Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super, RTX 2060 Super Available In Three Variants

W1zzard, the creator of the widely popular GPU-Z tool, has made a startling discovery that Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 2070 Super and RTX 2060 Super graphics cards actually have up to three different device IDs.

Credit: Nvidia

Every graphics card has its own unique device ID, which helps the operating system identify the exact model of the card that’s currently installed in the system. If you recall, Nvidia used to bin Turing dies for its GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2070 graphics cards. For this same reason, the RTX 2080 and RTX 2070 graphics card had two different device IDs. Nvidia has reportedly stopped that practice. Therefore, it’s certainly intriguing to once again see multiple device IDs for the same graphics card.

W1zzard noted that the 1EC7 and the 1F47 device IDs effectively coincide with the device IDs for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super and RTX 2060 Super Founders Edition. The other two device IDs remains an enigma, but he has a pretty solid idea of what they represent. According to W1zzard’s observations, the difference between the Super device IDs from the non-Super device IDs comes down to a value of 40 Hex. This is obvious if we compare the RTX 2080 (1E87) to the RTX 2070 Super (1EC7) and the RTX 2080 (1E82) to the RTX 2070 Super (1EC2). The same applies to the RTX 2070 and the RTX 2060 Super.

When you put the pieces together, it appears that Nvidia is basically converting existing RTX graphics cards over to the Super models. For example, the RTX 2080 to the RTX 2070 Super and the RTX 2070 to the RTX 2060 Super. It seems logical if you think about it. We know there are still two variants (A and non-A) of the RTX 2080 and RTX 2070 out there, and now we have two additional device IDs for the RTX 2070 Super and RTX 2070 Super. It sounds too good to be a simple coincidence.

If Nvidia is doing what W1zzard thinks it’s doing, the chipmaker is most likely doing so out of its own factory. It’s unclear if Nvidia is converting the cards, but if so, it’s hard to tell if the conversion is done on a BIOS level or if any physical modification to the graphics card’s PCB is involved. Nvidia’s graphics cards come with multiple layers of protection to combat cross-flashing one model with another’s firmware. We doubt Nvidia would share the secret with anyone, including its closest AIC (add-in card) partners. Can you imagine if the procedure got out? People would buy the cheaper Super graphics cards and revert them back to their complete counterparts for that extra bit of performance. That’s surely not good for business.

Looking at the situation from one of Nvidia’s partner’s point of view, no one in their right mind would flash a more expensive model to a slower model and sell it for less. It’s absurd to even think of it. From Nvidia’s standpoint, however, this tactic could prove useful for increasing stock for its Super offerings while at the same time liquidating non-Super stock. Of course, Nvidia’s partners are the most affected parties, but we think the chipmaker would probably provide them with compensation to get them on the bandwagon.