GeForce 30 series
The GeForce 30 series is a suite of graphics processing units (GPUs) designed and marketed by Nvidia, succeeding the GeForce 20 series. The GeForce 30 series is based on the Ampere architecture, which features Nvidia's second-generation ray tracing (RT) cores and third-generation Tensor Cores. Through Nvidia RTX, hardware-enabled ray tracing is possible on GeForce 30 series cards.
GeForce RTX 3090 Founders Edition | |
| Release date | September 17, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Manufactured by | Samsung |
| Designed by | Nvidia |
| Marketed by | Nvidia |
| Codename | GA10x |
| Architecture | Ampere |
| Models | GeForce RTX series |
| Transistors |
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| Fabrication process | Samsung 8LPU |
| Cards | |
| Entry-level |
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| Mid-range |
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| High-end |
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| Enthusiast |
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| API support | |
| DirectX | Direct3D 12.0 Ultimate (feature level 12_2) Shader Model 6.8 |
| OpenCL | OpenCL 3.0 |
| OpenGL | OpenGL 4.6 |
| Vulkan | Vulkan 1.3 |
| History | |
| Predecessor | |
| Successor | GeForce 40 series |
| Support status | |
| Supported | |
The lineup, designed to compete with AMD's Radeon RX 6000 series of cards, consists of the entry-level and previously laptop-exclusive RTX 3050 and laptop-exclusive RTX 3050 Ti, mid-range RTX 3060, upper-midrange RTX 3060 Ti, high-end RTX 3070, RTX 3070 Ti, RTX 3080 10 GB, RTX 3080 12 GB and enthusiast RTX 3080 Ti, RTX 3090, and RTX 3090 Ti. This is the last generation from Nvidia to have official support for Windows 7 and 8.x as the latest drivers available for this generation require Windows 10.
The GeForce 30 series began shipping on September 17, 2020. The initial launch, consisting of the RTX 3070, RTX 3080, and RTX 3090, occurred during the 2020–2023 global chip shortage, resulting in widespread and notable shortages of the series as a whole that lasted from the series' launch until 2022.
The GeForce 30 series was succeeded by the GeForce 40 series, powered by the Ada Lovelace microarchitecture, which first launched in 2022.