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Nvidia RTX 2080 Could Launch Aug. 20: What You Need to Know
We're rounding the home stretch now, with Nvidia's next-generation GPU platform expected to debut as soon as Aug. 20. While we've been calling the new high-end card the GTX 1180, new rumors suggest that it could actually be called the RTX 2080, getting rid of the long-standing GTX branding and highlighting new ray-tracing technology.
Here's everything we know about Nvidia's upcoming GPU platform.
What will the new chips be called? Could it eschew the GTX branding altogether?
The chips will be based on the Turing platform, but Nvidia hasn't announced a brand name. We've seen conflicting rumors that state that the new cards will be called either the 11-series or the 20-series, which suggests that the high-end chip would be either the GTX 1180 or GTX 2080.
However, the latest rumors also suggest that the GTX name could be replaced with a different set of letters, RTX. Nvidia dropped a ton of hints in a video entitled "Be For The Game" on Aug. 13. Most of the hints are in Discord usernames, like RoyTeX (note the capitalization), a conversation betweeen Mac-20 and Eight Tee, and Not_11. Additionally, the teaser date of Aug. 20, 2018 has a 2, 0, 8 and another 0 pop up independently of the rest of the date. That would make the new GPU the RTX 2080.
Additionally, it doesn’t make a lot of sense for Nvidia to add RTX support to its GameWorks developer suite if gaming cards wouldn’t support it.
When will the RTX 2080 come out?
We originally reported that the Founder's Edition (aka Nvidia's 1st party GPU) of the new card would be announced in July. But Nvidia's teaser seems to provide the answer: an announcement on Aug. 20 at Gamescom.
What kind of performance will RTX 2080 have?
According to TweakTown, the card will be capable of playing 4K games at 120Hz to 144Hz. This kind of speed makes sense, given that Nvidia is also pushing out a series of 144Hz, 4K gaming monitors this summer and it needs a card to power them. Based on what we know about Turing now, it may also have ray tracing technology.
What about VR support?
RTX 2080 will likely use VirtualLink, a standard over USB Type-C for next-gen VR headsets. Nvidia's workstation graphics card based on the Turing architecture, Quadro RTX, uses this standard.
How much will RTX 2080 cost?
TweakTown guestimates that there will be two variants, a less expensive $999 card and a $1,499 model with more RAM on board. Our sources say that pricing will be higher than the GTX 1080 Ti which carries a $699 MSRP. Nvidia's Titan Xp card, its current high-end consumer GPU, goes for $1,200.
How long will it take for third-party vendors to make their Turing cards?
Third-party GPU vendors such as MSI, Gigabyte and Asus will be later to market than Nvidia's first-party cards, because they have to go through a number of validation steps. We expect these cards to arrive no earlier than October.
What will the RTX 2080 have inside?
Our sources haven't shared technical details, but tech site Wccftech reported in April that the 2080 could have 3,584 CUDA cores, a clock speed of 1.6 to 1.8-GHz and 8 to 16GB of GDDR6 memory. The site also claimed that the card would have a TDP of 170 to 200 watts.
What about the RTX 2070?
In May, Wccftech also shared some rumored specs for the rumored GTX 1170 (the successor to the GTX 1070). It is said to have 2,688 CUDA cores and also have 8 to 16GB of GDDR6 memory. Its clock speed could range from 1.5 to 1.8-GHz and its TDP is alleged to be 140 to 160 watts.
