Is Nvidia going VRAM heavy with their RTX 40 series?
Published: 5th September 2022 | Source: MEGAsizeGPU - Twitter | Author: Mark Campbell
Nvidia's board partners are reportedly preparing RTX 4080 series GPUs with 12GB or 16GB of memory
Rumour has it that Nvidia has given their AIB partners access to two sets of reference designs for their RTX 4080 graphics card, with one featuring 12GB of GDDR6X memory while the other offers 16GB of memory. These two alleged RTX 4080 models have two distinct PCB designs, with the 12GB model having a 10-layer PCB while the 16GB model has a 12-layer PCB.
While it may seen strange for Nvidia to be sharing multiple graphics card designs to their partners, this is not a new practice for Nvidia. Remember that Nvidia's RTX 3080 eventually had 10GB and 12GB models, and that a 20GB model was part of Nvidia's roadmap at some point. Beyond that, we have seen rumours of RTX 4080 models with huge memory specification variations.
MEGAsizedGPU, the leaker behind today's RTX 4080 claims, has also stated that Nvidia are also working on a 24GB RTX 4090 graphics card that will utilise a 14-layer PCB design. Right now we do not know when Nvidia plans to release their RTX 40 series of graphics cards, or of the specifications of any of their RTX 40 series models have been finalised.
Launching 12GB and 16GB versions of their RTX 4080 could be a smart move from Nvidia, lowering the MSRP and manufacturing costs of their 12GB models while offering consumers 16GB models for gamers who desire a larger frame buffer for high resolution gaming with mods and other add-ons.
Currently, Nvidia's RTX 4080 graphics card is expected to have around 10,000 CUDA cores and a power draw of around 340 watts. Right now, it seems likely that Nvidia will launch their RTX 4080 with an affordable 12GB model and launch an enhanced 16GB model at a later date for a higher price.
You can join the discussion on Nvidia's rumoured 12GB and 16GB RTX 4080 graphics cards on the OC3D Forums .