NVIDIA Launches RTX 4090D in China: Limited Capabilities for a High Price

NVIDIA recently launched a specific model in China, the GeForce RTX 4090D, which has reduced capabilities compared to the original RTX 4090. This move was made after the U.S. banned the export of certain types of graphics accelerators, including the RTX 4090, to China. The RTX 4090D has decreased AI performance compared to the RTX 4090 to comply with U.S. restrictions. The video card is equipped with different ASIC codes, a unique device identifier, and a different core configuration to prevent its modification into a standard RTX 4090.

The original RTX 4090 was designed using 64 TPCs (128 SMs) out of the 72 available in the "AD102" chip. In contrast, the RTX 4090D only received 57 TPCs (114 SMs), which led to a reduction in the number of CUDA, Tensor, and RT cores. As a result, the RTX 4090D is equipped with 14,592 CUDA cores, 456 Tensor cores, and 114 RT cores, while the original model contains 16,384 CUDA cores, 512 Tensor cores, and 128 RT cores. Although the GPU frequencies remained the same, the power limits and overclocking capabilities have been reduced.

NVIDIA has set the price of the RTX 4090D in China at 12,999 yuan (approximately $1,840), which is equivalent to the launch price of the original RTX 4090 in this region. However, the reduced capabilities at such a high price raise doubts about the advisability of purchasing this model, especially considering that it offers significantly decreased capabilities compared to the original RTX 4090.

Therefore, the new RTX 4090D represents a compromise that may not meet the expectations of users in China due to its limited capabilities and high price, creating additional obstacles for NVIDIA in a market with heightened competition among graphics accelerators.