Nvidia's new RTX 3080 GPU: Here's what you need to know
We knew it was coming. It was just a matter of when. After months of constant leaks, rumors and Internet teases, Nvidia finally unveiled their RTX 3080 GPU. Arguably the most talked about piece of hardware within the last couple of months. Nonetheless, the GPU is here, and it appears Nvidia has once again dropped a gem for us PC builders.
There are a few things I need to go over. So without further ado, here's what you need to know about Nvidia's newest flagship graphics card, the RTX 3080.
On paper, the RTX 3080 is a beast and much faster than the GeForce RTX 2080, offering more operating cores, more memory, and according to Nvidia, it has much higher performance efficiency. The graphics card also carries the next generation ray-tracing and tensor cores technology.
Nvidia's pinnacle feature in the GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card is the GA102 GPU. The GA102 GPU is one of few Ampere based GPUs segmented for gaming. Nvidia states that the GA102 gaming GPU is by far the fastest GPU Nvidia has produced to date. Interestingly, the GPU is based on Samsung's 8nm custom process node explicitly designed for Nvidia. The actual size of the die measures 628mm2, next to the Turing TU102, this is the second-largest GPU ever produced by the chip manufacturer.
Let's take an in-depth examination at the rest of the core specs because the numbers posted are quite impressive. The GPU will function at a 1440 MHz, with a 1710 MHz boost, using 8704 CUDA cores and adding nearly 30 teraflops of overall performance, memory operating 2375 MHz. Speaking of which, the RTX 3080 is paired with 10GB GDDR6 memory, with 3200 memory bus and bandwidth measuring 760.0 GB/s.
Key tech terminology: CUDA Cores is an acronym for Compute Unified Architecture. The core are Nvidia’s GPU’s equivalent of CPU cores. There ate optimized for running any large number of calculations simultaneously.
The RTX 3080 is a dual-slot card that will use a 12-pin connector; this means it will require a significant amount of power, with a power draw rated at 320 watts. You'll likely need at minimum 750-watt power supply unit. The graphics card will include the following external ports, 1 x HDMI, 3 x DisplayPort. The GeForce RTX 3080 will need a PCIe 4.0x interface to connect the motherboard.
Regarding the design, the RTX 3080 measures almost a foot, coming in at 11.3 inches. It will include an updated dual-fan setup, improving airflow by more than 55 percent. Nvidia states that the graphics card will be quieter with efficient cooling using a unique bracket exhausting front-fan, with air flowing rear fan.
Ironically, Nvidia's RTX 3080 will offer a 50 percent performance boost over RTX 2080 Ti ( $1,199) at half the cost at just $699. The graphics card will launch on September 17th.
