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Don’t wait for new GPUs. It’s safe to buy a gaming laptop now

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Upcoming Nvidia RTX 40-series laptops over a black and green background.
Nvidia

If you’ve been planning to buy a gaming laptop, it seems that it might be best to shop now instead of waiting for new hardware. Although rumor has it that Nvidia might soon launch three new desktop GPUs, it appears that those graphics cards are unlikely to appear in laptops anytime soon. Is there any point in waiting for the RTX 40-series refresh if you’re a laptop user? For various reasons, most likely not.

Various leakers have been sharing information about the rumored RTX 4070 Super, RTX 4070 Ti Super, and RTX 4080 Super for a while now. Considering that Nvidia is planning to deliver a “special address” at CES 2024, the general assumption is that this is when the company will officially announce the RTX 40-series refresh.

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Nvidia already has a whole lineup of top-notch graphics cards available, so the refresh might seem a little unnecessary. However, the hope is that these GPUs might push down the prices of other Nvidia cards. If the RTX 40-series refresh happens, desktop users might be able to buy a better GPU at the same price, or benefit from lower prices on the non-Super models. This is why now is actually a pretty bad time to buy a desktop GPU made by Nvidia.

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The same would be true, in theory, for gaming laptops if RTX 40 Super GPUs ever appear. However, according to XMG, a company that makes laptops and desktop PCs, this Super refresh might not include mobile cards.

The Alienware x14 R2 gaming laptop on a desk.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

The company shared a road map update for XMG and Schenker laptops, giving customers a glimpse into its plans for 2024. The announcement reads: “As the year turns, we typically see a plethora of new launches in the laptop component sector. In our XMG laptop roadmap for November 2023, we provide an early glimpse as to why we are planning only minor updates for early 2024. Neither XMG nor SCHENKER have the introduction of new Nvidia graphics cards on their agenda, but some CPU refreshes for existing platforms are anticipated.”

This implies that Nvidia is sticking to the desktop segment right now, and RTX 40-series laptops are likely to stay just as expensive as they’ve always been. Perhaps the Super refresh will come to mobile GPUs eventually, but it doesn’t seem like it’ll be in the next few months.

It might be better to just shop now instead of waiting. There are plenty of Black Friday gaming laptop deals available right now, so if you find one you like, take advantage — we may not see any significant price cuts for months if XMG’s prediction turns out to be true.

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Monica J. White
Monica J. White
Computing Writer
Monica is a UK-based freelance writer and self-proclaimed geek. A firm believer in the "PC building is just like expensive…
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