Once again, the tech community is abuzz with rumors and leaks surrounding the RTX 4080 Super, and this time, there is substantial evidence to support these claims. A recent entry has appeared in the PCI ID Repository, a reputable database for hardware device information, unveiling an RTX 4080 Super with its associated GPU codename. It’s disappointing to note that the initial refresh in the Ada Lovelace series seems to be sticking with the AD103 GPU.
Our first glimpse of this information came from BenchLife.info (with additional details referenced from Videocardz). Essentially, someone has acquired PCI ID details, likely from a beta driver, related to the upcoming RTX 4080 Super. These details have been added to the PCI ID Repository, and they unmistakably confirm that the updated card will continue to use the AD103 GPU.
The current RTX 4080 utilizes nearly the entire AD103 chip, with only four Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs) deactivated. This means there’s potential for just an additional 512 shaders. Considering the RTX 4080 already boasts 9,728 shaders, an RTX 4080 Super using the full AD103 die would bring only a marginal 5.3% increase in shader count.
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There aren’t any other significant enhancements to be unlocked in the AD103 chip. Unless Nvidia has plans to significantly boost clock speeds for the Super variant, the expected performance gains may not be substantial. Even if it debuts with a, for example, 10% higher clock speed, the more details we gather about the RTX 4080 Super, the more it appears to be a somewhat underwhelming release.
For those well-versed in GPU history, the RTX 2080 Super from 2019 may come to mind. This graphics card was only marginally better than the RTX 2080 it succeeded, featuring just 4% more shaders, a 6% higher boost clock, and 11% faster VRAM. However, it hit the market with the same MSRP as the RTX 2080, so while it wasn’t an exciting refresh, it wasn’t necessarily a bad purchase either.
The same cannot be said for a $1200 RTX 4080 Super. At that price point, it might be more practical to invest in an RTX 4090. Considering that the RTX 4080 has not experienced robust sales, many retailers may find themselves with excess inventory, especially during this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday events.
If this scenario unfolds, and a substantial number of consumers take advantage of discounted RTX 4080s, it is probable that sales of the RTX 4080 Super will be even weaker than those of its predecessor.
I had initially hoped that Nvidia would opt for a significantly reduced AD102 chip (the one powering the RTX 4090) for the RTX 4080 Super, providing more room for a genuinely improved model refresh. Unfortunately, this idea seems increasingly unlikely with each passing week. It appears I should manage my expectations more cautiously in these matters.
