The Turing “Titan Killer” That Never Was: RTX 2080 Ti SUPER Engineering Sample Appears on eBay
NVIDIA’s Turing generation saw three SUPER cards: the RTX 2060 SUPER, RTX 2070 SUPER, and RTX 2080 SUPER. But one model never made it to market – an RTX 2080 Ti SUPER. Now, an engineering sample of that forgotten card has surfaced on eBay (and another via Facebook Marketplace), giving us a rare glimpse at what might have been.
The card, listed as an engineering sample with board number PG151, features specifications that sit squarely between the retail RTX 2080 Ti and the flagship Titan RTX:
- 4,608 CUDA cores (same as Titan RTX, up from 4,352 on 2080 Ti)
- 12GB GDDR6 memory (2080 Ti had 11GB, Titan had 24GB)
- 384‑bit memory bus (up from 352‑bit on 2080 Ti, matching Titan)
- 672 GB/s bandwidth (identical to Titan)
Despite being labelled “RTX 2080 SUPER” on the shroud (likely because the design was based on the non‑Ti SUPER), the card is clearly a cut‑down Titan RTX rather than an upgraded 2080 Ti. The eBay seller claimed this prototype was intended as a “Titan Killer” but was ultimately shelved because its performance was deemed too close to the flagship Titan RTX. Only a handful were made, and this particular sample has a serial number, suggesting it was close to retail specification.
Why Was It Never Released?
NVIDIA’s SUPER refresh in mid‑2019 aimed to counter AMD’s then‑upcoming RDNA 1 cards. However, the RTX 2080 Ti already had no direct competition at the high end. Launching an even faster 2080 Ti SUPER would have encroached on the $2,500 Titan RTX, which was aimed at AI researchers and creative professionals. NVIDIA likely decided to keep the Titan as the undisputed top‑end card and never released the 2080 Ti SUPER.
The prototype on eBay required a developer driver and Windows test mode to function. The buyer reportedly had to edit the hardware ID into NVIDIA’s INF files to get the driver to install – a common hurdle with unreleased engineering samples.
Not the First Turing Prototype
This isn’t the first time a 12GB Turing card with a 384‑bit bus has appeared. Earlier, a GTX‑branded RTX 2080 Ti prototype (lacking RT and Tensor cores) surfaced, also with 12GB memory. That card was likely an early test vehicle for the TU102 silicon. The newly found SUPER variant appears to be a later, more polished attempt.
RTX 2080 SUPER – AMAZON
What It Means for Collectors
Engineering samples from cancelled or unreleased products are rare and valuable to hardware collectors. This RTX 2080 Ti SUPER is a piece of what‑if history – a glimpse of a timeline where NVIDIA might have offered a more affordable alternative to the Titan RTX. For now, it remains a curiosity, running on custom drivers and test‑mode Windows.
Also, Read
- NVIDIA RTX 50 SUPER Refresh Rumored for Early 2027, Waiting on 3GB GDDR7 Chips
- AMD Rejects Ryzen 9 7950X3D Warranty Claim After CPU Swelling—Owner Says No Overclocking
- AMD RDNA 5 Radeon GPUs Reportedly Not Expected Until Late 2027
NVIDIA has never officially acknowledged the existence of an RTX 2080 Ti SUPER. But this eBay find confirms that at least a few prototypes made it out of the lab. Whether any will end up in working systems is another question entirely.
Source: Reddit