Digital Chat Station (DCS)—a tenured leaker of Qualcomm pre-release information—has shared new "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2" chipset details. Earlier today, their Weibo feed was updated with a couple of technological predictions. The announced smartphone chip's "SM8850" identifier was disclosed once again, along with the repeated claim that Qualcomm has selected a 3 nm "N3P" node process. Industry watchdogs expect to see the San Diego-headquartered fabless semiconductor designer introduce its next-generation flagship smartphone SoC in October. The current-gen Snapdragon 8 Elite platform was unveiled last Fall; sporting cutting-edge "Oryon" (aka Phoenix) processor cores and an integrated Adreno 830 graphics solution. DCS reckons that the natural successor will reuse a familiar "2 + 6" core configuration; comprised of two prime "big performance" units, and six "normal" performance-tuned units. An Adreno 840 iGPU was listed as DCS's final point of conjecture.

The incoming "Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2" chipset was mentioned in the same sentence as rumored "Pegasus" cores (Phoenix's sequel)—slightly far-fetched rumors from 2024 suggested Qualcomm's upgraded processor architecture being tested at maximum frequencies of 5.0 GHz (on performance cores). As pointed out by Wccftech, Gen 1's performance cores run at 4.47 GHz (by default). In today's follow-up post, DCS claimed that Qualcomm's: "self-developed CPU architecture is now in the second generation, with a performance setting of over 380 W+." Industry watchdogs reckon that the "Snapdragon 8 Elite 2" chip will be capable of recording 3.8+ million point tallies in AnTuTu V10 gauntlets, thanks to the alleged utilization of ArmV9 architecture. DCS theorized that the speculated "SM8850" SoC will support ARM's Scalable Matrix Extension 1 (SME 1) and Scalable Vector Extension 2 (SVE2) instruction sets.

Officially, NVIDIA has only revealed mobile variants of its GeForce RTX 50 "Blackwell" GPU series going down to RTX 5070. At CES 2025, Jensen Huang's keynote presentation proposed a $1299 entry point for GB206-equipped gaming laptops—rated up to 800 AI TOPS. As demonstrated by recent market trends, "MSRP" recommendations are widely viewed as whimsical recommendations (at best). Pre-orders for upper crust to mid-range GeForce RTX 50-series laptops opened up on February 25, but the missing ROP (Raster Operations Pipeline) problem has seemingly spread to Blackwell's mobile offshoot. Reports suggest that necessary investigations have pushed initial customer-bound deliveries into April. Presumably, unannounced lower end products—in GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5050 Mobile form—are similarly delayed.

Earlier today, momomo_us—a notable source of pre-launch information—unearthed an alleged "Razer-authored" new product document. The American-Singaporean brand appears to be preparing a multitude of Razer Blade 16 (2025) SKUs, with a series identified as "RZ09-0528." The leaked MSRP guide contains a major error; Razer's forthcoming flagship model—powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 "Strix Point" APU and GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile GPU—will not arrive at retail/e-tail with a $1499 price tag. Focusing on the opposite end of Razer's chart, VideoCardz highlighted the $1999 OLED-equipped SKU—featuring a Ryzen AI 9 365 processor and Team Green's unannounced GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile GPU. The speculative steep asking price is not a big surprise, given the expected tagging on of Razer "premium tax." Mid-way through last week, "lowly" GeForce RTX 5050-powered laptops were accidentally listed by retail outlets. The cheapest offering was advertised with a $1720 (including VAT) price point—based on these recent (possibly unfinalized) data points, industry watchdogs have predicted steep asking prices for even the most basic of Blackwell mobile options.

Last December, details of NVIDIA's RTX GeForce 50-series of mobile GPUs leaked online—fast-forward to the present day; Team Green and hardware partners are touted to release higher-end devices at some point next month, following a pre-order period. Lower-end offerings seem to be distant prospects; industry moles suggest a May launch window. Last week rumors emerged online; notebook supply chain insiders reckon that a "significant delay" will affect initial shipments of GeForce RTX 50-equipped laptops. It is not clear whether these issues will impact the rumored GeForce RTX 5060 and RTX 5050 mobile models, but HP has accidentally confirmed that an updated Victus laptop will utilize the aforementioned budget-friendly GPUs.

VideoCardz has preserved an intriguing screenshot. Their report alleges that a refreshed HP Victus 15 laptop variant (FA2) utilizes Intel 13th Gen "Raptor Lake" processors, paired with unannounced "hybrid graphics" options. HP's product component list includes last-gen Core 7 240H, Core 5 230H, Core i7-13620H, and Core i5-13420H processor SKUs. Older configurations of this 15.6" gaming laptop sported mobile GeForce RTX 4050, RTX 3050, RTX 3050A, and RTX 2050 GPUs. The leaked document suggests that modernized graphics packages are in the pipeline, but HP has not confirmed any concrete timelines.

AMD has just published its "How to Sell" Ryzen AI MAX series guide—several news outlets have pored over the "claimed" gaming performance charts contained within this two-page document. Team Red appears to be in a boastful mood—their 1080p benchmark results reveal compelling numbers, as produced by their flagship Zen 5 "Strix Halo" processor (baseline 55 W TDP). According to Team Red's marketing guidelines, the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 APU: "competes with a GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile GPU at similar TDP and form factor." The first-party produced comparison points to their Radeon 8060S integrated graphics solution being up to 68% faster—in modern gaming environments at 1080p settings—than the competing Team Green dedicated laptop-oriented GPU, limited to 65 W TGP due to form factor restrictions. Overall, the AMD test unit does better by 23.2% on average (referring to Wccftech's calculations).

According to the document, AMD's reference system was lined up against an ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (2023) gaming laptop specced with an Intel Core i9-13900H processor, and a GeForce RTX 4070 mobile graphics card. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395's "massive iGPU" can unleash the full force of forty RDNA 3.5 compute units, paired with up to 96 GB of unified on-board memory (from a total pool of 128 GB). Non-gaming benchmarks place the flagship Team Red processor above Intel Core Ultra 9 288V and Apple M4 Pro (12-core) CPUs—as always, it is best to wait for verification from independent evaluators. Saying that, the "Strix Halo" APU family has generated a lot of excitement—even going back to early leaks—and the latest marketed performance could drum up further interest.

MAINGEAR, the leader in premium-quality, high-performance gaming PCs, today unveiled its all-new 17-inch ML-17 gaming laptop developed in collaboration with CLEVO. Engineered for gamers who want a larger screen without compromising on power or portability, the ML-17 brings it all with the 14th Gen Intel Core i9-14900HX mobile processor, Thunderbolt 5 technology, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 mobile GPU, and Wi-Fi 7.

"Continuing our partnership with CLEVO and Intel, our new collaboratively-developed 17-inch ML-17 gaming laptop raises the bar on what gaming laptops should be capable of delivering in terms of performance and overall value," said Wallace Santos, CEO at MAINGEAR. "Packed full of the latest, high-performance components, including the most powerful CPUs and GPUs available on the market, as well as premium specs like Thunderbolt 5 and Wi-Fi 7, this laptop delivers a top-tier gaming experience that parallels the kind of high-performance desktop-like gameplay that gamers demand, all in a backpackable form factor."

Last October, Intel handed over its Next Unit of Computing (NUC) product lines—in an official capacity—to a new patron; ASUS. A couple of months later, the latter's Republic of Gamers brand introduced a new NUC model—"Scorpion Canyon"—during their Transcendence Virtual Launch Live event at CES 2024. TPU staffers in attendance managed to spend some time with the ROG NUC, at the ASUS booth. A preview placard advertised that the best configuration could be powered by up an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H CPU and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile GPU. At the time, company representatives did not disclose any pricing information.

Finalized units are pre-orderable at one retailer, according to reports from Friday—Proshop's listing reveals that customers in Denmark, Germany and Finland can purchase the top-end ASUS ROG NUC 14 configuration (RNUC14SRKU9189A2I) for €2499 (~$2724). NotebookCheck has discovered the existence of six different SKUs—on ASUS Spain's official website. Despite the diverse list of (apparent) options, ROG: "only really offers Core Ultra 7 155H and GeForce RTX 4060, or (the aforementioned) Core Ultra 9 185H and GeForce RTX 4070 spec. While pricing for the former remains unknown, Proshop is selling the latter with 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage for €2499 in the Eurozone...Currently, Proshop expects to begin shipping ROG NUC orders from April 10, signalling an April 2024 global launch."

Acer today announced the new Predator Triton 16 (PT16-51), the latest addition to its power-packed gaming line. This laptop for gaming and work is equipped with the latest 13th Gen Intel Core processors, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, and up to 32 GB of DDR5 RAM, along with an abundance of features that would excite any type of gamer. To ensure the vital components are kept cool throughout gaming sessions, the laptop's advanced thermal solutions combine dual 5th Gen AeroBlade 3D fans, Vortex Flow optimization, and liquid metal thermal grease on the CPU, all housed within a thin metal chassis design.

Evolutionary Performance and Cooling
At just 19.9 mm (0.78 inches), the sleek, yet powerful Predator Triton 16 showcases a sophisticated metal casing topped off with a sparkling silver finish, giving players the confidence and portability to game on-the-go. The new thin gaming laptop packs massive computing prowess as it features up to 13th Gen Intel Core i9 processors, supported by a new hybrid core architecture with a 5.4 GHz max turbo frequency. The CPU works hand in hand with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, along with NVIDIA DLSS 3 and its bundle of Max-Q technology features for optimized ray tracing and performance across the board. Gamers are treated to an even greater performance boost as the laptop can be configured with up to 32 GB of DDR5 5200 MHz memory and up to 2 TB PCIe M.2 SSDs in RAID 0 configuration.

Early details of MediaTek's next generation mobile chipset have emerged this week, courtesy of renowned leaker Digital Chat Station via their blog on Weibo. The successor to MediaTek's current flagship Dimensity 9200 mobile chipset will likely be called "Dimensity 9300" - a very imaginative bump up in numbering - with smartphone brand Vivo involved as a collaborator. The tipster thinks that the fabless semiconductor company has contracted with TSMC for fabrication of the Dimensity 9300 chipset - and the foundry's N4P process has been selected by MediaTek, which could provide a bump in generational performance when compared to the older 4 nm and 5 nm standards used for past Dimensity SoC ranges. It should be noted that the current generation Dimensity 9200 chipset is presently manufactured via TSMC's N4P process.

MediaTek is seeking to turnaround its fortunes in the area of flagship mobile chipsets - industry watchdogs have cited a limited uptake of the Taiwanese company's Dimensity 9200 SoC as a motivating factor in the creation of a very powerful successor. Digital Chat Station suggests that the upcoming 9300 model will pack enough of a hardware punch to rival Qualcomm's forthcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC - both chipsets are touted to release within the same time period of late 2023. According to previous speculation, Qualcomm has also contracted with TSMC's factory to pump out the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 via the N4P (4 nm) process.

ASUS ROG has started selling its RTX 4090 XG Mobile external graphics card in China and Japan this week. Japanese customers are being charged a cool $3000 for the pint-sized powerhouse external GPU, and Chinese buyers are getting a slightly better deal at $2700. It should be noted that this eGPU is the (GN21-X11) mobile variant of the GeForce RTX 4090, and not the full fat desktop version. The newly updated XG Mobile enclosure can only be connected to an ASUS Flow laptop, which limits the scope of compatibility to an already very expensive range of devices. The proprietary connection standard will keep customers in the ASUS ROG mobile hardware ecosystem - but their higher end laptop models can be configured with the very capable GeForce RTX 4070 mobile GPU, so the RTX 4090 XG Mobile seems to appeal to a very small buying niche.

The XG Mobile interface uses the PCIE Gen 3 x8 standard of connection, and the GPU has access to a dedicated 63 GB/s of bandwidth. This beats the Thunderbolt 4 standard of 40 Gb/s, by a 57% margin. The enclosure acts as a docking station - its features include an up to 2.5 Gbit Ethernet, a single HDMI 2.1 port, one DisplayPort 1.4 with G-Sync support and three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (3x Type-A + 1x Type-C). ASUS ROG has engineered the docking station/enclosure to be as compact as possible (21.7 cm x 16.5 cm x 3.26 cm), when compared to competing products from other manufacturers. The whole package weighs in at 1.3 kg, which will ensure decent portability for gamers on the move.