NVIDIA Adds 12GB RTX 5070 Laptop GPU to Address Memory Supply Constraints
NVIDIA is expanding its mobile GeForce RTX 50 series lineup with a new variant of the GeForce RTX 5070 for laptops, but with 12GB of GDDR7 memory, up from 8GB of GDDR7 on the existing model in mobile form. The announcement came without a whole lot of fanfare, with NVIDIA revealing the new SKU in a GeForce article announcing a new Game Ready driver release that is optimized for Conan Exiles Enhanced.
Talk about burying the lede! The new 12GB GDDR7 configuration is in response to the ongoing memory crunch caused by unprecedented demand for AI hardware.
"Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs remains strong, and memory supply is constrained. In order to maximize memory availability, we are releasing the GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU 12GB configuration with 24Gb G7 memory. This gives our partners access to an additional pool of memory to complement the 16Gb G7 supply that currently ships with most GeForce GPUs," NVIDIA says.
Put another way, the expanded VRAM model employs four 3-gigabyte (GB) / 24-gigabit (Gb) memory modules for 12GB of total VRAM, whereas the original GeForce RTX 5070 laptop GPU uses 2GB / 16Gb chips for 8GB of total VRAM. Up until now, only the mobile version of the GeForce RTX 5090 used 3GB memory chips (also rumored for a Super refresh on desktop and an upgraded GeForce RTX 5050).
There is no mention of any other changes to the specs, and NVIDIA's laptop GPU page doesn't yet list the expanded VRAM option. Assuming nothing else changes, the 12GB GeForce RTX 5070 will stick with the same 128-bit memory bus width as found on the 8GB variant, for up to 384GB/s of memory bandwidth (which also assumes no change to the memory speed).
NVIDIA also confirmed that the 12GB model will exist alongside the current 8GB variant rather than replace it.
The other question is how much of a premium laptop makers will charge for the higher VRAM model. An early clue is Framework's pricing for its GeForce RTX 5070 module for its Laptop 16—the 8GB version costs $699 and the 12GB is listed at $1,199.
Feel free to start a laptop company and see what suppliers quote you for GDDR7.
— Framework (@FrameworkPuter) April 29, 2026
In response to a TechPowerUp article posted on X regarding Framework's pricing for the 12GB VRAM module, the company wrote, "Thanks @OpenAI." A user then pushed back saying it still shouldn't cost as much as it does, to which Framework replied, "Feel free to start a laptop company and see what suppliers quote you for GDDR7."
As another point of reference, laptops configured with a GeForce RTX 5070 (8GB) start at $1,299.99 at Best Buy, though most are priced north of $1,549.99. There's a lone model with a GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (16GB) priced at $1,599.99 at Best Buy, whereas all the others run $1,799.99 or higher, most of which are priced above $2,100.
