Nvidia brings the mighty RTX 4090 to laptops at CES 2023

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In huge news for laptop gamers, Nvidia’s RTX 40-series is coming to laptops, and despite previous expectations, the new lineup includes something for everyone.

During its CES 2023 keynote, Nvidia revealed that the full range of RTX 4000 cards is coming out. The list includes the RTX 4090, RTX 4080, RTX 4070, RTX 4060, and even the budget RTX 4050. Here’s everything we know about Nvidia’s new laptop arsenal.

Following the successful launch of the RTX 4090 and the RTX 4080 in 2022, Nvidia is now ready to reveal the mobile RTX 40 “Ada” lineup alongside the desktop RTX 4070 Ti. The company is trying a different strategy this time around because it’s set to cover a wider range of budgets with its mobile graphics cards.

Nvidia splits its lineup into two sections — mainstream and flagship. The RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 mobile both belong to the flagship sector. Nvidia promises “60 frames per second (fps) surround gaming” at 4K, the capability of 3D collaboration at seamless 4K 60 fps in Nvidia’s Omniverse, and up to two times faster video export.

In the previous generation of graphics cards, the laptop range never went above an RTX 3080 Ti. Now, Nvidia is bringing the flagship to laptops by introducing the RTX 4090M. The GPU comes with 9,728 CUDA cores, a boost clock of up to 2,040MHz, and 16GB of GDDR6 memory.

This is most likely going to be one beefy GPU, and we’re expecting to find it paired with the upcoming Intel Raptor Lake mobile flagship that powers some of the best gaming laptops of the year.

Next, we have the mobile version of the RTX 4080. We’ve recently seen it in a leaked benchmark, and it destroyed the competition, winning by 42% when compared to its predecessor, the RTX 3080M. This model is equipped with 7,424 CUDA cores, 12GB of memory, and a maximum boost clock of 2.28GHz.

The mainstream laptops are ruled by the RTX 4070 in its mobile iteration, and there’s quite a large specification gap between the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4070. The 4070 sports 4,608 CUDA cores, a clock speed that maxes out at 2,175MHz, and 8GB of GDDR6 memory. While there’s certainly a drop in specs, the GPU should still have enough gaming power to run many titles, so it might become a popular option for those who want a good laptop without spending an arm and a leg.

Lastly, we have the RTX 4060 and the RTX 4050, which are set to appear in more budget-friendly laptop models. The specifications of the RTX 4060 include 3,072 CUDA cores, clock speeds of up to 2,370MHz, and 8GB of GDDR6 memory, while the RTX 4050 comes with 2,560 CUDA cores, the same maximum clock speed, and 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM.

When it comes to the mainstream sector, Nvidia zones in on the performance per watt, promising to deliver the performance of the RTX 3080 at one-third of the power cost. The laptops are said to be capable of running games at 80 fps on ultra settings at 1440p or completing a 2.5-hour render in just 10 minutes.

Instead of the staggered release approach that Nvidia took with its desktop lineup, the RTX 40-series graphics cards are coming to many laptops, and soon. The first such laptops have already been announced as part of CES 2023, and many of them are set to release as early as February of this year.

Nvidia said that the flagship RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 will arrive first, on February 8, with a price tag of at least $1,999. The RTX 4070, RTX 4060, and RTX 4050 will begin showing up in laptops starting on February 22, priced at $999 and above. We will share more details as they become available.

In addition to mobile GPUs, Nvidia revealed new desktop GPUs, a new GeForce Now tier, and more. Make sure to read our roundup of everything Nvidia announced at CES 2023.