The graphics card hype practice left the station weeks earlier than CES 2025 kicks off in early January, with the launch of Intel’s $249 Arc B580 – the GPU we’ve begged for for the reason that pandemic. However make no mistake: Intel determined to launch its second-gen Arc in December as a result of CES is shaping as much as be an absolute banger for graphics card releases.
Nvidia is already teasing an RTX 50-series announcement at CEO Jensen Huang’s keynote, whereas the rumor mill claims AMD’s new Radeon playing cards can even make an look on the present. Sure, mates, after a disappointing few years for graphics playing cards, the subsequent technology of gaming goodness needs to be unveiled at CES 2025 and Nvidia, AMD, and Intel look able to brawl. Let’s dig in.
What we count on from Nvidia at CES 2025: GeForce RTX 50-series reveal
Let’s begin with Nvidia’s hotly anticipated GeForce RTX 50-series, as a result of the corporate is already actively, not-so-slyly teasing it. Then once more, who misses the chance to hype your next-gen GPU within the debut trailer for Witcher 4?
New GeForce playing cards are a given; the one query is which precise fashions we’ll see introduced on the Nvidia keynote. However what’ll be powering them?
Specs for the GeForce RTX 5090, 5080, and 5070 leaked months in the past. (Hit that hyperlink for full particulars.) Usually, we wouldn’t give a lot credence to historical rumors, however they’ve remained constant ever since, and the timing is smart on condition that the “Blackwell” GPUs had been reportedly delayed by manufacturing points.
The RTX 5090 appears to be essentially the most beastly of the bunch (no shock there), allegedly offering big buffs to the 4090’s CUDA depend, reminiscence capability and bandwidth (32GB over a 512-bit bus!), and energy draw – leaks say this monster of a GPU may draw 600 watts, a humongous 150W improve over its predecessor. And when you thought the RTX 4090’s $1,599 value level was excessive, put together to be shocked; I count on the 5090 to value an astronomical sum given its clear excellence in machine studying duties if the leaked specs show true. Button up.
Nvidia is constructing hype for its new playing cards with social promotions and a large “GeForce LAN 50” international LAN get together.
Nvidia
Particulars are nonetheless largely murky in regards to the RTX 5070 (maybe it gained’t be introduced at CES?) however the RTX 5080 appears like a lot much less of an improve. Rumors put its CUDA core depend at 10,752, a mere 10 p.c improve over the prevailing 4080. Reminiscence configuration stays the identical, apart from a change from GDDR6 to GDDR7, whereas the entire graphics energy is predicted to extend from 320W within the 4070 to 400W within the 5070.
Take into account that the Blackwell structure that powers the RTX 50-series will embody technological variations from the 40-series’ Ada Lovelace structure, so evaluating uncooked CUDA counts isn’t actually apples-to-apples. Nvidia usually tinkers with the bones of its GPU architectures to enhance efficiency in numerous methods (the RTX 40-series packed a brand new devoted Optical Movement Accelerator to allow DLSS 3 Body Technology, together with a brand new Shader Execution Reordering operate to speed up conventional rendering, for instance).
The largest wildcard right here? Software program. Nvidia pumps out software program options at a frenetic tempo, releasing not solely DLSS 3 Body Technology but additionally DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction throughout the RTX 4090’s lifespan, together with useful instruments like RTX Video Tremendous Decision. With Nvidia reigning on the high of the inventory market as a result of present AI frenzy, I’d be shocked if the corporate doesn’t announce some new AI-powered tips at CES 2025.
What to anticipate from AMD at CES: Hi there, Radeon and Radeon-powered handhelds?
AMD
In comparison with Nvidia, AMD has been comparatively tight-lipped about its CES plans apart from asserting a keynote on Monday, January 6, mere hours earlier than Nvidia’s personal. AMD computing and graphics chief Jack Huynh teased “our next generation of innovation across gaming, AI PC, and commercial” in reference to the keynote on X, nevertheless, so rumors of next-gen Radeon GPUs might show true.
However what kind of graphics playing cards does AMD have up its sleeves for the Radeon RX 8000-series (or is that the Radeon RX 9070 XT)? Don’t maintain your breath for an RTX 5090 competitor.
In September, Huynh mentioned that making an attempt to compete for “King of the hill” hasn’t traditionally labored out for Radeon. “I want to build the best products at the right system price point. So, think about price point-wise; we’ll have leadership.” The corporate hopes to drive greater adoption in mainstream value factors to persuade builders to give attention to Radeon merchandise. Gaming and AI are each very popular classes proper now, and whereas AMD has footholds in each territories, Nvidia dominates.
At present rumors are swirling round alleged Radeon RX 9070 XT specs, which if true, signifies that AMD will proceed to battle in all however the tippity-top of the of the GPU grunt charts. If the leaked specs are really leaked and never merely “made up,” the cardboard may see a giant enhance in each ray tracing efficiency and power effectivity.
However big-iron GPUs aren’t the one potential sport on the town.
AMD’s Radeon-infused Ryzen Z1 processors energy many of the present crop of gaming handhelds, from the Steam Deck to the Asus ROG Ally. The touchdown web page for the corporate’s keynote says demo areas will embody “AMD Ryzen and Radeon gaming from handhelds to laptops.”
Positive, that would merely imply exhibiting off the prevailing AMD-powered handheld portfolio. However we nonetheless haven’t seen any handhelds packing the considerably extra highly effective Ryzen Z2 chip, and AMD mentioned we will count on to see these early in 2025. Valve did simply replace its branding tips to incorporate a brand new “Powered by SteamOS” badge for third-party {hardware}, and we’re already seeing leaks of a second-gen Lenovo Legion handheld. (The primary was powered by AMD.)
Is CES going to be the large Z2 blitz? Fingers crossed.
What to anticipate from Intel at CES: Arc B570 and Lunar Lake handhelds
Intel simply unwrapped the implausible $249 Arc B580 in December. Anticipate to see the corporate exhibiting off its second-gen Arc graphics playing cards on the present – not simply associate fashions of the B580, but additionally the cheaper $129 Arc B570. That GPU was introduced alongside the B580, however gained’t hit the streets till January 16. Intel and its companions will little doubt be placing a highlight on their designs of their cubicles.
Intel
I’d additionally count on to see not less than one gaming handheld powered by Intel’s Core Extremely Collection 2 “Lunar Lake” laptop computer chip, which incorporates the identical Xe 2 graphics cores as Arc. MSI’s Claw was the primary Intel-powered gaming handheld at CES final yr, and the brand new Lunar Lake-powered Claw AI Plus collection is already being proven off, with a scheduled launch date of January 15. In order that’s a lock for MSI’s sales space at CES. The one query is whether or not another handheld distributors will make the leap alongside MSI.
I’ll be on the bottom at CES 2025 with a bunch of my PCWorld buds, able to convey you the newest information because it occurs and interviews with the folks making all this swell new PC {hardware}. The present formally runs January 7 to 10, however the large keynotes occur on Monday, January 6, with different info normally trickling out the weekend beforehand to get forward of the deluge. Keep tuned right here on PCWorld and remember to subscribe to our YouTube channel and TikTok so that you don’t miss a factor! Hit subscribe on our Full Nerd channel too so that you’ll catch our delirious ideas in podcast kind, dwell from Las Vegas.
