According to a recent leak, Nvidia is preparing three different versions of its highly anticipated RTX 4070 graphics card, which vary based on GPU video memory. It looks like we will have 10GB, 12GB, and 16GB card models, but I don’t like that at all. Why not? Well, I haven’t forgotten the RTX4080.
Make a long story Anyway, Nvidia screwed up the mess with the reveal of the RTX 4080. The card was originally announced alongside the mighty flagship RTX-4090and there would have been two versions: a full 16GB model and a cheaper 12GB model.
Now, that was a little sneaky from Nvidia, because it wasn’t just the memory that was different; the 12GB model actually had a completely different GPU at its core, and gamers were quick to notice that. The ensuing uproar dragged Nvidia fully pulling the RTX 4080 12GBeventually relaunching it under the more appropriate name RTX4070Ti.
In the wake of this debacle, I am concerned – like many others, I am sure – by the prospect not of two but three different RTX 4070s land together. The leak comes from GPU maker Gigabyte’s website, where a gaming bundle information page prematurely lists all three models, but only specifies VRAM differences: no news here as to whether these cards will contain other sneaky hidden differences.
Analysis: We really don’t need multiple versions of each GPU
Earlier this year, I made the point that AMD (and many other tech makers, to be fair) has overloaded the market with an unnecessary and confusing number of product variants – in this case, GPUs with minor differences that compete for the same range of price.
Nvidia makes the same mistake here. Even if it’s only the memory that differs between the three RTX 4070 variants, it’s still an unnecessary level of differentiation that alienates consumers and doesn’t really benefit anyone. This is the best case scenario; at worst, it will be part 2 of the RTX 4080 saga, and everyone will be very angry with Nvidia again.
What makes this leak – if true, although I’m pretty convinced this one is legit – all the more infuriating is that the RTX 4070 is actually one of my most anticipated GPUs of the new generation. The RTX 3070 has long been one of the best graphics cards on the market, offering an excellent balance between price and performance, so its successor obviously has a high bar to cross. In fact, we gave it five stars in our opinion when it was first launched.
It’s also very odd that we’re getting a 16GB version of the RTX 4070, considering there’s only one RTX 4070 Ti currently on the market and it has 12GB of VRAM. A less powerful GPU with more VRAM could serve niche purposes, but that sounds like an odd move from Nvidia.
In short, I really hope this leak was just a mistake on Gigabyte’s part, and we’ll have a single RTX 4070 when it actually lands. A 10GB model seems most likely if that’s the case, but I wouldn’t be upset to see it pack 12GB. Only time will tell – but as they say, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it…