Supercharging Gaming: NVIDIA's RTX 4000 the Arrival of the Super Editions

By Nadim kahwaji

The NVIDIA RTX 4000 series, introduced between October 2022 and July 2023, began with the powerful RTX 4090 and ended with the versatile RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB. During this time, the series offered a range of models tailored to different budget-conscious consumers. It appealed to both hardcore gaming enthusiasts and casual gamers thanks to its diverse lineup. 

The RTX 4000 series received praise for its substantial performance improvement over the RTX 3000 series but also faced significant criticism for its higher pricing in comparison to its predecessor. 

Nvidia is improving the price/performance for all newly released cards, offering slightly upgraded GPUs for the 4070 and 4080 variants. The new offerings include the 4070 Super, the 4070 Ti Super, and the 4080 Super. The 4070 Super will be available on January 17 for $599, while the RTX 4070 Ti Super and 4080 Super will be in stores on January 24, priced at $799 and $999, respectively. The 4080 and 4070 Ti models will be phased out, while the 4070 will remain available at a reduced price of $550, down from its original $599. 

Graphics Card	CUDA Cores	Boost Clock	Memory Bus Width	Memory Clock	Memory Size	TGP	Launch Price
RTX 4080 Super	10,240	2,550 MHz	256-bit	1,437 MHz	16GB GDDR6X	320 W	$999
RTX 4080	9,728	2,505 MHz	256-bit	1,400 MHz	16GB GDDR6X	320 W	$1,190
RTX 4070 Ti Super	8,448	2,610 MHz	256-bit	1,313 MHz	16GB GDDR6X	285 W	$799
RTX 4070 Ti	7,680	2,610 MHz	192-bit	1,313 MHz	12GB GDDR6X	285 W	$799
RTX 4070 Super	7,168	2,475 MHz	192-bit	1,313 MHz	12GB GDDR6X	220 W	$599
RTX 4070	5,888	2,475 MHz	192-bit	1,313 MHz	12GB GDDR6X	200 W	$599

The RTX 4080 Super retains the same AD103 GPU die but with all 80 SMs enabled, totaling 10,240 cores. Nvidia achieved this through a refined manufacturing process or GPU binning. While the GPU clock receives a slight increase, the memory bus remains at 256 bits with a slight speed boost. We anticipate minimal performance differences between the 4080 Super and the non-Super variant, but the $200 price advantage positions it favorably in its price range, particularly against the AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX. 

The RTX 4070 Ti Super stands out with significant upgrades, transitioning from the AD104 to the AD103 Die. This shift results in 66 SMs, boosting the core count from 7,680 to 8,448, and expanding the memory bus from 192 bits to 256 bits, all while maintaining the same clock speed and 16GB of memory. 

Nvidia's tests indicate that the RTX 4070 Ti Super offers performance levels closely comparable to the original RTX 4080, making it a strong competitor against the Radeon RX 7900 XT. Nvidia has also compared it to older RTX generations like the RTX 3080 Ti and the RTX 2070 Super, However it's essential to note that the significant performance difference arises from utilizing the frame generation option, exclusive to the RTX 4000 series. This feature, while improving over time, has sparked a debate about its practicality due to its potential to introduce extra frames to games, along with increased latency. Many gamers have expressed discomfort with this feature during gameplay. 

Finally, The RTX 4070 Super marks a notable enhancement in its Streaming Multiprocessors (SM) count, increasing from 46 to 56. This upgrade boosts the core count significantly, from 5,888 to 7,168 cores, while maintaining the same memory width, clock speed, and size. According to Nvidia's benchmarks, the RTX 4070 Super's performance is comparable to the original RTX 4070 Ti. Additionally, Nvidia has also drawn comparisons with the RTX 3070 and RTX 2070i using the same misleading technique of utilizing the frame generation feature. 

For now, Nvidia's 4000 series lineup will consist of three new Super variants, alongside the 4090, 4070, 4060, and both 8GB and 16GB versions of the 4060 Ti. The prices of the older variant cards will remain unchanged, except for the 4070, which will receive a $50 discount. 

With the introduction of these new GPUs, pricing relative to performance has improved. However, we've come a long way from the days when $500 to $600 was considered the price range for high-end GPUs. This shift is primarily due to the influence of cryptocurrency mining and the rapidly expanding market for AI, which has seen the prices of high-end GPUs triple over the last few years. It seems Nvidia is aiming these products at owners of the RTX 3000 and 2000 series. However, to provide recommendations for these products, exercising caution is essential when interpreting Nvidia's benchmark tests. you'll need to wait until the official release of the cards and check benchmarks from reputable third-party websites like TechSpot, ArsTechnica, etc., to base your decision on whether to buy or wait for the next generation (codenamed BattleMage) . In the meantime, go ahead and squeeze every last pixel out of your current graphics cards – they'll appreciate the love :)