There are only a few days left until the RTX 4080 hits stores, however, the full lineup of NVIDIA Lovelace architecture graphics cards has not been released. That’s why we’ve decided to take a quick look at what we know about the entire range, including the NVIDIA RTX 40 Ti launched in the different aspects and how the range could be distributed across both desktops and laptops.
RTX 40 leaks and rumors are going to be aplenty in the months to come. That’s why we decided to make a guide to give you an idea of what we’re going to see, at least for the next two years, when we should see the RTX 50 launched under the Blackwell architecture. Yes, NVIDIA continues with its traditional schedule of one generation every two years.
The GPUs of RTX 40 graphics cards
Each generation of graphics cards is made up of a series of GPUs or graphics chips that will be distributed to different models with different specifications. Normally oriented to a specific resolution. And it is that the power needed to reproduce in 4K, Quad HD and Full HD is not the same, as well as the price of each segment of the range. Therefore, we will see models with more or fewer cores, more or less clock speed, but with a series of common characteristics that define the architecture.
We can’t say anything about how fast each model will go, but we can say that as with desktop graphics cards, each GPU will have at least two models, one with the complete configuration and, therefore, using all the SMs or cores of the GPU, and, on the other hand, the model with reduced capacities. We have allowed ourselves to speculate on the various models not launched on the market by weighing the price of the models that have been launched on the market.
| Model | GPUs | SM (nucleos) | Memory | Price (MSRP EE.UU) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTX4090Ti | AD102 | 144 | 24 GB GDDR6X | ¿1999? |
| RTX-4090 | AD102 | 128 | 24 GB GDDR6X | 1599 |
| RTX4080Ti | AD104 | 84 | 16 GB GDDR6X | ¿1399? |
| RTX4080 | AD104 | 76 | 16 GB GDDR6X | 1199 |
| RTX4070Ti | AD106 | 60 | 12 GB GDDR6X | 899 |
| RTX4070 | AD106 | ¿48? | 12 GB GDDR6X | ¿699? |
| RTX4060 | AD107 | 24 | 8 GB GDDR6 | ¿399? |
For us it’s the AD107 GPU that stands out powerfully, at 24 SM it’s a configuration that falls short of the RTX 3060’s 28-core configuration, although it should be able to compensate for the power difference without issue by terms of clock speed. Either way, rumors suggest that we will finally see the RTX 4080 12GB launch canceled as the RTX 4070 Ti and it looks like all models with said label will be those using the full chip with all core assets.
The low range once again stagnant
The high cost of manufacturing a chip in TSMC’s N4 node is going to wreak havoc on a low-end gaming graphics card, as it could disappear altogether.. If the least powerful chip is the AD107 which will carry the RTX 4060, we can still expect a trimmed configuration of this for a possible RTX 4050, but in general the feeling is that as ‘we go down a notch in the range, the generational leap will be less and less so.
What is clear is that the time to buy a graphics card under 300 dollars is possible for NVIDIA to disappear, at least in terms of new models. Which leads us to believe that those of the previous generation will remain on the market for a long time, as was the case with the GTX 16. In any case, do not expect models below 300 dollars.
And what about gaming laptops?
Most of the graphics cards sold by NVIDIA on the market are those intended for laptops. Gossips say we’ll see an RTX 4090 Mobile, but based on the AD103 chip of the desktop RTX 4080. Let’s not forget that the maximum TDP on these devices is 175 W, which limits the clock speed. Without forgetting that to reduce consumption, it is very likely that they use the standard GDDR6 memory in all models.
It is in these circumstances where the performance per watt of a graphics architecture should show, because it increases as we decrease consumption. If our observations hold, the RTX 40 laptop graphics cards will take a more dramatic leap than their consumer counterparts. Especially in more modestly priced gaming laptops. Although also with the appearance of ultra-thin gaming laptops, we hope that NVIDIA will come up with other variants for these computer models.
