The Nvidia RTX 4080 12GB graphics card has been “released” and will probably be released under a new name at some point. We’re not entirely sure when we’ll see the rebranded RTX 4080 12GB, but expect it to arrive at least as the RTX 4070 Ti.
Obviously, this is a very sudden (and embarrassing) transition from Nvidia so quickly to the proposed release date, but that brings us to a very important question; what’s going on with all these boxes? The sudden name change leaves manufacturers with loads of branded packaging that are now completely useless.
However, two board partners confirmed YouTuber Nexus of players that Nvidia is ready to compensate them for the costs of destroying packaging that have already been covered by RTX 4080 12 GB graphics cards.
Analysis: waste and worry
RTX 4080 12GB is the Nvidia GPU probably wants to forget, and destroying the packaging is only a small part of the rebranding procedure. If partners have put GPUs in boxes ready for shipment, all of this will have to be rolled back leading to further labor costs to be considered. Used packaging is incredibly wasteful when you think of all those ink-filled boxes that have to be thrown away and redone for no real reason.
More importantly, how could this affect consumers? As we know, GPU names are often etched, glued, or painted onto the body, so every single GPU will need to be rebranded. If they choose to just re-stick the cards and cover the old name, you could end up with the RTX 4080 12GB landing in places like Ebay or other third-party sellers with the old name, and people could get scammed.
There is no concrete evidence that Nvidia plans to downgrade the 12GB version, but it is likely this could become our 4070.