After the first rumors appeared in mid-March that Nvidia would replace individual RTX 4000 graphics card chips, the first case appears to have been confirmed. Like a portal TechPowerUp Citing one user, the RTX 4070 has debuted with a modified chip. Specifically, it is said to be an MSI Ventux model
Geforce RTX 4000: New GPUs for Ada Lovelace [Gerücht]
This was observed after the GPU-Z tool was unable to properly recognize a newly purchased graphics card, according to a TechPowerUp user. However, based on the device ID number, you can determine that this is actually an RTX 4070 with an AD103 chipset. Nvidia drivers from version 551.86 (current: 552.22 WHQL) are also able to recognize the GPU correctly.
This does not change the basic specifications of the RTX 4070; Nvidia simply deactivates more of the chip when switching from the AD104-251 to the AD103-175-KX. This leaves 5,888 shader units, 46 streaming multiprocessors, and 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM, which is processed over a 192-bit interface. However, the TechPowerUp report speculates that switching to AD103 could have potential repercussions on power consumption and heat generation.
Fundamentally, such a mid-generation chip change is neither new nor unusual; Nvidia has already reused “leftover chips” several times that were not good enough for the already dedicated graphics cards. In the case of the AD103 chip, it was designed for the Geforce RTX 4080 and was later also used in the RTX 4070 Ti Super – and now it's deeper into a single model series. The RTX 4060 Ti should also receive such a “beautification” in terms of chips. While the Ti variant will move from the AD106-351 to the AD104-150-KX, the regular RTX 4060 will run with the AD106-255 instead of the AD107-400 in the future.
“Prone to fits of apathy. Zombie ninja. Entrepreneur. Organizer. Evil travel aficionado. Coffee practitioner. Beer lover.”
More Stories
Hedge fund Coatue exits Apple stake in Q1 as Viking builds its position
Video game maker Ubisoft posted full-year operating profits thanks to record bookings
The launch of the Boeing Starliner has been postponed again due to a problem with the spacecraft