Due to a ongoing shortage of GDDR6X memory, NVIDIA is reportedly preparing a GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card equipped with 12GB of GDDR6 memory. This move comes as a response to the limited availability of GDDR6X, which is crucial for the current GeForce RTX 4070 model and has significantly impacted its availability, particularly for PC gamers.
According to a reliable NVIDIA source, MEGAsizeGPU, the new RTX 4070 with GDDR6 memory is already in development and will utilize the non-X variant found in Radeon GPUs and cards like the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti. While the memory speed is slightly slower at 20Gbps compared to the current model’s 21Gbps, resulting in a decrease in memory bandwidth from 504 GB/s to 480 GB/s, the impact on overall performance is expected to be minimal.
The source further notes that all other specifications of the card remain unchanged, indicating that this GDDR6 variant (PG141 SKU 347) is a strategic solution to address the GDDR6X shortage. By using GDDR6, NVIDIA can allocate the limited supply of GDDR6X to higher-end GeForce RTX 40 Series cards.
However, it remains uncertain whether NVIDIA will officially release this new RTX 4070 with GDDR6 memory, and if so, in which markets. Furthermore, NVIDIA’s communication strategy regarding this memory technology change is unclear, as current marketing materials and packaging still advertise the RTX 4070 as featuring GDDR6X.
This development highlights the challenges faced by NVIDIA in managing supply chain issues, particularly in the current economic climate. The shift to GDDR6 memory for the RTX 4070 could affect its performance slightly, but it offers a viable solution to ensure the availability of this popular GPU. It remains to be seen how gamers will react to this change and how NVIDIA will handle the transition.
