Could RTX 4080 12 GB get rebranded as RTX 4070? Nvidia un-launches flagship GPU before launch

Nvidia unveiled RTX 4080 12 GB as part of the new Ada Lovelace-based RTX 40 series lineup on September 20. This new GPU was supposed to be a slightly turned-down version of the much costlier RTX 4080 16 GB GPU. However, the pricing, specs, and performance of the lowest-end RTX 40 series GPU upset the community and potential buyers.

Instead of having a similar -80 series GPU with just a slight spec difference compared to the beefier graphics card, the 4080 12 GB comes with significantly torn-down specs and is based on a completely different chip.

Thus, the community and users are incredibly frustrated with the company's move to price a much worse card at a hefty premium of $900. Many people classified the 4080 12 GB as a rebranded RTX 4070.

It was scheduled for a November 16 launch, alongside the RTX 4080 16 GB. However, at the turn of events, Nvidia announced today that they are canceling the RTX 4080 12 GB GPU citing reasons that the community pointed out to date.

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Could the RTX 4080 12 GB be renamed to RTX 4070 and relaunched?

The RTX 4080 12 GB comes with 7,680 CUDA cores, 240 Texture Mapping Units (TMUs), 80 Render Output Units (ROPs), and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory based on a narrow 192-bit bus. The card levels the performance of the RTX 3090 GPU.

In contrast, the 4080 16 GB comes with 9,728 CUDA cores, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. Its GDDR6X memory is based on a much wider 256-bit bus. This makes the $1200 GPU much more powerful as compared to the 12 GB variant.

Nvidia announced that they will be "unlaunching" the RTX 4080 12 GB graphics card via a blog post earlier today. The following was given as the official reason for this drastic reason just a month before the launch:

"The RTX 4080 12GB is a fantastic graphics card, but it’s not named right. Having two GPUs with the 4080 designation is confusing. So, we’re pressing the 'unlaunch' button on the 4080 12GB."

Following this announcement, the blog post concluded with an optimistic note that the RTX 4080 should be as successful and anticipated as the RTX 4090. It also contained some photos of people queueing up to secure the latest and greatest from Team Green, alongside some photos of people who bought one of the latest rendering machines in the market.

However, the company has been tight-lipped about any further information on the future of the RTX 4080 12 GB or a possible RTX 4070. However, the blog post has mentioned it not being named right. Thus, gamers can speculate that the GPU might be rebranded and reintroduced later down the product cycle. It could also hint at a possible price drop for this inferior silicon.

It is worth noting that this move is extremely drastic on Nvidia's part. Since the market is only a handful of weeks away from the official launch of the 4080 12 GB graphics card, several AIB partners already have their designs ready and the GPUs might be en route to distributors and retailers. Calling such massive shipments will cause significant losses for both parties.

Overall, the graphics card manufacturer is in a much worse scenario internally than the light-hearted tone of the published blog post. A drop in target prices might also mean that some board partners might have to sell their GPUs at tighter price margins and higher-end models might have to be sold at a loss. The entire situation can cause investors to lose faith in the company.