The latest RTX 40 series leaks point to slightly further cut-down chips, which will still pack a huge punch in real-world performance.
Nvidia’s Lovelace architecture has been subject to numerous rumors and leaks in the past. Most recently, we saw claims that the RTX 4090 could be reaching eye-watering power usage. Now, we have some slightly updated specifications about the RTX series from stalwart leaker Kopite7Kimi.
Some updates. RTX 4090, AD102-300, 16384FP32, 384bit 21Gbps 24G GDDR6X, RTX 4080, AD103-300, 10240FP32, 256bit (?18Gbps 16G GDDR6?), RTX 4070, AD104-275, 7168FP32, 160bit 18Gbps GDDR6 10G. And DO NOT expect a lower MSRP.
— kopite7kimi (@kopite7kimi) June 23, 2022
Key changes to the 4090, 4080 and 4070
The biggest difference they allege in their tweet with updated RTX 40 series specifications is that the 4090 will now be a slightly cut-down version of the big AD102 chip. The full-fat version is seemingly being reserved for a Ti variant, or potentially the resurrection of the “Titan”-branded graphics cards. Either way, the 4090 is almost certainly not going to be the most powerful RTX 40-based card.
Changes elsewhere in the lineup also point to the RTX 4080 now featuring GDDR6 memory, instead of GDDR6X like on the RTX 4090. This is a pretty curious decision, as GDDR6X was indeed used on the RTX 3080 when it was first released.
GDDR6X memory is notably quicker than its non-X counterpart. There could potentially be some concerns with how hot the RAM chips get. But, honestly? We’re scratching our heads at this particular change.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Last but not least is the RTX 4070, which could potentially be launching with 10GB of memory, and a slightly narrower memory bus, to match. These changes in memory across the Lovelace stack are interesting. However, one thing is abundantly clear, Nvidia appears to be giving themselves some space with future cards.
Like every GPU generation, we’re not going to see the fastest cards, in their most ideal memory or chip configuration. Just take a look at the RTX 3090 Ti, or 3080 12GB. Which is to say, if you are expecting the best version of the silicon, you’re going to have to wait.
Expect new GPUs announced soon
Otherwise, we are still eagerly anticipating an official announcement for the next-generation cards. We expect to see the 4090 launches first in August, followed by the 4080 in September, and the 4070 in November.
It’s a great time to buy a new graphics card if you desperately need one. But, the reality of it all right now is that you’re probably better off waiting for the new generation of cards to release, even if the current cards are looking cheaper than they were a couple of years ago.