The RTX 3080 20GB was real after all
The bane of PC Gaming — GPU mining — is drawing to an end. The imminent move of Ethereum to proof of stake and away from energy intensive proof of work means bulk mining GPU purchases have ended. We can see this is reflected in the plummeting prices of new graphics cards and the flood of second-hand sales, including some that were live streamed.(opens in new tab)
During the peak of the mining boom, it was very difficult to get a new high-end card at a price that didn’t involve some non-essential organ harvesting. Miners on the other hand, had no problem shelling out big bucks for cards in bulk when Ethereum was at its all-time highs, making it easier to recoup their outlay costs.
If you want a card or two, you’d go to a retailer. If you wanted a hundred, try a distributor, but if you wanted a thousand, companies would certainly have been happy to take your call. MSI appears to be one such company. According to pictures posted by @hongxing2020(opens in new tab) (via Videocardz(opens in new tab)), MSI sold unreleased RTX 3080 20GB cards directly to miners.
Back in time, there were rumours that Nvidia was considering selling 20GB RTX 3080’s(opens in new tab). It made sense as 10GB feels a bit on the thin side compared to a 16GB RX 6x00 card or the RTX 3090. It turns out the card went far beyond the planning stage and actually made it to production.
Interestingly, the cards were FHR versions, meaning they delivered a better hash rate than the consumer LHR versions. Bad luck for you small time miners who had to deal with the hash rate block on retail 3080’s. Money talks it seems, and if there’s one thing big miners don’t lack, it’s money.
According to @hongxing2020(opens in new tab) there are at least 100 available and
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