The rumor mills continue to spool up with more information coming out about a potential NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Super. Whilst it is fun to speculate on potential specs and even the existence of future releases, contradicting information abounds. This time, we're seeing differing possibilities emerge on the VRAM front.
Initially, the word on the street was that NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4080 Super could come with a robust 20GB of VRAM at a 320-bit memory bus. This would place it smack dab in the middle of the existing offerings from NVIDIA, just shy of the monstrous GeForce RTX 4090 with 24GB of VRAM and regular GeForce RTX 4080 with 16GB. This would also keep the competition over at AMD at bay, matching the Radeon RX 7900 XT's 20GB of VRAM.
The popular leaker kopite7kimi doesn't think 20GB VRAM is likely
The popular leaker kopute7kimi goes against the grain on X, stipulating that he disagrees that a GeForce RTX 4080 Super will have 20GB of memory. He is of the opinion that this GPU will likely be much more similar to the "relation between" the GeForce RTX 2080 Super and GeForce RTX 2080. While the Super variant of the RTX 2080 provided some increase in overall performance, the VRAM remained exactly the same at 8GB.
This correlation, if true, would place the GeForce RTX 4080 Super with the same 16GB of VRAM as the regular GeForce RTX 4080. While this does not look as exciting on the performance front for gamers, it can be made entirely enticing by what it is priced at. It is no secret that the GPU market as a whole has been in a bit of a malaise recently. This is also true of the GeForce RTX 4080, which stands at the unpopular price point of $1,199 MSRP.
Mirror, Mirror, Will Your Super Have More VRAM?
If NVIDIA can drop its pricing strategy on the 80-class of GPUs, the VRAM amounts won't be on the forefront of gamers' minds nearly as much. Having said that, a 20GB GeForce RTX 4080 that replaces the pricing tier of the existing offering would certainly be the cherry on top for the upcoming Super refresh. More performance, more VRAM, and same pricing - a potent combination to rouse up some slow adoption of the 80-class products.
On the flip side, a slightly faster "Super" at the same $1,199 price point but without extra VRAM may be unattractive to buyers. In light of contradicting information on the specs of the GeForce RTX 4080 Super, we'll definitely have to do the "wait and see" approach before making any solid determinations.
