Get ready for a big expense if you want RTX 3080
The premiere of the improved version of the GeForce RTX 3080 is behind us, which can be a good proposition for demanding players.
The premiere of the improved version of the GeForce RTX 3080 is behind us, which can be a good proposition for demanding players. At least this is what it looks like in theory, because the practice may be different - the equipment will be available at horrendously high prices. Because that's Nvidia's plan.
The new GeForce RTX 3080 (12GB) belongs to the top performance segment. The card has been designed to play the latest games in 4K resolution. Of course, with ray tracing and DLSS, the flagship technologies of Nvidia.
| Model | GeForce RTX 3080 | GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | GeForce RTX 3080 Ti |
| Generation | Nvidia Ampere | Nvidia Ampere | Nvidia Ampere |
| Graphic layout | GA102-200 | GA102-220 | GA102-225 |
| Shading units | 8704 | 8960 | 10240 |
| Texturing units | 272 | 280 | 320 |
| Rasterization units | 96 | 112? | 112 |
| Tensor Cores | 272 (3. gen) | 280 (3. gen) | 320 (3. gen) |
| RT units | 68 (2. gen) | 70 (2. gen) | 80 (2. gen) |
| Base clock | 1440 MHz | 1260 MHz | 1365 MHz |
| Taktwanie Boost | 1710 MHz | 1710 MHz | 1635 MHz |
| Video memory | 10 GB GDDR6X 320-bit | 12 GB GDDR6X 384-bit | 12 GB GDDR6X 384-bit |
| Video memory clock speed | 19 000 MHz | 19 000 MHz | 19 000 MHz |
| Video memory bandwidth | 760 GB/s | 912 GB/s | 912 GB/s |
| TDP coefficient | 320 W | 350 W | 350 W |
| Suggested price) | $1400 | ???? | $2100 |
What's in the new version? Compared to the regular GeForce RTX 3080 (10GB), the card uses a slightly more efficient graphics processor, and at the same time has a larger and faster video memory.
The introduced changes translate into an increase in inefficiency. According to the first tests on the Internet, the new model offers a few percent better performance than the regular GeForce RTX 3080. How much is the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB?
How much will you have to pay for the cards? It is not fully known. The manufacturer did not provide the suggested price for the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB model. However, the manufacturers of the equipment gave us some hints.
The German branch of ASUS announced the suggested rates for its proprietary models in a press release. TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 12GB OC was priced at DOL 1,750, and ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 12GB OC at DOL 1,880.
The EVGA company offers two versions of the RTX 3080 12GB card in its store. The EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB XC3 Ultra Gaming model costs DOL 1,340 excluding VAT, and the EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB FTW3 Ultra Gaming model costs DOL 1,390 excluding VAT. For comparison, the same card editions in the RTX 3080 10GB version cost 860 and 900 dollars respectively (i.e. we are talking about a price increase of over 50%!).
And of course, in normal stores, the prices of the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB models will certainly be even higher. Nvidia has an interest in inflating graphics cards?
Did we really need a GeForce RTX 3080 with 12 GB? Is GeForce RTX 3080 Ti not enough to bridge the gap between GeForce RTX 3080 10GB and GeForce RTX 3090?
It can be reasonably said that there was no need to release such a model. Of course, it would be better for the market if Nvidia offered the GeForce RTX 3080 in larger quantities, due to which its price would drop. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB looks more like it's been used by Nvidia to justify the higher MSRP (suggested retail price). Big money is being made from the supply chain to the graphics card manufacturers. Recently, distributors and stores are earning huge amounts of money. Of course, Nvidia and the management partners also want to grab a piece of the cake.
It seems that Nvidia has not set the price of chips for the RTX 3080 12GB cards, because it can sell them to manufacturers at higher rates, and at the same time profit from the raging hardware prices. Perhaps a similar goal is the introduction of new models (we know that Nvidia's plans include an improved GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 16 GB and GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, other "needed" models from the higher shelf). The question is whether such action does not contribute to the increase in the prices of graphics cards. It looks a bit like the hypocrisy of the manufacturer, who declares that he is fighting for lower equipment prices for customers, but does something completely different.
