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Nvidia hasn't announced its next-gen GeForce graphics cards yet, but details about the upcoming RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 appear to have begun leaking. After gathering information from various sources, Igor's Lab has put together PCB schematics for the upcoming GPU, revealing details on memory and pin layout.
According to Igor's Lab, the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 will share some similarities with the RTX 3090 Ti. The new GPU acts as a stepping stone for next-gen, by being the first graphics card to use a 16-pin PCIe 5.0 connector. It is also suggested that due to identical pin layouts, RTX 3090 Ti coolers will be able to be repurposed by board partners for custom-cooled RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 graphics cards.
A set of unofficial PCB schematics give a few more details, including 24x voltage converters beside the VRMs, plus another four for the memory, for a total of 28 (8x more than the RTX 3090). Moreover, there are 12x slots for GDDR6x modules, meaning a GPU paired with this PCB could feature up to 12GB using 1GB modules or 24GB using 2GB modules.
It is claimed that Nvidia may use a 600W TBP and upgrade to a 3-slot cooler for its next-gen Founders Edition graphics cards, while board partners are expected to use thicker 3.5-slot designs for additional cooling performance. With that in mind, expect GPUs to get bigger and heavier. We may also see a rise in graphics cards sold with AIO liquid coolers and water blocks installed.
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KitGuru says: Considering the high power requirements to feed these cards, it's not surprising to see that board partners are opting for bigger heatsinks. After all, cooling massive chunks of iron with air can only do so much. If the power requirements keep increasing, only two options come to mind: AIBs will use alternative cooling methods, or chip manufacturers will have to focus on improving power efficiency.
