One leak could be a fluke, but two leaks? MSI might be cooking. As per (now) two leaked images, MSI might have an exciting new GPU in the works, and it’d be one that could rival some of the best graphics cards. The GPU in question is another version of the RTX 5080, but this time, it’s said to come with 24GB memory — a major upgrade over the base version. This could finally push it past the RTX 4090, but will it really happen?
Both leaks were spotted by VideoCardz, but surprisingly, MSI itself is the original source for both stories. First, the company posted a promotional video showcasing the RTX 5080 Vanguard GPU, and on the box, it’s advertised as “24GB GDDR7.” This is an extra 8GB VRAM over the RTX 5080 that’s currently available. Coincidentally, it’s also the exact same memory capacity as the RTX 4090.
This could’ve been a mistake, but MSI then went on to post that exact same card on its website, listing it as being compatible with the MSI X870 motherboard. That’s twice now that MSI alluded to the existence of a 24GB VRAM RTX 5080.
The RTX 5080, despite many hopes and expectations, fails to beat the last-gen flagship RTX 4090. Bumping up the VRAM in such a major way, as well as overclocking the card (which MSI would undoubtedly do), would push the performance higher. Would it be high enough to beat the RTX 4090? Maybe not, as there’d still be a major difference in the CUDA core count — but it’d be a lot closer than it is now, that’s for sure.
The question is: Can we truly expect such a GPU to be revealed? Right now, it certainly doesn’t seem real, but it’s not impossible. More likely than not, we’ll see a better memory configuration in the RTX 5080 Ti or Super, whenever that makes an appearance. Unfortunately, I don’t expect it to be cheap, given that some RTX 5080 models already sell for up to $600 more than the MSRP.
