NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card based on the Ampere GPU architecture is expected to bring a huge boost in performance over the GeForce RTX 2080 if rumors hold true. The GeForce RTX 3080 will be one of the many high-end graphics cards featured in the Ampere Gaming GPU family.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Allegedly 20% Faster Than The GeForce RTX 2080 Ti, Up To 50% Faster Than The GeForce RTX 2080
Based on previous rumors, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is going to be based on the Ampere GA102 GPU core. The same core will be powering the higher-end GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics cards. The latest details on the performance of this graphics card come from KatCorgi who has stated that the GeForce RTX 3080 will feature up to 20% performance increase over the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti.
The leaker doesn’t mention at what specific resolution was this specific claim made but a 20% performance increase over the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti would suggest up to 50% better graphics performance over the GeForce RTX 2080 at 4K and up to 40% better graphics performance at a 1440p resolution.
If these alleged performance numbers are close to the real thing, then that would suggest that the GeForce RTX 3080 would offer a bigger leap in performance over its predecessor than the GeForce RTX 2080. The GeForce RTX 2080 managed to post a 40% performance increase over the GeForce GTX 1080 at 4K and up to 30% performance increase at 1440p resolution. However, the NVIDIA RTX 3080 is also suggested to feature a much higher TGP than both of its GeForce predecessors which is rumored to be set at 320W.
A 20% lead over the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti would suggest that the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti could end up being around 40-50% faster than the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. Now the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti numbers mentioned are just preliminary but the cores difference between the RTX 3080 & RTX 3080 Ti is also massive so the final performance numbers may be higher. But what will be interesting to see is if the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti can offer a bigger leap over its non-TI part than what NVIDIA achieved all the way back in 2017 with its GeForce GTX 1080 Ti graphics card.
The GeForce GTX 1080 TI offered the biggest jump of all Ti graphics cards over their non-Ti siblings with a 35% average boost in performance. The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti has also consistently been able to perform close to the GeForce RTX 2080 which was is a truly remarkable feat for the once flagship king of the hill. Enthusiasts will definitely be excited for a graphics card that can deliver the same performance jump as the 1080 Ti achieved.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ampere Gaming Graphics Card Alleged Specifications
Moving on to the specs for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, the rumors report that the card will be featuring the GA102-200-Kx-A1 SKU. This cut down SKU will feature the same 4352 CUDA cores as the RTX 2080 Ti that will be arranged in a total of 68 SMs.
The card is reportedly going to feature 10 GB of memory that is also going to be GDDR6X, running at 19 Gbps across a 320-bit bus interface with a bandwidth of 760 GB/s. Do note that there has been no indication of a faster spec’d GDDR6 at this point in time, unlike the previous generation where the GDDR6 memory was designed way ahead of the Turing graphics lineup launch.
The switch to GA102 from TU104 on the RTX 2080 is definitely an interesting one. A high-end SKU would also result in higher wattage and thermals but I believe this could be done to raise the bar up on the sub $500 segment which should comprise of GA104 based RTX 3070 tier graphics cards.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series ‘Ampere Gaming GPU’ Rumored Specifications:
| Graphics Card Name | GPU | Cores (SMs) | Memory | Memory Bus | Bandwidth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA Titan RTX (2nd Gen) | Ampere GA102-400 | 5376 (84) | 24 GB GDDR6X | 384-bit | ~816 GB/s |
| NVIDIA Titan RTX (1st Gen) | Turing TU102-400 | 4608 (72) | 24 GB GDDR6 | 384-bit | 672 GB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti / NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 | Ampere GA102-300 | 5248 (82) | 12 GB GDDR6X | 384-bit | ~1.00 TB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti | Turing TU102-300 | 4352 (68) | 11 GB GDDR6 | 352-bit | 616 GB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 | Ampere GA102-200 | 4352 (68) | 10 GB GDDR6X | 320-bit | ~760 GB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 | Turing TU104-400 | 2944 (46) | 8 GB GDDR6 | 256-bit | 448 GB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti | Ampere GA104-400 | 3072 (48) | 8 GB GDDR6X | 256-bit | ~512 GB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER | Turing TU104-410 | 2560 (40) | 8 GB GDDR6 | 256-bit | 448 GB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | Ampere GA104-300 | 2944 (46) | 8 GB GDDR6 | 256-bit | ~512 GB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 | Turing TU106-400 | 2304 (36) | 8 GB GDDR6 | 256-bit | 448 GB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti | Ampere GA106-400 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER | Turing TU106-410 | 2176 (34) | 8 GB GDDR6 | 256-bit | 448 GB/s |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 | Ampere GA106-300 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 | Turing TU106-200 | 1920 (30) | 6 GB GDDR6 | 192-bit | 336 GB/s |
In terms of design, we have already seen leaked pictures of the cooler and heatsink for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card. It features a massive heatsink block with a dual axial-fan design & rumors have also pointed out to a new 12-pin power connector on the reference models which we talked about earlier.
Recent reports have suggested that NVIDIA has halted the production of its higher-end GeForce RTX GPU lineup to prepare for the Ampere GeForce RTX launch. Only small quantities of the said GPUs are left in the retail channel thus suggesting that we are getting closer to the launch. There’s definitely a lot more to talk about regarding the Ampere GPUs but we will have to wait until more information comes our way.