Monday, September 5th 2022
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Comes in 12GB and 16GB Variants
NVIDIA's upcoming GeForce RTX 4080 "Ada," a successor to the RTX 3080 "Ampere," reportedly comes in two distinct variants based on memory size, memory bus width, and possibly even core-configuration. MEGAsizeGPU reports that they have seen two reference designs for the RTX 4080, one with 12 GB of memory and a 10-layer PCB, and the other with 16 GB of memory and a 12-layer PCB. Increasing numbers of PCB layers enable greater density of wiring around the ASIC. At debut, the flagship product from NVIDIA is expected to be the RTX 4090, with its 24 GB memory size, and 14-layer PCB. Apparently, the 12 GB and 16 GB variants of the RTX 4080 feature vastly different PCB designs.
We've known from past attempts at memory-based variants, such as the GTX 1060 (3 GB vs. 6 GB), or the more recent RTX 3080 (10 GB vs. 12 GB), that NVIDIA turns to other levers to differentiate variants, such as core-configuration (numbers of available CUDA cores), and the same is highly likely with the RTX 4080. The RTX 4080 12 GB, RTX 4080 16 GB, and the RTX 4090, could be NVIDIA's answers to AMD's RDNA3-based successors of the RX 6800, RX 6800 XT, and RX 6950 XT, respectively.
Sources:
Wccftech, MEGAsizeGPU (Twitter)
We've known from past attempts at memory-based variants, such as the GTX 1060 (3 GB vs. 6 GB), or the more recent RTX 3080 (10 GB vs. 12 GB), that NVIDIA turns to other levers to differentiate variants, such as core-configuration (numbers of available CUDA cores), and the same is highly likely with the RTX 4080. The RTX 4080 12 GB, RTX 4080 16 GB, and the RTX 4090, could be NVIDIA's answers to AMD's RDNA3-based successors of the RX 6800, RX 6800 XT, and RX 6950 XT, respectively.
61 Comments on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Comes in 12GB and 16GB Variants
To have 12GB, a card would have to have either a 192-Bit or a 384-Bit memory interface, since NV won't use unequal configurations anymore and half-sized VRAM-modules (e.g. 1,5GB) never became a thing. A RTX 4080 with only 192-Bit would be crap, while for 384-Bit it would have to use AD102.
I can only imagine one of the two SKUs interpreted as a 4080 12GB here ist either intended to be a 4070/Ti with AD104 capped at 192-Bit, or a 4080Ti with AD102.
trog
Nvidia has every reason to release everything overpriced.
- Massive chips.
- More expensive process, at least 2X more expensive.
- Overstock of current generation GPUs.
4090 = U$ 1999
4080 = U$ 1499
Looking at the cost of a wafer in a singular point in time is a very narrow examination of the total costs to build a GPU. For starters the cost of a node isn't a static amount, it drops over time. That price was given 2 years ago and it has almost certainly dropped by a good amount. Second, AMD and Nvidia are not paying market rate. They sign a wafer supply agreement with a pre-negotiated price.
On top of those factors, 5nm (according to TSMC) has higher yield than their 7nm node: www.anandtech.com/show/16028/better-yield-on-5nm-than-7nm-tsmc-update-on-defect-rates-for-n5
As evidenced by the chart above, 7nm was also an extremely expensive node jump yet Nvidia saw a record 68% profit margin on those GPUs. Clearly there is much much more to the cost of building GPUs than a single static price of a node from 2 years ago.
If I remember correctly, the only 7nm chips that Nvidia has are the ones focused on servers that are sold many times more expensive than gaming GPUs. So no need to ask how Nvidia keeps the profit margin so high...
The very vast majority can make everything happen with far less. VRAM, sure, you could get 16GB today and fill it up. But I think with the new architectures, 12GB is fine, and it will also carry all older titles that can't use said architectural improvements - for that, the olde 8GB was just on the edge of risk; and its also why those 11GB Pascal GPUs were in a fine top spot. They will munch through anything you can get right now, and will run into GPU core constraints if you push the latest hard. Its similar to the age of 4GB Maxwell while the 980ti carried 6GB. It is almost exclusively the 6GB that carried it another few years longer over everything else that competed. I think we're at that point now, but for 12GB versus 8 or 10; - not 16. The reason is console developments; and parity with the PC mainstream. We're still dealing with developers, market share, and specs targeted at those crowds. Current consoles have 16GB total but they have to run an OS; and as a result both run in some crippled combo which incurs speed penalties. At best, either console will have 13,5GB at a (much) lower bandwidth/speed. That's the reason a tiny handful of games can already exhibit small problems with 8 or 10.
16GB, perhaps only in the very top end is going to matter much like it does now, nice to have at best in a niche. Newer titles that lean heavy on VRAM will also be leaning on the new architectures. We've also seen that 10GB 3080's are mostly fine, but occasionally/rarely not. 12GB should carry another few years at least even on top end.
That said... I think we're very close to 'the jump to 32GB RAM' as a mainstream gaming option for PCs, but that'll really only be useful in more than a few games by the time the next console gen is out, and DDR5 is priced to sanity at decent speeds.
The TL DR / my point: there is no real 'sense' in chasing ahead way over the mainstream 'high end' gaming spec. Games won't utilize it proper, won't even support it sometimes, or you just will find a crapload of horsepower wasted for more heat and noise. Its just getting the latest greatest for giggles. Let's call it what it is - the same type of sense that lives in gamer minds buying that 3090(ti) over that 3080 at an immense premium.
Clearly AMD doesn't have any issues with the cost of 7nm either. They have both GPUs and CPUs on the node.
What's stopping TSMC from jacking up prices? The fact that if they did it would disrupt the word's most valuable resource, chips, and cause a government crackdown and a potential loss of massive subsidies they are receiving to build new fabs. TSMC is going to be relying on help from foreign governments should the Chinese come knocking. It doesn't make any sense for TSMC to disrupt the status quo when they already are receiving tons of profits and subsidies being a reasonable chip manufacturer.
So I might be forced to just stay with my rtx 3080. Not a bad card, but the 10 gb vram comes in short a bit to often amd that's annoying.