Nvidia's now focusing on their RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3080 10GB models
Published: 28th June 2022 | Source: MEGAsizeGPU - Twitter | Author: Mark Campbell
Nvidia has reportedly stopped sending RTX 3080 12GB silicon to AIBs as GPU prices get slashed
Rumour has it that Nvidia has now stopped producing their RTX 3080 12GB graphics card, and that they are no longer sending RTX 3080 12GB silicon to their AIB partners (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, EVGA, etc), as dramatic GPU price reductions have given the GPU little purpose.
With 12GB of VRAM and the same GA102 silicon as Nvidia's RTX 3080 10GB, RTX 3080 Ti, RTX 3090, and RTX 3090 Ti graphics cards, it is easy for Nvidia to push their RTX 3080 12GB silicon to other areas of the GPU market. Area that are more profitable.
The RTX 3080 12GB has the same VRAM capacity as an RTX 3080 Ti and fewer enabled CUDA cores. In simple terms, the RTX 3080 12GB has the same BOM (bill of material) costs as an RTX 3080 Ti, with the only difference being its less capable GA102 GPU core. For the RTX 3080 10GB, it features two fewer VRAM chips and has a lower BOM cost.
According to MEGAsizeGPU on Twitter, Nvidia has shifted focus to their RTX 3080 Ti graphics card as their RTX 3080 12GB graphics cards now have retail prices that are too close to its Ti counterpart. To put things another way, Nvidia's RTX 3080 12GB graphics cards are not selling well, as their pricing is too close to their RTX 3080 Ti models for many buyers to consider it.
The past few months have seen GPU prices plummet, so much so that many GPUs are now available for sub-MSRP prices at retailers, a first for most current-generation products.
With demand from cryptocurrency miners being removed from the market, and the upcoming launch of RTX 40 series and RX 7000 series graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD, a lot of current-generation graphics cards have been left on store shelves. Supply and demand is once again out of balance, but this time the balance has moved to favour buyers, not sellers.
While we have not verified that Nvidia's RTX 3080 12GB graphics card is not longer being produced, it is a graphics card that has an MSRP price that was too high given its positioning, and too close to Nvidia's RTX 3080 Ti. The reasoning behind Nvidia's rumoured cancellation makes sense, especially now that RTX 3080 10GB graphics cards are now available so cheaply.
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