Nvidia has recently shown the public RTX3000, its new series of video cards: we talked about it with the osgaming.it team, specialists in PC gaming assemblati
The GeForce RTX 3070, RTX 3080 and RTX 3090 were presented, all based on the new Ampere architecture. Alongside the traditional ones CUDA core, even in this innovative architecture there are Tensor cores and RT cores: the former are developed for DLSS and for all other operations that risk being too heavy for classic shaders; the latter are designed for the calculations required for ray tracing. The Samsung’s 8-nanometer manufacturing process it was adopted for the construction of the new GPUs, and obviously tailored to meet the needs of Nvidia.
What changes compared to the past?
Certainly this new family of video cards for PC gaming highlights an important step forward compared to the range RTX 2000 previous, which was the line through which a concept like that of DLSS was introduced by Nvidia. The same family, on the other hand, also marked the debut of ray tracing. Now, therefore, we are dealing with the second generation of the RT cores, with a speed higher than 1.7 times, and with the third generation of Tensor cores, which are the protagonists of an even more dramatic improvement. Why aren’t the generations parallel? Because the Tensor Cores had actually already been introduced on Volta, which is the architecture designed for the artificial intelligence sector.
On what tracks has Nvidia’s work been channeled?
For example, the CUDA cores have been significantly improved, which are almost 3 times faster than previous models. The video cards have been shown by Nvidia in the Founders Edition version, which is characterized by an unprecedented cooling system different from the past. In any case, there will be proposals from different manufacturers that will show a more classic design. The peculiarity of the Founders Edition it is represented by the presence of two axial fans at the ends of the board. The fan positioned towards the back of the case collects fresh air from inside and then expels the hot air through the chassis; instead, the internal fan of the PC draws fresh air from the front fans and eliminates the hot air in the direction of the upper part of the case.
PCI Express 4.0 support is also a noteworthy innovation
Yes, this is an interesting innovation over the previous generation cards. The reasons that led to this measure are different: certainly it is important to follow the trends of the moment and not to lag behind the latest updates, but there is also the desire to allow Most modern SSDs to transmit information to the graphics memory at high speed: a possibility that is guaranteed both by a fast loading and by the decompression carried out by the GPU. RTX IO – this is the name of the technology – allows you to release the CPU from the burden of having to load game assets, so that you can benefit from immediate loads; a decisive contribution to this aim, however, also comes from DirectStorage API in Microsoft Windows.
What can you tell us about the power connector?
In this regard, Nvidia has chosen to resort to a 12-pin PCIe connector for Founders Edition cards. It has been stated that the project is available to all interested companies, and therefore not only to partners. In other words, if the upcoming video cards arouse the interest of Intel or AMD, these brands could use them smoothly and without hindrance. Moreover, it must be said that among Nvidia partners, many seem to have favored the traditional 8-pin connectors. In any case, the packages of the cards with the 12-pin connector also contain an adapter that can be used for power supplies with 8-pin connectors.
Are there any other news that deserve to be mentioned?
Yes, for example the fact that the GPU Ampere they mark the debut of HDMI 2.1, thanks to which it is possible to manage 4K at 120 Hz and 8K resolution at 60 Hz with a single cable; and, at the same time, support for 12-bit HDR is ensured. The new video cards support PCI Express 4.0, although this does not mean that they cannot be installed on motherboards with PCIe 3.0 slots, given that no incompatibilities of any kind are recognized. According to what has been declared by Nvidia, it is the load that determines the difference in performance that is found between the use of the RTX 3000 cards on the PCI Express 4.0 bus and the use of the RTX 3000 cards on the PCI Express 3.0 bus. However one speaks of a gap of a few percentage points, which means it’s not a factor to look out for when building a new PC.
How long will it take to find these new cards on the market?
Maybe a few more weeks than what has been declared, but it is a wait that will be well rewarded, given that these are components that give a clear evolution to the sector. It is easy to assume, in fact, that spending between 500 and 600 euros you can count on a card with better performance than those offered by models for which you currently pay between 1,300 and 1,500 euros.
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