Recap: Leaks and rumors over the previous yr have constructed a altering image of Nvidia’s next-generation graphics playing cards, indicating that the corporate’s plans stay in flux. Whereas efficiency predictions have remained comparatively steady for months, the flagship mannequin’s launch date has shifted, and new stories increase questions concerning the lineup’s reminiscence interface.
Identified leaker @kopite7kimi just lately said that the top-end RTX 50 sequence GPU would improve to a 512-bit reminiscence interface however would not count on the bus enhancements to trickle down the {hardware} stack. The reminiscence configurations of the opposite upcoming Blackwell merchandise would possibly resemble their Ada Lovelace predecessors as a substitute.
Since late final yr, leaks prompt that the Blackwell flagship – probably named the GeForce RTX 5090 – transfer from GDDR6X to the quicker GDDR7, offering the first VRAM enchancment, however would not exceed the RTX 4090’s 24 GB 384-bit reminiscence interface. Nonetheless, new info signifies a 512-bit bus for the 5090, which, mixed with different rumors, may make the cardboard considerably quicker than its predecessor.
Sadly, Kopite would not count on the opposite Blackwell playing cards to obtain an analogous uplift. The GB203 and GB205 GPUs will likely be 256-bit and 192-bit, respectively, matching the 16 GB RTX 4080 Tremendous’s AD103 and the 12 GB RTX 4070 Tremendous’s AD104.
Thanks as all the time. GB203 is 256-bit and GB205 is 192-bit.
– kopite7kimi (@kopite7kimi) March 12, 2024
Nvidia has confronted criticism for skimping on VRAM in its latest mid-range and mainstream merchandise. Playing cards just like the RTX 3070 and 4060 solely embrace 8 GB of reminiscence, whereas the 3060 has 12 GB. The brand new rumors relating to Blackwell do not point out its mainstream variant, however they may stoke issues over one other VRAM-starved 128-bit product.
Reminiscence kind is one other vital but unconfirmed element worthy of notice. The RTX 4070 Tremendous, 4080 Tremendous, and 4090 all characteristic GDDR6X VRAM, so another Blackwell playing cards may shift to GDDR7 just like the 5090.
Though efficiency enhancements within the non-enthusiast RTX 5000 GPUs stay unknown, the 5090 ought to see a 60 – 70 % enhance over the 4090 resulting from having 50 % extra cores, 78 % extra L2 cache, and a 15 % frequency improve. Based mostly on TSMC’s 3nm node, it would assist DisplayPort 2.1 and PCIe 5.0.
Whether or not Nvidia will launch Blackwell in late 2024 or early 2025 is unclear, however the newest info leans towards the previous. We additionally count on Intel and AMD to launch new generations of GPUs this yr.