Modder recreates unreleased RTX 3070 Ti with 16GB GDDR6
A Brazilian modder named Fabio, known online as Fmklab, has successfully built a working NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti equipped with 16GB of GDDR6 memory. This project goes beyond the typical enthusiast upgrade of swapping 8GB for 16GB chips; it involves replacing the standard high-bandwidth GDDR6X configuration found in retail cards with conventional GDDR6, a move that significantly alters the theoretical bandwidth while increasing capacity.
The Build: Mixing Architectures
The resulting card is not based on a stock RTX 3070 Ti printed circuit board (PCB). Instead, Fmklab utilized an ASUS TUF RTX 3070 motherboard, which natively supports GDDR6 memory. He transplanted the GPU die from an RTX 3070 Ti onto this board and modified the firmware and memory straps to recognize the new configuration. The original HC14 memory chips were replaced with higher-capacity HC16 chips.
According to Fmklab, the modified card successfully boots into Windows, passes MATS (Memory Analysis Tool Suite) testing, and operates normally under 3D workloads. He provided a UNIGINE Superposition benchmark result as additional proof that the modification is functional and stable.
A Prototype from the Past
This build brings to light an interesting piece of NVIDIA's history. In September 2020, a Lenovo Legion T7 specification listed an unreleased GeForce RTX 3070 Ti with 16GB GDDR6, though this information was later removed by Lenovo and never officially confirmed as a final product. NVIDIA eventually launched the retail RTX 3070 Ti in June 2021 with 8GB of GDDR6X running at 19 Gbps, delivering 608 GB/s of bandwidth.
The concept of a 16GB version resurfaced in late 2021 and early 2022 when ASUS and Gigabyte registered models for an RTX 3070 Ti 16GB. These cards were expected to retain the high-speed GDDR6X memory but never reached the market. Then, in December 2022, an actual NVIDIA RTX 3070 Ti 16GB prototype surfaced. GPU-Z detected that this prototype used GDDR6 at 512 GB/s rather than the 608 GB/s GDDR6X configuration of the retail card.
Technical Details and Verification
Fmklab's documentation includes detailed photos of memory reballing and soldering, strap modifications, MATS results, firmware analysis, GPU-Z detection, and video footage of the card operating normally. He notes that he was able to study Late Engineering Sample (LES) firmware associated with this unusual 16GB configuration while developing the modification.
Fmklab claims his project is not literally the first RTX 3070 Ti 16GB GDDR6 ever made, as NVIDIA appears to have built at least one prototype years ago. However, he states that he has not found another publicly documented working modification that reproduces this specific configuration. More gaming benchmarks and comparisons are planned for the future.
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