Nvidia 12GB RTX 4080 canceled
The 12GB GeForce RTX 4080 has been canceled. On Friday, October 14, Nvidia announced that it would be “unlaunching” the SKU following controversies over its naming.
When Nvidia finally announced its RTX 40 series graphics cards, it revealed two different versions of the RTX 4080—a model with 16GB of video RAM, and one with only 12GB. Beyond the differences in onboard memory, the announcement also revealed that the 12GB version would have lower specifications than the 16GB mode.
Initial previews also showed that the 12GB model was considerably slower than the 16GB one.
The lower spec and performance of the 12GG RTX 4080 understandably led to some backlash online which seems to have led to Nvidia’s decision to “unlaunch” it. In a post on their website, the company explained that while the 12GB RTX 4080 is a “fantastic graphics card,” it was “not named right.” It also added that “having two GPUs with the 4080 designation is confusing.”
While the 12 GB 4080 has now been canceled, the 16GB version is still set to launch on November 16. That said, the move does mean that Nvidia’s RTX 40 series lineup will be without a sub $1000 (Php 60,000) option for the foreseeable future—the “unlaunched” 12GB RTX 4080 has a suggested retail price (SRP) of $899 (PHP 53,000), while the 16GB version will go for $1,199 (Php 71,000).
The lack of a sub-$1,000 could possibly work in favor of Nvidia’s competitors. AMD is expected to announce its RDNA 3-powered Radeon 7000 series GPU sometime in November—right when the 16GB RTX 4080 hits shelves. “Team Red” could steal the wind out of NVidia’s sails by announcing a much lower price point for its GPUs.
Meanwhile, Intel is entering the discrete GPU market by focusing more on entry-level pricing. Its Arc A770 GPU has an SRP of only $329 (Php 19,500)—offering price and performance nearly on par with Nvidia’s RTX 3060, but with better ray-tracing performance. (Read: What is ray tracing – understanding the next big leap in video game graphics)
Of course, Nvidia could still counter by relaunching the 12GB RTX 4080 that it canceled as a RTX 4080 or 4080ti, alongside announcing more budget-friendly (possible RTX 4070 and RTX 4060) GPUs.
Whatever the case, it looks like there’ll be some interesting developments in the GPU space in the coming months.
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