> budget is strictly under $950 Just saw this and honestly... you might be waiting a long time for a 5080 to hit that price point. Nvidia is leaning hard into the AI stuff and they arent exactly known for generous Black Friday cuts on their top-tier silicon. I actually picked up the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB GDDR7 recently and I am incredibly satisfied with it. For 4K rendering in Premiere, it works well because of the improved dual encoders, and the VR performance in flight sims is buttery smooth. If your 3080 is already throwing artifacts, you are on borrowed time. I wouldnt risk my livelihood for a potential 50 dollar discount that might not even happen. The 5070 Ti fits your budget perfectly and honestly, the performance per dollar is much better than the 5080 for what you are doing. I have no complaints with mine and it handles heavy loads like a champ.

Man, I totally feel your pain! Seeing those green lines is literally the worst feeling when you have projects due and a deadline looming. Honestly, getting a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 16GB GDDR7 under $950 is gonna be a total hunt because those flagship prices are staying super high due to the demand! I've been using one for my VR flight sim rig and the performance is just amazing, but the price definitely stings.

• Look for Early Bird holiday bundles that include power supplies or extra storage to offset the total cost.
• Seriously consider the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16GB instead if the 5080 stays over a grand, it still handles 4k Premiere edits like an absolute beast and fits your budget better!
• Check the open-box section at big retailers right before the 25th for quick returns. If your card is actually dying though, just bite the bullet now. Your productivity is worth way more than a tiny potential discount! You are gonna love the upgrade tho, it is a night and day difference!

Good to know!

Ngl those green lines mean your card is basically a ticking time bomb and your work is gonna suffer soon. Before you pull the trigger on anything tho, what power supply you rocking? If its an older unit, putting a high-end 50-series card in there might be asking for trouble given how power hungry these things get. If you really need to stay under $950, a 5080 is gonna be a massive stretch even with holiday deals. I would suggest looking at these instead for reliability:

• ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4080 Super 16GB GDDR6X: Honestly these things are literal tanks. It might be last gen tech by now but for 4K rendering and VR, that 16GB VRAM is super solid and the cooling is top tier. You can definitely find these under your budget.
• ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 12GB GDDR7: Newer architecture but be careful with the 12GB VRAM. It might feel like a side-grade for heavy VR flight sims compared to the 3080, even if the core clock is faster. I wouldnt risk waiting until the end of November if your current card is already showing artifacts. If it dies completely tomorrow, you are losing more money in lost work than you would save on a small discount anyway...