A recent report surfaced suggesting that NVIDIA had canceled plans for an even higher-end 40 series graphics card. The ill-fated RTX 4090 Ti, it seems, will not be seeing the light of day.
Good.
I say that with the utmost respect to NVIDIA, but also with a little bit of a rant to it. We don't need it. Gamers don't need it. All an RTX 4090 Ti would do right now is have a price tag of over $2,000, boast biblical specs and performance but deliver something that almost nobody needs in their life.
What I want, not just from NVIDIA, is better, more affordable graphics cards. It doesn't always have to be a case of 'numbers go brrrrr' along with the price. Let's get some perspective back into things.
More than enough for enthusiasts
I don't currently use the highly-reviewed RTX 4090 because I don't need one. I have reviewed it in the past (before I came back to work here), so I can speak with a little confidence. Almost every PC gamer on the planet doesn't need one right now. Let alone something even more powerful.
It is impressive. Very, very impressive. But it's also absurdly expensive, comically large, and quite power-hungry. When I spent my time with the RTX 4090, it became clear that if you aren't playing at 4K, there's very little reason to have one (at least for gaming.)
For those with the budget and the desire to have the best of the best, it's more than adequate to scratch the itch. No game currently available makes it break much of a sweat, even with ray tracing on. There were some games I played on the RTX 4090 that didn't even make the fans spin up. That's how much of a beast it is.
As a technical showcase of what NVIDIA's latest architecture is capable of, the RTX 4090 is a worthy poster child. But one of the best 40-series features, and in my opinion, the one that deserves the most attention, is somewhat lost on it. DLSS 3.0 and its innovative frame generation technique can really help gamers on a tighter budget still achieve high frame rates in demanding titles. With the RTX 4090, you only have brute force, so the message is lost.
But for the majority, the RTX 4090 is at best aspirational. An RTX 4090 Ti isn't what we need.
Gamers want better and more affordable GPUs
This isn't just me jumping on my soapbox again and telling everyone to buy Intel Arc graphics cards because the blue team seems to be the only player serious about pricing. But that message remains, as I've previously written about.
I'm clearly not alone, either. The Steam Hardware Survey is probably the best snapshot we have of what PC gamers are actually using, and guess what? It's not an RTX 4090 (or even an RTX 4080.)
Let's take a little look at the current top five GPUs on the survey:
- NVIDIA GTX 1650
- NVIDIA RTX 3060
- NVIDIA GTX 1060
- NVIDIA RTX 2060
- NVIDIA RTX 3060 (laptop)
The reasonably well-received RTX 4070 Ti is the most popular 40-series desktop graphics card on the survey, but way, way down with only a 0.66% share. The RTX 4090 is close behind with a 0.02% deficit. But the top positions are all held by either budget-focused GPUs or higher-tier last-generation products.
NVIDIA, as a whole, dominates the gaming graphics scene, but there seems to be a clear message. If folks are still using the now ancient by modern standards GTX 1060, there's nothing attractive enough and affordable enough for them to upgrade to. Most of NVIDIA's range is priced too high. I remember getting the GTX 1080 Ti, the biggest and baddest at the time, for under £700. Compare that to the current market.
I want to see a focus on affordability
We can all dream that NVIDIA refocuses its energy on trying to make better value, more affordable graphics cards, right? Unfortunately, I can't see it happening, and even AMD is starting to slide down that oh-so-slippery slope. It's why I've backed Intel with my own money because it's the only one of the three that seems to get it.
NVIDIA's 40-series has seen its fair share of criticism, not least the botched reveal of two different RTX 4080s, which had to be rolled back. Its CEO has also happily declared Moore's Law to be dead, which cynics like me see as just another excuse for high prices from a company that has an overwhelming position of dominance.
The race to the top only benefits the few. It's time to think more about the many.
