MSI made two mistakes that point to a possible 24 GB version of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. First, they printed "24 GB GDDR7" on an RTX 5080 Vanguard box. Later, their MAG X870 Tomahawk motherboard page listed the card with 24,576 MB memory. These errors happened at different times, which makes them pretty interesting.
NVIDIA might have planned 24 GB for the RTX 5080 from the start. They could have told partners about using 3 GB chips across a 256-bit memory bus on the "GB203" chip. But plans changed before launch, leading to the current 16 GB version. Or maybe they still have a 24 GB model coming soon, possibly called "RTX 5080 24 GB." The current RTX 5080 already uses the full "GB203" chip, meaning any new version would just offer 50% more memory at similar speeds.
Extra memory helps gamers who play at 4K with ray tracing and DLSS 4 MFG. These players want to boost their 60 FPS games to match 120 Hz monitors. NVIDIA might have held back the 24 GB version for an RTX 5080 SUPER card without needing the bigger "GB202" chip. Since they maxed out the current chip design, a SUPER version could pack 24 GB RAM plus faster 32 Gbps memory speeds and higher clock rates.
NVIDIA could sell this beefed-up card for around $999, matching current RTX 5080 prices. That price target would be hard to hit if they used the larger "GB202" chip instead. The hints from MSI suggest something interesting lies ahead for the RTX 5080 product line, though we can only guess what NVIDIA actually plans until they make an official announcement.
NVIDIA might have planned 24 GB for the RTX 5080 from the start. They could have told partners about using 3 GB chips across a 256-bit memory bus on the "GB203" chip. But plans changed before launch, leading to the current 16 GB version. Or maybe they still have a 24 GB model coming soon, possibly called "RTX 5080 24 GB." The current RTX 5080 already uses the full "GB203" chip, meaning any new version would just offer 50% more memory at similar speeds.
Extra memory helps gamers who play at 4K with ray tracing and DLSS 4 MFG. These players want to boost their 60 FPS games to match 120 Hz monitors. NVIDIA might have held back the 24 GB version for an RTX 5080 SUPER card without needing the bigger "GB202" chip. Since they maxed out the current chip design, a SUPER version could pack 24 GB RAM plus faster 32 Gbps memory speeds and higher clock rates.
NVIDIA could sell this beefed-up card for around $999, matching current RTX 5080 prices. That price target would be hard to hit if they used the larger "GB202" chip instead. The hints from MSI suggest something interesting lies ahead for the RTX 5080 product line, though we can only guess what NVIDIA actually plans until they make an official announcement.
