Despite its price, the GeForce RTX 4080 is one of the best graphics cards for modern gaming.However, the Hong Kong press HKEPC (opens in new tab) Nvidia claims to have a new AD103 die ready for its GeForce RTX 4080, which could improve the bill of materials (BOM) for its Ada Lovelace graphics cards. There is now evidence to suggest that this is accurate.
The GeForce RTX 4080 is currently shipping with AD103-300 silicon. However, HKEPC sources claim that the graphics card will soon switch to the AD103-301. now, Galax (opens in new tab) started listing branded GeForce RTX 4080 graphics cards with “AD103-300/301”, lending credence to HKEPC’s claims.
However, moving from AD103-300 to AD103-301 may not benefit consumers. Despite the silicon difference, his AD103-301 based GeForce RTX 4080 GPU should feature a similar level of performance to his regular AD103-300 variant. Nvidia’s partners are probably the ones getting the best deals from new silicon.
According to HKEPC, Nvidia’s upcoming GeForce RTX 4070 could utilize two different dies: AD104-250 or AD104-251. The former is said to require a comparator circuit for the GPU voltage, while the latter does not. As a result, the AD104-251 has a lower PCB BOM, but may use a different PCB.
HKPEC estimates that the AD104-251 reduces the BOM by $1. In any case, the AD104-250 will probably hit the production line first, with the AD104-251 coming soon after.
Given the version number, the AD103-301 is not a major revision of the current AD103-300 silicon. It’s unclear what changed between the two dies, or why Nvidia decided to spin up new silicon for the GeForce RTX 4080, especially if a PCB design change was required. AD103-301 silicon could help reduce the BOM of the GeForce RTX 4080. I don’t know the exact amount though. HKEPC’s $1 claim is against his AD104 silicon, while the GeForce RTX 4080 uses a different silicon. Still, it will be interesting to see if the cost savings reach consumers.
The GeForce RTX 4080 debuted at $1,199, with some premium custom models retailing for $1,899. Despite the hefty price tag, the GeForce RTX 4080 is still one of Newegg’s best-selling graphics cards.
