NVIDIA is in the final stages of creating a GeForce RTX 4090D (Dragon) for the Chinese market, according to a fairly reliable whistleblower MEGAsizeGPU. The card is expected to be released next year and will feature a stripped-down AD102-250 processor and specifications to meet US export criteria.
Chinese Gamers Rejoice! NVIDIA’s Bringing Its Flagship Gaming GPU Back With The GeForce RTX 4090 D
????»D» Write Chinese Year of the Dragon (2024)
????New AD102 SKU with cut-down specs
????Fully complies with US policies— Hassan Mujtaba (@hms1193) November 29, 2023
Due to US export restrictions on high-performance GPU-based accelerators, it is currently not possible to ship AD102-300-based cards to China. The RTX 4090 export ban came into effect in mid-November, and the video card was placed on the banned list in October. NVIDIA’s Chinese partners have stocked up on AD102 GPUs, but they’re running low.
4090D
AD102-250— MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang) November 30, 2023
In response to these limitations, NVIDIA creates a new chip with similar but identical specifications. The stripped down AD102 is expected to have a reduced number of CUDA cores. Sources say a base clock frequency of 2280 MHz (yes, that’s an increase) and a boost to 2520 MHz. A reduction in TDP is also possible.
4090D is on track, with no delay.
More Spec：
Base clock 2280 (higher than 4090)
Boost clock 2520 (same as 4090)— MEGAsizeGPU (@Zed__Wang) December 6, 2023
The card is likely to retain the 24GB GDDR6X configuration, but specific details such as memory frequency and TDP are yet to be determined. It’s clear that NVIDIA intends to stay as close to the original specifications as possible to keep production lines running for the new graphics card.
An interesting question is how fast the RTX 4090D will be compared to the upcoming RTX 4080 SUPER. The main difference will be in memory, as the RTX 4090D is expected to have the same 24GB. The RTX 4080 SUPER is expected to be less than 16GB, not to mention the obvious difference between the AD102 and AD103 GPUs.
NVIDIA may also apply stricter overclocking limits to prevent partners from pushing the board beyond specifications. This ensures that no RTX 4090D graphics card will hit the 4800 TOPS processing power limit again.
According to previous reports, the launch of the RTX 4090D is scheduled for January. NVIDIA will hold a special event to unveil the RTX 40 SUPER at CES 2024, but it is not known whether the RTX 4090D will be officially unveiled or quietly released exclusively for the Chinese market. It is also known that NVIDIA will not change the recommended price of the RTX 4090, that is, it will be 12,999 yuan or $1,599.
Sources: VideoCardz, Wccftech
