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Make no bones about it: the GPU market is still a messeven after the initial launch of RX 9000 cards. Stock has never been worse for those who buy online, and even big box stores can’t keep cards on the shelves for long.
If you’re itching for a GPU upgrade this year, but aren’t willing to shell out big money above MSRP to secure one, then buying used is an excellent option. It does depend on what you’re upgrading from, whether you’re parting together a brand-new system or upgrading from your old reliable. Not all used cards are created equal, but securing a discount on any of these 5 GPUs on the pre-owned market will certainly be worth your while in 2025.
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Gtx 1080 ti
For the right price, this thing can still game
Some of you might be surprised to see a GTX 10 series card on this list because of its lack of ray tracing. Sure, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but if you’re someone who doesn’t play a ton of new games and is looking to maximize performance per dollar, a used GTX 1080 Ti could be a great upgrade.
Like any of the cards on this list, if you already have something close or better, then obviously this recommendation isn’t for you, but as someone that still has a 1080 Ti kicking around, it’s surprising how relevant it still is. Ray tracing is off the table, of course, but for last-gen titles, it’s absolutely a viable option for the right price. You can find nice AIB models kicking around for less than $200, but I really wouldn’t bother unless you can find one for less than $100.
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RTX 3090
From one big brother to another
We’re jumping a bit higher in price here, going from the 1080 Ti to the 3090. The 3090, despite being a couple GPU generations old, is still perfectly capable in basically all modern titles. With the right AIB model it can be a decent overclocker as well, allowing for that little bit of extra performance. Its 24 GB VRAM buffer is more than enough as well, even with rising VRAM requirements in the past couple years. Finding one of these might be a bit tough, but if you can pick one up for anywhere around $600, that’s a big win, especially in today’s GPU market. If you can find the Ti variant, even better, but the owners of those seem to be more than happy to hold onto them at this time.
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RX 6800 XT
A worthy pick-up from the Red Team
While it may not have the ray tracing chops, the 6800 XT is still a great card in 2025 when gaming at 1080p. Even at 1440p, this thing can still hold its own in most titles with decent 1% lows. The best part is, these things are all over the used market, at least in my area. Some people may have forgotten, but the 6800 XT was able to hang with and sometimes outright beat its big brother in the 7800 XT. It was pretty embarrassing for AMD, but as a result, they made one of the most compelling used cards on the market. If you’re on a mid-range card and are starting to struggle for frames, or you need a little extra boost after upgrading your monitor resolution to 1440p, the RX 6800 XT is as compelling as a used card gets. I wouldn’t pay any more than $400 for one, but you should be able to find plenty below that price.
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Rx 7900 xtx
Aging like fine wine
Despite having a high introductory price and looking like a slightly worse value proposition to NVIDIA’s 40 series, the 7900 XTX has aged quite well, even after the release of the RX 9000 series. That is, if you happened to get one. They may be a bit difficult to find on the used market at the current moment, but there will be more of them as people upgrade later in the year. Right now, at least in my area, they’re going for their original MSRP price of $1000, which is absolutely not worth paying, especially with the 9070 XT being as close in performance as it is. These will almost certainly come down in price, and with its 24 GB VRAM buffer, it’ll be a really great raster card for years to come.
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Rtx 2080 of the
Worth it at a deep discount
The RTX 20 series is largely one to forget about, but the flagship 2080 Ti could be worth picking up if you can find one at a deep discount. It’s technically capable of ray tracing, but “capable” is giving it a bit too much credit. If you wanted to turn up RT or any modern DLSS features, you’re not going to get that with this card. Despite that, the 2080 Ti still offers compelling rasterized performance if you can find it at the right price. 11 GB of VRAM cuts it a bit close in some modern titles, but you’ll be able to get by just fine for now.
Patience is rewarded on the used market
The key to finding a deal on any used PC component is to be patient. If you don’t see anything with a decent price at first glance, keep looking or try and haggle someone down. Some people are just looking to get some quick extra cash out of something collecting dust. Additionally, make sure you take the proper precautions and ask the right questions about the card before buying, as most used cards won’t have a warranty on them.
