NVIDIA RTX 4080 16GB & 12GB Models To Launch At the Same Time

Yesterday, we covered the 2 possible specifications for NVIDIA’s RTX 4080. In short, two models with 16GB and 12GB of VRAM were spotted. We initially thought that the 12GB variant might have been mistaken for the RTX 4070, however, today’s leaks give us a lot of information regarding the possible Lovelace lineup.

Two 4080s

Zed__Wang on Twitter mentioned that the RTX 4080 16GB and RTX 4080 12GB variants will launch side by side akin to the GTX 1060 3GB and 6GB from Pascal. 

4080 16G and 4080 12G will be released and launched at the same time, just like 1060 6G and 1060 3G https://t.co/nTWYuSGZUm

— MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang) September 6, 2022

Now this may sound new to many, however, Ampere never saw such treatment due to the then ongoing shortages. The GTX 1060 from its time was a beast, powering the most demanding games back then. Of course, 6GB of VRAM was not a necessity. Those that needed a ‘powerful enough’ enough GPU to play e-sports titles opted for the 3GB variant.

NVIDIA is probably looking to target every price category this time to leave no loose ends. If the 16GB variants costs you $799 (Expected), then the 12GB version may retail at around $729–$749.

RTX 4080 Downgraded

This information may be speculative, although kopite mentions that the PG141-SKU340/341 board will be used for the RTX 4080 12GB. 

Some updates.
We already know some specs, but the corresponding relationship between specs and models has not been determined.
There is a possibility,
PG141-SKU340/341=RTX 4080 12G;
PG141-SKU336/337=RTX 4070.

— kopite7kimi (@kopite7kimi) September 5, 2022

Now what exactly are the specs for this 340/341 board? As per kopite, it features 7680 Cuda cores, 12GB of 21Gbps G6X VRAM and a TDP of 285W. In short, this puts the 4080 12GB’s specs as follows:

• RTX 4080 12GB variant (As per Kopite) = 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM at 21Gbps with 7680 Cuda cores 
• RTX 4080 12GB variant (Initial Leaks) = 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM at 23Gbps with 9728 Cuda cores

To top it off, the ‘New’ 4080 12GB is powered by AD104 (Instead of AD103). This is a massive downgrade because AD104 was initially planned for the -70 series, but is now being featured on the -80 series. 

NVIDIA Sandbagging

Team green would never handicap their flagship GPUs by such an amount. We believe that NVIDIA is possibly sandbagging, effectively forcing people to buy Ampere in order to clear out the remaining -3000 series inventory. All in all, we will know for sure when NVIDIA makes an announcement. A GTC Keynote is set to take place on the 20th of September where Jensen Huang will show off Lovelace.