Nvidia has taken a step back and “undisclosed” the RTX 4080 12GB. The company was set to release two of his RTX 4080 graphics cards. (opens in new tab) The RTX 4080 12GB and RTX 4080 16GB will be released next month with completely different specs, but for now they have decided not to release a lower spec card.
“The RTX 4080 12GB is a great graphics card, but it’s not aptly named. Having two GPUs with 4080 designations is confusing,” Nvidia puts it surprisingly succinctly. blog post (opens in new tab).
“So I’m pressing the ‘unboot’ button on the 4080 12GB. The RTX 4080 16GB is awesome and is set to delight gamers around the world on November 16th. â
When Nvidia first announced the RTX 4080, I was a little surprised to find two RTX 4080s in the works. The name alone makes it seem like he’s two models of the same card with different memory configurations, but they’re actually two graphics cards with vastly different specs.
Following Nvidia’s card announcement, many confused it and questioned why the RTX 4080 12GB wasn’t named the RTX 4070 to reflect its lower specs.
To my surprise, Nvidia took that feedback and did something I never expected. Even Nvidia was convinced it was the right decision until recently.
âIt should be intuitive, right? 16GB is a better GPU and faster. [12GB]To help gamers choose the GPU that’s right for them, we’ll be working to be very clear on our product pages, retail spaces, and anywhere gamers are looking at GPUs. ‘â Nvidia said in a pre-briefing on the RTX 40 series cards.
Below is a table of the original RTX 4080 lineup.
| RTX 4080 12GB (ânot bootedâ) | RTX4080 16GB | |
|---|---|---|
| GPUs | AD104-400 | AD103-300 |
| CUDA core | 7,680 | 9,728 |
| base clock | 2,310MHz | 2,210MHz |
| boost clock | 2,610MHz | 2,510MHz |
| memory bus | 192 bits | 256 bits |
| memory type | 12GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR6X |
| memory speed | 21Gbps | 23Gbps |
| Graphics card power (W) | 285W | 320W |
| Required system power (W) | 700W | 750W |
| launch price | $899 | $1,199 |
| Release date | currently unknown | November 16th |
What this means is that there will only be one RTX 4080 16GB graphics card launching next month, and it will launch on November 16th. Assuming all prices remain the same for this card, it will launch for $1,199.
Following that, the card that was once slated to be the RTX 4080 12GB could get a new disguise as the RTX 4070, but that timeframe is no longer there. It will retail for $899. This could be a potentially expensive xx70 card, so I wonder if its price is currently in flux as well.
Nvidia wasn’t planning a Founders Edition of the RTX 4080 12GB, which may have made the decision to cancel and reconfigure it a little easier. Admittedly, we’ve come to the point where some plans have solidified, but Nvidia’s GPU partner could have been prepping his RTX 4080 12GB card for launch next month. Could many of the specs on that card change as a result?
If you want to see what more comes out of the RTX 40 series cards, you can sink your teeth into our Nvidia RTX 4090 review. (opens in new tab) just now.
