The April 2025 Steam Survey has just released major surprises for the global tech community and gamers. For the first time, laptop GPUs have overtaken desktop models to lead the market share on the world’s largest gaming platform. Additionally, AMD CPUs continue to make an impression with record market share, reflecting a spectacular shift in the gaming hardware market in 2025. Let’s dive deeper into the notable trends from this latest report.
Laptop GPUs surpass desktops on Steam for the first time, hardware market undergoes major shifts
The Steam Survey results show that RTX 4060 laptop has officially become the most popular GPU model with 4.99% market share, a significant increase of 0.51% in April alone. This is the first time a laptop GPU has held the top position since the RTX 3060 laptop briefly climbed to the lead in February 2022. This not only marks the maturity of the laptop GPU lineup but also clearly reflects the global gaming trend of prioritizing mobility and balanced performance.
The reason laptop GPUs are surpassing desktop models may stem from gaming laptops becoming increasingly powerful, thin, light, and reasonably priced. Advancements in cooling technology, battery life, and software optimization mean the gaming experience on laptops is no longer inferior to traditional desktops. Additionally, the demand for remote work, studying, and mobile entertainment post-pandemic has also contributed to driving this trend.
It is impossible not to mention the appearance of new graphics card models such as the RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti based on the Blackwell architecture. This is a signal that both laptop and desktop GPUs are entering a phase of fierce competition, promising major changes in performance and value in the near future. Notably, the Radeon RX 7800 XT has finally made an appearance in the rankings after more than a year and a half since its launch, although the RX 7800 XTX remains “unseen.”
In addition, 1080p resolution still dominates with 55% of users, proving that the transition to 1440p or 4K is occurring quite slowly. The main reasons are the high cost of upgrading monitors and graphics cards, and many gamers still prioritize smooth frame rates at 1080p over the superior sharpness of 2K or 4K.
AMD CPU hits new record, 32GB RAM rises, Windows 11 gradually dominates
Another highlight in the April 2025 Steam Survey is that AMD CPUs have reached their highest market share in history at 38.68%. This strong rise is thanks to the new Ryzen chip series, especially the Ryzen 7 9800X3D models, which are considered the gaming kings due to their superior performance and reasonable price. Meanwhile, Intel still holds the throne but is gradually losing its advantage as its new generation chips have not yet created a real breakthrough in performance or value.
The growth in AMD CPU market share not only reflects technological innovation efforts but also shows that users are increasingly concerned with performance-to-price ratios. This has a clear impact on the market, forcing Intel to change its strategy if it does not want to continue seeing the gap narrow.
Regarding memory, 16GB RAM is currently declining, accounting for only 43.8% of users, while 32GB RAM has increased sharply to 33.5%. This shift reflects the increasing demands of modern games and applications, which require larger memory capacities to run smoothly, especially with AAA titles, creative software, or heavy multitasking.
In the operating system segment, Windows 10 continues to drop to 38% while Windows 11 has risen to 58% market share. This is quite understandable as Windows 10 approaches its end of support on November 11, forcing users to upgrade early to ensure security and software compatibility. This transition directly impacts the gaming experience, as Windows 11 is better optimized for hardware and new technologies like DirectStorage, Auto HDR…
Another highlight is that the VR market continues to be vibrant, with Oculus Quest 2 still holding the lead, while Meta Quest 3 is following closely with a gap of only 5%. This presents an opportunity for the Quest 3 to pull ahead in the near future, especially as VR games become increasingly diverse and attractive.
In summary: The April 2025 Steam Survey shows that the gaming hardware market is undergoing massive changes with the rise of laptop GPUs, AMD CPUs setting new market share records, 32GB RAM becoming the standard, and Windows 11 becoming increasingly popular. These trends not only reflect the practical needs of gamers but also forecast fierce competition and intense technological innovation in the near future. If you are a gamer or a tech enthusiast, this is an ideal time to consider hardware upgrades to keep pace with the market’s development.
