,240.00 (at time of writing)
NVIDIA RTX 3090 24 GB Founders Edition – New $1,269.00 (at time of writing)
RTX 3090 TI
Amazon:
NVIDIA RTX 3090 TI 24 GB Founders Edition - New $1,938.00
NVIDIA RTX 3090 TI 24 GB MSI SUPRIM - New $1,939.00
eBay:
NVIDIA RTX 3090 TI 24 GB Founders Edition – Used $ 949.99
NVIDIA RTX 3090 TI 24 GB Founders Edition – Used $ 899.99
StockX:
NVIDIA RTX 3090 TI 24 GB Founders Edition – New $1,200.00 (at time of writing)
NVIDIA RTX 3090 TI 24 GB SUPRIM – New $1,368.00 (at time of writing)
RTX 4090
Amazon:
PNY RTX 4090 24GB XLR8 – New $1,609.99
Galax RTX 4090 24 GB SG – New $1,648.99
Ebay:
NVIDIA RTX 4090 24 GB – Open Box $1,650.00
NVIDIA RTX 4090 24 GB – New $1,500.00
StockX:
As you can see there are considerable savings to be made by going the used route on eBay with the 3090 and 3090 TI while the 4090 prices hold steady. In fact, some new 4090 prices are in or under the range of used prices. It appears possible to pick up a new 4090 cheaper than some used versions.
M.D. McCallum, aka WarLord, is an international award-winning commercial graphics artist, 3D animator, published author, project director, and webmaster with a freelance career that spans over 20 years. Now retired, M.D. is currently working part-time on writing and select character development projects. You can learn more about MD on his website. 
Comments