Nvidia socialled up a picture on its official GeForce X account earlier within the week that obtained tongues wagging. A big monolith-style graphics card obscuring the solar and tagged ‘Eclipse2024’? That is clearly a portentous teaser for the RTX 5090 coming later this yr, proper?
No wait, it is an RTX 4090 Ti, is not it? Or ought to that be an RTX 4090 Tremendous? I imply, it is undoubtedly one thing that is nearly to launch and is so extremely thrilling it is going to actually eclipse the solar. And but, virtually definitely, it is not one of the above.
For starters, it is a nonetheless picture from a teaser video posted again in January and within the lead as much as the roll out of the then new RTX 40 Tremendous collection playing cards, together with the RTX 4070 Tremendous, RTX 4070 Ti Tremendous and RTX 4080 Tremendous.
So, it is virtually definitely not previewing an unreleased graphics card. Extra doubtless it is simply Nvidia saying, “the eclipse is cool, is not it?” You understand, on account of the particular full photo voltaic eclipse earlier this week.
In fact, it does have a look at first look like a cryptic teaser picture of one thing new. In actual fact, that is precisely what it was again in January.
It’s, subsequently, arguably just a little bit naughty of Nvidia. It was certain to kick off a little bit of a fuss. However even when it wasn’t an previous picture, it is absolutely too quickly for Nvidia to be teasing the design of the upcoming (we assume) RTX 5090. Doubtless, the earliest we’ll see that new board can be October.
It is also if something a bit too late for an RTX 4090 Ti or 4090 Tremendous, if certainly we’re getting that 5090 later this yr. That does not actually go away sufficient time for such a card to be on sale.
So, no, Nvidia hasn’t simply teased an Earth shattering or certainly photo voltaic eclipsing new GPU. And when you think about the place we really are within the GPU cycle, we’re nonetheless a stable yr away from new vaguely inexpensive graphics playing cards from Nvidia.
Nevertheless, AMD may simply have some respite for us with its RDNA 4 playing cards, that are very a lot anticipated this yr and all of the rumours recommend will exactly goal the mid-range reasonably than the excessive finish, providing maybe one thing akin to RTX 4080 efficiency for an entire let much less cash than earlier than.
There’s additionally Intel’s upcoming Battlemage GPU, the second technology of its Arc line of graphics playing cards. The most recent scuttlebutt there signifies a launch earlier than Black Friday, in different phrases November twenty ninth. Battlemage can be anticipated to land roughly within the RTX 4070 to RTX 4080 vary when it comes to efficiency.
If we get each later this yr then the mid vary actually would be the best it has been for completely years. Here is hoping.