NVIDIA and its laptop manufacturing partners managed to squeeze out higher end models at the start of the week (March 31); qualifying just in time as a Q1 2025 launch. As predicted by PC gaming hardware watchdogs, conditions on day one—for the general public—were far from perfect. Media and influencer outlets received pre-launch evaluation units—Monday's embargo lift did not open up floodgates to a massive number of published/uploaded reviews. Independent benchmarking of Team Green's flagship—GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile—produced somewhat underwhelming results. To summarize, several outlets—including Notebookcheck—observed NVIDIA's topmost laptop-oriented GPU trailing way behind its desktop equivalent in lab tests. Notebookcheck commented on these findings: "laptop gamers will want to keep their expectations in check as the mobile GeForce RTX 5090 can be 50 percent slower than the desktop counterpart as shown by our benchmarks. The enormous gap between the mobile RTX 5090 and desktop RTX 5090 and the somewhat disappointing leap over the outgoing mobile RTX 4080 can be mostly attributed to TGP."

The German online publication was more impressed with NVIDIA's sub-flagship model—two Ryzen 9 9955HX-powered Schenker XMG Neo 16 test units—sporting almost identical specifications—were pitched against each other, a resultant mini-review of benched figures was made available earlier today. Notebookcheck's Allen Ngo provided some context: "3DMark benchmarks...show that the (Schenker Neo's) GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile unit is roughly 10 to 15 percent slower than its pricier sibling. This deficit translates fairly well when running actual games like Baldur's Gate 3, Final Fantasy XV, Alan Wake 2, or Assassin's Creed Shadows. As usual, the deficit is widest when running at 4K resolutions on demanding games and smallest when running at lower resolutions where graphics become less GPU bound. A notable observation is that the performance gap between the mobile RTX 5080 and mobile RTX 5090 would remain the same, whether or not DLSS is enabled. When running Assassin's Creed Shadows with DLSS on, for example, the mobile RTX 5090 would maintain its 15 percent lead over the mobile RTX 5080. The relatively small performance drop between the two enthusiast GPUs means it may be worth configuring laptops with the RTX 5080 instead of the RTX 5090 to save on hundreds of dollars or for better performance-per-dollar." As demonstrated by Bestware.com's system configurator, the XMG NEO 16 (A25) SKU with a GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile GPU demands a €855 (~$928 USD) upcharge over an RTX 5080-based build.

NVIDIA and its laptop/notebook manufacturing partners have just about managed a very last minute launch of GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, RTX 5080 Mobile, RTX 5070 Ti Mobile GPU-powered devices at retail. According to the latest reports, yesterday's—March 31—small trickle out of high-end portable "Blackwell" hardware qualified as a launch within the first quarter of 2025. Due to Team Green's GeForce RTX 50 series being affected by ROPs anomalies—across desktop and mobile platforms—involved firms anticipated deliveries being delayed into April. As stated early last month, unnamed industry sources divulged details about official instructions: "manufacturers (must) inspect already-produced notebooks with new mobile GeForce RTX 5000 graphics chips." Going further back in time, supply chain moles predicted that the entire product stack—starting at the top with GeForce RTX 5090 M, going down to RTX 5070 M—would be subject to postponements.

PC gaming hardware watchdogs noticed a very limited supply of GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile-based laptops on "day one," at least in North America. VideoCardz spent some time combing through Newegg listings, after hearing about the Q1 launch via official social media announcements. The likes of ASUS, GIGABYTE, HP, Lenovo, MSI and Razer opened up direct pre-orders on February 25, but yesterday's embargo lift seemed to extend to general retails outlets. VideoCardz noted that the cheapest—at $4299—GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop options were already sold out. MSI's North American store lists an "out of stock" Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Norse Myth 18-inch model with an eye-watering price tag of $6199.99. Additionally, the publication pointed out the best GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop starting price: $2499.99. GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptops start at $1899.99 on Newegg, but RTX 5070 Mobile-based options seemed to be absent. The online retailer's stock notification system predicts late April or early May replenishments of higher-end stock.

The PC hardware rumor mill theorized that NVIDIA would unveil its GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060 graphics cards today (March 13). An official announcement has not yet transpired—at the time of writing. Earlier in the week, specification sheets for Team Green's cheaper Blackwell GPU models were leaked online—courtesy of kopite7kimi, a noted inside tracker of NVIDIA activities. Not long after that disclosure, reportage focused on an Acer Nitro N50 pre-built gaming PC—featuring an unannounced GeForce RTX 5060 GPU with 8 GB of GDDR7 SDRAM. The relatively rapid delivery of GB206 related leaks suggests that something is on the imminent release horizon.

An anonymous tip-off from a Chinese audience member has resulted in the publication of another VideoCardz investigative article. Apparently an unnamed local e-tailer provided pre-release price points (presumably including VAT) for GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5060 graphics card; 4299 RMB and 3799 RMB (respectively). For reference, the tipster's screenshot also included prices for various GeForce RTX 5070 models—the cheapest being 4799 RMB (~$663 USD). As noted by VideoCardz, Chinese baseline MSRP for the RTX 5070 is 4599 RMB (~$635 USD). Curiously, the webstore's entry for a non-specific GeForce RTX 5060 card designates it as a 12 GB variant. This could be a pre-launch error, based on placeholder material—recent leaks have indicated the existence of a lone GeForce RTX 5060 SKU, with 8 GB of VRAM. The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti is tipped to arrive in two forms: with 8 GB or 16 GB VRAM configurations onboard. VideoCardz has heard whispers from industry moles about a possible official lifting of new product embargoes, ahead of next week's GTC 2025 conference.

Earlier today, AMD confirmed finalized price points and a launch date for its two incoming additions to the Ryzen 9000X3D processor lineup. The current Zen 5 processor population (with 3D V-Cache onboard) has a count of one—Team Red's reigning gaming champion: the eight-core Ryzen 7 9800X3D model. AMD's Senior Vice President and General Manager of Computing and Graphics was the first staffer to make an official announcement regarding definitive talking points. Jack Huynh stated (via a social media post): the world's best processor for gaming and content creation is almost here. Available starting March 12th. Ryzen 9 9950X3D—$699. Ryzen 9 9900X3D—$599. A huge thank you to our incredible community of gamers, creators, and innovators for your continued support. Together, we're shaping the future of gaming and content creation! Let's level up together!"

The sixteen-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D and twelve-core 9900X3D SKUs were officially unveiled at CES 2025, in early January. Since then, many leaks have emerged online—certain soothsayers were bang on with their predictions. Almost a month ago, speculative $699 and $599 price points were leaked. On two separate occasions, a—now confirmed—March 12 launch day was projected. AMD is expected to lift media embargoes on March 11; reviews of finalized silicon will finally reveal whether the two new players can beat their incumbent sibling in gaming performance benchmarks. As reported this afternoon, China's JD.com retail platform has opened its order book to customers—a limited quantity of Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D units were made available for a short period of time.

NVIDIA's upcoming mid-range GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB model is almost ready for launch, according to recent reports. Industry moles reckon that GB205 GPU-based specimens are already in the clutches of press and influencer outlets; review embargoes are due to be lifted on March 4, for $549 MSRP conformant SKUs (as disclosed by a VideoCardz source). Last week, we heard whispers about Team Green's (allegedly) troubled production cycle for incoming GeForce RTX 5070 and RTX 5060 models.

Insiders insist that these issues have caused a delay; many believed that NVIDIA had (prior) plans for a February GeForce RTX 5070 launch. A revised schedule was leaked to VideoCardz; the publication posits that GeForce RTX 5070 cards will launch at retail on March 5, with non-MSRP ($549+) reviews projected to go live on the same day. Based on various leaks, NVIDIA and AMD will likely clash with their respective new offerings. Right now, reviewers could be dealing with sizable piles of competing Team Green and Team Red hardware. Graphics card enthusiasts will be looking forward to incoming comparisons—GeForce RTX 5070 and its Ti sibling versus Radeon RX 9070 XT and RX 9070 (non-XT).

Recent reports indicate that evaluation samples of AMD's Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors have circulated to global press and influencer outlets. Leaks are expected to trickle out, going all the way up to a rumored March 11 lifting of review embargoes. Late last week, we reported on a double NDA-busting test system; utilizing Team Red's upcoming 16-core 3D V-Cache-equipped flagship gaming CPU, and a Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU. HXL (aka 9550pro) unearthed another example—their weekend sleuthing activities pointed to an alleged ASUS Silicon Prediction (SP) rating of 120. This tally was (reportedly) produced by a Ryzen 9 9950X3D sample unit. The predictive rating system sniffs out a candidate processor's quality and overclock potential.

An off-screen capture of an unidentified tester's UEFI BIOS session was posted to social media—the "MBEC-X870-0130" identifier points to a non-specific X870-based ASUS motherboard model. Leaked diagnostic information clearly shows a "Ryzen 9 9950X3D" processor (base clock 4.3 GHz) powering this particular test build. Its 120 ASUS SP score was cross-referenced with tallies shared by owners of Ryzen 7 9800X3D processors. As observed by VideoCardz, various examples of AMD's reigning gaming champion scored within the typical range of 113 to 118. The upcoming 16-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 12-core 9900X3D parts are predicted to offer only mild benefits (in gaming environs) over their 8-core sibling; so any sign of superiority will be celebrated as a victory.

Over the past weekend, an Intel Arc GPU enthusiast has picked up a pair of embargo-busting ASRock Arc B570 Challenger 10 GB OC graphics cards. Intel has mandated an official launch at retail on January 16, yet Redditor genxontech presented photo proof of his two Arc Battlemage purchases and claimed that their local Micro Center store had stock available on shelves. The lucky customer stated that he was not willing to experience post-Thursday shortages or dreaded price gouging over limited supply: "I'm upgrading my son's PC from a GTX 1080 and the other one is for me. I work, I don't need to scalp it."

Team Blue's Arc B580 GPU series (starting price: $249) launched mid-December and retail units were snapped up swiftly—budget-conscious hardware enthusiasts have oft complained about a lack of choice/value within their market segment of choice. The incoming Intel Arc B570 GPU family is priced $30 below the slightly more capable B580, so it will be interesting to see how the two tiers perform against each other in 2025. Meanwhile, genxontech has toyed around with the latest Arc Drivers—official software is not available until this Thursday, so mixed results have been documented: "My workstation/server/gaming rig now sees the Arc B570 as a B80. Crazy, right?"

Intel's Arrow Lake Core Ultra 200 series CPUs have appeared in a number of leaks now, and some benchmarks of the new chips have even started appearing on sites like Geekbench, however, there are still some questions surrounding the launch date of the new CPUs. Previous leaks indicated that the original mid-October launch was pushed back to October 24, and new information from VideoCardz sheds more light on the exact specifics of the launch, with October 24 pegged as the day Arrow Lake reviews and sales will be available to the public.

According to the leak, Intel will host a private media briefing for a select few press outlets and influencers on October 7. This will be followed by the official public announcement on October 10 and the review embargo and official retail launch on October 24. The October 7 event will reportedly feature a keynote from both Robert Hallock, Intel's VP and general manager of Client AI and technical marketing, and Roger Chandler, vice president of enthusiast PC and workstation product marketing.

Denuvo by Irdeto, the leading provider of security solutions for the gaming industry, is excited to announce the launch of its groundbreaking product, TraceMark for Gaming, during the prestigious Game Developers Conference (GDC). This pioneering watermarking solution, part of the Irdeto anti-piracy suite and the first of its kind to be tailored specifically for the gaming industry, leverages the core invisible watermark technology trusted by Hollywood studios, sports leagues, and pay-TV operators.

TraceMark for Gaming uniquely addresses the challenge of content leakage, especially during the sensitive pre-release phase of game development. It introduces a deterrent effect by enabling the precise tracing of leaked content back to its source. This capability makes potential leakers think twice, knowing that any unauthorized distribution can be directly linked to them. As a platform-agnostic tool, TraceMark effortlessly integrates into various stages of the game's lifecycle, providing a consistent layer of protection. Its adaptability ensures that, irrespective of the development phase or platform, TraceMark serves as an effective measure to discourage leaks by holding individuals accountable, thereby contributing to the overall integrity of the content distribution process.

MSI's official North American online store has started to sell their brand-new Claw A1M handheld portable gaming PC—earlier in the week media outlets spotted a premature Newegg store listing, perhaps foreshadowing a widespread US launch on March 8 (today). MSI appears to be staggering the Claw's rollout across the global markets—late last month, German customers were treated to "early" pre-order access thanks to de-store.msi.com listing the basic model (Handheld CLAW A1M-036), with units declared as being "in stock." US customers are similarly limited to the entry level "052US" SKU—the region's MSI store official launch day price sits at $699.00. This model sports an Intel Core 5 135H "Meteor Lake" processor, and 512 GB of internal storage.

Newegg has relisted the three MSI Claw A1M variants, albeit with a revised release date of March 15—interested parties can pre-order the Core Ultra 7 + 1 TB SSD version for $799, or MSI's middle-of-the-pack Core Ultra 7 + 512 GB model for $749. Newegg's product page for the basic Core Ultra 5 + 512 GB SSD configuration bears the same $699 price tag as seen on MSI's official store listing. We are not entirely sure whether Western embargoes have been lifted to coincide with today's North American launch—a trickle out of English language evaluations could occur next week. Chinese review outlets have been experimenting with press samples since mid-February.

The existence of Intel's upcoming Core i9-14900KS processor has been confirmed by a series of insider leaks and premature retail listings—an "alleged" example was photographed and appeared online right at the start of 2024. French e-tail listings produced evidence of two packages—a traditional retail box version, and a barebones tray option for OEM purposes. Earlier today, the I_Leak_VN social media account uploaded proof of a single "Special Edition" box sitting in an unnamed Vietnamese warehouse—it is not immediately clear whether units have reached retail facilities, or have just arrived on Southeast Asian shores. The embargo-busting post seemingly corroborates global insider information/whispers about distribution networks receiving stock—possibly in preparation for a rumored mid-March launch. VideoCardz believes that Vietnamese customers will be paying roughly $765 a pop—30% pricier than the current cost of 14th Gen Core flagship ownership.

According to a VideoCardz report, NVIDIA is implementing a very last minute time shift with its GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER review program—embargo conditions have been delayed by a day to January 31, which coincides with the official retail launch day. We already know about non-specific sample units reaching reviewers a week (or more) in advance of Team Green's embargo date—thanks to various graphical benchmarks appearing prematurely on the Geekbench Browser database. VideoCardz states the Founders Edition GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER model was not received in a timely manner by a number of media outlets, thus dismissing rumors about driver issues being a main factor behind the sudden rescheduling. Hardware evaluators have been busy this month with trade event coverage, and spending analytical time with Team Green's previous batches of RTX 40 SUPER cards.

A whole bunch of custom GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER and 4070 Ti SUPER graphics card models were available to purchase via online retail outlets last week—several ZOTAC options were available on Amazon USA for a brief period over the weekend. Enthusiastic customers have jumped at the chance to acquire potent Ada Lovelace SUPER cards ahead of NVIDIA's official review embargo and launch dates—TPU's resident GPU Judge has just published his first set of GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER evaluations. An early example was documented on the /NVIDIA community subreddit—user "LightMoisture" provided evidence of his PNY RTX 4070 Ti VERTO Triple Fan purchase arriving two days before the sanctioned release date (January 24).

It is not too surprising to see retailers ship out pre-ordered products a tad prematurely (given delivery lead times), but intriguing posts on social media have been highlighted by VideoCardz. A very fortunate soul has received an ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 4080 SUPER OC graphics card, well in advance of Team Green's preferred January 31 launch day. The plucky owner has asked around for functioning drivers (good luck)—LightMoisture also ran into this issue with his PNY RTX 4070 Ti VERTO. The next public GeForce Driver release (551.15) is due tomorrow, with (presumed) support for GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER GPUs. LightMoisture's evidence included screenshots of the aforementioned PNY card's crendentials being displayed in TechPowerUp GPU-Z v2.57.0, and test results generated by Maxon's Cinebench 2024 suite.