Nvidia RTX 5090 will reportedly pack 28GB of VRAM and a 448-bit memory bus

According to new rumours, the upcoming flagship Blackwell graphics card, the RTX 5090, is rumoured to sport a 448-bit memory bus, a deviation from the initial speculation that it would feature a 512-bit memory bus. This suggests a potential shift in the memory configuration initially anticipated for the GPU.

The Blackwell GPU, set to lead the Nvidia GeForce RTX 50 series, has been at the centre of much speculation regarding its memory bus. Initially, rumours pointed to a 512-bit memory bus, but subsequent rumours hinted at a 384-bit configuration. However, the latest leak from Panzerlied (via VideoCardz), the same source that revealed the Founder's Edition PCB design, suggests that the Blackwell GPU might feature a 448-bit bus, potentially utilising 14 out of the 16 available memory modules, in contrast to the previously anticipated 512-bit bus which was expected to use all 16.

If Nvidia indeed opts for the 448-bit memory interface, the Blackwell GPU could boast 28GB of GDDR7 memory, meaning it would offer a bandwidth of 1568GB/s (assuming a 28Gbps memory speed). Compared to its predecessor, that's a 50% increase.

While some may perceive the 28GB capacity as underwhelming compared to 32GB, it's worth noting that this configuration leaves room for potential future “Ti/SUPER” enhancements. Furthermore, the 512-bit memory bus might not be intended for gaming GPUs but could potentially find its application in the RTX Blackwell workstation series for high-memory usage workloads.

KitGuru says: With the RTX 4090 and the RTX 6000 Ada, Nvidia made a big mistake by creating two very similar-performing cards with a huge difference in price. With Blackwell, Nvidia looks to be trying to separate the two GPUs a little more, cutting down the memory bus on the GA202 for the RTX 5090 and saving the full die and bus for the RTX 6000 Blackwell.

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