Not much is known about Nvidia’s new RTX 3090 yet. Now, memory manufacturer Micron has revealed that the graphics card will use GDDR6X memory. This is the first time that this graphics memory has been mentioned.
Where is the information from? Micron is now explaining in a paper (via pcgamer.com) some new details about Nvidia’s new RTX 3090. So far, not much is known about the graphics card.
Micron is one of the most important manufacturers worldwide when it comes to memory products for PCs.
That’s why it’s mysterious: The manufacturer stated that Nvidia will use GDDR6X. The special thing about it is that this memory is mentioned by name for the first time and has not yet been used in any graphics card. Therefore, the memory is a complete novelty. Accordingly, one can be curious about what is coming for gamers.
What we already know: So far, we only know that the memory should provide up to 21 Gbit/s. The current state of the art, GDDR6, only offers a bandwidth of up to 16 Gbit/s.
Micron also stated that the RTX 3090 will be equipped with 12 GB and a 354-bit memory bus.
What is the performance needed for? 12 GB of extremely fast memory and a high-performance memory bus are good prerequisites for 4K gaming. A 4K-capable graphics card like the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti currently relies on 11 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 352-bit interface.
For 4K, corresponding computing power is required. Meanwhile, a leaker claims that the PS5 has performance issues at 4K.
What is the difference? Already in the previous GDDR generation, the X-series offered a huge leap. For example, GDDR5X offered 10 – 14 Gbit/s – about twice as much as GDDR5 could provide. A good example here is the GeForce GTX 1080, which uses GDDR5X.
The current state of the art is GDDR5 and GDDR6
What does it look like currently? Modern graphics cards currently use GDDR6, the successor to GDDR5. Graphics cards like AMD’s Radeon RX 5000 series, for example, use GDDR6. However, older models still rely on the cheaper GDDR5. HBM 2 (High Bandwidth Memory), another type of memory, no longer plays a significant role. Games like Fortnite, however, is now excluding old graphics cards.
If Nvidia uses GDDR6X in the RTX 3000 series, it might well be possible that AMD also uses the still mysterious memory with “Big Navi.” So far, however, we still have to be patient:
- Nvidia is expected to announce the new graphics cards at the GeForce Special Event on September 1, 2020, but this is not yet certain.
- AMD is keeping a bit more reserved here. Insiders suspect that AMD will announce its graphics cards only in October.
