Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB GPU Is Real After All

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The fabled Ampere GPU

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (Image credit: Nvidia)

The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is already one of the best graphics cards on the market right now. There have always been rumors that Nvidia was preparing a 20GB variant of the Ampere-based graphics card. A new firmware and YouTube video (via momomo_us) seemingly confirm the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB's existence.

The GeForce RTx 3080 Ti 20GB firmware, which an anonymous user recently uploaded to TechPowerUp corresponds to Gigabyte's Aorus GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Xtreme (GV-N308TAORUS X-20GD). We first saw mention of the graphics card in a Gigabyte EEC listing back in December 2020. The device ID for the regular GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is 10DE 2208 and the 20GB version carries the 10DE 2205 identifier. Therefore, it's safe to assume that they're not the same graphics card.

Like the model name implies, the only difference between the two GeForce RTX 3080 Ti models is the amount of GDDR6X memory. The new variant features 20GB of GDDR6X memory, which represents a 67% increase over the vanilla GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. The clock speed for the memory remains untouched. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB also employs 19 Gbps GDDR6X memory. However, the 20GB model features a smaller memory interface.

The packaging and the CPU-Z screenshot show a 320-bit memory bus on the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB as opposed to the 384-bit interface on the 12GB SKU. So while having more memory, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB offers less memory bandwidth. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is good for 912 GBps, while the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB is limited to 760 GBps.

Gigabyte RTX 3080 Ti 20GB (Image credit: TechPowerUp)

A Russian cryptocurrency miner managed to get his hands on a Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC 20G (GV-N308TGAMING OC-20GB) and put it through its paces with different cryptocurrencies. Apparently, HARDVAR, a retailer in Saint Petersburg, is already selling the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB. At the time of the video, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB was going for 225,000 RUB or $3,067.

Given the amount of memory on the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB, it's a bit difficult to nail down the target market. Cryptocurrency mining needs more bandwidth rather than more memory capacity, and 12GB tends to be more than sufficient in current games. Professional apps might appreciate the added memory, but depending on price it might be just as viable to go whole hog with the RTX 3090.

This ends up as basically a weird in between model of the 3080 Ti 12GB and 3080 10GB, with a core configuration similar to the former but memory bandwidth of the latter. Still, the YouTuber was able to mine with the graphics card, so it's unknown if Nvidia gave the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB  the Lite Hash Rate (LHR) treatment at all.

In fact, Nvidia's GeForce drivers don't support the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB at all. When the YouTuber reached out to Gigabyte Russia, the company denied that it had this particular SKU in its lineup. He was only able to mine with the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB by utilizing the GeForce 457.52 beta driver.

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Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC 20G
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC 20G(Image credit: КОЛЯ МАЙНЕР/YouTube)

The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC 20G reportedly delivered a hash rate up to 94.04 MH/s in Ethereum. However, the YouTuber said that the store managed to squeeze 97.79 MH/s out of the same graphics card. That's similar to what we've seen from the non-LHR RTX 3080.

The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti features Nvidia's Ethereum anti-mining limiter so the graphics card's mining performance hovers around the 55 to 65 MH/s range (maybe a bit more with the latest update to NBminer). For reference, we managed to get 115 MH/s out of the GeForce RTX 3090 so the flagship Ampere's mining performance is 18% higher than the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB. With a bit of serious tweaking, you could potentially reduce the margin.

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Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC 20G
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC 20G(Image credit: КОЛЯ МАЙНЕР/YouTube)

The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB is already on sale over in Russia. ZSCOM has listed four different models from Gigabyte. The prices range from $2,733 to $2,837. It's uncertain if the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB will make its way to U.S. retailers, whether through official or unofficial channels.

The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and GeForce RTX 3090 have a $1,199 and $1,499 MSRP, respectively. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB probably isn't an official SKU so it's unlikely that Nvidia will put a MSRP on it — not like it matters anyway. Since we're still in the middle of the graphics card shortage, MSRP is just a number that doesn't hold any meaning since retailers and scalpers will just sell the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB at ludicrous prices regardless.

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Zhiye Liu
Zhiye Liu
News Editor and Memory Reviewer

Zhiye Liu is a news editor and memory reviewer at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.

22 Comments Comment from the forums
  • Giroro
    Coming to a "nowhere" near you, for the low-low msrp of $1489.99!
    Reply
  • btmedic04
    why is this even being called a 3080 ti at this point? sure, you get 8gb more vram than the 12gb Ti, but you get a reduced memory bus and memory bandwidth which will impact performance. this is just another sku to spread thin an already constrained supply of ampere dies
    Reply
  • VforV
    This is more like the 3080 20GB version, than the 3080Ti with 20GB.
    It's clear this was the canceled version, which still got made in some minor quantity, before being canceled.

    This happening is an aberration and I don't expect it will be actually officially launched.

    When/if the Super refresh comes we will (possibly) see updates to Vram, but not until then.
    Reply
  • Friesiansam
    As things are, the only way prices will drop, is if people refuse to buy at inflated prices. As long as people keep paying the scalper's profit margins, they'll keep buying every card they can, even as supply improves. No business can sell goods at prices the public won't pay, so don't pay the scalper premium.
    Reply
  • RodroX
    As long as people paid inflated prices this will never change. Not when nvidia knows people/miners will pay two, three or mroe times the MSRP for GPUs.

    I guess if nothing change the last resort are consoles.
    Reply
  • sepuko
    I don't care anymore even if this could let you play Crysis at 8K @ 120 fps(on an imaginary monitor, with an imaginary DP/HDMI standard, over imaginary cable). At this point it is ALL unobtanium. I have the money, but it would be just as pointless to buy at those prices as affording a $100 chewing gum. Nothing is worth at those prices, not even second hand, old generations now cost their release retail prices or more. F those b**tards, only buy a VC if your old one dies and when crypto crashes(because affording the emissions of a whole country just to reward some nerds with money for letting their PCs solve imaginary problems ain't gonna fly, banning crypto mining is just the easiest greenhouse emission reduction ever) demand the MSRP(at retail) prices AMD and Nvidia announced when they launched their latest generations.
    Reply
  • Exploding PSU
    That's one goodlooking card, I have to admit
    Reply
  • alceryes
    Same bus width as the RTX 3080 but with the slightly slower boost speeds of the RTX 3080 Ti.

    Seems it will be slightly slower than the other 3080s right up until the available memory (either 10GB or 12GB) gets exhausted on the others - then it will shine. Not a bad card for the long term as the 20GBs will ensure that performance doesn't fall off a cliff when games start regularly using 12+GBs of VRAM at ultra settings. (I've seen Horizon Zero Dawn use 9.5+GBs VRAM in just the beginning tutorial area at ultra settings and 1440p)

    Unfortunately these Ti cards MSRP's should be only slightly higher than the original FE RTX 3080. <sigh>
    I know scalper/miner prices are double MSRP, but MSRP is always used as a base multiplier for pricing. NVIDIA (and AIB mfgs.) put their greed on full display when they released the RTX 3080 Ti with a 71% price increase for only 12% performance increase (average).
    Reply
  • Geezer760
    "Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3080 Ti 20GB GPU Is Real After All" Yeah it's Real Expensive!
    Reply
  • denoloco
    What a time to be a PC gamer. Remember when a 1080Ti at 700 was the high end. I now envy consoles gamers that can get a console near MSRP, which is much more doable, and just enjoy most games 4K30 or even 60fps.
    Reply