Weeks after Nvidia introduced its GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card, rumors started to emerge about the company’s alleged plans to unveil a ‘Ti’ version of the product shortly from then. We are now over half of a year away from the RTX 3080 launch and, according to recent apparent leaks, it looks like the still-unannounced GeForce RTX 3080 Ti could finally ready for production. Meanwhile, it will not replace the ‘vanilla’ GeForce RTX 3080, but will rather complement it.
Traditionally, Nvidia’s ‘Titanium’ graphics cards have offered an attractive balance between price and performance. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti promises to be no exception as the board will carry a GA102 GPU with 10,240 CUDA cores that will use a 384-bit memory interface to connect 12GB of GDDR6X memory, according to ITHome website that cites sources close to makers of graphics cards.
A graphics card with such a GPU configuration will offer performance that will be considerably higher than that of the GeForce RTX 3080 (which has 8,704 CUDA cores) and just slightly lower than that of the GeForce RTX 3090 (which features 10,496 CUDA cores) in workloads that do not require 24GB of onboard memory.
When it comes to pricing, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is not expected to be cheap. The product is expected to cost ¥7999 in China, which is presumably a recommended price with a 13% VAT ($1090 without VAT). At around $1,099 in the U.S., the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti will be considerably more affordable than the GeForce RTX 3090, yet it will still be much more expensive than the GeForce RTX 3080 (which is still impossible to get at its MSRP).
There are several reasons why modern GeForce RTX graphics cards are so expensive these days. First, there are shortages of components and GPUs amid very high demand. Second, thousands of graphics boards are bought for mining well before they reach retail, which reduces an already-constrained supply.
Nvidia cannot increase GPU or card production overnight, but it can make the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti considerably less attractive for miners. Igor’s Lab reports that the new GA102-202/GA102-302 GPUs will have all-new device and firmware IDs. The new boards will only be supported by newer drivers that will significantly reduce mining performance of these cards and will render them useless to miners. How significantly this is going to affect their real-world price is something that remains to be seen, but at least it will not make much sense to buy a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti for mining.
Nvidia does not make comments about unannounced products. Furthermore, specifications released unofficially should be taken with a grain of salt. Right now, Nvidia reportedly plans to release its GeForce RTX 3080 Ti sometimes in May, so we may find out more then.