Never-released ASUS RTX 3080 ROG STRIX with 20GB memory tested
Here’s another proof that NVIDIA planned RTX 3080 20GB.
GPU prices still hurt in 2025, so some users are looking at older high-end cards as budget options for local AI. Seninno, a content from creator in China, went hunting for more memory than the standard RTX 3080 10 GB can offer and found several 20 GB RTX 3080 models sold by smaller vendors. Priced around 430 USD in his region, these cards sit close to RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB offers, but promise more raw performance and extra VRAM for AI workloads.
Source: Seninno
Among those cards, he discovered something more unusual: an ASUS STRIX RTX 3080 20 GB . ASUS never released a 20 GB variant to retail, yet the card carries a printed label that reads “STRIX-RTX3080-20G” and a layout with three DisplayPort and two HDMI outputs. Once the shroud came off, two missing screws and heavy use marks suggested the card had been opened before. The PCB and memory layout do not look like a simple resolder job, so the reviewer leans toward this being an engineering sample or an OEM batch that never went mainstream.
Source: Seninno
In tested AI workloads (ChatGPT open AI model) performance was smooth in this workload, and the extra headroom compared to a 10 GB RTX 3080 helped keep the session stable without aggressive offloading.
Source: Seninno
Gaming tests showed how modern titles can also consume that memory. In Indiana Jones with all settings pushed up, VRAM use climbed to around 16 to 17 GB once some browser tabs were left open in the background, though frame rates were not in a playable range at those settings.
The downside is the condition. The card shows clear signs of heavy use (crypto?), with worn components, reworked areas on the PCB and fresh thermal paste. It works, but the reviewer is not confident in its long term reliability and plans to return it.
Ultimately this confirms that ASUS had RTX 3080 20GB models ready for launch, and it’s yet another proof that NVIDIA pulled the plug on this SKU shortly before launch.
Source via Uniko’s Hardware
