Rumors are circulating that Nvidia plans to release a new version of its RTX 3080 GPU, with more memory and improved internals, and now it is suspected that the specifications have been leaked to the Internet, and that worries us.
On paper, the specs sound good. As Videocardz reports, the new RTX 3080 12GB will not only have more memory (the original RTX 3080 comes with 10GB of GDDR6X memory), but the memory will also be faster, with a 384-bit memory bus (compared to the 320 - original bit memory interface).
This will give higher bandwidth speeds of 912 Gb / s versus 760 Gb / s for the original. It will also have 8,960 CUDA cores, based on the leak, 256 more cores than the original RTX 3080, and will be based on the GA102-220 GPU. There are also more Tensor cores and RT cores.
If this is true, it indicates a GPU that will provide a decent performance boost when gaming. However, there is a certain problem that prevents us from getting too excited...
Analysis: good and bad news
Not only would the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 12GB perform better when gaming, but the spec change, if true, would also mean that this is a GPU that will be better for crypto mining. According to Videocardz, the new RTX 3080 12GB could be around 20% faster when mining crypto, mainly thanks to the faster memory.
While this would be good news for minors, it is bad news for players. Why? Well, for over a year now, getting a new graphics card has been incredibly difficult. Much of this is due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, as well as chip shortages.
However, it also coincided with an increase in cryptocurrency mining, leading to miners gobbling up many cards being stored, making the situation worse.
So if Nvidia plans to release a new GPU that works well for cryptocurrency mining, it could mean that miners are flocking to buy shares, making it difficult for gamers to get one. Nvidia could try to artificially limit crypto mining capabilities through software, which it did with previous GPUs, but that sadly didn't make much of a difference.
The idea of a 3080GB Nvidia GeForce RTX 12 is certainly exciting. The original RTX 3080 is a very good GPU, but in an age when PC gamers are looking to deliver increasingly impressive graphics in their PC games at ultra-high resolutions of 4K and above, there are concerns that 10-inch memory GB of the original card will not be enough.
A newer version with more memory will definitely help fix these problems, but will anyone be able to buy the card? Miners will certainly be quick to use it if it turns out to be a great mining GPU, and it will cause trouble for the rest of us. Even if the market is flooded with pre-owned RTX 3080s, that won't solve much; We advise people to be careful to buy a second hand GPU that has been used for mining as the process takes time. A lot of pressure on components that can have an impact on their service life.
Rumors had suggested that we would see the new RTX 3080 12GB this month, with a release earlier this year, but now it appears that Nvidia has put it off for now. Whenever it comes up (if it exists), the 3080GB RTX 12 is likely to be very popular, so if you want one, you may have to fight.
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