The RTX 40 series is missing essential features like DisplayPort 2.1 and PCI Express 5.0 compatibility upon release. Competing brands like AMD have already incorporated these standards in their RX 7000 series and Moore Threads S80 GPU. It’s high time for NVIDIA to bridge this gap.
According to the well-known NVIDIA leaker kopite7kimi, the forthcoming series is expected to include DisplayPort 2.1 support. AMD has successfully leveraged this feature across all RDNA3 desktop GPUs, particularly in the gaming RX 7000 series, featuring DP 2.1 UHBR13.5 with a maximum bandwidth of 54 Gbit/s. Meanwhile, the workstation W7000 models boast a complete UHBR20 implementation with 80 Gbit/s bandwidth. The specific version of the standard supported by the NVIDIA RTX 50 series remains unclear.
The anticipated alterations to the RTX 50 series may go beyond the visual changes. It is expected that the series will incorporate a PCIe Gen5 interface and a revised 16-pin connector labeled 12V-2×6. Whether mid-range to entry-level models will still employ the standard 8-pin connector remains uncertain, but the absence of a 6-pin connector on the RTX 40 series likely marked the initial move away from the older standard.
Kopite mentioned that the upcoming Blackwell GB20x series is expected to utilize TSMC’s 3 nm process technology. It is not clarified whether a custom 3N node will be employed, or if any of the currently shipping or soon-to-ship nodes like N3E/N3P/N3X will be used. Speculation about the use of a 3 nm node for the Blackwell HPC series surfaced two months ago, suggesting that if this information proves accurate, the same foundry will be employed for the gaming series. It’s worth noting that AMD, Intel, MediaTek, and Qualcomm are also planning to adopt 3 nm nodes from the same foundry for their products.
Currently, there’s no set release date for Blackwell gaming. However, NVIDIA is optimistic about commencing the shipment of Blackwell HPC GPUs in the latter part of next year, indicating that the gaming series is likely to follow soon after. Anticipate a surge in leaks as the upcoming GB20x gaming chips enter the tape-out phase, with kopite7kimi expected to be one of the first to report on them.