Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 laptop variant could launch with a GB203 GPU and GDDR7 memory

Nvidia usually unveils its cutting-edge laptop chips a few weeks after their desktop counterparts. This time around, we may have to wait a bit longer. Sources familiar with the matter told Moore's Laws is Dead that the Blackwell laptops are "1-2 months behind in development", meaning they'll likely not make an appearance at CES 2025. Even some of the non-flagship desktop SKUs could be delayed, with the putative GeForce RTX 5080 slated to debut after the RTX 5090.

Previous leaks speculated that some high-end Blackwell SKUs would launch with GDDR7 memory. Apparently, this will also carry over to the laptop variants along with PCIe Gen 5 support. Much like the last-gen AD0103-powered GeForce RTX 4090, the RTX 5090 laptop variant will also leverage a GB203 GPU. This time, even the GeForce RTX 5080 mobile will supposedly launch with the same GPU, although it will very likely be a heavily cut-down version.

As far as the GB203 is concerned, we previously learned it would be half the size of the flagship GB202 chip, likely with 96 SMs and 256-bit bus width. Whether or not this (plus the GDDR7 modules) will result in an increased VRAM remains to be seen. That said, Nvidia may have to scale its ambitions to keep power consumption and thermals in check, especially on laptops. After all, Blackwell only gets a minor node bump from Ada Lovelace's TSMC 4N to 4NP.

Then again, Ada Lovelace was a fantastically power-efficient generation and Nvidia still wins if Blackwell follows suit because its main competitor has decided to sit an entire generation out.