Nvidia could be about to release a new slightly slower version of the RTX 4070, according to new rumors. A new Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6 variant could use slightly slower GDDR6 memory instead of the usual GDDR6X, which could result in a lower price for the new versions.
The rumor of a new variant of one of the best graphics cards you can buy will be sweet music to the ears of those who have been tempted by the RTX 4070 but have found its $550 price still too high. There’s no guarantee Nvidia will drop the price of a slightly slower version, but we’d be surprised if a small saving didn’t accompany the new card, if it does turn out to be real.
The rumors surrounding this new card come from two sources, with early rumors coming from Chinese tech site, Benchlife, which speculated that a new RTX 4070 with GDDR6 VRAM could be coming, following a shortage of GDDR6X memory. Then, more recently, regular graphics card-related tech leaker MEGAsizeGPU on X (formerly Twitter) also posted more specs and a possible model name for the new card.
Getting into the specifics, then, the new card is suspected to be called quite literally the GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6, and this leak claims it will use 12GB of 20Gbps GDDR6 VRAM instead of the usual 12GB of 21Gbps GDDR6X VRAM. That results in a drop in total memory bandwidth from 504GB/s to 480GB/s, which in all likelihood wouldn’t make a huge dent in the card’s performance.
Meanwhile, all “other specs remain the same” according to MEGAsizeGPU. That specifically includes the use of the same PG141 SKU 347 PCB as existing cards, and the GPU will have the same spec too, with the usual 5,888 CUDA cores. That said, this could still leave room for Nvidia to choose to down-clock the GPU, just to create a slightly clearer performance difference between this card and the regular RTX 4070.
If such a graphics card does ever get released, and has a slight price cut, it could carve out a niche for itself. The RTX 4070 has always been a great option, but is a little bit overpriced, while the RTX 4060 and RTX 4060 Ti are both quite expensive for the performance they offer. An RTX 4070 GDDR6 at an MSRP of $499 could be right on the money.
For now, though, our absolutely top pick for most gamers seeking a graphics card that balances excellent performance with decent value is the RTX 4070 Super, or for those on a much tighter budget, the AMD RX 7600 is the way to go.