Gaming laptops are growing more and more after Nvidia launched its Pascal graphics architecture, which pulled the performance of the mobile GeForce closer to that of its desktop counterpart. The Turing architecture brought more power and lightning tracking capabilities, filtering from GeForce desktop cards to laptop variants.
But at CES 2021, Nvidia removed the covers of the new GeForce laptop graphics cards based on Ampere. Coming in the GeForce RTX 3080, RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 variations – more on the latter later – they promise to provide not only pixel-push power on a laptop, but also access to the latest ray tracking and DLSS technology.
Now we’ve seen RTX cards in gaming laptops before. But 2021 gaming laptops are starting to look even better thanks to the help of the most unlikely of places: AMD.
Nvidia’s big graphics rival has unveiled its Ryzen 5000 U and H series laptop processors, which take advantage of its new Zen 3 architecture that promises powerful performance even on thin and light laptops. When combined with the new GeForce RTX 30 series graphics card, we are looking at laptops that are genuinely exciting.
Legions of Nvidia GeForce RTX laptops are coming
Nvidia said that more than 70 laptops are expected to come with the new GeForce RTX graphics. And with prices starting at $ 999, they also appear to be affordable.
Lead to Acer Triton 300 SE for example, this slim gaming laptop offers a fairly easy way to get a good amount of gaming power and the GeForce RTX 3060, without the hassle of trying to find where to buy the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti – the closest equivalent to the future RTX 3060.
The MSI Stealth 15M has been touted as the “thinnest 15-inch gaming laptop in the world”, but it will also come with the RTX 3060, which means cutting-edge lightning-tracking performance on the move.
And both laptop markers, alongside Asus, Razer, Gigabyte, Lenovo and others, are adding graphics from the RTX 30 series – often along with AMD’s new laptop CPUs – to a set of their machines.
And both laptop markers, alongside Asus, Razer, Gigabyte, Lenovo and more, are adding graphics from the RTX 30 series, often along with AMD’s new laptop CPUs, to a set of their machines.
Speaking of Asus, she took it a step further and has the ROG Flow X13, an ultraportable laptop with a new AMD CPU and a GeForce GTX 1650, which can be overloaded with a custom external RTX 3080. It is set to cost $ 3,000, but it is not far from the brand of some gaming desktops with RTX 3080, and has much more flexibility.
So even if you’re struggling to find where to buy the Nvidia RTX 3080, these new gaming laptops can be the answer to the continuing shortage of video cards.
Nvidia showed off a lot of GeForce stuff and games at CES 2021, so read on for a breakdown of the most interesting news and what we’ve learned.
Nvidia Geforce RTX 3060 beats PS5 for $ 329
We knew Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3060 was coming, but we didn’t expect it to harm its predecessor, the RTX 2060. But for $ 329, it’s the cheapest Ampere graphics card that Nvidia has and should appeal to people who want to build a strong gaming PC for 1440p games or 1080p action with super high frame rates, but you don’t want to empty your bank account.
Nvidia presented as 1.3x more powerful than a PS5. And compared to the GTX 1060, the RTX 3060 has twice the scanning performance and 10x the lightning scanning performance. We just hope it will be easier to buy than other GeForce RTX 30-series cards.
It should be available by the end of February. So, if you are looking forward to a conventional RTX card, the GeForce RTX 3060 may be for you.
1440p and high refresh rate screens reaching more gaming laptops
More and more gaming laptops have adopted high refresh rate screens, thanks to more powerful graphics that allow high frame rates at 1080p resolutions. And with GeForce RTX laptop GPUs, 1080p games can go even further. Therefore, many more gaming laptops are coming with screens with refresh rates of 240 Hz or more; The Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo 15 SE reaches 300Hz.
But the power of GPUs like the GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3080 means it is unlikely to break apart in 1080p silicon sweat. As such, we can expect more gaming laptops to come with 1440p screens.
Given that 4K is very demanding and undoubtedly overkill for a compact laptop screen, 1440p is the sweet spot, allowing for sharper visuals, but enough space for a GPU to also achieve high frame rates. As such, 2021 will be the year of the gaming laptop with a high refresh rate of 1440p and we look forward to trying as much as possible.
More ray tracing and DLSS-compatible games are coming
Given that the PS5 and Xbox Series X support ray tracing, it’s not a big surprise that more games will come with support for the cutting-edge light rendering technique. And Nvidia has revealed that games like the shopping-based horror Five Nights at Freddy’s will have support for lightning tracking, as well as the eccentric action game FIST: Forged In Shadow Torch.
But Nvidia’s “RTX” terminology also covers its deep learning super-sampling technology, which uses AI technology to deftly render a game in a way that looks sharp at high resolutions, but does not overload the GPU. It’s as smart as it is complex, but it produces impressive results.
And Nvidia revealed that Call of Duty: Warzone and Square Enix’s Outriders will be able to use DLSS, paving the way for even more games to benefit from RTX technology.
5 new game monitors will come with Nvidia GeForce Reflex Analyzer
Last year, Nvidia unveiled GeForce Reflex, which in a nutshell helps measure and reduce system latency in competitive games – basically the time it takes to click and your action to appear on the screen.
Both Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch, two very popular competitive multiplayer games, are receiving support from GeForce Reflex. But Nvidia also revealed that five new monitors are coming with G-Sync support, as well as the GeForce Reflex Analyzer, which, combined with RTX technology, can measure input latency and figure out how to reduce it.
So if you have a new GeForce RTX 30 series graphics card or plan to buy a new laptop with the latest RTX technology, you may want to combine it with a new screen with smart Nvidia technology.
With all of that in mind, it looks like 2021 will be a great year to be a PC player or enter the PC game market. With all this technology and impressive next-generation games set to debut in the next 12 months, Nvidia’s CES 2021 event was not just a great showcase for GeForce, but a vehicle to boost gaming excitement this year.