Nvidia’s RTX 40 series graphics cards will be launching in November and we’ve gathered every morsel of information that we can find, in addition to the latest confirmed specifications, in addition to every card currently announced in the lineup, and more.
The RTX 40 series is almost upon us. The RTX 4090 will be released shortly, and we’ll soon see two variants of the RTX 4080 (a 16GB and 12GB model) hit store shelves soon afterward. There’s currently no sign of the lower-end Lovelace chips, though there are some interesting rumors regarding the upcoming RTX 4070, in addition to a possible RTX 4090 Ti, or a Titan card.
Codenamed Ada Lovelace, these GPUs are based on TSMC’s 4nm process, moving away from the Samsung 8nm process that we saw previously in their Ampere lineup of graphics cards. Nvidia previously secured $10B USD worth of parts to avoid a shortage of cards upon launch.
Each graphics card in the RTX 40 series is based on various “AD” chips. AD102 is the most powerful features in the RTX 4090, the AD103 features in the RTX 4080 16GB, with AD104 in the RTX 4080 12GB and the RTX 4070.
RTX 40 series specifications
The officially announced RTX 40 series cards look extremely impressive, and they also come with some eye-watering high price points. However, what is the most curious thing about this ,launch lineup is that the RTX 4080 16GB and 12GB models are completely different. Unlike how the name implies, you are getting a wholly different chip, with the RTX 4080 16GB sporting an AD103 chip, while the RTX 4080 12GB will be using an AD104.
This could be due to the card being switched over from being an RTX 4070 simply due to being too fast. Therefore, to Nvidia, it makes sense to rebadge the GPU and make it a more affordable counterpart to the 16GB RTX 4080, instead.
| Spec | RTX 4090 | RTX 4080 16GB | RTX 4080 12GB |
|---|---|---|---|
| NVIDIA CUDA Cores | 16384 | 9728 | 7680 |
| Boost Clock (GHz) | 2.52 | 2.51 | 2.61 |
| Base Clock (GHz) | 2.23 | 2.21 | 2.31 |
| Standard Memory Config | 24 GB GDDR6X | 16 GB GDDR6X | 12 GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Interface Width | 384-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit |
| Maximum GPU Temperature (in C) | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| Graphics Card Power (W) | 450 | 320 | 285 |
| Required System Power (W) (4) | 850 | 750 | 700 |
| Required Power Connectors | 3x PCIe 8-pin cables (adapter in box) OR1x 450 W or greater PCIe Gen 5 cable | 3x PCIe 8-pin cables (adapter in box) OR1x 450 W or greater PCIe Gen 5 cable | 2x PCIe 8-pin cables (adapter in box) OR1x 300 W or greater PCIe Gen 5 cable |
| Maximum Digital Resolution (1) | 7680×4320 | 7680×4320 | 7680×4320 |
| Standard Display Connectors | HDMI(2), 3x DisplayPort(3) | HDMI(2), 3x DisplayPort(3) | HDMI(2), 3x DisplayPort(3) |
| Multi-Monitor | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| HDCP | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 |
| Length | 304 mm | 304 mm | Varies by manufacturer |
| Width | 137 mm | 137 mm | Varies by manufacturer |
| Slot | 3-Slot (61mm) | 3-Slot (61mm) | Varies by manufacturer |
RTX 40 series rumored specifications
| RTX 4090 Ti | RTX 4070 | |
| GPU die | AD102-450-A1 | AD-104-300-A1 |
| CUDA cores | 18,176 FP32 | 7,168 FP32 |
| Tensor cores | 568 | 224 |
| Ray Tracing cores | 142 | 56 |
| L2 cache | 96MB | 40MB |
| Memory Bus width | 384-bit | 160-bit |
| VRAM | 48GB GDDR6X | 10GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bandwidth | 1,152 GB/s | 420 GB/s |
| Boost clock | N/A | N/A |
| TDP | 600W | 250W |
| Time Spy Extreme Score | 24,300 | 10,000 |
One of our biggest concerns regarding these cards is the significant power draw that the GPUs supposedly have, with the RTX 4090 topping out at a total board power of a staggering 450W. This will likely require significant thermal cooling on the design of the cards in order to dissipate the hit, as long as you have a power supply that can keep up with these demands.
Additionally, the initial Time Spy benchmarks for the cards have all come through, and they are looking incredibly quick. For an idea of what the current cards look like in comparison to the upcoming RTX 40 series GPUs, we’ve compared their Time Spy Extreme benchmarks below.
RTX 40 series rumored benchmarks
| GPU | Time Spy Extreme Score | Versus 30-series equivalent |
| RTX 4090 | 19,000 | +86.2% (RTX 3090) |
| RTX 4080 | 15,000 | +68.5% (RTX 3080) |
| RTX 4070 | 10,000 | +61.7% (RTX 3070) |
It appears like the stack will have a significant boost in performance all-round. Right now, the RTX 4070 is looking to be around as fast as the current RTX 3090 Ti, meaning that no matter what GPU you have, you will probably benefit from upgrading to the RTX 40 series.
RTX 40 series official benchmarks
On Nvidia’s own benchmarks, the 4090 scored like this:
- 2x the performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator
- 2x the performance in Warhammer 40K: Darktide
- Over 4x performance in Cyberpunk 2077
Though, if you are not keen on splashing the cash on a brand-new card, you should probably take a look at getting yourself a cheap GPU, as all of the prices have been significantly slashed after a cryptocurrency crash, which has saturated the used market with cheap graphics cards, which is causing a headache of an oversupply issue over at Nvidia.
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RTX 40 series release date
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 will be launching on October, 12, while the 4080 16GB and 12Gb variants will be releasing in November. However, this is slightly later than Nivida initially planned, as at the start of the year we heard that the cards could be launching as early as July.
It’s likely that the lower-end GPUs will be held back until 2023, so for those looking for a more affordable GPU to pick up, you might have to wait a little bit longer.
However, it’s clear reports of the RTX 4090 being already in production were true, while the RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 were nowhere in sight, this lends credence to the idea that we might be seeing the RTX 4070 in 2023.
There is still time yet for a limited run of the GPUs, so until we hear otherwise, we’re going to be sticking to our guns for an RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 release this year. Though, do take that estimation with a pinch of salt, as things can change rapidly in the run-up to launch.
Regardless, suppliers are starting to receive their shipments of RTX 40 series graphics cards, according to a recent report, so movement is coming along nicely. Though you still might be waiting a while for the graphics card of your choosing to launch.
RTX 40 series pricing
The RTX 40 series currently starts at $899 for the RTX 4080 12GB. The RTX 4080 16GB will cost $1199, and the RTX 4090 will be starting at an MSRP of $1599.
These prices are higher than the previous generation of graphics cards, ad we do not yet have any information about the lower-tier of GPUs, which we presume will be launching in 2023.
| GPU | MSRP |
|---|---|
| RTX 4090 | $1599 |
| RTX 4080 16GB | $1199 |
| RTX 4080 12GB | $899 |
The RTX 40-series will be launching very soon, and we currently believe that there are going to be ample supplies of the upcoming GPU. However, be prepared on the day of release to get yours, as they will surely sell out.