As far as we knew, all RTX 4090 graphics cards shipped with an AD102-300 GPU. However, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore, as the owner of an RTX 4090 Founders Edition has stripped their card down to find a new variant of the AD102 GPU.
An RTX 4090 graphics card owner revealed on Reddit (via VideoCardz) that instead of an AD102-300 GPU, the card has an AD102-301 GPU. This change isn't entirely unexpected, as reports from January claimed Nvidia was already doing something similar with the RTX 4080, with some of these cards now packing an AD103-301 GPU.
Image credit: Reddit
Besides sharing photo proof, the user also shared a few more things about it. On GPU-Z, the card appears with a new model ID. The Device PCI ID remains unchanged, but the Sub ID is different. As such, flashing an AD102-300-based device BIOS shouldn't work. Moreover, it seems that instead of 1.1V, the maximum voltage reportedly goes to 1.07V. Note that this is only for the Founders Edition card using the new AD102 GPU. An AIB partner RTX 4090 card with an AD102-301 GPU may feature a different maximum voltage.
The new GPU revision also introduces a new voltage comparator circuit to the board. This change reportedly reduces manufacturing costs for board partners and Nvidia.
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KitGuru says: If the maximum voltage is the notable difference between the new and older RTX 4090 GPUs, stock performance should be the same. However, the lower maximum voltage could reduce overclocking potential.