NVIDIA GeForce RTX 50 series to feature DisplayPort 2.1, using TSMC 3nm node

NVIDIA RTX 50 with DisplayPort 2.1 support

Kopite7kimi reveals further details on NVIDIA Blackwell for gamers. 

The RTX 40 series lacks key features like DisplayPort 2.1 and PCI Express 5.0 compatibility at launch. Both standards are already available from competing brands, such as AMD, with their RX 7000 series with DP2.1 or Moore Threads S80 GPU with PCIe Gen5 connectors. It is time for NVIDIA to catch up.

As per the reputed NVIDIA leaker, kopite7kimi, the upcoming series will feature DisplayPort 2.1 support. AMD has turned this feature on all RDNA3 desktop GPUs into a marketing win. The gaming RX 7000 series has DP 2.1 UHBR13.5 implementation with a maximum bandwidth of 54 Gbit/s. Meanwhile, the workstation W7000 models come with full UHBR20 implementation with 80 Gbit/s of bandwidth. It is not clear which version of the standard will NVIDIA RTX 50 series support.

The physical modifications for the RTX 50 series may extend further, as it is anticipated that the series will also feature a PCIe Gen5 interface and an updated 16-pin connector known as 12V-2×6. It’s not clear if mid-range to entry-level models will continue to use the standard 8-pin connector, but the lack of a 6-pin connector on the RTX 40 series was probably the first step in getting rid of the old standard.

Kopite added that the next Blackwell GB20x series should use TSMC 3 nm process technology. It is not stated if one should expect a custom 3N node, or any of the available nodes that are shipping are about to ship in volume in the future (such as N3E/N3P/N3X). Two months ago, rumors about the use of a 3 nm node for the Blackwell HPC series were already circulating, so should this claim turn out to be true, the same foundry will be used in gaming series. Worth noting that AMD, Intel, MediaTek and Qualcomm are also to adopt their products for 3 nm nodes from the same foundry.

As things stand right now, Blackwell gaming does not have a release date yet. However, NVIDIA is confident it will start shipping Blackwell HPC GPUs late next year, so the gaming series should follow shortly. One should expect a lot more leaks as the next GB20x gaming chips start to tape out and specs get finalized, kopite7kimi should be among the first to report them no doubt.

Source: @kopite7kimi