Gigabyte has filed a SKU listing to the EEC (Eurasian Economic Commission) which confirms that several versions of the RTX 3080 12GB and RTX 3070 Ti 16GB are in production, and could possibly be released as early as January.
According to Videocardz, there is a total of ten RTX 3080 12GB models and six 3070 Ti 16GB video cards planned for production. In terms of the latter GPU, it is currently believed the 16GB version of the RTX 3070 Ti will feature the same 6144 CUDA cores and 256-bit bus width.
However, it's been proposed that the RTX 3080 12GB will be running the same 384-bit bus width as the RTX 3080 Ti. While a higher bandwidth doesn't necessarily mean a faster card, it means there is more overhead for potential speeds when under stress.
The full listing shows that various RTX 3080 12GB and RTX 3070 Ti 16GB Gigabyte models are going to be available. This includes options closer matching the stock MSRP of the GPU (such as Vision OC, Eagle OC), and more high-end variants which allow for overclocking and water-cooling at higher asking prices (Aorus Waterforce, and Waterblock).
No pricing information has surfaced as of yet, though the RTX 3070 Ti 16GB has been rumored to retail for $599 (Wccftech), which would price it at the same rate as the model that dropped back in June.
One of the main criticisms leveled at the RTX 3070 Ti at launch was how it retained the same 8GB memory capacity of the original 2020 model despite the bump up to GDDR6X. This new model would offer the same clock speed and 256-bit bus but with double the VRAM for more demanding games, especially in 4K.
The more interesting proposition, however, is with the RTX 3080 12GB, which has been given no price estimate, only a proposed upgrade to a 384-bit memory bus over the 320-bit of the original (which would have it more closely match the RTX 3080 Ti in VRAM and bandwidth). It remains to be seen what price range this new model will fall into, given the $500 difference between the stock RTX 3080 ($699) and RTX 3080 Ti ($1,199).
What does this mean for RTX 30 series restocks?
It's highly likely that these new graphics cards will sell out just as quickly as the RTX 30 series Ti line did when they released in June, becoming just as difficult to track down for would-be PC gamers and builders the world over. This is when considering that the GPU shortage could continue far into 2022.
For anyone who wants to get their hands on the new GPUs, it's likely that the release date window is going to be your only chance at pre-ordering a model (either made by Gigabyte or another manufacturer).
Based on the track record that we've seen with some of the best graphics cards releasing, you're normally better off buying a prebuilt system, or one of the best gaming laptops if you miss that initial launch window.
At the moment, an RTX 3080 PC or RTX 3070 PC is the better value proposition given how inflated the prices become after the fact. It remains to be seen if this will be the case at release.
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