Never released prototype PCB of GeForce GTX 1080 Kingpin GPU
JayzTwoCents received a package from the EVGA overclocker Kingpin.
EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Kingpin, Source: JayzTwoCents
It may appear that a considerable amount of time has passed, but it’s actually been less than a year since EVGA officially announced its departure from the GPU market. This announcement shook the GPU industry and took many enthusiasts by a surprise, but the GPU landscape has not changed significantly, and other companies took off where EVGA left.
Even though EVGA had developed a prototype of the GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, this model never saw the light of day in a retail form. When they decided to exit the GPU business, the company invited two tech reviewers to their headquarters to provide an explanation. The first individuals to publicly announce EVGA’s departure were GamersNexus and JayzTwoCents.
Both reviewers had enjoyed longstanding partnerships with EVGA, including their association with EVGA’s overclocker, Vince “Kingpin” Lucido. Kingpin’s name is already well-known, primarily due to the Kingpin GPU series, which represented the pinnacle of EVGA GPU offerings and set the standard for other companies catering to the enthusiast market.
Kingpin sent JayzTwoCents a prototype PCB for one of the three GeForce GTX 1080 cards, a model that never made it to market. It’s worth noting that EVGA did eventually release the GTX 1080 Ti Kingpin model. The PCB sample sent to Jayz was an Engineering Validation Test (EVT) model, essentially an empty board without any components, as EVGA had not completed the design. This might be attributed to the swift release of the GTX 1080 Ti following the non-Ti version, prompting Kingpin to focus on more capable GPU.
EVGA GeForce RTX 3090 Ti Kingpin, Source: JayzTwoCents
In addition to this board, Jayz also received the sole existing EVT revision of the RTX 3090 Ti, which eventually did make it to market and was the last GPU that Kingpin had been working on.
JayzTwoCents now possesses a display of EVGA GPUs, and these cards will undoubtedly find a fitting place in his collection. Nevertheless, it’s evident that this marks the end of an era for EVGA, as the company has shifted its focus to other PC components.
EVGA GeForce display, Source: JayzTwoCents
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