Budget 90k+ AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT or Nvidia RTX 3080Ti ?

Makes more sense. 12600k is a good CPU, Paired with a 3070Ti/3080Ti/3080 @2K, you can get good frames. If you are not playing competitive, I really do not understand the purpose of 170 frames. Then better get a 240 Hertz monitor @1080p.
TBH I never intended to upgrade to a 2K monitor, but only recently I got an Xbox Series X console and thought of having my PC and the console hooked up to one display. And because the Gigabyte M27Q has a KVM switch it was super convenient for me. And overall the monitor is just insane value considering the features and picture quality it offers.
I totally agree with you with regards to the competitive aspect while gaming on a 1080P as I have been using a TN 240Hz display all this while. Yes I sacrificed the extra Hz coming down to 170Hz from 240Hz but
the image clarity and colours of an IPS display in 2K was worth the upgrade.
And from a PC gamer perspective I want to share my experience about the Xbox S-X. From the time I have been playing FPS games on the Xbox S-X, the 120fps that you get in performance mode along with mouse and keyboard support in many popular titles, I forget the fact that I am playing a game on a console. It is truly astounding what the Xbox S-X is capable of and my main reason to buy it was to see if I would ever miss my PC as a gaming system.
Even though the optimisation of certain games on Xbox makes gaming more enjoyable, I would probably upgrade my PC later some time this year for the exclusive PC games.

But the next gen consoles that we will be seeing in the near future God willingly, I am 100% confident that whatever little shortcomings are there now, will most likely be ironed out and people like me would any day prefer a gaming console to a gaming PC specially considering the cost factor and plug and play nature.
I am really amazed guys.
 
A digression: the only game I've played where RT has been worthy of the performance hit is the enhanced Metro Exodus. The lighting in the game is gorgeous and only enhances the varied, detailed environments. I've played several titles on a non-RT card (including Exodus) and don't feel that RT is remotely required for an immersive and enjoyable gaming experience. It's more of an 'ooh shiny!' option and tends to fade into the background as you play on. Sure, if you have the money/horsepower, flaunt it; but it is not a feature a casual gamer should throw money at in the current market.

For OP's use case i.e. a bias towards frames at 1440p, a 3070 is plenty of power (a card OP just sold so I don't know why I'm typing this). I would certainly not pair anything more powerful than that with a 8700k, not with prices the way they are. If the goal is to buy a GPU and forget about a GPU upgrade for a few years, the 3080 does seem to be an attractive proposition (though I don't see the 3070 struggling at 1440p any time soon especially with OP being okay with medium visual fidelity). The current shortage and repressed urges to upgrade are really pushing an overkill culture wrt component selection.
 
The current shortage and repressed urges to upgrade are really pushing an overkill culture wrt component selection.
Agreed, also to note most of the people who want to upgrade to higher end cards despite stupid prices do have the money to spare since they're probably saving more during work from home.
And for those who think they really saved up for a high-end upgrade, we wouldn't be having this conversation anyway.
 
we are not till on the point where we can run all games on 144hz plus on a 2k monitors so don't need to discuss the high end scenario.
 
BTW thanks to all of you for pouring in your suggestions. I want to know that if I were to buy an AMD card later this year, what changes to the settings should I make for better performance in games. I am not at all familiar with the AMD Graphics control panel and what is it called. Even if I am able to achieve anything close to 170fps in games that I play then that would be nice. And with that even a CPU and motherboard upgrade.

Will my 850W PSU be enough for high end cards or that also I should upgrade?
I am just trying to control my itch and not spend anything right now, knowing that soon the new GPUs will be here.
And now that I have a 2K monitor with Freesync Premium so it makes more sense to go in for a powerful AMD GPU, am I right?
 
BTW thanks to all of you for pouring in your suggestions. I want to know that if I were to buy an AMD card later this year, what changes to the settings should I make for better performance in games. I am not at all familiar with the AMD Graphics control panel and what is it called. Even if I am able to achieve anything close to 170fps in games that I play then that would be nice. And with that even a CPU and motherboard upgrade.

Will my 850W PSU be enough for high end cards or that also I should upgrade?
I am just trying to control my itch and not spend anything right now, knowing that soon the new GPUs will be here.
And now that I have a 2K monitor with Freesync Premium so it makes more sense to go in for a powerful AMD GPU, am I right?
Your 850W PSU (assuming it's a decent, gold rated unit) doesn't need to be upgraded to accommodate any card right now. The 6900XT is quite efficient relative to its performance with a TDP of 300W (less than the 3080). I would personally stick to a 6800XT because it's scarcely slower in games but is substantially cheaper than the 6900XT. As for the AMD control panel, I'm sure there are guides aplenty out there.
 
BTW thanks to all of you for pouring in your suggestions. I want to know that if I were to buy an AMD card later this year, what changes to the settings should I make for better performance in games. I am not at all familiar with the AMD Graphics control panel and what is it called. Even if I am able to achieve anything close to 170fps in games that I play then that would be nice. And with that even a CPU and motherboard upgrade.

Will my 850W PSU be enough for high end cards or that also I should upgrade?
I am just trying to control my itch and not spend anything right now, knowing that soon the new GPUs will be here.
And now that I have a 2K monitor with Freesync Premium so it makes more sense to go in for a powerful AMD GPU, am I right?
170 fps on 2k is hard. even for 3090 for many games. games like valorant, cs go and all is ok to have 300+ fps. 144hz stable is what I will keep my expectation form most of the games. which is not possible for even my 6800XT at constant. next gen will be able to do that.
 
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