Nvidia RTX 50-powered laptops may use older Intel and AMD CPU architectures

A recent leak has stirred up discussions regarding the gaming laptop market expected for 2025. According to a recent report, many upcoming laptops featuring the next-generation RTX 50 series graphics cards might not be powered by the latest Intel and AMD processors in favour of older CPU architectures.

The report from Golden Pig Upgrade (via VideoCardz) suggests that manufacturers will likely pair the RTX 50-series GPUs with either 13th or 14th Gen Intel CPUs or AMD's Zen 4 architecture. Golden Pig stated that it's expected that next year's laptop platforms will primarily consist of N-1 or possibly even N-2 generation CPUs combined with the RTX 50 series. If Intel stops the production of the 13th Generation HX chips, the 14650HX paired with the RTX 50 series will become the predominant configuration. As for AMD configurations, Ryzen 7040/8040 CPUs paired with RTX 50 GPUs are the most likely.

The leaker pointed out that older CPU architectures are being used because of the growing challenges of launching new cost-effective CPUs. As such, laptop manufacturers prefer to use older processors rather than the latest products, reducing costs in the process.

While the leaker does not claim that all gaming laptops equipped with RTX 50 series GPUs will feature previous-generation CPUs, the implication is that a significant majority will likely do so. Intel and AMD are expected to introduce their next generation of laptop CPUs in Q1 2025. Nvidia's mobile GeForce RTX 50 series should be announced around the same time.

KitGuru says: Assuming the “generational uplift” of the next generation of Intel and AMD laptop CPUs is the same as that of the desktop parts, pricing is the decisive factor here. Unless Intel and AMD sell their new products at a price close to that of their previous generations, RTX 50-laptops with Arrow Lake-H and Strix Point CPUs will be a rare sight.

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