The launch of Nvidia’s next-gen best graphics cards is right around the corner, and we’re getting new leaks about the specs almost every day. Today, Benchlife reveals that the RTX 5080 may be the only RTX 50-series GPU to receive 30Gbps memory modules from the get-go. This would give the RTX 5080 a slight advantage, but there’s also some conflicting information about the memory configuration for this GPU.
All of Nvidia’s next-gen graphics cards are said to use new GDDR7 memory, and yesterday’s Zotac leak confirmed that the RTX 5090 will sport 32GB of GDDR7 VRAM. That’s a massive upgrade over the previous generation, but the RTX 5080 won’t enjoy the same improvements — the GPU is said to retain both the 16GB memory and the 256-bit bus we’ve already seen in the RTX 4080 (and its Super version).
Despite that same configuration, the RTX 5080 might enjoy a lot more bandwidth if it does end up getting that higher speed. Benchlife claims that it’ll sport faster 30Gbps GDDR7 modules, which would add up to a bandwidth of 960 GB/s. Compared to the RTX 4080 Super, that’s a 34% increase, although many gamers would appreciate more VRAM to go along with that speed boost.
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RTX 5080 will use 30Gbps GDDR7https://t.co/Kr7H0xGQWC pic.twitter.com/g99txA4OHE
— 포시포시 (@harukaze5719) December 17, 2024
That’s unlikely to happen, though, and all signs so far point to the RTX 5090 being much, much faster than the RTX 5080. We’re expecting a huge performance gap, although, of course, everything may still change at this point.
There’s some room for error in these RTX 5080 predictions, too. Earlier this year, we heard rumors that the RTX 5080 will receive faster memory, so that adds up — but early leaks pointed to 32Gbps modules, not 30Gbps. This would give the 5080 a more sizeable bandwidth boost, bringing it to 1TB/s.
The memory speed upgrade would be nice for the RTX 5080, but it’s hard not to wonder whether it’d also have some impact on the pricing of the card. Nvidia initially launched the RTX 4080 with a $1,200 price tag, and given the gap between the 4080 and the 4090, many considered that to be too much. The RTX 4080 Super made things better by bringing the price down to $1,000. If the situation repeats itself in the RTX 50-series, gamers may once again protest when faced with a pricier RTX 5080, even if it’ll be the only card to get slightly faster memory.
On the upside, there’s a possibility of more VRAM somewhere down the line. Leakers believe that the 50-series refresh — whenever that may happen — will use 3GB GDDR7 modules, which could finally give the RTX 5080, and all the other GPUs, more VRAM. Right now, it seems that 16GB is the maximum we’ll get outside of the monstrous RTX 5090.
Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…
Nvidia’s RTX 5070 Ti may trail behind the RTX 4080
As we inch closer to the launch of Nvidia’s RTX 50-series, new leaks keep cropping up daily. Today, one of the most prolific leakers in the PC hardware space shared a glimpse of the specs for Nvidia’s upcoming RTX 5070 Ti. Although it’s not the full spec sheet, one specification in particular tells us that we may be dealing with a GPU similar to the RTX 4080, which is still one of Nvidia’s best graphics cards. But is that good news?
All of this is unconfirmed. Kopite7kimi is one of the accounts that most of us turn to when we want some new scoop on upcoming PC hardware, but this time, the leaker didn’t post on X (Twitter), and has instead shared some specs directly with VideoCardz. Let’s dig in.
Nvidia may keep producing one RTX 40 GPU, and it’s not the one we want
The last few weeks brought us a slew of rumors about Nvidia potentially sunsetting most of the RTX 40-series graphics cards. However, a new update reveals that one GPU might remain in production long after other GPUs are no longer being produced. Unfortunately, it’s a GPU that would struggle to rank among Nvidia’s best graphics cards. I’m talking about the RTX 4050 — a card that only appears in laptops.
The scoop comes from a leaker on Weibo and was first spotted by Wccftech. The leaker states that the RTX 4050 is “the only 40-series laptop GPU that Nvidia will continue to supply” after the highly anticipated launch of the RTX 50-series. Unsurprisingly, the tipster also reveals that the fact that both the RTX 4050 and the RTX 5050 will be readily available at the same time will also impact the pricing of the next-gen card.
This may be your last chance to buy an RTX 40-series GPU at MSRP
Just last week, we reported on the end of production for the RTX 40-series. Now, new information from Board Channels (shared by Gazlog) suggests that the final shipments of Nvidia’s best graphics cards are right around the corner. Some GPUs, like the RTX 4090, have already seen their final shipments. With the holidays on the horizon, now might be the last time to buy the RTX 40-series at a decent price before stock levels begin dwindling.
Despite being two years old, Nvidia’s RTX 40-series has held up in terms of GPU prices. Only the RTX 4090 went up from its original recommended list price (MSRP), with the rest of the lineup holding steady and mostly hovering around the launch price. Things might take a turn for the worse, though, if this report ends up being true.
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