Exciting developments are brewing in the world of NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 50 “Blackwell” laptop GPUs, as they have recently surfaced in the PCI ID repository. This lineup includes the anticipated GeForce RTX 5090, 5080, 5070, 5060, and 5050 series, creating quite a buzz among tech enthusiasts.
In an unexpected twist, rumors are circulating that NVIDIA might replace the Blackwell GPU dies with those from the Ada series. Though not officially confirmed, evidence from the PCI ID Repository suggests the presence of “AD108M” associated with several RTX 50-series Max-Q GPUs for laptops. This is echoed in the Techpowerup database, where both GB206M and AD108M are linked to these Max-Q variants.
The perplexing part is that AD108M doesn’t officially exist in NVIDIA’s current Ada lineup, which tops out at the AD107 die in the RTX 40 series. Traditionally, Max-Q GPUs are designed for slimmer, power-efficient gaming laptops, diverging from the robust NVIDIA GPUs catering to high-performance machines. Previously, NVIDIA deployed both types for different laptop segments in the Ada generation, but extending this to the RTX 50 series seems unconventional.
The peculiar appearance of the AD108M implies it might serve as an entry-level GPU within the RTX 5070 and its ranks. Since this is its debut, its performance relative to standard and Max-Q GPUs remains uncertain. Techpowerup suggests that either the GB206M or AD108M could be implemented in the RTX 50 series, while the PCI ID Repository solely mentions the AD108M.
According to available information, four Max-Q RTX 50 series GPUs are rumored to incorporate the AD108M die:
Meanwhile, higher-tier GPUs like the RTX 5090 Max-Q and RTX 5080 Max-Q will feature the GB203M, a refined version of the GB203 slated for the standard laptop RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs. Although it’s early to draw conclusions, there’s a degree of confusion about deploying an older Ada architecture for the RTX 50 series, even if they outperform previous models.
A noteworthy detail from Techpowerup’s database is the classification of the architecture relating to the GB206M as “Blackwell 2.0.” This label extends to other dies like GB205M, GB203M, and GB202, signifying a possible evolution within the Blackwell lineup. Intriguingly, newly mentioned dies like GB102 and GB102GL are described simply as “Blackwell”.
While it’s understood that the GB202 and GB203 are intended for the desktop RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 GPUs, the “Blackwell 2” designation adds an element of mystery. Enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting insights into how Blackwell 2.0 stacks up against the original Blackwell and what novel attributes the AD108M might yet unveil.
