NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB GPU 'production resumed', makes no sense

NVIDIA GA102 GPUs sitting around, so production has reportedly resumed with AIBs making new GeForce RTX 3080 12GB graphics cards, before next-gen is here.

Published Aug 15, 2022 9:48 PM CDT   |   Updated Tue, Sep 6 2022 8:45 PM CDT
3 minutes & 16 seconds read time

NVIDIA is reportedly resuming production of its GeForce RTX 3080 12GB SKU, after production stopped some two months ago now.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB GPU 'production resumed', makes no sense 509

The company released the newer GeForce RTX 3080 12GB graphics card earlier this year in January, an upgraded version over the GeForce RTX 3080 10GB graphics card. The biggest two differences between the GeForce RTX 3080 10GB and GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is that firstly, the obvious difference in 12GB of GDDR6X memory over 10GB of GDDR6X memory. Secondly, the RTX 3080 12GB is an LHR "Lite Hash Rate" model, while the GeForce RTX 3080 10GB has full-speed crypto mining performance.

But now, NVIDIA faces warehouses of current-gen Ampere-based GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards, in the months leading up to its next-gen Ada Lovelace-powered GeForce RTX 40 series graphics cards. This is why we're hearing that NVIDIA will reportedly launch the flagship GeForce RTX 4090 graphics card first, and the GeForce RTX 4080 and GeForce RTX 4080 later... because there are too many higher-end GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards left over in warehouses, and now more GeForce RTX 3080 12GB graphics cards are being made.

In previous news, we heard from leaker Moore's Law is Dead and his sources that AIB partners told NVIDIA to go "pound sand" over leftover Ampere GPUs leading into next-gen Ada Lovelace. NVIDIA is working with AIB partners to get rid of existing GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs, with price drops for graphics cards across the board, and flagship GPUs like the EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti FTW3 dropping $1000+ in the last couple of weeks alone.

NVIDIA is actively helping AIBs purge their old graphics cards, as a "compromise" of sorts in the "NVIDIA AIB Revolt" that I reported on last week. In that article, I covered that MLID said that his sources have said that AIBs are being helped by NVIDIA to clear their reserve stockpiles of GA102 (GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, GeForce RTX 3090, GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, GeForce RTX 3080 12GB, GeForce RTX 3080). His sources state that this was "the compromise" of the "NVIDIA AIB Revolt" which is when AIBs told NVIDIA to "go pound sand" over their warehouses of older-gen GPUs before the next-gen Ada Lovelace cards arrive.

  • Source 1: NVIDIA has directly stepped in to help AIBs clear their reserve stockpiles of GA102 in exchange for big pre-purchases of Enthusiast Lovelace. This was the compromise for the "NVIDIA AIB Revolt". But even with help, it's still going to take months for AIBs to sell through what they have, and they're on their own when it comes to s telling off GA104 and lower".
  • Source 2: The channel is already starting to run dry of RTX 3090s, and the RTX 3090 Ti is starting to show signs of depleting stock as well. After that, we'll see how aggressive we need to get for the RTX 3080 Ti and 3080 12GB to sell through".
  • Source 3: Late August is when the more aggressive actions will kick in from both AMD and NVIDIA if there's still a ton of inventory left over. NVIDIA can still stomach going a bit lower on pricing if needed, but AMD won't get much cheaper".

Now, as for the AIB partners that told NVIDIA to "go pound sand" that had AIB sources explaining: "This month we told NVIDIA to go pound sound. We don't want to buy anymore Ampere or Turing stock until we liquidate our existing warehouses. At this point we're even willing to risk Lovelace allocation if they threaten us".

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 12GB GPU 'production resumed', makes no sense 508

The AIB source continued: "NVIDIA underestimated how desperate we were getting, but no more. They're finally working with us on solutions to clear as much stock as possible before Lovelace launches in October. BTW - the overwhelming majority of Used mining stock hasn't even hit the west yet. We need to get rid of these New cards NOW".

Another source explained: "Well, over here (ASIA) miners are definitely selling most of their stock off. I'd expect those cards to start flooding the west within weeks".

And now... now we have GeForce RTX 3080 12GB SKU going back into production. Hmmm.

Buy at Amazon

MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3080 LHR 12GB (RTX 3080 Gaming Z Trio 12G LHR)

TodayYesterday7 days ago30 days ago
$1099.99$1199.99$1153.17
* Prices last scanned on 12/27/2022 at 2:09 am CST - prices may not be accurate, click links above for the latest price. We may earn an affiliate commission.
NEWS SOURCE:videocardz.com

Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering.

Newsletter Subscription

    Related Tags

    Newsletter Subscription
    Latest News
    View More News
    Latest Reviews
    View More Reviews
    Latest Articles
    View More Articles