Nvidia's Rumored Arm-Based Gaming Laptop: A Potential Game-Changer in PC Gaming

Nvidia's Arm-powered gaming laptop could launch later this year with Alienware

Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Nvidia's Arm-based PC chip could make its debut in Alienware's laptops later this year or in early 2026, according to a report from the Taiwanese publication United Daily News. The chipmaking giant is reportedly working with MediaTek to develop an accelerated processing unit (APU) that combines an Arm-powered CPU with Nvidia's Blackwell GPU architecture. Nvidia is already popular in traditional gaming laptops using Intel or AMD chips, but an Arm CPU entry may well improve the Windows on Arm gaming situation. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips have to run games emulated using Microsoft's Prism software, and game compatibility and performance is severely limited on Qualcomm's GPUs right now. We first heard rumors about Nvidia's Arm-based chip in 2023, which could serve as yet another competitor to Intel's chips and the Arm processors built by Qualcomm. Last week, a video from YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead showed off what appears to be a leaked image of Nvidia's rumored APU, with sources suggesting it could run between 80W and 120W. In January, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said during an investor's presentation that the company has "plans" for the Arm-based CPU installed inside Digits, its personal AI supercomputer, Reuters reported at the time. Dell CEO Michael Dell also hinted at the possibility of launching an AI PC with Nvidia, as he replied, "come back next year" when asked about Nvidia's presence in the AI PC market during an interview in 2024. Nvidia isn't the only company that could challenge Qualcomm's dominance in the Arm-based CPU space. MediaTek is also rumored to be working on an Arm chip of its own, while recent reports also suggest AMD is developing an Arm-based chip for Microsoft Surface laptops.

Nvidia may be giving gaming on ARM the boost it needs with a new laptop

Summary Nvidia may introduce ARM-based Alienware laptops for gamers in late 2025. The new APU will combine CPU/GPU and utilize Blackwell architecture. Although unconfirmed, this partnership hints at exciting future possibilities for Windows on Arm. Windows on Arm devices have really gone from strength to strength in recent months, haven't they? Copilot+ laptops have introduced Snapdragon-based devices to the market in waves, and while you can either love or hate Microsoft's AI assistant, the actual hardware within them is really good. It's totally understandable to grab a Copilot+ PC and never actually use Copilot itself, just to make use of a Windows on Arm device. While gaming on ARM devices may not have made huge leaps and bounds in the same way, we're seeing things gradually warm up. Near the end of May, we saw the Adreno Control Panel appear to make gaming on Snapdragon X devices a lot easier. However, if recent whispers are true, the scene may get a huge injection from Nvidia, which is reportedly planning to introduce new Arm-based Alienware laptops in the near future. Related Qualcomm brings Windows on Arm to every tier of laptop with new Snapdragon X chip The lineup is finally complete Posts 2 Gaming laptops on Arm may get an Nvidia-based boost in late 2025 As spotted by The Verge, the Taiwanese website United Daily News uncovered some interesting details about Nvidia entering the ARM space. People who claim to be in the know say that Nvidia is creating an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), which combines both a CPU and a GPU into a single chip. This supposed new Nvidia APU will obviously use Nvidia's tech on the GPU side, with the insiders claiming that it'll use the Blackwell architecture. However, the CPU side will use a "customized Arm architecture." As stated on United Daily News (machine translated from Chinese): [...] the APU is expected to enter the market in the fourth quarter of this year or early 2026. Previously, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Dell CEO Dell had publicly stated that the two parties will launch AI PCs with Nvidia technology in 2025. The industry believes that this is the rumored cooperation project. So, where would be the best place for Nvidia and Dell to try ARM-based gaming laptops in the current market? Easy: Alienware. Dell owns it, and Alienware has a reputation for building hardware aimed at gamers, so there's a good chance that this new APU will find itself in an Alienware laptop when it releases. Unfortunately, all we have to go off of so far are people within the industry making claims, so we don't have any hard proof that this partnership even exists, let alone if it will take off. However, the idea of an APU that uses ARM hardware is exciting news for people excited for Windows on Arm and the places it can go.

Nvidia's mythical Arm gaming laptop may finally arrive in partnership with Alienware

Still waiting: Once upon a time, Nvidia set out to revolutionize the PC industry with its own gaming machine powered by an Arm-based CPU and a built-in GeForce GPU. But years later, that revolution has yet to arrive - most games still depend on x86 CPUs and require a dedicated graphics card to run at their best. Taiwanese outlet United Daily News recently reported fresh rumors about the AI PC that Nvidia is allegedly developing to shake up the gaming market. According to unnamed industry insiders, the GPU giant is collaborating with Dell's Alienware to create a new gaming laptop powered by a custom APU - one reportedly powerful enough to alarm Intel, AMD, and other players in the emerging Arm PC space. The APU is said to feature a custom CPU component designed by MediaTek and a GPU based on Nvidia's own Blackwell architecture. The Alienware Arm laptop is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2025, or early 2026 at the latest. Earlier rumors revealed additional details about the chip, suggesting a power envelope between 80W and 120W. Despite the reduced power draw, the rumored APU is expected to deliver performance comparable to the notebook variant of the GeForce RTX 4070. Taiwanese sources have described the new chip as a potential breakthrough for the PC industry - a unified computing solution that could upend the traditional model of separate CPU and GPU components in portable systems. However, there are still a lot of "ifs" in this story. Arm processors are traditionally viewed as significantly more energy-efficient than x86 CPUs. Microsoft and Qualcomm have tried to leverage this advantage with their Snapdragon X Pro and Elite processors, yet only a small fraction of customers have actually adopted these systems so far. Despite challenging market conditions, Qualcomm remains committed to investing in the PC business. The company is reportedly working on the Snapdragon X Elite 2 processor, which could power new liquid-cooled gaming desktops in the not-too-distant future. Rumors about Nvidia's entry into the PC gaming market began circulating in 2023. More recently, CEO Jensen Huang confirmed that the company has "plans" for an Arm-based desktop CPU. Dell CEO Michael Dell added fuel to the speculation in 2024, suggesting that more concrete details about the project may emerge in 2025.

Nvidia's rumored gaming laptop APU just spotted in new leak -- what we know

The gigantic Computex convention just ended, but some things were missing from the overstuffed event, including Nvidia's first-ever consumer-grade laptop CPU. Nvidia showcased a lot at Computex 2025, including an RTX-powered AI avatar and several RTX 5060 laptops and desktops. MSI even showcased the MS-C931, which features the Nvidia GB10 ARM 'superchip', but that is meant for AI applications and not for everyday use. Unfortunately, we didn't see the rumored gaming laptop APU. Instead, our first look is coming from the YouTuber Moore's Law is Dead, who highlighted the APU in a recent video. In the video (around 40 minutes), Moore's Law shows an image of the new APU that is purportedly an engineering sample of the new silicon, attached to at least eight memory modules. The sample hints at an AMD Strix Halo-esque configuration with an onboard iGPU and a TDP of 80 to 120 watts. Likely, Nvidia's APU will be on an ARM device with a CPU allegedly developed by MediaTek. This type of integrated build is likely to be the future of gaming laptops. We can see how well it works with the AMD APU in the Asus ROG Flow Z13. There, we see that dedicated graphics have been ditched in favor of an integrated powerhouse in the Ryzen AI Max 390. Beyond powerful graphics, having it all integrated and quick access to LPDDR means that laptops utilizing this silicon will be more battery efficient, something gaming laptops have lacked until now. Plus, it builds toward a stronger handheld gaming experience as more handheld gaming PCs are likely to feature this kind of architecture. For another hint, the Nintendo Switch 2, which launches next week on June 5, features a custom Nvidia Tegra chip that has already shown how DLSS can extract higher performance out of games. According to the Moore's Law source, the Nvidia APU is expected to launch either late this year or in early 2026, which aligns with previous rumors that suggested we would see this new APU in 2025.

Nvidia and MediaTek's rumored gaming laptop chip could match the RTX 4070's performance - and that'd be a potential game-changer for handhelds

Nvidia's rumored gaming laptop SoC is expected to outdo the RTX 4070 in terms of performance While all eyes are locked on the Nintendo Switch 2's June 5 launch and its DLSS-powered custom processor, Nvidia's purported gaming laptop and potential handheld PC chip could surpass its competitors, based on new performance rumors. As reported by Notebookcheck, Nvidia and MediaTek's rumored gaming laptop SoC (System-on-Chip) is expected to match the RTX 4070's performance, according to a Taiwanese outlet, UDN. It was previously reported to have a TDP (thermal design power rating) between 80 and 120W, but it is now anticipated to use a Blackwell GPU and have a TDP of 65W. The rumors indicate that the chip may be primarily used for gaming laptops; UDN also mentions that it will be an Arm-based processor, so gaming laptops may benefit from good battery life and efficiency. However, the fresh report of a 65W TDP makes its potential handheld gaming PC use more of a possibility. It could be Team Green's first big step into the handheld gaming PC market; Nvidia has made mobile processors, notably for its Portable Shield, but this would be the first powerful chip to compete with this new generation of handhelds, spurred by Valve's Steam Deck, if true. Most devices like the Asus ROG Ally X and the MSI Claw 8 AI+ maintain a maximum TDP of 30W, so the supposed 65W TDP for Nvidia's SoC might be a big stretch for handheld demands (especially in terms of power efficiency) - but it's a lot better than the previously suggested 80 or 120W. If it isn't used in handhelds and is reserved for laptops alone, it may be a huge opportunity missed by Nvidia to take the portable gaming market by storm - especially in the current climate of bad reception from reviewers like Gamers Nexus. Again, there's no mention of handhelds in the rumors regarding Nvidia's unannounced gaming SoC, so this is just an assumption - but if this chip is real and it's eventually used for handhelds, does this mean handhelds are the future of gaming? At the very least, I can say AMD's APUs and other SoC processors will play a significant part in gaming going forward. We've already seen AMD's Ryzen AI Max+ 395 surpass the RTX 4070 laptop GPU in games like Cyberpunk 2077, eliminating the need for a discrete GPU. The only issue is that the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 hasn't been used in a handheld yet, likely due to its high TDP, which has me worried that this rumored Nvidia SoC won't be coming to handhelds. With DLSS 3 or 4 for sharper image quality and better game performance available, I'd expect it to outperform AMD and Intel's SoCs currently used in handhelds. Regardless, it's a step in the right direction, and the closer we can get to handhelds using iGPUs that are closer to the power of discrete GPUs, the better handhelds will be at being a focal point of future gaming.

Nvidia's 120W APU leak could mark the beginning of the end for laptop GPUs

Thinner, cooler, faster -- Nvidia's next-gen chip could flip the laptop market on its head. A new, credible leak suggests Nvidia is cooking up something that could transform gaming laptops as we know them: A120W Arm-based APU that combines CPU, GPU, and NPU into a single chip. If early reports are accurate, this could deliver RTX 4070-level performance in a slimmer, cooler, and more efficient package and see Nvidia take pole position in laptop chip primacy. Let's be clear -- this wouldn't just be another performance play that we frequently see with new hardware iterations, but a potential design revolution that could change everything. Or nothing. The leak, first reported by YouTube channel Moore's Law Is Dead and later verified by Notebookcheck, shows an engineering sample of the chip surrounded by eight LPDDR5X memory modules. The chip integrates a custom Arm CPU and a next-gen Nvidia GPU on the same die, likely codenamed Blackwell. There's also a powerful NPU onboard, positioned to handle heavy AI workloads. What's particularly impressive is that this unified chip reportedly runs at a 120W TDP and still manages to compete with the RTX 4070 Laptop GPU in benchmarks. Sources claim Nvidia is internally comparing its new APU to a 65W-tuned 4070, suggesting near parity in gaming performance with far better power efficiency. According to Moore's Law Is Dead, the chip is scheduled to hit the market between Q4 2025 and early 2026, and Nvidia is reportedly working with Dell to bring this architecture to life in future Alienware laptops. If Nvidia's APU lives up to its potential, the entire idea of separating CPU and GPU in a gaming laptop could become obsolete. Combining the two allows for tighter integration, lower latency, and shared access to high-bandwidth memory. Thermal design also benefits since there's only one hot zone to manage instead of two. This could mean fewer fans, thinner chassis, and better battery life, all without sacrificing AAA gaming performance. Those in the know will recognize this as a similar design philosophy to Apple's M-series chips, but unlike Snapdragon or Apple silicon, this chip might bring actual desktop-class frame rates to the table. Nvidia's closest competitor here is AMD, which is preparing its own monster chip: The Strix Halo APU. AMD's APU is expected to pair up to 16 Zen 5 cores with 40 RDNA 3.5 GPU compute units, pushing as much as 120W as well. In theory, it should be a beast. But Nvidia may have a leg up with its more efficient GPU architecture and early adoption of on-package memory. Notebookcheck notes that Nvidia's sample includes LPDDR5X soldered around the die, enabling high memory bandwidth without a separate graphics memory pool. That unified design is a big win for energy efficiency, which matters more than ever as gaming laptops strive to balance power and portability. A 120W chip still requires serious cooling, so we're not talking about fanless devices. But without the need for a separate GPU and VRAM modules, OEMs have a chance to rethink their internals. One configuration might resemble a MacBook Pro in weight but pack gaming performance that rivals today's bulkier rigs. Keep in mind that we're just speculating and thinking about what could eventually be. It would be surprising to see a dedicated Nvidia gaming laptop SoC right out of the gate, but the rumored APU could well be a starting point. That said, anything can happen, and the quoted sources do directly reference the APU as being earmarked for gaming laptops. The most likely initial application for the APU is AI. With the likes of upscaling, frame generation, real-time voice effects, and creative tools becoming more common, a strong on-chip AI engine could be the killer feature that separates Nvidia's solution from AMD and any future moves by Intel (though Intel is conspicuously absent from the APU race at the moment, with nothing in its roadmap suggesting a full-on AI or gaming APU.) With sources claiming that the chip includes an NPU powerful enough to run modern generative models and assist with GPU-accelerated workloads without the cloud, it's hard to think of any applications where it wouldn't shine, gaming or otherwise. For Dell and other partners, this is essentially an invitation to innovate, perhaps eventually leading to the first wave of "all-Nvidia" laptops, with unified software and hardware tuned for peak efficiency.

NVIDIA and MediaTek's new APU for gaming laptops: first use expected in an Alienware laptop

NVIDIA and MediaTek's upcoming APU will feature Arm CPU cores with GeForce RTX GPU cores, for new gaming laptops to fight AMD Strix Point, Strix Halo APUs. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TweakTown may also earn commissions from other affiliate partners at no extra cost to you. NVIDIA and MediaTek's new Arm-based AI PC processor might be closer to release than we think, where it might have avoided an announcement at Computex 2025, the new APU will be released this year and it should appear inside of a new Alienware gaming laptop. We've been hearing about NVIDIA x MediaTek and its new AI PC processor, which will offer up Arm-based CPU cores mixed with GeForce RTX series GPU cores, ready to take the fight to AMD and Intel and their respective Copilot+ AI laptops. In a new post by Taiwan Economic Daily, we're to expect NVIDIA and MediaTek to launch a new dedicated APU for new gaming laptops, with the first appearance being inside one of Dell's upcoming Alienware gaming laptops. Originally, we heard it would be a desktop-based AI PC processor... but it looks like plans have changed, where the new chip will be an APU that would be unleashed in Q4 2025 or in Q1 2026. We should expect the new APU to feature Arm-based CPU cores, and Blackwell-based GPU cores making for a big shift in the APU market. NVIDIA is expected to have an exclusive partnership with Dell for its APU, where it will launch inside of new Alienware gaming laptops which we should expect to see unleashed at CES 2026 in early January next year. NVIDIA starting off its gaming APU journey inside of an Alienware gaming laptop makes sense: see how popular it could (and it will) be, before unleashing it inside of other gaming laptops from different laptop manufacturers. AMD has been making gigantic strides on the APU side of its business, with its new Strix Point APUs offering up to 12 cores and 24 threads of Zen 5 processing power (but full x86 cores) as well as new RDNA 3.5-based GPU cores (up to 16 CUs on Strix Point). From there, AMD has its new enthusiast-grade Strix Halo APU that offers up to 16 cores and 32 threads of Zen 5 power, with a much higher 40 CUs of RDNA 3.5 graphics for proper higher-end gaming inside of a Mini-PC or gaming laptop depending on where Strix Halo is being deployed. NVIDIA and MediaTek using Arm CPU cores makes for an interesting new market, something Qualcomm has been trying -- and supremely failing -- with its Snapdragon X family of SoCs but because of the Arm cores they run Windows for Arm. This means that gaming flat out sucks on it, but NVIDIA has more up its sleeve. This is something Moore's Law is Dead and Wendell discuss in a recent podcast, where NVIDIA is powerful enough to have unleashed its new processor inside of a new product designed for gaming and running Linux. However, NVIDIA has enough sway to push Microsoft to allow to run Windows on Arm and most likely spit out FAR superior gaming performance to ANYTHING that Qualcomm is capable of. A new class of ultra-thin, powerful Arm-based processors for new gaming laptops -- and other Mini-PCs, etc -- will be a fantastic thing to see in late 2025 and into 2026. Qualcomm is really the only player in the space, and while AMD and Intel will push into the Arm-based AI PC processor space, NVIDIA will come in like a wrecking ball and show Qualcomm how it's REALLY done.

NVIDIA & MediaTek Are Reportedly Working on an APU For Gaming Laptops; Rivaling Against Intel/AMD In a Competitive Segment

NVIDIA and MediaTek could soon enter the "AI PC" segment, this time with a dedicated processor for gaming laptops, which could redefine competition. There's no doubt that out of all the consumer hardware segments out there, mobile processors have seen massive development in the past few years, especially with contributions by Intel and AMD. Lineups like AMD's Phoenix, Strix Point, and Strix Halo have taken performance levels with compact machines to new heights, and NVIDIA wants to capitalize on the market hype. According to Taiwan Economic Daily, NVIDIA x MediaTek is planning to launch a dedicated APU for gaming laptops, with the first integration expected to be by Dell's Alienware lineup. Rumors about the NVIDIA x MediaTek AI chip have been swirling around since last year, but they were previously said to be confined to the desktop segment. The companies were partnering up to build an ARM-based PC chip, one of its kind, but the plan has been switched to an APU implementation. It is claimed that the APU will launch by Q4 2025 or in the first quarter of next year. The chip would likely feature an ARM-dominant CPU architecture, and Blackwell for the onboard iGPU. Interestingly, NVIDIA is expected to enter into an exclusive partnership with Dell for its upcoming APU since it will first launch only on Dell's gaming laptops, notably the Alienware lineup. Dell has been a key partner of Team Green with the AI hype, offering one of the largest "AI factory" portfolios to its customers, hence the partnership makes sense here. Making the APU exclusive to Dell will allow NVIDIA to test its chip and see the customer response before deploying it to wider AIBs, which could help the firm gain rapid adoption. The specifics of NVIDIA's upcoming APU are uncertain for now, given that this rumor is in the early stages, but launching a mobile chip makes sense here, given that MediaTek's expertise in compact chips and Team Green's experience with graphics architectures would put this chip in a great position. However, the mobile APU segment is currently dominated by AMD and Intel, with both firms offering products that feature significant perf/watt figures, so it will be interesting to see how NVIDIA competes in this market.