No, this is not the first image of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080

(Image credit: NIVOROK)

Hype is rising for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 – the next generation graphics card that is likely to arrive (alongside other RTX 3000 GPUs) sometime this year – and a new image has been posted online that apparently shows what the upcoming graphics card will look like.

However, while we can't wait to see the RTX 3080 (or whatever name Nvidia chooses for its next flagship GPU), the image posted online is almost certainly a fake.

First of all, it was posted on the Slashleaks website, and since removed, with very little corroborating evidence by a user who does not seem to have posted any other leaks previously.

Apparently, the image was leaked by an employee of (or someone with a connection to) TSMC. TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is a company used by the likes of Nvidia and AMD to create chips that power their hardware. 

Spinning a tale

The image shows a supposedly elongated GPU with three fans, but otherwise looks suspiciously like an RTX 2080 Ti.

Adding a third fan onto an existing product (and making it slightly longer) is a relatively simple tweak someone could make in Photoshop (other photo editors are available), so as far as fake leaks go, this isn't the most convincing.

We were expecting to hear more about Nvidia’s next-gen GPU plans at Computex 2020, but as the Taiwanese tech show has been postponed until the end of September due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we may have to wait a while to find out more.

Hopefully we won’t have to wait that long to find out more about the RTX 3080, as Nvidia may decide to show off its upcoming GPUs at its own event instead. If more leaks (real or otherwise) begin to emerge, it may force Nvidia’s hand.

Via Phonemantra

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.