NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 Graphics Card Modded & Tested With 20 GB & 12 GB Memory Configurations, Lower Bandwidth Shows Massive Performance Bottleneck
PRO Hi-Tech tested two custom BIOS settings for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 graphics card, one featuring 20 GB of capacity with a 320-bit memory bus and the second with 12 GB of capacity and a 192-bit memory bus. The memory speed was the identical set for the two different BIOS options at 19.5 Gbps. The maximum bandwidth of the GPU is limited to between 468 (192-bit) or 780 GB/s (320-bit) from the initial total of 936 GB/s (384-bit).
Using the 3DMark TimeSpy and Port Royal synthetic benchmarks and a selection of AAA games, PRO Hi-Tech tested the two custom BIOS settings on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU. To start, the stock NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 24 GB scored 18388 points in the Time Spy Graphics test. The next model, sitting at 20 GB, only produced 17686 on the same test, and then limiting it further to 12 GB sits at 13996, losing a total of close to 24% reduction. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 / RTX 3060 Custom Memory Configurations: The 3D TimeSpy and Port Royal benchmark tests concluded that the 12 GB BIOS configuration had the most considerable effect on performance, even with the 20 GB only being five percent slower than standard settings. The BIOS that offered 12 GB with a 192-bit memory bus saw a drop of 76 to 85 percent in performance, while the 20 GB with a 320-bit memory bus saw a loss of as high as 96 percent in commission. This shows the massive memory bandwidth demand that is required for a flagship GPU such as the AD102. The RTX 3090 Ti, RTX 3090, and RTX 3080 Ti are all spec’d with a 384-bit bus interface and it may explain why no cut-down bus interface was featured on the high-end graphics cards. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 / RTX 3060 Custom Memory Benchmarks: In another test by PRO Hi-Tech, the tech outlet used an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 custom BIOS that usually arrives with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 192-bit bus. The custom BIOS limits the graphic memory to 4 GB and shrinks the bus to 128-bit. The GeForce RTX 3060 also sees a reduction in GPU performance with 18% lower FPS in games but also consumes better power due to disabled VRAM dies, same is the case with the high-end cards. These custom BIOS can be found in various Russian and Chinese forums but I don’t know why someone would use them just to see lower performance in games. News Sources: VideoCardz, PRO Hi-Tech on YouTube
