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It’s that season of the year once more. No, not the festive period, we’ve moved past that, but the moment when CES 2025 draws near. The Consumer Electronics Show is set to officially commence on January 7 in bright Las Vegas, Nevada, and this year’s affair is already brimming with optimism and expectations, particularly for PC gamers.
After all, with Nvidia’s Jensen Huang taking the stage (and ideally unveiling some next-gen RTX 50-series Nvidia GPUs) and all reputable tech firms gearing up for potential announcements, CES 2025 appears to be brimming with enticing hardware, a lot of which will be gaming-related.
I’ll be preparing my holiday luggage and wagering cash (just kidding) and heading off to this year’s event alongside several other members of the PC Gamer hardware team to deliver exclusive coverage. Las Vegas, here we come.
But prior to that, I’ve compiled a summary of everything we anticipate to witness, alongside a few prospects that lean toward the more hopeful side. Who says we’re pessimists, eh?
Alright, you don’t all need to raise your hands at once.
Nvidia 50-series graphics cards
At this juncture, I’d gladly eat my figurative hat if we don’t witness at least some of Nvidia’s next-gen RTX 50-series graphics card lineup revealed at CES. That’s likely no shock to those of you keeping track of newsfeeds in recent months, as leaks have been plentiful in advance of what is anticipated to be the largest GPU launch in several years.
No one was more astonished than us when CES 2025 emerged as a promising venue for a debut location, as it’s typically considered more laptop-centric. Nonetheless, the latest rumors indicate that we’ll be seeing the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and the RTX 5070 unveiled together. This would diverge from Nvidia’s recent pattern, as usually it’s the two top-tier cards that have been introduced ahead of the mid-range options from the last few generations.
Recent leaks suggest that the RTX 5090 will be an absolute powerhouse of a graphics card, with kopite7kimi asserting it will possess 32 GB of GDDR7 memory over a 512-bit bus, a peak power requirement of 600 W, and 21,760 CUDA cores. For those keeping score, that would translate to 33% more cores than the RTX 4090, a GPU that retains its reputation as overpowered even today. This aligns with an even more recent leak of RTX 50-series specifications, seemingly from Zotac—and this also indicates a potential core count for the RTX 5070 Ti.
Could we be facing a scenario where four desktop GPUs are launched simultaneously? There have also been whispers that mobile GPUs could be in the mix as well, although the buzz is so intense at this point, it’s challenging to distinguish fact from fiction. Regardless, it appears Nvidia GPUs are on the horizon, so prepare for an array of new Blackwell-based graphics cards to debut at the start of the show—with potentially some AI wizardry in the realm of “Neural Rendering.”
What is that exactly? To be frank—we won’t truly understand until it’s officially unveiled, as technically DLSS, Frame Generation, and Ray Reconstruction could all fall under the category of Neural Rendering. So it may simply be a rebranding of all those existing features. However, Nvidia is deeply entrenched in AI technology as it stands, so I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility of an innovative, entirely AI-driven rendering technique that we haven’t encountered yet. At least, in a way that proves effective for gaming, rather than merely as a tech demonstration.
Exciting times ahead, aren’t they?
AMD RDNA 4 next-generation GPUs
We’re not only anticipating Nvidia GPU announcements at CES 2025, as AMD’s RDNA 4 graphics cards have been long rumored to appear. We reported back in September that the upcoming AMD cards were expected to launch in January, although those of you seeking a contender for the potential RTX 5090 or RTX 5080 may find yourselves disappointed.
This is due to AMD’s Jack Huyhn publicly stating that the high-end segment isn’t their focus. This is consistent with more recent reports suggesting that the purported top-tier card, the RX 8800 XT, will instead provide raster performance comparable to the RTX 4080 Super, and ray tracing performance that is 45% superior to the existing leading AMD card, the RX 7900 XTX.
And you know what? I’m somewhat on board with that. After all, we’re anticipating Nvidia’s top-tier offerings to be extremely pricey, so if AMD can unveil a card that competes with the RTX 4080 Super in raw performance and enhance the abysmal ray tracing capabilities of the prior generation, I believe it might have a good chance of success—provided it’s priced appropriately.
That’s a significant “if”, naturally. Further down the lineup, there have been discussions of a non-XT version of what could potentially be AMD’s new flagship card (of this generation, at least), along with the possibility of an RX 8700 andRX 8600 as well.
So don’t weep too profoundly into your breakfast, AMD enthusiasts. There are additional possible advancements to be thrilled about within the red team’s domain, especially with the advent of FSR 4. Rumors indicate that the forthcoming iteration of AMD’s DLSS upscaling rival will utilize AI technology, implying that the new graphics cards will possess some variant of NPU/Tensor core to manage the requirements. Should we witness the unveiling of the new cards as anticipated? Then FSR 4 is likely to emerge soon after.
My personal evaluations indicate that FSR 3.1 remains somewhat behind the latest edition of DLSS—therefore, an AI-enhanced version is certainly something to be enthusiastic about for those of us who are aspiring for effective yet budget-friendly RDNA 4 GPUs in our future. Fingers crossed, at the very least.
Gaming laptops abound
Well, here’s a nod to tradition: CES typically revolves around laptop unveilings, and this year they’re equipped with some gleaming new chips to accommodate. We’ve already had hands-on experience with AMD’s Strix Point Ryzen AI 300-series processors and Intel’s Core Ultra 200-series mobile CPUs, and we’ve been incredibly impressed. As a result, we’re anticipating that every prominent gaming laptop maker under the sun will disclose new models at CES 2025, with many taking advantage of the latest cutting-edge silicon available.
This means Razer, Asus, Alienware—essentially, envision any gaming laptop manufacturer, and I’d be shocked if they didn’t have a fresh model or two to showcase at this year’s event featuring either AMD or Intel’s most up-to-date efforts.
Naturally, there will also be Qualcomm Snapdragon X laptops, though I’ll be especially looking out for anything that utilizes AMD’s Strix Halo APU. It appears to be a highly capable chip based on early leaks, so I predict we will encounter a few ultra-thin, ultra-light devices boasting their gaming prowess.
Thus, January appears to be an excellent moment to start contemplating your next gaming laptop. With existing models such as the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 and the Razer Blade 14 elevating the design to sleeker, lighter, and more enticing standards, I believe 2025 might be the year we witness gaming laptops truly flourish into the ultra-desirable machines we envision.
The outdated bulky chassis designs seem to be behind us now, so I foresee sleek, portable, and upscale being the trend of the day.
And I haven’t even begun discussing the displays yet. OLEDs in gaming laptops have become a genuine trend now, and I would wager we’ll observe many more models introduced featuring screens capable of deep black levels and stunning colour fidelity. Perhaps a few Mini LED units as well, just to add a bit of variety.
Oh, and let’s not forget about higher refresh rates. It can’t be just me who’s noticed that most gaming laptop displays are inching towards the 240 Hz mark and beyond, and I can’t envision that slowing down any time soon. Speaking of which…
Ultra-high refresh gaming monitors, OLEDs, and more
CES has also historically centered around monitor unveilings. Or rather, TVs and monitors, as it’s officially the Consumer Electronics Show, so anticipate a plethora of screens intended for both your living room and desktop from many leading manufacturers.
Expect gaming monitors of varying sizes, shapes, and specifications to dominate your newsfeeds during the event, many striving to achieve unprecedented refresh rate benchmarks. Esports has become a significant motivating force for many monitor makers these days, leading me to suspect I’ll need to jostle my way through internet superstars (the identities of whom I do not know) to reach whatever exciting new monitor of the moment they’ve come to showcase.
I’ll be gentle, I promise. Nevertheless, fast screens translate to excellent gaming monitors for the rest of us (to a degree), and it is in person where that refresh rate transforms from a mere number on the packaging into a delightful reality. Therefore, I’ll ensure to energize myself with caffeine and settle in front of as many of them as I can, alongside our other team members. The discussions will be lively and geeky. On this, you can count.
Once more, the expectation is OLED gaming monitors across the board—and possibly even some more budget-friendly models, provided we’ve behaved really, really well. Additionally, there are typically some laptops with fold-out screens to admire, before we all converge to agree that it looks somewhat fragile and move along to the next booth. In any case, monitors galore, expect plenty.
Handheld gaming PCs
Do you recall what I mentioned about new processors? Well, now that Lunar Lake and Strix Point are officially on the scene, we’re all buzzing with excitement at PC Gamer towers to welcome the next generation of gaming handhelds. The APUs in older devices are beginning to appear a bit outdated, so we’re hopeful that high-performance handheld gaming PCs will take center stage.
Personally, I will be keeping a watchful eye on Lenovo, as rumors regarding the Lenovo Legion Go S have been so prevalent this year that it feels like I’ve already encountered it. Provided it actually exists (wouldn’t it be quite a twist if it didn’t?) and makes an appearance (who knows?), it will likely find itself amidst tough competition, given that the handheld market seems to expand at an astonishing pace.
The initial MSI Claw didn’t exactly excite us earlier this year, but the MSI Claw 8 AI+ boasts some notably high benchmark figures, courtesy of tests conducted by, umm, MSI. We’ll be sure to try to get access to one of those if we spot one, although it’s likely we won’t be able to benchmark it ourselves at the booth if MSI has one on display. I mean, probably. Still, it’s an intriguing
thing and appears significantly more deserving of attention than the previous, Meteor Lake-based variant.
Next up is the Adata portable prototype my esteemed hardware sovereign Dave managed to obtain at Computex this year. A peculiar device for certain, but we appreciated the ingenuity on display. Will it resurface, possibly with some modifications? Only time will reveal. Nonetheless, I’m eager to explore some handhelds that impress, so stay tuned for our coverage as we navigate the exhibition floor, seeking out all the newest portable PCs.
Motherboard chipsets
How’s this for perplexing—thanks to some leaks, we’re anticipating the arrival of motherboards featuring new chipsets from both Intel and AMD, reportedly named the B860 and, um, the B850. Indeed, two completely different new chipsets, from two distinct and highly competitive corporations, distinguished by a single-digit alteration.
To clarify, the B860 is anticipated to be Intel’s newest Arrow Lake-S chipset. If the leaks hold any truth, it is expected to be positioned below the current Z890 chipset in the hierarchy with provisions for 45 total high-speed I/O lanes and up to 12 USB 2 ports, alongside six USB 3.2 ports. It is currently believed to be locked regarding chip overclocks, while RAM overclocking is claimed to be permissible. Sharp observers have already noted listings for Asus motherboards utilizing the new chipset, supposedly debuting at CES 2025.
On the AMD front, we have what is expected to be the B850 chipset for Zen 5 processors. Videocardz has already shared images of what a source claims is the Gigabyte B850M Aorus Elite WiFi6e Ice (another catchy motherboard designation to add to the list), purportedly offering PCIe 5 support for NVMe drives, and optionally graphics. The leaked board images display four DDR5 DIMM slots, connections for 24+8 pin power connectors, and numerous board components concealed beneath some glossy white coverings.
Not the most exhilarating CES expectation, I suppose, but that’s our current understanding. Prepare to witness me become bewildered by chipset naming conventions at this year’s event, and likely at future ones too.
HDMI 2.2
Now we’re getting into it: cable and connection standards! The existing HDMI 2.1 specification accommodates 4K resolution at 120 Hz uncompressed, and up to 10K 100 Hz with Display Stream Compression (DSC). Naturally, this all hinges on the type of cable and monitor (or TV) in question, but rumors indicate that we might see the introduction of HDMI 2.2 at CES 2025, which will support…
Actually, we have no clue. Just the possible announcement, that’s the extent of the leaked information at this stage. Of course, if a new HDMI connection standard emerges, it’s likely to significantly surpass the 42 Gbps maximum data transfer rate of current HDMI 2.1 connections. However, by how much, we really cannot determine at this moment.
Still, in the realm of gaming monitors, we are presently facing a 240 Hz limit at 4K using the current premier HDMI standard, so this might simply be paving the way for upcoming 8K ultra-high refresh rate displays. Not that contemporary GPUs can truly utilize that kind of capacity right now, but hey, enhanced hardware is on the horizon, and that implies faster connections and cables will eventually be necessary to support it.
I wouldn’t anticipate seeing an HDMI 2.2 port on new graphics cards from any of the key players for a while longer, but you can never be too certain, right?
AI everywhere, once more
Last year’s exposition was centered around AI. Guess what this one may revolve around? Yes, the AI surge is still very much alive, so it’s once again time to don our anti-bunk hats and delve into all the AI innovations to discern if any of them are noteworthy.
I jest, I jest, AI has its merits. We experienced challenges in identifying them at last year’s gathering, but in 2025 we’ll be prowling the corridors once more to uncover AI products that make sense. Naturally, Nvidia will likely be highlighting all sorts of AI antics, and I’ve already discussed the possible AI integration we’re expecting to see in FSR 4 if it materializes. Perhaps we will have another opportunity to experiment with Nvidia ACE, the AI-NPC technology that amazed our Jacob in 2024?
And who can forget my infamous post-show article from last year, summarizing three AI features we thought we might utilize, and three we absolutely wouldn’t? Even I apparently, because I’ve just stumbled upon it. Still, AI will undoubtedly be prevalent throughout Las Vegas this year as well, so here’s hoping I end up crafting an AI product redemption article now that the technology has hopefully advanced. See, I assured you we weren’t cynical. Just resentful, and that’s an entirely different matter.
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