Ready to retire my GTX 1080. What pairs best with an i7-13700K for 1440p 180Hz gaming?

Posted by papadopoulosle@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 26 comments

Hey all,

I’m finally looking to upgrade from my legendary GTX 1080. It’s served me well for years, but it's really starting to show its age in newer titles, especially at higher resolutions.

Unlike a lot of older builds, the rest of my system is fully up to date. I know my CPU can handle practically anything, but I'm trying to figure out the sweet spot for a GPU upgrade that makes sense for my monitor setup without overspending unnecessarily. I do most of my gaming on a 1440p 180Hz display.

My current specs:

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (8GB)
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 3.75TB Total
OS: Windows 11 Pro
Monitors: > * Main Gaming: MSI MAG 275QF - 2560 x 1440 @ 180Hz
Secondary 1: LG HDR 4K - 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz
Secondary 2: Acer VG240Y - 1920 x 1080 @ 75Hz

What I’m looking for:

A GPU that gives me a massive, noticeable performance bump in modern titles.
Something capable of pushing high framerates at 1440p to take advantage of my 180Hz monitor.
Ideally something that can handle a bit of 4K gaming if I decide to play slower, cinematic games on my LG monitor.

What GPU would you recommend right now to pair with the 13700K?

Thanks in advance!

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Opening_Evidence6360@reddit

I’d say as low as a 9060 XT 16GB to as high as a 5090.

I’d argue for the best price to performance to get a 9070 XT 16GB, I’d also consider a 5070 12GB or a 5070 TI 16GB if you prefer nvidia software over amd.

f1rstx@reddit

Depends on the budget - you have plenty of choices: 5080 for highest performance at 1440p and very good 4K performance, 5070Ti/9070XT for peak 1440p - one is more expensive but with better feautes, other is 5-7% slower in raster performance and has less features but much cheaper, 9070/5070 for midrange card with decent 1440p perfromance and even entry level cards like 5060ti/9060xt will be huge upgarde over 1080.

Knight_Tarkus@reddit

Jumping on here to second this, but also to say that I upgraded at the start of the year to a 9060XT 16gb with a 5600x and I am getting some really solid performance on 1440p.

NattyB0h@reddit

I went the other way; replaced my 1080 with a 5070ti when they were msrp and it has been great. I'm also testing out some local LLMs so 9070xt wasn't an option

bswiz87@reddit

5070 ti ... If you can't currently afford it then hold on to your 1080 until you can' buy one .

ReplacementSafe8563@reddit

What’s the budget and what currency? I did a very similar upgrade recently, and if you’re trying to be efficient of your budget, here in the uk the best options were: used 4070ti or used 9070. Very competitive prices

AceLamina@reddit

I have a i7 12700k and I use to have a 2070 super, definitely showing it's age so 6 years later, I finally was able to get a 5070ti, turns out I had a bigger bottleneck than I thought since my CPU is being used more

I would just go with a 5070ti, but if you can't afford it, go with an AMD version of a 5070 is, should be around the same price of a 5070 and faster
For comparison, a 5070ti is basically a 4080 super that's slightly faster, since you're using a 4k display, I definitely recommend it, or even a 5080 if you can afford that

Spork3245@reddit

A 13700k is still a great CPU that holds up well. You can pick pretty much any GPU and be good to go as it ultimately depends on your budget. For 1440p a 9070 XT or 5070 Ti should be good - pending the price difference a 5080 is worth looking at as well (typically the price gap between the 5070 Ti and 5080 isn’t worth it, but I’ve seen some 5080 models discounted enough to make it worth it more than a few times - typically a PNY model)

b-maacc@reddit

5070 Ti or 9070 XT depending on the price difference.

Atrieden@reddit

This

The_soulprophet@reddit

Anything up to a 5090, whatever your budget can swing.

Spare_Replacement551@reddit

A 4070 will give you what you want

BreadfruitNaive6261@reddit

Dont buy non new gen card unless you upgrade every 4 years max.

I upgrade every 7-8 years so better buy new ones. I still use 2070super. Will probably upgrade for 6080 (or 6070ti if it has same vram)

Dumb_woodworker_md@reddit

It depends on your market. In the US, if you buy new, no reason to buy a 40 series card. Some markets have a significant premium on new cards. Personally for 1440p with dabbling in 4k, a 5070 is the bare minimum. A 5070ti would be better, but the prices are up +20% of what they were a few months ago.

cokespyro@reddit

It most certainly will NOT. You’ll be playing at low to medium settings with DLSS and FG to hit 180 in any modern game.

StJe1637@reddit

downvoted for buying an intel cpu in 2026

papadopoulosle@reddit (OP)

I bought it in 2023, but I’ve been facing some financial issues and haven’t been able to upgrade the GPU since then.

5070ti if you can afford. Else 9070xt but i would avoid amd gpus at all costs.

snapperfis_@reddit

What's wrong with AMD GPU's?

Besides many things (like bad AI support in case in future you want to run llms, also drivers etc) , the main thing for me is :

my 2070super from like 2018 is still supported and updated with new tech features. Meanwhile amd gpus from 2020 are legacy/deprecated.

If you upgrade every 3 years or so its fine. If you dont its just insane to go AMD

raydialseeker@reddit

9070xt 16gb. The 5070ti in over 40% more expensive and just inst worth it for most people rn

Nebyl_@reddit

Your platform is genuinely ready for anything, the 13700K and that PSU give you full flexibility to go as high as you want.

For 1440p 180Hz with occasional 4K the RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT are both excellent fits. The 9070 XT is the better value play, handles 1440p effortlessly and manages 4K in less demanding titles without breaking a sweat. The 5070 Ti costs more but brings better ray tracing and DLSS 5 wich make a visible difference in modern cinematic titles on that LG 4K panel.

If you want to go all out the RTX 5080 is the cleanest choice for someone with your setup, no compromises at either resolution, and your 1000W PSU handles it with headroom to spare. Coming from a 1080 any of these will feel like an entirely different machine.

Given you're weighing a few option at different price points, I'd run them through https://best-gpu.com/upgrade/ from your current 1080 to see how the perf gain actually looks before deciding how much you want to spend.