MSI has made at least two errors that suggest the possibility of a 24 GB version of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080. The first mistake was found on the retail box of an RTX 5080 Vanguard OC Launch Edition, where "24 GB GDDR7" was printed on top of the RTX 5080 label. The second error was on the product page of the MAG X870 Tomahawk motherboard, where the memory size was listed as 24,576 MB (24 GB) in the VGA Support list. This raises two potential interpretations.
One interpretation is that NVIDIA initially intended for the RTX 5080 to have 24 GB of memory, using 3 GB (24 Gbit) GDDR7 memory chips across the 256-bit wide memory bus of the "GB203" silicon. However, the specs were revised before launch, resulting in the card having 16 GB (8x 16 Gbit) instead. The other interpretation is that a 24 GB variant is in development, possibly named the "RTX 5080 24 GB." This variant could offer a 50% increase in memory size without changing the memory bandwidth. The extra memory could be beneficial for scenarios involving 4K Ultra HD + ray tracing + DLSS 4 MFG, where gamers aim to increase their framerates to match the refresh rates of their displays.
There is also the possibility of a "RTX 5080 SUPER" card with 24 GB of memory, higher memory speeds (e.g. 32 Gbps), and increased GPU clock speeds. NVIDIA may offer this SKU at a similar price point to the current RTX 5080 ($999). This decision may have been made to avoid using the larger "GB202" chip, as the current RTX 5080 already utilizes the full potential of the "GB203" silicon.
