What does next-gen ray-tracing look like? Can the RTX 3090 run Flight Simulator in 4K at 60fps — and maybe Cyberpunk 2077 as well? We’re about to find out, with Nvidia launching their Ampere-based RTX 3090, 3080 and possibly the 3070 GPUs in less than 24 hours.
The whole event kicks off at September 2, 2:00am AEST / 4:00am NZST / midnight AWST / 1:30am ACST. It’s going to be focusing on desktop GPUs, so no next-gen laptop offerings, and the RTX 3090 and RTX 3080 are likely to be the biggest drawcards.
And when talking about the RTX 3090, expect to hear a lot about ray-tracing performance. An alleged performance slide from the show reportedly leaked out from Yuten01 on Twitter, comparing the ray-traced performance of the RTX 3090 against the RTX 2080 Ti with all ray-tracing effects enabled:
I would take “Ultra” settings here as to mean Ultra in terms of ray-tracing performance. In the context of Control, medium ray-tracing settings means ray-traced reflections and transparent reflections, but not debris, contact shadows and indirect diffuse lighting.
The image of the GPU looks pretty on point as well, especially since it showcased the V-shaped design that Nvidia teased last week. There’s no shot of the new 12-pin connector, but the design of front-facing fan, the V-shape and the small grill all match the close-up here.
For Minecraft RTX, the slide here is an indication of just how taxing ray-tracing still is. Even with a 2080 Ti, Minecraft RTX runs at just under 22fps average at 4K. So a doubling of performance here still wouldn’t be the buttery smooth 60fps — and certainly not into the triple digits — that most people would be hoping for. Control runs a hell of a lot better, mind you, and seeing that with all the bells and whistles enabled should be an absolute blast.
A shot of the RTX 3090’s PCB has supposedly leaked online as well, giving everyone a look at the silicon without the giant cooling solution on top. Third party vendors have also started leaking their offerings, with many going for a triple-fan arrangement and a traditional PCB placement instead of Nvidia’s newer chassis designs.
https://t.co/7drjwzzs5s https://t.co/1uFxVlJxXy pic.twitter.com/NXBWu9pZGu
— 포시포시 (@harukaze5719) September 1, 2020
It’s worth noting that the PCB here is only for Nvidia’s cards.
To watch the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090, 3080 and 3070 launch — if that’s the naming convention Nvidia still rolls with, since they love trolling people at the last minute — you can watch the Nvidia Twitch channel above, or tune into the official GeForce website.
Who’s staying up — or waking up early — to see what the new RTX cards can do?
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