After months of anticipation, Nvidia has finally unveiled its next-generation graphics cards with the RTX 4090 and 4080 as the debut models. These cards pack plenty of hardware improvements, much of which had already been leaked in the past. But now we’ve got official specs, prices, and a release date for Nvidia’s RTX 4090 and 4080 to delve into.
To kick things off, let’s look at the prices for Nvidia’s RTX 4090 and 4080. Firstly, the RTX 4090 comes in with a base price of $1,599 USD. In comparison, the RTX 3090 launched with a price starting at $1,499 USD, so we’ve got a jump of $100. The RTX 4080 comes in two versions with differing specs, as per usual for this class of card. The 12 GB model costs $899 USD, while the 16GB costs $1,199 USD. As always, these prices are pretty optimistic on Nvidia’s part, and we’ll likely see some varying prices from AIBs. The RTX 4090 launches first on October 12, while both versions of the RTX 4080 are due to release in November.
Nvidia RTX 4090 and 4080 specs
| RTX 4090 | RTX 4080 16GB | RTX 4080 12 GB | |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| CUDA cores | 16,384 | 9,728 | 7,680 |
| Tensor cores | 4th Gen | 4th Gen | 4th Gen |
| RT cores | 3rd Gen | 3rd Gen | 3rd Gen |
| Boost clock | 2.52 GHz | 2.51 GHz | 2.61 GHz |
| Memory speed | 21Gbps | 23Gbps | 21Gbps |
| Memory capacity | 24 GB GDDR6X | 16 GB GDDR6X | 12 GB GDDR6X |
| Memory bus | 384-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit |
| Power consumption | 450W | 320W | 285W |
| Max number of displays | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Maximum resolution | 7680×4320 | 7680×4320 | 7680×4320 |
| Video output | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a | HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a |
| MSRP | $1,599 | $1,199 | $899 |
Just by looking at the specs for Nvidia’s RTX 4090 and comparing it to the 3090 Ti, this is a fairly big leap. Furthermore, these cards use the long-rumored Ada Lovelace architecture based on TSMC’s 4N node. Additionally, the RTX 4090 uses three 8-pin connectors or a single 450W PCIe 5.0 cable for power. As rumored, the power consumption for the 4090 is the same as the 3090 Ti. However, since it delivers roughly twice the performance of the 3090 Ti, that’s not a bad trade-off.
Power consumption on the 4080 16 GB model is at 320W, the same as the 3080. The 12 GB 4080 draws less power at 285W. There are also 16,384 CUDA cores, which is a big step up from the 10,752 featured in the 3090 Ti. One aspect about the RTX 40 Series is disappointing though, and we’re referring to the lack of DisplayPort 2.0 as an output for uncompressed high resolution, high-refresh gameplay that these cards are clearly capable of.
Nvidia is confident that the RTX 4090 is able to deliver on the promise of massive leaps in gaming performance. But this is something that’s hard to judge from a presentation like this. Of course, in the examples Nvidia showed off in its presentation the cards look fantastic. Cyberpunk 2077 and Microsoft Flight Simulator were shown at max settings with full ray tracing and high framerates. However, there’s a lot to be desired in terms of knowing how the benchmarks were measured. For starters, Nvidia used its new DLSS 3.0 to take the load off ray traced scenes. We’ll know for sure how these cards perform compared to the RTX 30 Series once samples get into the hands of reviewers.
(Image credit: Nvidia).
The RTX 4090 is set to release in October
Nvidia’s next top-of-the-line graphics card is certainly a beast judging from the specs. But with a $1,599 MSRP, you shouldn’t really expect anything less. The RTX 4080 16 GB and 12 GB models obviously bring smaller gains, but will appeal more to the wider audience of gamers thanks to lower prices and power consumption. Obviously, enthusiasts already know which card they’re going for, but the 4080 models are likely to be more than enough for mainstream gamers. We don’t have long to wait for the release of the RTX 4090, since it’s just around the corner on October 12. We don’t have exact dates for the 4080s, but those will arrive sometime in November.
