When NVIDIA announced its next-generation GeForce RTX 3080 and 3090 Ampere GPUs, it specified that the memory found in the new GPUs will be Micron's GDDR6X variant with 19 Gbps speed. However, being that there are faster GDDR6X modules already available in a 21 Gbps variant, everyone was left wondering why NVIDIA didn't just use the faster memory from Micron. That is exactly what Igor's Lab, a technology website, has been wondering as well. They have decided to conduct testing with an infrared camera that measures the heat produced. To check out the full testing setup and how they tested everything, you can go here and read it, including watching the video embedded.

Micron chips like GDDR5, GDDR5X, and GDDR6 are rated for the maximum junction temperature (TJ Max) of 100 degrees Celsius. It is recommended that these chips should run anywhere from 0C to 95C for the best results. However, when it comes to the new GDDR6X modules found in the new graphics cards, they are not yet any official specifications available to the public. Igor's Lab estimates that they can reach 120C before they become damaged, meaning that TJ Max should be 110C or 105C. When measuring the temperature of GDDR6X modules, Igor found out that the hottest chip ran at 104C, meaning that the chips are running pretty close to the TJ Max they are (supposedly) specified. It is NVIDIA's PCB design decisions that are leading up to this, as the hottest chips are running next to voltage regulators, which can get pretty hot on their own.

Alphacool presents the Eisblock Aurora Plexi GPX-N cooler for reference design NVIDIA RTX 3080 and 3090 graphics cards. The cooler offers outstanding cooling performance thanks to its full cover design. The new backplate, which is delivered together with the cooler, also contributes to this. This stabilizes the graphics card and ensures an even contact along the whole cooler. The water block cold plate is made of nickel-plated copper. The cooler covers all relevant components such as voltage converters and the graphics memory.

The Alphacool Eisblock GPX-N Aurora Plexi has an LED strip across the entire width with addressable 5 V digital RGB LEDs. These illuminate the entire cooler homogeneously and ensures an outstanding ambiance in the PC housing.

Lenovo has allegedly listed an unreleased NVIDIA GeForce "Ampere" graphics card as an option for its Legion T7 gaming desktop. The specs sheet speaks of a "GeForce RTX 3070 Ti" with "16 GB of GDDR6" memory, in what may be the first of many future product stack refreshes NVIDIA has planned. No other specs of the RTX 3070 Ti have been mentioned, but the doubling in memory size foreshadows a similar treatment for the RTX 3080. Currently, the RTX 3080 is being released with 10 GB of GDDR6X. The flagship RTX 3090 has 24 GB of it. There is a vast gorge in the new product stack, between the $700 RTX 3080 10 GB, and the $1,500 RTX 3090 24 GB, which is ripe for a possible "RTX 3080 Ti" with 20 GB of memory, among other features.

Micron Technology, Inc., today announced the world's fastest discrete graphics memory solution, GDDR6X, the first to power system bandwidth up to 1 terabyte per second (TB/s). Working with visual computing technology leader NVIDIA, Micron debuted GDDR6X in the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 and GeForce RTX 3080 graphics processing units (GPUs), which are tailored to support the fast speeds that immersive, high-performance gaming applications demand.

"Our multilevel signaling innovation in GDDR6X has shattered conventional bandwidth limits, clocking record-breaking speeds," said Tom Eby, senior vice president and general manager of the Compute & Networking Business Unit at Micron. "Unlike traditional memory, GDDR6X has unparalleled data rates that can keep pace with gaming innovation and data-hungry applications - setting a new standard for graphics memory."

PNY today announced the expansion of its NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU family by adding the new PNY XLR8 Gaming GeForce RTX 30 Series. The PNY XLR8 Gaming GeForce RTX 30 Series line of GPUs will be available in three different configurations: RTX 3090, RTX 3080 and RTX 3070, all powered by the all-new NVIDIA Ampere architecture, providing enhanced gaming realism, powerful real time ray tracing, extreme overclocking capabilities, and cutting-edge features that will power-up your performance and accelerate the way you game.

The new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs, the 2nd generation of RTX, features new RT Cores, Tensor Cores and streaming multiprocessors, bringing stunning visuals, amazingly fast frame rates, and AI acceleration to games and creative applications. Powered by the NVIDIA Ampere architecture, which delivers increases of up to 1.9X performance-per-watt over the previous generation, the RTX 30 Series effortlessly powers graphics experiences at all resolutions, even up to 8K at the top end. The GeForce RTX 3090, 3080, and 3070 represent the greatest GPU generational leap in the history of NVIDIA.

Here are some of the clearest pictures of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 "Ampere" Founders Edition PCB, albeit bare (components not yet placed). The PCB goes in this form to another production line, where a PCB placer machine with reels of components places them along both sides. We can still make out quite a few things. To beign with, there are six high current traces near where the 12-pin Molex MicroFit power connector goes in.

NVIDIA seems to have utilized both sides of the PCB effectively. The card features traces for a mammoth 20-phase VRM. The obverse side has the chokes and DrMOS, the reverse side has the capacitors. Twelve memory pads for the 384-bit wide GDDR6X memory interface surround the GPU pad. There are pads for four display output connectors, which could be a mixture of DisplayPort, HDMI, or even USB-C VirtualLink. The PCB still has its spacers on, which will be cut out after component placement, after which the PCB heads for testing and product assembly. NVIDIA is expected to announce the GeForce RTX 3090 Ampere at an online event later today.

A mega dump of the Gainward GeForce RTX 3090 Phoenix GS and RTX 3080 Phoenix GS reveal not only the common board design of the two cards, but also the final specs of the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090. The RTX 3090 features 5,248 CUDA cores, and 24 GB of 19.5 Gbps GDDR6X memory across a 384-bit memory bus, which belts out 936 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The Gainward Phoenix GS runs the RTX 3090 at 1725 MHz boost frequency. The RTX 3080, on the other hand, features 4,352 CUDA cores, and 10 GB of 19 Gbps GDDR6X memory across a 320-bit memory bus, with 760 GB/s memory bandwidth. Gainward is running the RTX 3080 at 1740 MHz on the Phoenix GS.

What's interesting is the board power figures put out by Gainward. The RTX 3090 typical board power (at least for the Phoneix GS), is rated at 350 W, while that of the RTX 3080 is rated at 320 W. These explain why we're seeing custom-design RTX 3090 cards with either three 8-pin PCIe power connectors, or in case of the Founders Edition card, the 12-pin connector that's capable of 600 W power delivery. Many of the custom-design RTX 3080 cards we've come across have two 8-pin PCIe inputs. The slides also list out "2nd generation RTX technology," and "3rd gen tensor cores." Gainward's board features a meaty triple-slot, triple-fan cooling solution that has RGB LED illumination. We predict Palit's cards to look very similar to these (with different cooler shroud designs).Update 06:09 UTC: More pics follow, courtesy harukaze5719.

Just ahead of the September launch, specifications of NVIDIA's upcoming RTX Ampere lineup have been leaked by industry sources over at VideoCardz. According to the website, three alleged GeForce SKUs are being launched in September - RTX 3090, RTX 3080, and RTX 3070. The new lineup features major improvements: 2nd generation ray-tracing cores and 3rd generation tensor cores made for AI and ML. When it comes to connectivity and I/O, the new cards use the PCIe 4.0 interface and have support for the latest display outputs like HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a.

The GeForce RTX 3090 comes with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory running on a 384-bit bus at 19.5 Gbps. This gives a memory bandwidth capacity of 936 GB/s. The card features the GA102-300 GPU with 5,248 CUDA cores running at 1695 MHz, and is rated for 350 W TGP (board power). While the Founders Edition cards will use NVIDIA's new 12-pin power connector, non-Founders Edition cards, from board partners like ASUS, MSI and Gigabyte, will be powered by two 8-pin connectors. Next up is specs for the GeForce RTX 3080, a GA102-200 based card that has 4,352 CUDA cores running at 1710 MHz, paired with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory running at 19 Gbps. The memory is connected with a 320-bit bus that achieves 760 GB/s bandwidth. The board is rated at 320 W and the card is designed to be powered by dual 8-pin connectors. And finally, there is the GeForce RTX 3070, which is built around the GA104-300 GPU with a yet unknown number of CUDA cores. We only know that it has the older non-X GDDR6 memory that runs at 16 Gbps speed on a 256-bit bus. The GPUs are supposedly manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process, possibly the EUV variant.

NVIDIA's second fastest "Ampere" graphics card to launch this year, the GeForce RTX 3080, surfaced on the Userbenchmark database. Hardware Leaks (aka @_rogame) fished out several juicy details about the card that will be positioned right below the flagship RTX 3090 (RTX 2080 Ti successor) that's been in the news lately. The RTX 3080 succeeds the RTX 2080. On the Userbenchmark database, the purported RTX 3080 is shown bearing a device ID "10DE 2206." Among its readable specs leaked are a GPU frequency of up to 2.10 GHz, possibly frequency capped just like "Turing," and 10 GB of GDDR6X memory across a 320-bit wide memory interface, and a memory clock speed of 19 Gbps (GDDR6X effective), which works out to 760 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Micron have spilled the beans on at least some specifications for NVIDIA's next-gen Ampere graphics cards. In a new tech brief posted by the company earlier this week, hidden away behind Micron's market outlook, strategy and positioning, lie some secrets NVIDIA might not be too keen to see divulged before their #theultimatecountdown event.

Under a comparison on ultra bandwidth solutions, segregated into the GDDR6X column, Micron lists a next-gen NVIDIA card under the "RTX 3090" product name. According to the spec sheet, this card features a total memory capacity of 12 GB GDDR6X, achieved through 12 memory chips with a 384-bit wide memory bus. As we saw today, only 11 of these seem to be populated on the RTX 3090, which, when paired with specifications for the GDDR6X memory chips being capable of 19-21 Gbps speeds, brings total memory subsystem bandwidth towards the 912 - 1008 GB/s range (using 12 chips; 11 chips results in 836 GB/s minimum). It's possible the RTX 3090 product name isn't an official NVIDIA product, but rather a Micron-guessed possibility, so don't look at it as factual representation of an upcoming graphics card. One other interesting aspect from the tech brief is that Micron expects their GDDR6X technology to enable 16 Gb (or 2 GB) density chips with 24 Gbps bandwidth, as early as 2021. You can read over the tech brief - which mentions NVIDIA by name as a development partner for GDDR6X - by following the source link and clicking on the "The Demand for Ultra-Bandwidth Solutions" document.