Leaked NVIDIA TITAN ADA Prototype Unleashed: A Gaming Beast That Never Was
Imagine a graphics card so powerful, it could redefine the limits of gaming, yet was never released to the public. That's the story of the NVIDIA TITAN ADA, a prototype GPU that has now surfaced and been put to the test by renowned overclocker Der8auer. This card, positioned as a potential mid-generation upgrade between the RTX 4090 and the upcoming RTX 5090, boasts impressive specs and tantalizing performance, leaving enthusiasts wondering what could have been.
The TITAN ADA's existence was shrouded in mystery, with only glimpses of prototypes emerging over time. Now, Der8auer has gotten his hands on a fully functional version, showcasing its potential in a new video. This unreleased flagship model, according to Der8auer, would have cost 'far more than most would be willing to pay'.
The design of the TITAN ADA is striking. It features a massive quad-slot cooler, dwarfing even the RTX 4090 Founders Edition. The card's shroud proudly displays the "Titan" designation. "The biggest GPU I've ever held in my hand," Der8auer exclaimed.
Under the hood, the TITAN ADA packs a fully-enabled AD102 chip with 18,432 CUDA cores, a 12.5% increase compared to the RTX 4090. Paired with 48GB of GDDR6X memory across a 384-bit bus, double that of the 4090, this card was built for extreme performance. It also features two 16-pin power connectors, suggesting a potential power consumption exceeding 600W, although testing revealed it stayed around 450W. This design is remarkably similar to the design of the RTX 50 Founders Edition series.
Despite its impressive hardware, the TITAN ADA faces limitations. Der8auer used a 2023 driver to test this system.
Synthetic benchmarks tell an interesting story. In 3DMark Time Spy Extreme, the TITAN ADA outperforms the RTX 4090 by roughly 15%. However, the RTX 5090 still manages a 11% lead over the TITAN ADA while consuming 21% more power. Similarly, in 3DMark Speedway the TITAN ADA scored 7% faster than the RTX 4090, but the RTX 5090 was 33% faster.
Gaming performance paints an even more compelling picture. In Cyberpunk, the TITAN ADA achieved 22% higher average FPS compared to the RTX 4090. However, some games experienced crashes and anomalies due to driver issues.
So, why was this beast never unleashed? The most likely culprit is manufacturing costs. Producing enough perfect AD102 dies with no defects would have been a challenge. Furthermore, the TITAN ADA could have cannibalized sales of NVIDIA's workstation-oriented RTX 6000 Ada, which already commands a hefty price tag. It would be interesting to know more about NVIDIA's official reasoning behind this decision.
The NVIDIA TITAN ADA remains a fascinating "what if" in the history of graphics cards, a glimpse into a potential future that never materialized. What are your thoughts on this unreleased beast? Do you think NVIDIA made the right call by shelving it? Share your opinions in the comments below!
