Nvidia’s RTX 5080 was recently rumored to be getting 16GB of VRAM – speculation that did not go down well with PC gamers, as it’s an amount no better than the RTX 4080 – but fresh word from the grapevine is the next-gen graphics card could also arrive in a 24GB flavor.
This is according to Polymorph, a member of the Chiphell forum (as spotted by Wccftech), who claims that Nvidia plans to release a 24GB VRAM version of the RTX 5080 later on, following in the footsteps of the initial 16GB model.
If this is true, a 24GB VRAM option would make Nvidia’s graphics card far more appealing and future-proofed.
As it stands, 16GB of VRAM with a 256-bit bus doesn’t feel like a convincing upgrade on the memory front. And while it’s true that switching to GDDR7 memory, as rumored elsewhere, would be an improvement over the RTX 4080 (with GDDR6X) – delivering better bandwidth and improved power efficiency, amongst other benefits – we don’t feel this is enough.
Neither do many PC gamers out there, going by the reaction to the 16GB of video RAM rumor when it emerged recently.
(Image credit: Micron)
A waiting game
So, why (theoretically) go for a 16GB and 24GB split for the VRAM with the RTX 5080 – and why wait to deliver the latter, beefier version?
Wccftech reminds us that initially GDDR7 will come in 2GB memory modules, with 8 and 16 of those modules for the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 respectively, giving us that 16GB (and 32GB) loadout.
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However, eventually GDDR7 memory will be available in 3GB modules, too, and so that could potentially lead to 8 of these in the RTX 5080, for a total of 24GB (the 256-bit memory bus would remain the same).
All this is theorizing, of course, and alternatively Nvidia could take a different approach and use a GB202 (RTX 5090) chip in the more powerful take on the RTX 5080, using a 384-bit memory bus and 24GB of VRAM.
Whatever the case, Polymorph is telling us that the RTX 5080 24GB will seemingly happen – or at least is currently planned – but it won’t arrive until down the line some way, possibly not until 3GB modules of GDDR7 are in mass production.
Clearly, the RTX 5080 with 24GB of VRAM would be far more appealing, especially considering the 5090’s 32GB VRAM loadout. We suppose the worry is how much of a price hike Nvidia might put on a second version of the RTX 5080 that appeared later as an upgrade over the original 16GB incarnation – which in itself might be pricey.
It’s important to remember that all the information aired regarding Nvidia’s RTX 5000 series remains rumors and speculation. We’ll only know the concrete details when Nvidia reveals the next-gen Blackwell graphics cards, with the rumored launch date being CES 2025 in January (that’s been the thinking for some time).
Memory isn’t the only concern for the RTX 5080, as there are also worries about power usage, too (and that goes for the RTX 5090 as well).
Via VideoCardz
