Nvidia could release a speedy new RTX 4070 Super that makes the RTX 4080 GPU irrelevant
Nvidia is reportedly preparing an RTX 4070 Super to run alongside existing models at this level (the regular 4070 and 4070 Ti are already on shelves, of course).
VideoCardz noted that a regular hardware leaker on
Two new cards may appear in the future: 4070 D6: same specs as 4070, but reduced to GDDR64070 super: based on AD103, has 256 bit bandwidth and 16 G VramOctober 19, 2023
Rumor has it that one product would simply be a minor refresh of the existing RTX 4070 using GDDR6 video RAM instead of newer GDDR6X modules, which would take the edge in that regard with no other differences.
The other one, however, is the big one, a claimed RTX 4070 Super that would use the AD103 chip. That’s a big shift because this GPU is the one used in the RTX 4080, while current 4070 models use the next level, AD104.
The step up to AD103 would allow Nvidia to give this RTX 4070 Super a 256-bit memory bus, and the VRAM configuration would be increased to 16 GB (from 12 GB).
Analysis: Wild Theory Alert โ some kind of retirement plan for the RTX 4080?
Clearly, these spec changes could make the RTX 4070 significantly more snappy (and it’s already our top pick for the best Nvidia graphics card). Perhaps that’s why we heard a rumor earlier this week that an RTX 4070 Ti Super is coming, and perhaps with this new speculation indicating that it could be a significant step forward, the new model could justify calling it a Super (charged ) version. of the Ti.
Well, as we said at the time, we still don’t buy that ‘Ti Super’ theory, because in our opinion it confuses Nvidia’s branding too much. Simply calling such an updated model an RTX 4070 Super makes more sense to us โ we’re not even sure if it will be superior to the current 4070 Ti (more on that later) โ and whether it should be made clear that this is the top model 4070, just mention 16 GB (RTX 4070 Super 16 GB).
We must emphasize that just because the theoretical RTX 4070 Super is going to use the same AD103 chip as the RTX 4080, it obviously won’t be as powerful as the latter. Obviously, Nvidia would downsize the GPU appropriately (reducing the number of CUDA cores โ again, we’ll get to that) to ensure the RTX 4080 didn’t look weird.
While cynics might argue that the RTX 4080 doesn’t need any help looking weird, it has done a good job on its own with its unusual price/performance ratio.
The only thing we’ve heard about the RTX 4080 lately through the GPU rumor mill is that sales are pretty poor and buyers are dropping out to buy the RTX 4070 Ti instead. Or maybe even just go all out for the RTX 4090, at the other end of the price scale. But either way, a lot is ignoring the RTX 4080, if what you read online, and what the rumor mill claims, is true. And honestly, we can believe it is…
So if there’s an RTX 4070 Super in the pipeline with more VRAM and faster video memory, perhaps also with some sort of CUDA core improvement โ โโwell, that would more or less spell the end of the RTX 4080. After all, since the RTX 4070 Ti was already mentioned as a drag on RTX 4080 sales, an even better RTX 4070 spin would certainly sink the 4080 in every respect.
There’s a big caveat here though, which is that there may not be any increase in the number of CUDA cores for this supposed Super model, meaning the move to AD103 could be purely to facilitate those changes on the memory side (which AD104 does not do). offer).
Further down the thread of their tweet, MEGAsizeGPU notes that upgraded CUDA cores are possible for this RTX 4070 Super, but at this point the specs remain unclear and it could be worse than the RTX 4070 Ti in some respects. even. So we can’t be sure of anything here (and actually we can’t do that with rumors either).
If Nvidia wanted to retire the RTX 4080 without actually canceling it, a more powerful RTX 4070 like the proposed Super would be a way to do this effectively, making the 4080 a bit irrelevant. Then RTX 4080 production could be reduced to a minimum, without really needing to do so to dump for example, the model as it was was a version of this card with 12 GB of RAM (which, if you recall, was publicly ‘unlaunched’ in tortuous fashion).
Of course, ditching the RTX 4080 isn’t something Nvidia would even consider for a moment, but this rumored RTX 4070 Super could be a way to do it without actually doing it, if you know what we mean. Especially now that there are rumors that the RTX 4080 Ti may be coming in, creating pressure from the other direction.
All of this is obviously speculation in wilder territory, but we’ll see how it plays out in the future.
Whatever the case, it certainly looks like Nvidia is looking to produce some new spins on the RTX 4070 next year. It’s worth mentioning that the other rumored refresh, the standard RTX 4070 with lower quality VRAM (GDDR6), could also be an opportunity for Nvidia to present an even better value proposition for this graphics card. Fingers crossed.