The upcoming RTX 4090 D graphics card, set to be released soon exclusively for desktops in China, is said to feature an AD102-250 GPU, distinguishing it from the original RTX 4090 with an AD102-300. This release is likely to get around the looming RTX 4090 ban in China.
Normally, when NVIDIA introduces a variant with comparable specs, the subvariant numbers exhibit minor changes like 300→301. For instance, the RTX 4090 has a “301” version that replaced the initial “300” model in March. Therefore, the presence of “250” implies NVIDIA will be implementing distinct CUDA core specifications for this particular variant.
NVIDIA had various possibilities for this card, including diverse memory capacities, power levels, clock speeds, or even implementing a software lock for reduced speed. Due to the stringent US restrictions and the GPU’s overall performance exceeding 4800 TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second), NVIDIA seems to have opted for a complete CPU configuration change. This shift could impact not only the CUDA core specifications but also the Tensor core performance crucial for advanced AI workloads.
The key question arises: how does the speed of the upcoming RTX 4090D compare to the forthcoming RTX 4080 SUPER? The primary distinction lies in the memory aspect, with the RTX 4090D anticipated to feature the same 24 GB GDDR6X RAM as the original GPU. In contrast, the RTX 4080 SUPER is projected to have a smaller 16 GB capacity, not to mention the evident GPU differences in AD102 and AD103.
It’s worth considering that NVIDIA might impose stricter limits on overclocking to prevent board partners from exceeding specifications. This measure aims to avoid any RTX 4090D graphics card surpassing the 4800 TOPS compute power limit. Consequently, close attention will be paid to how board partners advertise the new RTX 4090D and the prevalence of factory overclocking on these cards.
Currently, only the card name and graphics processor details are disclosed. However, the initial report from Wccftech did indicate that the card’s expected cost aligns with the original RTX 4090, priced at 1599 USD/12999 RMB. This strongly suggests that the differences between the RTX 4090 and RTX 4090D are likely to be minimal.