Nvidia might release just one RTX 4000 GPU this year – and it’s not the one you’re hoping for

Nvidia graphics card rendering
(Image credit: Nvidia)

A new rumor suggests that Nvidia will only release a single GPU from its upcoming RTX 4000 ‘Lovelace’ series – and it could be the ultra-expensive RTX 4090.

The rumor comes from known hardware leaker Greymon55, who posted a reply to one of their older tweets (which you can see below), suggesting that Nvidia will only launch a single model using the AD102 chip – which is widely believed to be the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090.

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While enthusiasts may be relieved that Nvidia is at least launching its flagship graphics card, for most people the RTX 4090 will likely be too expensive. People who want a more affordable new GPU from Team Green may be disappointed if this new leak is accurate.


Analysis: Oh, RTX 4080 where art thou?

Nvidia logo on a dark background

(Image credit: Konstantin Savusia / Shutterstock)

Recent rumors suggest that the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 will be an incredibly powerful graphics card, and could seriously outperform the RTX 3090 Ti, which is currently Nvidia’s most powerful (and expensive) GPU.

However, if this leak is accurate, it’s a surprising move from Nvidia. The company usually releases a range of GPUs for the launch of a new architecture series, so only releasing one will be quite a departure.

The RTX 4090, like the RTX 3090 and RTX 3090 Ti, will also likely be a rather niche product due to its price, size, power demands and performance.

The more affordable RTX 4080, RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 GPUs will likely have a much broader appeal – but these may not come out until 2023.

If this leak is accurate, it may be evidence that Nvidia is struggling to get hold of enough chips (supplied by chip maker TSMC) to make numerous GPU models, and a sign that the global chip shortage is continuing to have repercussions.

While we have no doubt that Nvidia will sell every RTX 4090 that it makes, thanks to pent-up demand and hype over the new Lovelace architecture, if it is indeed only launching a single, very expensive, graphics card towards the end of this year, that could be good news for its rival AMD, which is launching its next-gen RDNA 3 GPUs around the same time, and will likely offer much more affordable alternatives.

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.