Nvidia is releasing a new 12GB model of its GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card. This updated GPU offers 2GB more memory than the RTX 3080 and is available today (January 11) from Nvidia partners. Pricing varies by board manufacturer.

The new RTX 3080 has 8,960 CUDA cores compared to the 10GB RTX 3080's 8,704; as noted by The Verge, the GPU has 20% more cumulative bandwidth than the current RTX 3080 due to a 384-bit memory bus Nvidia recommends a 750W power supply, for a total of 350W compared to 320W for the regular RTX 3080. While this is a nominal update, it is still a welcome one.

Curiously, Nvidia did not announce the new RTX 3080 at CES 2022, when it announced the RTX 3050 and RTX 3090 Ti. Nonetheless, today's announcement is not that surprising; rumors about a 12GB GeForce RTX 3080 had been circulating as far back as last December.

While we have no problem with Nvidia releasing a graphics card that falls somewhere between the RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3090, it is somewhat difficult to get excited about this announcement. Sure, the memory increase is great, but if you currently own an RTX 3080, you may want to upgrade to a 3080 Ti instead. That is, of course, if you can find one.

As you know, the ongoing semiconductor shortage has made RTX 30 series cards almost impossible to find. Due to this scarcity, I decided to purchase a pre-built PC with a 3080 Ti GPU. Sure, the new GPUs are great, but it's hard not to bring up the never-ending scarcity every time a new graphics card is announced. Not to be too cynical, but only duffers and cryptographers are excited about this announcement.

We will keep you updated on the pricing of the new RTX 3080 as Nvidia's partners announce their respective prices.