Nvidia’s previously rumored new version of the RTX 4070 – with slightly slower video memory – is apparently a reality, as a graphics card manufacturer is apparently working on such a variant.
This is Galax launching a new RTX 4070 OC 2X version, or at least that’s what leaked materials obtained by VideoCardz show (including product photos of the alleged card).
As always, one should be cautious with rumors, but we’re told the spec will remain the same as the existing RTX 4070, except for one small change – it will use slower GDDR6 memory (as opposed to GDDR6X) and be rated at 20Gbps instead of 21Gbps.
The Galax RTX 4070 OC 2X will also reportedly use a different AD104 chip (the AD104-251 instead of the AD104-250), but that doesn’t change anything – the other specs (including the number of cores) remain exactly the same as the standard RTX 4070.
Analysis: Cheaper model or more energy-efficient variant?
So what does this mean for those looking to buy an RTX 4070 in the future? Well, assuming that’s true, there will undoubtedly be other models based on the AD104-251 chip with GDDR6 VRAM coming from card makers other than Galax, and as VideoCardz notes, the complication is that these variants aren’t clearly indicated on the packaging. In other words, you won’t be able to tell the difference between an AD104-251 spin and one of the original RTX 4070 models unless you check the specs closely.
This may seem a little dishonest in some respects, but the truth is that a very small reduction in memory bandwidth (by 5%) will not make a significant difference in actual performance that you will notice (in most scenarios, anyway).
There’s really no need to worry – and that’s why the new RTX 4070 is unlikely to see a price cut. However, there’s a chance Nvidia and its partners will go down that route, and of course any discount on the RTX 4070 would be very welcome. (And it wouldn’t hurt the GPU’s chances in our ranking of the best graphics cards on the market, either.)
What’s interesting (and more likely) is that the new RTX 4070 could have lower power consumption, made possible by the switch to GDDR6 – although no TDP numbers are mentioned in this leak (that spec has yet to be confirmed, we’re told). We think a slightly more power-efficient graphics card is certainly possible – and maybe, if we’re really lucky, a slightly cheaper GPU too. Fingers crossed.
