Nvidia RTX 4070 with slower GDDR6 memory is on the way, according to rumors
Green team is likely responding to component pricing and supply conditions.
Nvidia is preparing a new variant of the GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, according to a reputable leaker. Earlier today MEGAsizeGPU stated that an RTX 4070, designated as the PG141 SKU347, will come packing GDDR6 memory. Other than the slower memory, the RTX 4070 launched with 12GB of GDDR6X at 21 Gbps, the source says that all other specs “remain the same.”
GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6PG141 SKU 347 GDDR6 might be 20GbpsOther specs remain the same.August 5, 2024
In addition to this being a rumor, the source admits some uncertainty regarding the memory speed delivered by the new GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 SKU. MEGAsizeGPU reckons it “might be 20 Gbps,” which isn’t far behind the GDDR6X implementation of the original SKU.
Some quick calculations reveal that changing from 12GB of GDDR6X @ 21 Gbps to 12GB of GDDR6 @ 20 Gbps would theoretically deliver a bandwidth reduction of a little under 5% on the RTX 4070 with its 192-bit bus. That would be cutting down the bandwidth from the original 504 GBps to a new 480 GBps, if the touted GDDR6 memory speed is correct.
A mere 5% drop in bandwidth may not scare off potential buyers of the new RTX 4070 GDDR6 SKU. With the rest of the RTX 4070 specs purportedly fully intact, potential buyers probably don't even have to ponder over games known to be the most memory bandwidth-sensitive and typically favor playing at higher resolutions.
The new RTX40 family SKU, if it is indeed in the pipeline, raises the question of why it is being prepared for the market. Without any official statement, we can only speculate, and we reckon the change may be implemented due to the grand old economic laws of supply and demand. Thus, Nvidia and partners may be tempted to move over to GDDR6 for pretty simple reasons; like it is currently easier to get in quantity, and it is cheaper – and will be so for the foreseeable future of the product line.
Enthusiasts and gamers are often naturally resistant to spec cuts, so could be put off by any RTX 4070 GDDR6 SKU when looking for the best graphics card. However, most are pragmatic, and if the new SKUs are cheaper and third-party reviews reveal few noticeable drawbacks, then the new SKU could fare well. We shall see.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
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FunSurfer The card that I want is a 200W RTX 5070 with 16GB GDDR7, but not much chance of that...Reply -
Notton GDDR6 at 20Gbps is pretty fastReply
but what happened to GDDR6 24Gbps? I thought Samsung was sampling it in 2021. Does it not exist? -
vanadiel007 ReplyFunSurfer said:The card that I want is a 200W RTX 5070 with 16GB GDDR7, but not much chance of that...
Why do you want that card? Is your current card not sufficient anymore? -
kyzarvs Just swapped out my 1080ti for a 7900XT. I don't care about ray tracing, it's stonkingly rapid, much cheaper (about £150 cheaper than 4070ti super which is a bit slower @1440p ultra and £400 cheaper than a 4080) than the equivalent nVidia in rasterisation and very quiet. Happy days!Reply -
-Fran- Ok, nVidia. If you bring this to the market, make it cheaper than the 4060ti and we'll talk. Otherwise, you can keep it.Reply
Regards. -
ingtar33 Reply
it won't be. it will be like -25 or -50 from the 4070.-Fran- said:Ok, nVidia. If you bring this to the market, make it cheaper than the 4060ti and we'll talk. Otherwise, you can keep it.
Regards. -
OneMoreUser I wonder what the new slower card will be named.Reply
Somehow I doubt it will get a name that tells people what they are actually buying, so likely it will not get a different name than the original one and it for sure won't be named "4070 Slow" or "4070 End of Life". -
artk2219 Reply
It'll be called the RTX 4070 with absolutely nothing differentiating it from the previous model. Like the RTX 3060 8gb and 12gb, or RTX 3050 6gb or 8gb. AMD isn't innocent of this either, they just haven't done it in a little while (I'm looking to you RX 580 2048 -_-). Although realistically there should be very little performance impact from this change. Which is wildly different from the situation with the RTX 3050 6GB vs 8GB, thats around a 30% performance delta between the two, and either 33% more RAM or 25% less RAM depending on how you want to look at it. The RX 580 2048, was around a 10% performance difference.OneMoreUser said:I wonder what the new slower card will be named.
Somehow I doubt it will get a name that tells people what they are actually buying, so likely it will not get a different name than the original one and it for sure won't be named "4070 Slow" or "4070 End of Life".
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3050-6-gb/31.html