RTX 5080 32GB VRAM: Modded for AI, Official Release Years Away | Quick Digest
Rumors suggest a 32GB RTX 5080 was initially for cloud gaming with a leaked BIOS. While modded 32GB versions already exist for AI, an official consumer release is speculated to be years away, impacting gamers globally.
NVIDIA's consumer RTX 5080 officially launched with 16GB GDDR7 VRAM.
Chinese modders are already creating 32GB RTX 5080 variants for AI workloads.
NVIDIA's GeForce NOW cloud service uses 48GB VRAM 'RTX 5080-class' GPUs.
Rumors suggest a 32GB RTX 5080 BIOS for cloud gaming leaked to consumer market.
An official 32GB RTX 5080 is unlikely before the RTX 60 series, around late 2027.
Modded GPUs for AI could lead to supply shortages and higher prices for gamers.
The Wccftech article discusses a rumor regarding a 32GB NVIDIA RTX 5080, suggesting it was originally intended for cloud gaming services and that its BIOS was accidentally leaked to the consumer market. It further speculates that an official 32GB variant might take over a year to appear in the market.
Upon verification, it's confirmed that the standard NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, based on the Blackwell architecture, officially launched with 16GB of GDDR7 memory around January 30, 2025, following its announcement at CES 2025. However, highly credible sources like Tom's Hardware, Tech4Gamers, and Overclock 3D corroborate that Chinese modders have indeed developed methods to upgrade consumer RTX 5080 GPUs to 32GB of VRAM. These modded versions are primarily being utilized for AI workstations and servers due to the high demand for VRAM in such applications.
While the rumor about a 32GB RTX 5080 specifically *planned* for cloud gaming with a leaked BIOS is attributed to Uniko's Hardware, NVIDIA's actual GeForce NOW cloud gaming service *did* upgrade to "RTX 5080-class" performance in September 2025. Importantly, the Blackwell GPU hardware NVIDIA uses in these cloud servers features a substantial 48GB of VRAM, significantly more than the consumer RTX 5080's 16GB.
The Wccftech article's claim that a higher VRAM model might take a year to appear is largely accurate for an *official* NVIDIA consumer release. Speculation from various tech outlets suggests that an RTX 5080 with officially higher VRAM, if it materializes, would likely align with the release of the next-generation RTX 60 series, anticipated in the second half of 2027. The emergence of these modded 32GB cards for AI purposes poses a potential "trouble for gamers" scenario, as it could divert GPU supply and drive up prices for gaming-focused consumers.
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