Nvidia’s next generation graphics cards are coming soon, but what will they be called?

What’s with our names?

Since Nvidia has announced that it is going to showcase something special on September 1, the hype surrounding the upcoming next-gen graphics cards has reached a climax.

As Sony and Microsoft prepare to launch their next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles, respectively, gamers are eagerly awaiting the real gaming hardware in the new generation from Nvidia, and we’ve seen plenty of leaks regarding Nvidia graphics cards hinting in one way or another. special.

However, despite many compelling rumors (and many unconvincing ones) about the new series of graphics cards, one thing remains a mystery – what Nvidia will name its graphics cards.

| NVIDIA
GEFORCE RTX 30 SERIES?

At the moment, most, including us, are calling the upcoming Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 / RTX 3000 graphics cards: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, RTX 3080 and RTX 3080 Ti.

This is the most educated guess given that the current generation is the RTX 20 series graphics cards (and the previous generation is the GTX 10 series), it is possible that Nvidia will not deviate from the existing name with the new generation – especially if the new graphics cards offer a big upgrade over the current models. …

How likely is it?

Jensen Huang 4.5 out of 5.

| NVIDIA
GEFORCE RTX 21 SERIES?

The fact that Nvidia is likely to name the upcoming RTX 30 graphics cards doesn’t mean there really aren’t any other routes.

In fact, there are users who believe that Nvidia chose the RTX 20 name for Turing graphics cards instead of the expected GTX / RTX 11, precisely because many people expected the latter.

So, can Nvidia avoid the RTX 30 just to belittle expectations?

If a manufacturer decides to bypass the RTX 30 naming, what can they name their graphics cards?

In our opinion, the next likely name will be RTX 21 – hence, we could see the announced RTX 2170, RTX 2180 and RTX 2180 Ti.

This is possible for several reasons. First, as we mentioned, to replay most of the leaks. It will also revert back to Nvidia’s previous agreement to number its graphics cards, when the generation took a step by one, rather than ten – we are talking about the GTX 6, 7, 8 (mobile only) and 9 series.

Another reason we ask you to be serious about seeing the 21 series is because Nvidia launched the “Ultimate Countdown” when there were 21 days left until the 21st year of the series. Before we head into the future, join us to celebrate the biggest breakthrough in PC gaming since 1999. ”

The repetition of the number 21 makes us give in to the expectations of the 21st episode.

What makes naming the 21st series less likely is the fact that some may see the 21st as a minor update to the series compared to the RTX 20, which may not please Nvidia.

How likely is it?

Jensen Huang’s 4 out of 5 possible.

| NVIDIA
GEFORCE RTX 40 SERIES

What if Nvidia does something weird and skips the RTX 30 series altogether? Maybe we’ll see the RTX 4080 Ti in September?

This won’t be the first time Nvidia has made a big leap forward in the numbering system, so it can’t be ruled out.

However, with the move to the RTX 40 series, Nvidia will make very high demands on new GPUs – and that could be a double-edged sword. Of course, the manufacturer wants users to be thrilled with the upcoming graphics cards, but if users expect too much and Nvidia fails to live up to expectations, the company will be flooded with a wave of frustration and anger.

How likely is it?

Jensen Huang’s 2 out of 5.

| NVIDIA
GEFORCE RTX 25/26 SERIES?

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2580 Ti? No, this will not happen. But can we see the GTX 2560? Or a GTX 2660? It may very well be. While Nvidia released its RTX 20 series GPUs as high-end models, they were followed by the mid-to-entry-level GPUs in the GTX 16 series: the GeForce GTX 1650, 1650 Super, and 1660 Ti.

They used the same Turing architecture as the 20th series, but without features like ray tracing, which remained exclusive to the 20th series.

So is that name likely? Hardly. Nvidia is about to take a big leap in technology, and judging by the leaks we’ve received, the new graphics cards are expecting big performance gains. Then naming RTX 25/26 graphics cards will do them a disservice.

How likely is it?

Jensen Huang’s 0.5 out of 5.

| NVIDIA
VOODOO 6

Perhaps Nvidia will do something really crazy and bring the Voodoo brand back into use. In the 90s, 3dfx’s Voodoo graphics cards were among the most powerful and popular in the world until the company was bought out by Nvidia in 2000.

Could Nvidia try to pull up the strings of nostalgia by reviving the Voodoo brand again?

It is possible that this is an exceptional twist, which seems too retrospective to us, given that Nvidia is constantly talking about the future of video games.

How likely is it?

Jensen Huang’s 0.5 out of 5.

| SOMETHING DIFFERENT

Of course, Nvidia could have come up with something completely different when talking about names. It would come as a shock, but it could be a statement that the new GPUs are revolutionizing.

Unlikely outcome, but it cannot be completely ruled out.

How likely is it?

1 Jensen Huang out of 5.

Regardless of what Nvidia ultimately calls its Ampere graphics cards (you could call it that, by the way), we have an exciting future for PC gaming, especially when AMD opposes a competitor with a Big Navi graphics card. Well, come to think of it, we’re not sure what the AMD graphics card will be called …