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Could Nvidia be planning to release multiple versions of its upcoming GeForce RTX 5070? Potentially, if recent claims are to be believed - but it's hard to see where it will fit into Nvidia's RTX 5000 lineup.
Tom at Moore’s Law is Dead recently mentioned in a livestream on Patreon that he has heard rumors that suggest Nvidia might be planning to release an 18GB version of its hotly-anticipated RTX 5070 graphics card - the base version of which is expected to launch with 12GB of VRAM as standard.
Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070, whose release date might be announced at CES in January, is expected to use GDDR7 memory, one of the first cards to use the latest generation of GPU VRAM. If the rumor is true, Nvidia could be planning to release an 18GB version under its 'Super' label, presumably at a later date. This isn't entirely shocking; it wouldn’t be the first time Nvidia has released a more powerful or enhanced version of an existing graphics card with the Super branding.
How worthwhile is this upgrade, really?
You would be right in thinking that using GDDR7 memory, which is expected to offer an over 30% boost in performance alone, offers a worthwhile enough improvement over current-gen graphics cards. The purported 18GB version would likely further improve this performance, using faster memory modules.
Still, some customers might question just how worthwhile buying this rumored Super variant could be. It will have more VRAM, and is expected to improve performance by 5-10%, but is that really necessary?
The 12GB model is expected to cost around $600 to $700, and the RTX 5070 18GB could cost around $800. Would you pay a possible extra $100-200 for a 5-10% improvement in performance?
If we compare the RTX 4070 Ti Super against its non-Super variants, the Super offered 5% faster rasterization (how well a GPU handles rendering scenes by converting 3D models into 2D images) and 5-10% faster raytracing compared to the non-Super variants. As such, it's reasonable for us to assume that the same will be true here; gains maxing out at 10% might not be worth an extra hundred bucks or more for many games.
However, there is an important caveat to make here. PC games are increasingly demanding more and more VRAM as models and textures become more detailed, so if you're looking to play the very latest games, that extra 6GB could make a significant difference (at least, in terms of future-proofing your PC). 12GB is still a decent amount, though, so it likely won't be an issue for most games.
So let’s just wait and see if any of these rumors turn out to be true. A Super variant of the RTX 5070 wouldn't exactly be a shock, unless Nvidia decides to launch it alongside the original model - that would be a real curveball from Team Green!