Nvidia's Latest Laptop RTX 40 Series Push Sparks Fears of Another GPU Shortage, Industry on High Alert: Report

Highlights

Nvidia's attention could be moving away from producing desktop GPUs and towards the production of laptop GPUs in China. This move comes as a response to the growing demand from gaming laptop manufacturers in the Chinese market. The specific models that will be focused on are the RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 series.

The shift in manufacturing could result in a lack of availability and reduced chances of price reductions for the RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 desktop GPUs. It is possible that Nvidia intentionally restricts the supply of these graphics cards to control their pricing, potentially enticing customers to consider AMD's upcoming mid-tier desktop GPUs as a competitive alternative.

Nvidia may be discontinuing the production of desktop GPUs to focus more on manufacturing laptop GPUs in China, according to a recent leak. It is believed that the demand for Nvidia's laptop GPUs has been primarily driven by gaming laptop manufacturers in the Chinese market. This shift in focus could potentially result in a shortage of RTX 40 series desktop GPUs in the future. The leak also suggests that this increased demand is specifically for the RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 series GPUs.

Introduced towards the end of last year, the RTX 40 series desktop GPUs have been well-received. In contrast, the mobile versions of the cards were announced earlier this year. In January, Nvidia revealed its plans to release the GeForce RTX 4090, 4080, 4070, 4060, and 4050 mobile GPUs in September, with the RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 being the first to launch. The 40-series cards demonstrated significant performance enhancements compared to their 30-series predecessors, which was particularly noteworthy considering AMD's relatively underwhelming range of mobile GPUs.

According to a recent leak from China, the DIY desktop GPU market in China appears to be stable at the moment. In response to this, Nvidia is planning to optimize its GPU manufacturing by focusing on producing more Ada Lovelace laptop GPUs. This strategy will primarily be implemented in the RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 series of GPUs. However, it should be noted that the higher-end RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 cards will continue to be produced as they have been. It is important to mention that Nvidia has not officially confirmed or released any information regarding these claims.

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There could be a shortage in desktop RTX 4060 and RTX 4070 stock due to this manufacturing change, making them more difficult to find in the upcoming quarter. It is unlikely that there will be any discounts on these GPUs. This was similar to the scenario when the RTX 40 series was initially released. Gamers were eager to purchase these high-performance cards, but due to the global chip shortage that started in 2020, the supply was severely limited and prices soared.

Nvidia may be intentionally maintaining high pricing for the RTX 40 series cards, despite potential supply issues. This could deter fans from purchasing Team Green products, leading to retailers offering discounts. By limiting the supply of desktop graphics cards, Nvidia can exert control over pricing. The specific SKUs being targeted, such as the RTX 4060 8GB and RTX 4060 Ti, may be criticized for their poor value. The 16GB version of the 4060 Ti, priced at $500, offers minimal performance improvements compared to the 8GB model.

Take into consideration that this information pertains specifically to the Chinese market and may not directly apply to the Western market. However, if the manufacturing changes in China do occur, it could negatively impact the global supply of these particular GPUs. Additionally, AMD is anticipated to introduce new mid-tier desktop GPUs in their Radeon RX 7000 series, including the RX 7800 and RX 7700 cards. These will likely compete directly with Nvidia's mid-tier RTX 40 series, comprising the RTX 4060 and RTX 4070. AMD is also expected to continue the trend of pricing their upcoming cards lower than their Nvidia counterparts. With this in mind, if Nvidia decides to reduce production of their mid-tier desktop GPU offerings, they may encounter difficulties.