So a lot for the RTX 2050 being Nvidia’s subsequent graphics card, then. While rumours have been circulating for some time now a couple of cheaper, non-ray tracing model of Nvidia’s Turing GPU, I’d assumed the graphics card big may end releasing their GeForce RTX household earlier than they began muddying the waters with potential GTX 1100 collection GPUs or, because it now seems, a brand new line of GTX 1660 playing cards.
First noticed by VideoCardz, a leaked {photograph} from an official Nvidia presentation that was probably being given to 3rd occasion AIB (add-in-board) manufacturing companions (your MSIs, Gigabytes Asuses and the like and due to this fact not the press or normal public) seems to verify that Nvidia’s subsequent and latest Turing GPU will certainly be the GTX 1660.
By switching again to their trusty GTX moniker, this is able to indicate the GTX 1660 will not include any of the Turing RTX household’s titular ray tracing cores, which is the flamboyant pants reflection-enhancing gubbins Nvidia made such a tune and dance about throughout their preliminary Turing launch at Gamescom final yr the place they first unveiled the RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti.
Instead, this new GTX 1660 will apparently be based mostly on Nvidia’s so-called TU116 GPU. The RTX 2060, by comparability, makes use of Nvidia’s TU106 GPU, so it’s at present unclear whether or not the GTX 1660 will simply have these ray tracing cores disabled or whether or not it’s a wholly new die. Prices might be cheaper if it’s the latter, as there’s much less stuff to bung within the GPU. At the second, although, the one different specs that look like doing the hearsay mill rounds are that it’ll have 1280 CUDA cores and 3GB and 6GB GDDR5 reminiscence variants.
If these specs sound acquainted, that’s as a result of Nvidia’s GTX 1060 additionally is available in 3GB and 6GB fashions, with the bigger 6GB mannequin additionally bearing 1280 CUDA cores. The solely discrepancy is that the 6GB GTX 1060 has the ever so barely quicker GDDR5/X reminiscence in comparison with the 3GB’s common GDDR5. As a outcome, it’s attainable the GTX 1660 could be a barely souped up model of the present GTX 1060, however till Nvidia announce it formally it’s greatest to take all of this hypothesis with a big pinch of salt.
There’s additionally been numerous speak round an alleged GTX 1660 Ti graphics card as nicely, which can use the identical GPU because the GTX 1660, however have the next CUDA rely of 1536 and 6GB of the quicker GDDR6 reminiscence. You can’t inform any of that from the leaked photograph, in fact, and neither does it say something a couple of potential launch date or value.
And but, VideoCardz apparently expects each the GTX 1660 and GTX 1660 Ti to reach across the center of subsequent month – February 14th or 15th – for someplace within the area of $250-350. Personally, I feel it’s extremely unlikely they’ll value anyplace close to the higher finish of that slightly woolly value bracket, as $350 is the present value of Nvidia’s RTX 2060. To have one other, seemingly much less highly effective card go for a similar amount of cash simply doesn’t make any sort of sense.
Where that leaves Nvidia’s RTX 2050, although – if certainly they’re even planning to launch an RTX 2050 after this – is anybody’s guess. After all, if Nvidia do find yourself specializing in cheaper GTX playing cards after the RTX 2060, the arrival of a similarly-priced RTX 2050 would nearly actually cannibalise any of these potential GTX playing cards.
If a launch date of the center of February is certainly on the cash, nevertheless, it hopefully gained’t be too lengthy earlier than we discover out the reality.
