The GeForce RTX 50 series graphics cards based on the Blackwell architecture consist of five chips: GB202, GB203, GB205, GB206, and GB207. The GeForce RTX 5070 uses the GB205, marking the first time NVIDIA has used an x05 chip for its gaming GPUs, essentially replacing the previous x04 chips. The higher-end GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080 use the GB203, which is significantly larger in scale compared to the GB205.
According to VideoCardz, NVIDIA is preparing a new version of the GeForce RTX 5070 that will switch to the GB203 chip. Compatible drivers will be released soon, potentially as early as September 9. This move is not surprising, as NVIDIA previously replaced the original GB206 chip with the larger GB205 for the GeForce RTX 5060.
The GB205 GPU has a die area of 263 mm² and contains 31.1 billion transistors. The full chip includes 5 GPCs, 25 TPCs, 50 SMs, and six 32-bit memory controllers, totaling 6,400 CUDA cores, 50 fourth-generation RT Cores, 200 fifth-generation Tensor Cores, 200 texture units, and 80 raster units, with a 192-bit memory bus width. Since the GeForce RTX 5070 is equipped with 6,144 CUDA cores, it means not all core computing units are enabled; some are disabled, with only 96% of the cores activated.
The GB203 GPU has a die area of 378 mm² and contains 45.6 billion transistors. The full chip includes 7 GPCs, 42 TPCs, 84 SMs, and eight 32-bit memory controllers, totaling 10,752 CUDA cores, 84 fourth-generation RT Cores, 336 fifth-generation Tensor Cores, 336 texture units, and 112 raster units, with a 256-bit memory bus width. Given the specifications of the GeForce RTX 5070, this means only about 57% of the cores are enabled.
In addition to the larger scale, the GPCs in the GB205 and GB203 differ in their TPC and SM configurations. It remains to be seen whether this will have any slight impact on thermal performance and overall performance.