Nvidia’s RTX 4090 is still slated to debut first of all high-end Lovelace graphics cards, and the GPU is expected to arrive in October according to the latest rumor mill – but there are worrying factors that could interfere with that plan.
YouTube leaker Moore’s law is dead (opens in new tab) (MLID) has been busy talking about the RTX 4090 and claims it will be a 450W graphics card (as previously rumored), and that it will likely appear in October, or at least that’s Team Green’s current plan, according to a news release. source.
Another source supports this theory, that this is the planned deadline now, but that nothing is “100% decided” at this point. In other words, it looks like there’s potential for things to slide, particularly when you consider what else MLID discusses in their most recent video.
Namely, graphics card manufacturers are getting ‘desperate’ about how much RTX 3000 stock they need to change, as we’ve heard several times, and Nvidia is apparently working harder to find solutions to help clean up that excess stock sooner. Lovelace GPUs arrive (and current-gen cards will become much harder to switch).
The other factor set to come into play here, and potentially end up being a huge drag on new card sales, is ex-mining GPUs hitting the market, as apparently we haven’t seen anything yet when it comes to these used graphics cards being sold in sites like eBay.
Allegedly, the ‘overwhelming majority’ of these ex-mining cards hailing from Asia have yet to reach the western market, and when they do, it could make things even more difficult for Nvidia’s card-making partners to sell Ampere stock in good time. before the release of Lovelace.
Analysis: Nvidia is listening to partners and taking action now
So there are clearly some big concerns from Nvidia’s partners that they might get high and dry with excess RTX 3000 stock, to the point where, according to MLID’s sources, card makers apparently don’t want to buy more generation GPUs. current from Nvidia. until they start clearing out their existing inventory – even if it means risking the amount of next-gen Lovelace GPU allocation they receive.
Nvidia has taken seriously looking at these issues now, according to MLID, and we’ve actually seen some recent evidence of this. Earlier this week, the RTX 3090 and 3090 Ti, in addition to the RTX 3080 and 3080 Ti, received some big price cuts applied by Nvidia, worth $500 for the 3090 Ti in the US and $100 off the 3080. Ti, plus the addition of a four-game pack to entice shoppers even more.
If what we’re hearing about a possible flurry of ex-mining graphics cards used in Asia – such as some miners giving up cryptocurrencies entirely or others switching to ASICs – comes to fruition, we can probably expect considerably heavier price cuts in the future. close as downward price pressure intensifies.
There is still the possibility that Nvidia will delay the release of the RTX 4090 from October, of course, if stocking the RTX 3000 becomes an even more problematic task for its partners. As MLID sources claim, Nvidia is planning for that month now, but it’s not 100% on it. Also, Lovelace’s stock to hit shelves in the opening month could be scarce – a ‘real amount’ of GPUs will be available before December, MLID believes, but that seems to point to November before we see a good number of cards. latest generation on the shelves.
Another interesting point made in this video is that Nvidia is apparently still undecided on the beefier version of the RTX 4090 – and whether that will be the 4090 Ti, or even a newer RTX Titan.
No doubt there will be a more powerful card that uses the fat-filled AD102 chip, but whether it arrives quickly as a 4090 Ti version will depend on exactly how powerful AMD’s flagship RDNA 3 becomes. In other words, if Nvidia needs an answer in terms of leading the way in performance, the 4090 Ti will come along quickly (complete with a supposed increased power usage of around 600W).
If there’s no urgent need for a 4090 Ti to take on AMD’s next-gen flagship, it will come later, allowing Nvidia time to refine it further (or perhaps Team Green will push a Titan, as mentioned). , loaded with 48GB of VRAM, which was a rumor in the past). In short, the way forward regarding the AD102 chip has yet to be determined and will depend on what AMD produces for its high-end RDNA 3 offering; and that makes sense, certainly.
