Nvidia’s new 12GB RTX 5070 adds another lower-priced GPU option for gaming laptops
More memory in the middle of RAMageddon?
Nvidia introduces a new 12GB RTX 5070 Laptop GPU
50% more video memory than the original 8GB RTX 5070 introduced last year
Upgraded 12GB RTX 5070 should perform closer to the higher-tier RTX 5070 Ti
Nvidia tapped into a new denser memory supply to avoid RAM shortages
Gaming laptops with the new 12GB RTX 5070 start arriving June 2026
Nvidia slipped in a surprise 12GB RTX 5070 laptop GPU announcement in between its GeForce Drivers update today.
This new 12GB Nvidia RTX 5070 GPU adds 4 more gigabytes of video memory over the existing 8GB model, which has been available since last year. More video memory on any GPU is always a good thing, and this should also allow the new 12GB Nvidia RTX 5070 to punch up closer to the graphics performance of the higher-end 12GB RTX 5070 Ti laptop GPU.
Nvidia hasn’t released any other specs, but this new RTX 5070 should feature the same 4,608 CUDA cores and 128-bit memory interface.
A GPU maker adding a higher video memory option in the middle of RAMageddon might seem impossible, but Nvidia has stated its dipped into a new memory architecture to make this possible. The 12GB RTX 5070 comes with denser 24 GB G7 memory modules featuring 3GB chips. All of Nvidia’s previous 16Gb G7 modules featured only 2GB chips packed into 16Gb G7 memory modules.
By using this new memory supply, Nvidia has effectively side-stepped the memory shortage hitting the market now. This should (hopefully) lead to better, low-priced gaming laptop options – but that remains to be seen until new laptops with this higher-memory GPU start arriving this June.
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.