At CES 2023, Nvidia has officially teased and unveiled their new GeForce RTX 40 Super series graphics cards, the next generation refresh of their current RTX 40 lineup. The new Super variants aim to deliver better performance at more aggressive price points compared to the existing RTX 4090, RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 cards.
RTX 4080 Super 16GB to Start at $799 With Faster 23Gbps GDDR6X
The flagship RTX 4080 Super will come with 16GB of faster 23Gbps GDDR6X memory, up from 16GB 21Gbps on the standard RTX 4080 12GB. Surprisingly, Nvidia will position the RTX 4080 Super starting at just $799, a whole $100 cheaper than the controversial $899 RTX 4080 12GB.
This signals a change in strategy for Nvidia to offer better value compared to both its previous generation cards, as well as competing RDNA3 GPUs from AMD like the RX 7900 XTX. The decision comes after lower than expected sales for the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 series.
| Specification | RTX 4080 Super | RTX 4080 12GB | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 9728 | 9728 | Same |
| Boost Clock | 2505 MHz | 2505 MHz | Same |
| Memory | 16GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR6X | Same Capacity |
| Memory Speed | 23Gbps | 21Gbps | +10% |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 192-bit | +33% |
| MSRP | $799 | $899 | -$100 |
With a 256-bit bus paired with the faster 23Gbps memory, this allows for up to 716GB/s of bandwidth, 33% higher than the standard RTX 4080. This should provide better performance in games and applications.
RTX 4070 Ti Super Could Offer RTX 4080-Level Performance for $799
In another surprising move, Nvidia plans to offer an RTX 4070 Ti Super graphics card that has very similar specifications to the RTX 4080 12GB, but at $100 less. This could make it the new performance per dollar champion.
The RTX 4070 Ti Super is reported to feature:
- The same 9728 CUDA cores
- 10GB of 21Gbps GDDR6X memory
- 320-bit bus width
- $799 MSRP
If performance lives up to the specifications on paper, consumers may get similar FPS to the RTX 4080 12GB for $100 less money. This should make AMD sweat as they try to provide better competition with cards like the just-announced RX 7800 XT at $899 MSRP.
Mainstream Gamer-Focused RTX 4070 Super Also Aggressively Positioned at $599
For mainstream and 1080p gamers, Nvidia seems to be aggressive with the RTX 4070 Super pricing as well. Rumored specifications include:
- 7680 CUDA cores
- 12GB GDDR6X 21Gbps memory
- 192-bit Bus
- $599 MSRP
This represents a 12.5% drop in price over the controversial $699 RTX 4070, along with the switch to much faster GDDR6X memory. Nvidia wrongly assumed they could get away with pairing slow GDDR6 memory with the RTX 4070, but blows from media and consumers seem to have changed their minds for the Super refresh.
| Specification | RTX 4070 Super | RTX 4070 | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| CUDA Cores | 7680 | 7680 | Same |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6X | 12GB GDDR6 19Gbps | +10% Faster Memory |
| Memory Bus | 192-bit | 192-bit | Same |
| MSRP | $599 | $699 | -$100 |
The switch to faster GDDR6X memory should provide better overall bandwidth for gaming, as the 192-bit bus was choking the standard RTX 4070 in some titles.
This aggressive $599 pricing also puts enormous pressure on AMD’s upcoming RDNA3 mainstream cards like the RX 7700 XT to compete on price and performance. Most expect that AMD card to end up around $549 to directly replace the older RX 6800 XT.
Zotac Triple & Dual Fan RTX 4070 Super Cards Leaked
In leaked images ahead of CES, Zotac branding can already be seen on custom triple fan and dual fan RTX 4070 Super graphics cards.
The RTX 4070 Super Founders Edition is expected to launch on January 11th, but board partners like Zotac, MSI, ASUS, and others will offer their custom designs immediately after.
All of Zotac’s RTX 40 series Super cards feature the new standard 12VHPWR connector with two 6-pin inputs, avoiding the controversial melting issues seen with the 4090. The connectors and power delivery systems have been further upgraded to handle the increased card power limits.
Custom designs with more capable cooling should allow some factory overclocked models to exceed reference Founders Edition clocks by 5-10% or more.
Nvidia Super GPUs to Bring Better Value Just In Time for RDNA3 Competition
The new RTX 40 Super series comes just as AMD is entering the chat with their next-gen RDNA3 graphics cards, expected to launch through Q1 2023. Flagship specs for cards like the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7800 XT were already announced by AMD CEO Lisa Su during CES 2023.
Nvidia likely saw they had an opportunity to lower prices now while still earning strong margins. The new aggressive MSRPs on the RTX 40 Super series aim to compete better against RDNA3 cards like the $899 RX 7800 XT.
Gamers can expect better price competition throughout 2023 and 2024 if both brands continue refreshing and iterating to one-up each other. This fueled the GPU wars between AMD and Nvidia through 2018-2020, but Nvidia had no competition the past couple years which led to the overpriced RTX 40 series.
What Happens Next? Could We See RTX 4060 and RTX 4050 Series Too?
With the new Super refreshes only covering the RTX 4080, RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4070 class of cards, Nvidia still has room to flesh out lower end cards for the mainstream. Namely, an RTX 4060 and RTX 4050 series built on the Ada Lovelace architecture could also arrive later in 2023.
Rumors indicate Nvidia has an AD107 GPU ready that could power an RTX 4060. And several leaked engineering samples with AD106 and AD104 chips have appeared that could end up in RTX 4050 series models.
These lower-end cards would compete with AMD’s RX 7600 XT and RX 7500 series also expected over the next 6-12 months.
Having pushed the high-end significantly in 2022, both AMD and Nvidia should renew their battle for 1080p and 1440p gaming performance supremacy through 2023 and 2024. Greater competition leads to better value all around.
So in summary, Nvidia’s surprise unveil of the GeForce RTX 40 Super series graphics cards with markedly improved value positioning come at the perfect time. AMD was just starting to make waves with their first RDNA3 announcements, but team green aggressively responded in turn. This sets up what should be an exciting and competitive next two years between Team Red and Team Green to win over gamers with better performing GPUs at lower prices.
To err is human, but AI does it too. Whilst factual data is used in the production of these articles, the content is written entirely by AI. Double check any facts you intend to rely on with another source.
