The last few weeks brought us a slew of rumors about Nvidia potentially sunsetting most of the RTX 40-series graphics cards. However, a new update reveals that one GPU might remain in production long after other GPUs are no longer being produced. Unfortunately, it’s a GPU that would struggle to rank among Nvidia’s best graphics cards. I’m talking about the RTX 4050 — a card that only appears in laptops.
The scoop comes from a leaker on Weibo and was first spotted by Wccftech. The leaker states that the RTX 4050 is “the only 40-series laptop GPU that Nvidia will continue to supply” after the highly anticipated launch of the RTX 50-series. Unsurprisingly, the tipster also reveals that the fact that both the RTX 4050 and the RTX 5050 will be readily available at the same time will also impact the pricing of the next-gen card.
Although the RTX 3050 existed in both desktop and laptop versions, the RTX 4050 has only made an appearance in laptops. It’s a budget-friendly option for those who want access to Nvidia’s DLSS 3, but it’s not an outstanding GPU in terms of performance. The cheapest laptops with an RTX 4050 can be bought for around $680.
If Nvidia keeps the last-gen RTX 4050 going, then it wouldn’t be a surprise to find that laptops with an RTX 5050 will see a price increase. Some leakers predict that the RTX 5050 may rival the RTX 4060 in performance, so it’s a tight line to walk if Nvidia also keeps making the RTX 4060.
The RTX 4050 would be a strange choice to keep in production. With GPUs like the RTX 4090 (which is only going up in price as we speak) and the RTX 4070 reportedly no longer being made, Nvidia is now said to be making only low-end RTX 40-series graphics cards. The RTX 4060 is also said to live on, which is not a surprise given its popularity, but still, that could leave the GPU market looking pretty bare over time.
On the other hand, just because the RTX 4050 is reportedly still being produced doesn’t have to mean that it’ll stay that way for a long time. If Nvidia’s RTX 50-series will begin with the high-end RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, laptops with an RTX 5050 might be a good few months down the line. It makes sense to keep a steady supply of lower-end cards until there’s a new GPU to fill the gap.
Nvidia is likely to announce the next-gen RTX 50-series during CES 2025 in January. Until then, all we can do is speculate, so take all of the above with some skepticism.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.