Chinese graphics card manufacturer Fengpo has released a modified version of Nvidia’s RTX 3080 GPU, featuring double the VRAM capacity available on the official model. Leveraging the unpopulated memory pads, Fengpo added another 10GB of VRAM to the card, which will be particularly handy in AI tasks and high-resolution gaming.
The original GeForce RTX 3080 10GB was and still is a capable GPU, offering smooth performance even on modern AAA titles. However, the moment you crank those texture settings up, the card’s Achilles’ heel is clear to see. Its 10GB of memory is no longer sufficient for high-resolution gaming, forcing many owners to buy a new card or reduce the settings despite the GPU’s performance potential. Nvidia did launch a 12GB variant at a later date, I note, but there was still room to improve.
So, to fix this, many repair shops and manufacturers, among which is Fengpo, have taken matters into their own hands, upgrading existing models with more VRAM capacity. To do so, you have two main options that will depend on each card’s design: either you swap the old memory chips for high-density ones or fill in the back side of the PCB with similar memory chips. Understandably, not all cards offer free backside memory pads, and not all memory chips are available in high-density variants.
In today’s case, Fengpo used an RTX 3080 with empty backside pads, making the change as easy as soldering ten 1GB GDDR6X chips from Micron, bringing the total capacity to 20GB. However, it didn’t stop there, and has made some additional changes, including swapping the original 12HPWR power connector for a newer (technically safer) 12V-2×6. Fengpo also opted for a massive triple-slot, triple-fan cooler, seemingly the same one used on PNY’s RTX 4090 Verto.
That said, unlike these modern conveniences, the GPUs date back to 2021, since Nvidia is no longer providing GA102 chips. This means that they are likely salvaged from older cards that were either unsold or returned for an RMA.
The BiliBili channel, which broke the news, dismantled the card to expose these changes, showing a professionally made product with well-applied thermal pads and paste. The channel also ran some tests, where unsurprisingly, the card performed as any other RTX 3080. The card forged ahead of the new RTX 5060 Ti 16GB by 10.9% in 3DMark Time Spy and about 15% in Dying Light. This is understandable, since the difference will only appear when the task demands more than 10GB of VRAM. This is what happened with the AI tests, where the card fared much better and was able to run models that the original RTX 3080 could only dream of.
This custom RTX 3080 20GB is sold in China for around $447, which is about what you would shell out for a new or renewed RTX 3080 10GB in the US. Is it a good deal? That will depend on your needs. If you mainly game, the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB can be had for $429, while giving you modern features such as multi-frame generation and better ray-tracing performance.
