When NVIDIA released the RTX 3080 12GB version, not a lot of people were really fond of it. But perhaps current market conditions have pushed the tech giant to go back to it, as per recent rumors.
rtx 3080 12gb
According to VideoCardz, Team Green has once again reopened the production line for the 12GB 3080 due to just how many GA102 silicon they have left in stock. This was the claim of industry insider MEGAsizeGPU on Twitter, who also revealed that production was resumed "quickly":
By "quickly," they probably mean the fact that NVIDIA just stopped producing the RTX 3080 12GB around two months ago. Now, there is no indication that any of this information is accurate. But perhaps this links back to numerous reports saying that the company has an "oversupply" of RTX 30 chips close to the RTX 40 series' launch.
One of these reports comes from PCGamesN. In it, they say that there's indication of an RTX 40 series delay because there's still way too much stock of RTX 30 series chips still unsold. This was mainly due to retailers struggling to move their inventory of brand-new and still-expensive cards, because a massive wave of used GPUs from crypto miners have flooded the market.
The information first comes from another industry insider, YouTuber Moore's Law Is Dead. In one of his videos, he mentioned that the bulk of RTX 40 series GPUs were supposed to ship this October. But that shipment is reportedly postponed to December, though it doesn't really mean that NVIDIA will not announce the high-end SKUs like the 4090 during the same timeframe.
Either way, perhaps you can expect your local retailer to have stocks of the 12GB RTX 3080 down the line, if this rumor proves true. All those new GPUs being made have to be shipped to retailers somehow, and maybe they'll even struggle to sell those too. PC gamers should take note of this because it really is a buyer's market now: PC gaming has never had a renaissance quite like this since 2020.
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Should You Go For a 12GB RTX 3080?
When NVIDIA launched the 12GB version of the RTX 3080 (which originally came with 10GB), not a lot of people were exactly impressed. For around an extra $100-$200, all you get is the extra 2GB of VRAM and barely any performance difference. In Hardware Unboxed's review, they called the GPU a "shameless cash grab" from NVIDIA:
All in all, it's the performance-per-dollar balance that will make the RTX 3080 12GB not much of an upgrade if you already have a 3080 yourself. But if you are coming from a lower-end GPU like a 3070, 3060, or even a 3050, then we're in business. Current pricing for the 12GB 3080 on markets like eBay are around $900, though you'd find 3080 Tis for far cheaper than that at around $700-$800. Once again, it's the price-to-performance ratio that does this GPU in when it comes to value.
Either way, here's a benchmark for the NVIDIA RTX 3080 12GB if you want to see real gaming numbers:
Related: Check Out This Prototype NVIDIA 'GTX 2080' - A 2080 Without RTX