CES remains a big show in the world of computing. We still live in an era when all the biggest names in PCs show up to the event trying to outdo each other, which always makes it exciting as onlookers.
From the looks of it so far, CES 2024 looks to be a big one. A slew of new PC hardware, laptops, gaming laptops, monitors, and much more are bound to be announced. Here’s what to expect from the show and what we know so far.
Nvidia, AMD, and Intel
January 8, 2024.
8AM PT.📺: https://t.co/OQiFvriGdw pic.twitter.com/UZ0uNjknDE
— NVIDIA GeForce (@NVIDIAGeForce) January 4, 2024
Nvidia plans to have a big presence at the show this year. Its virtual presentation starts at 8 a.m. PT on Monday morning, the media day before CES officially kicks off. What the company will be talking about this year is no secret. The RTX 40 Super desktop GPUs have been fully leaked now for months, followed by official teasers from the company. At this point, the new cards feel like the closest thing we have to a guarantee.
So yes, the RTX 4080 Super, 4070 Ti Super, and 4070 Super are rumored to all get launched, along with a lot of talk around AI, of course. Notably, there don’t appear to be any mobile GPUs being announced this year, so don’t expect the RTX 50 series to get kicked off just yet.
AMD’s keynote is happening just before Nvidia at 7 a.m. PT in a presentation titled “Together we advance AI.” AMD CEO Dr. Lisa Su will be hosting, along with the general manager of computing and graphics, Jack Huynh. You can expect the general topic of AI to be a focus, though leaks around the impressive performance of new Ryzen 8000 APUs look promising, too.
Either way, don’t expect an entire line of new GPUs to combat Nvidia’s announcements, though there are rumors that AMD will bring a more budget-friendly desktop GPU, the Radeon RX 7600 XT. The rumored card would use the Navi 32 GPU and fill the gap between the RX 7700 XT and RX 7600.
Lastly, Intel’s presentation will be at 3 p.m. PT on Monday afternoon. Having already announced its Meteor Lake processors in December, this year’s CES keynote may be focused on the broader topics of AI. CES Pat Gelsinger will be hosting, where “Intel technologies, supported by innovative and open software, enable AI capabilities for consumers and businesses to create a better, responsible, more sustainable, and more inclusive future for all.”
Rumors also point to a 14th-gen Raptor Lake Refresh to sit alongside Meteor Lake, having been mentioned in leaks recently. How Intel will position these chips will be fascinating, especially due to how much effort it put behind the Core Ultra rebrand.
Laptops
The timing with laptop refreshes this year has been a bit awkward. They are usually aligned with announcements from Nvidia, AMD, and Intel, but with Nvidia out of the question, most of the attention is around Intel’s Meteor Lake “Core Ultra” rollout. The major announcements around the launch have already been made in December, along with a host of new laptops to support, such as the Acer Swift Go. But we can expect another slate of laptops from the usual suspects to get announced.
Dell already announced its shake-up to the XPS line this week, introducing the new XPS 13, 14, and 16, as well as some new UltraSharp monitors. If you believe the leaks, there’s much more on the Alienware front, too. Expect laptop manufacturers like HP, Lenovo, Asus, Razer, and many more to have new devices to share. Because there are no mobile GPU announcements expected, however, gaming laptops will largely be based on last year’s GPUs, such as the RTX 40-series.
Regardless, you can pretty much guarantee that nearly every single new laptop will be marketed as an AI PC, even if that concept feels increasingly like a misnomer.
Monitors
Gaming monitors have become quite a buzzy topic at CES over the last few years, especially as the race to adopt more advanced panel technology has sped up. Companies like Samsung Display and LG are usually in attendance with new panels, partnered with all the manufacturers, whether that’s Samsung Electronics, Asus, or Dell. Some of the biggest announcements have already been made, such as LG’s dual-refresh rate 480Hz OLED monitor.
It’s safe to assume that OLED will be the name of the game, but seeing how these companies can push the technology even further is always of interest. Look at Acer’s 27-inch 3D monitor, which was announced last fall and provides a glasses-free 3D experience. Hopefully, we’ll see more monitor technology like this that takes the technology in new directions and further improves things we’re used to, like resolution, refresh rate, and backlighting.
XR headsets, peripherals, desktops, and much more
With Apple’s Vision Pro waiting in the wings with a rumored launch in February, don’t be surprised if we see some of the competition ramping up, too. Mixed-reality headsets and corresponding VR technology are always a fun part of CES, especially the more experimental releases. Now that Apple has used the term expect the topic of spatial computing to be the talk of the town.
Beyond that, you can expect your usual assortment of new mice, keyboards, desktop PCs, PC components, and other accessories to flood the Las Vegas Convention Center halls, hoping to stand out enough to make a splash. Which will? For that, we’ll have to wait and see.
