Tuesday, January 11th 2022

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB Real, EVGA FTW3 Ultra Card Pictured

NVIDIA is indeed readying a 12 GB variant of the GeForce RTX 3080, positioning it between the current RTX 3080 (10 GB), and the RTX 3080 Ti, in what is an extremely cluttered lineup at the top. If NVIDIA's recent adventure in necromancing the RTX 2060 "Turing" with 12 GB memory is anything to go by, the RTX 3080 12 GB may not be a simple memory uplift, but come with other improvements in specs, starting with the wider 384-bit wide GDDR6X memory bus (compared to 320-bit for the original RTX 3080), a few more CUDA cores, and higher clocks. A picture of an EVGA-branded custom design board was scored by VideoCardz. Its design is standard EVGA fare, resembling the RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 Ultra, but with the box clearly labeling "RTX 3080" and "12 GB GDDR6X."
Source: VideoCardz
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25 Comments on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB Real, EVGA FTW3 Ultra Card Pictured

#1
lexluthermiester
btarunrNVIDIA is indeed readying a 12 GB variant of the GeForce RTX 3080
Nice! 12GB is an improvement that will give many game titles that little bit of extra room to load data. However...
btarunrin what is an extremely cluttered lineup at the top.
...really? It's not that "cluttered" and past lineups from both NVidia and AMD have been more diverse.
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#2
Crackong
When I saw this title I thought "They came up with a card called "KO", now a card called "RTX 3080 12gb REAL ??"
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#3
Hyderz
this amount of vram should be on the 3080 right from the beginning
the vram allocation for the rtx 30 series is all over the place..

i wonder why nvidia did this... is it cut down the cost? or prices of dram is expensive when 30 series was launched...
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#4
HisDivineOrder
Hyderzthis amount of vram should be on the 3080 right from the beginning
the vram allocation for the rtx 30 series is all over the place..

i wonder why nvidia did this... is it cut down the cost? or prices of dram is expensive when 30 series was launched...
Nvidia only increases memory once in a blue moon. They love to leave "low hanging fruit" to use in case of emergency. I still recall the online discussions over whether a 3GB card was going to be enough (spoiler: it wasn't) or whether a 2GB card was enough (spoiler: it wasn't). But nvidia knows there are people out there ready to fight for their right to reduce the effective usable lifespans of our cards, especially if we're trying to play at 4K. They should've moved on to trumpeting 8K by now, but that'd not rake in tons of money.

So here we are with Ray Tracing instead.

But it's hard not to see why Nvidia wants it this way. If they'd done like they should have and given us 3070 16GB, 3080 20GB, 3090 24GB, then they'd have nothing to do right now to make more money. Plus, at the end of this year, they'll trumpet how they increased memory sizes across the board, which necessitates higher price points that strangely enough hew very closely to the scalper pricing currently in effect. Once you factor in the Board Partners taking their new oversized cut, pricing will be identical to scalper pricing even without the scalpers. Imagine if they're still being scalped then, what Nvidia executives will be doing with all that extra money.

Eventually, nvidia will transition away from even doing MSRP's because all they're doing is telling a joke without a punchline other than us, of course.
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#5
lexluthermiester
Hyderzthe vram allocation for the rtx 30 series is all over the place..
Shortage problems are a big factor in that.
HisDivineOrderNvidia only increases memory once in a blue moon.
Not true. That has done it frequently in past generations of cards.
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#6
Bwaze
I think they should be selling pictures of cards as NTFs.

At least gamers could buy something.

;-)

The situation is completely messed up, and tech sites are really struggling to justify their sense. CES reports with the same "releases" as last year? Card releases that market won't even see, not even for ridiculous prices?
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#7
ratirt
I've literally lost it with the cards nowadays. So many changes and RAM is an option now for cards with the exact same chip.
A bit ridiculous for me though.
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#8
the54thvoid
Super Intoxicated Moderator
I'm still on the EVGA waiting list for a 3080. Stayed on it for the sake of it. Don't really want the card now, not that I'll ever see it.

Don't see this release being any different.
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#9
Chomiq
the54thvoidI'm still on the EVGA waiting list for a 3080. Stayed on it for the sake of it. Don't really want the card now, not that I'll ever see it.

Don't see this release being any different.
Based on what I see on discord you'd have better chances scoring an FE card.
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#10
Tomgang
It's all out of wack with nvidia... Oh sorry, I mean ngreedia.

The vram is all over the place as all ready stated.

At least I managed to snag a evga rtx 3080 FTW 3 ultra gaming december last year for under msrp thanks to a friend. But I will admit I could use more vram than the 10 gb it have. At 4k I am running out of vram in far cry 6 with all cranked up to max and HD textures in 4k. The gpu has the power to handle it, but there is not enough vram to support it. Meaning it's a stuttering and lagging mess at 4k. Have to settle for 1440P where it runs great and lotd of gpu power left.
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#11
ratirt
the54thvoidI'm still on the EVGA waiting list for a 3080. Stayed on it for the sake of it. Don't really want the card now, not that I'll ever see it.

Don't see this release being any different.
I see that a lot of 3080 Ti's and 3090's are available. Not MSRP price though :)
www.proshop.no/Grafikkort/Inno3D-GeForce-RTX-3080-iCHILL-X4-LHR-10GB-GDDR6X-RAM-Grafikkort/2961064
Here's a 3080 but the price is laughable but if you need one you can always go for it. :)
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#12
arni-gx
still, there is no variants of RTX 3080 20gb........
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#13
MentalAcetylide
Just wait for it! NVidia is gearing up to start using fractions, decimals, and/or radicals in the numbering nomenclature of their cards. We're getting the fourth root of an RTX 3090Ti at an MSRP raised to the 3rd power. :shadedshu: This nonsense is getting like Pi... it just never ends.
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#14
Chomiq

Mindfactory listing for MSI Gaming Z Trio.
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#15
gmn17
Why not just add super? Or is 10gb variant discontinued?
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#16
arni-gx
Chomiq
Mindfactory listing for MSI Gaming Z Trio.
today, in my country....

average price of RTX 3080 10gb = US$ 1700-1900
average price of RTX 3080 ti 12gb = US$ 2000-2400

its very nice price, right.....
Posted on Reply
#17
Chomiq
arni-gxtoday, in my country....

average price of RTX 3080 10gb = US$ 1700-1900
average price of RTX 3080 ti 12gb = US$ 2000-2400

its very nice price, right.....
When you can get FE in Germany? Not really.
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#18
watzupken
On paper, it sounds great. But in reality, this product is pointless. The real situation is that supply is still extremely limited, or they are available at ultra inflated price. So instead of diverting more chips for the 10GB version, they created a new version with 12GB which will surely cost more. So chances of finding the 10GB version is going to go down as well.
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#19
bobsled
lexluthermiesterreally? It's not that "cluttered" and past lineups from both NVidia and AMD have been more diverse.
It is indeed quite cluttered. 3060, 3060 12GB, 3060Ti, 3060Ti LHR, 3070, 3070 LHR, 3070Ti, 3080, 3080 LHR, 3080Ti, 3090, 3090Ti. That's a mess, and those are only high end 30 series cards, not the re-released 2060 (12GB) as well.
lexluthermiesterNot true. That has done it frequently in past generations of cards.
Because they release gimped models to begin with, saturate the purchase base, then release higher VRAM models many months later to bring in people who held out on on lower VRAM configurations. Has happened multiple generations now.
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#20
neatfeatguy
The 3080 12GB seems like a cut-down version of the 3080Ti that just didn't work out. So they cut down the die to put it close to a 3080, left the 12GB of RAM and said....look! This is what people wanted from the 3080 to begin with, 12GB of VRAM! Quick, sell it and folks will gobble it right up! Also, sell it for a MSRP of $900, but in reality it'll go for $1400+.

A 3080 tends to be 5-10% behind a 3080Ti.
Retail cost (going off Micro Center)
3080 10GB costs around $1100 +/-
3080Ti costs around $1700 +/-

You can't have a card coming in that undercuts the price of the 3080Ti by too much and offers the same performance. That's why I think you'll see maybe a 3-5% bump over the 3080 10GB, but the cost will be pretty steep for such a crummy performance increase.

I think Nvidia should have left things where they were. The 3080Ti already has 12GB and is 5-10% faster than the 3080. What should have really happened was the price gap should not have been so significant. Now Nvidia is just going to muddy the waters even more with another card that doesn't really have a place to fit unless they are looking to completely discontinue the 3080 10GB or the 3080Ti (if the 3080 12GB matches it's performance). Having all 3 cards that give out similar performance doesn't make sense.....then again, it is Nvidia and I'm sure they'll love to make whatever money they can off of everyone.
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#22
lexluthermiester
bobsledThat's a mess
No, it's not. It's called a product lineup with variety. And this is not the first time such variety has been on the market.
bobsledBecause they release gimped models to begin with, saturate the purchase base, then release higher VRAM models many months later to bring in people who held out on on lower VRAM configurations. Has happened multiple generations now.
Can we have done with the short-sighted pessimistic nonsense already?
Posted on Reply
#23
neatfeatguy
lexluthermiesterNo, it's not. It's called a product lineup with variety. And this is not the first time such variety has been on the market.


Can we have done with the short-sighted pessimistic nonsense already?
One man's garbage is another man's treasure - I see nothing wrong with @bobsled thinking the Nvidia line up is a mess.

I may not see it as a mess and I don't certainly feel it's a good variety (lots of very similar items, to me, doesn't make a good lineup), myself, but I certainly can see it as being cluttered or perhaps overly complicated for those that don't closely follow things.

Right now it just feels like Nvidia had a plethora of poor dies from the 3080Ti and instead of wasting them, they're just trying to maximize their profits and create a new lineup of the 3080. Compare the specs of the 3080Ti and the 3080 12GB - same bus, same memory type/amount, same clocks....only real difference from what we've been able to tell is the 3080 12GB core is lower than the Ti, but higher than the 3080 10GB. Laser cut the dies, and ship them out as a poor man's 3080Ti; rebrand them to 3080 12GB.

(yeah, yeah, poor man's is a bad use of words since the cards aren't cheap - already listing at $1250+ for retail costs)
Posted on Reply
#24
lexluthermiester
neatfeatguyI see nothing wrong with @bobsled thinking the Nvidia line up is a mess.
Except that such an opinion has no merit and thus no validity. The expression of such comes off as little more than pointless complaining. Just throwing it out there...
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#25
bobsled
lexluthermiesterExcept that such an opinion has no merit and thus no validity. The expression of such comes off as little more than pointless complaining. Just throwing it out there...
Umm what? Whether you agree with my opinion on it being a mess or not, I'm pretty damn justified to have one. We don't have to agree.

Most of the people buying graphics cards have confusion when looking at Nvidia's (and to a lesser degree, AMD's) GPU lineup - there's no clear direction on what product one should be choosing. I absolutely understand you may clearly know and differentiate the purpose of each model Nvidia have released in the 30 series, perhaps in part to having ~17,000 posts on a tech forum/site, or having a keen-enough personal interest.

Still doesn't mean that the stack isn't a mess in my opinion.
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