The new Nvidia RTX 30 series gaming laptops appear to be the answer for those seeking the power of next-generation graphics cards. This is because desktop cards like the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 remain extremely limited. The new laptops proved to be helpful not only to the average consumer, but also to cryptocurrency miners buying up laptops to build their mining rigs.

Weibo user BTCer posted a photo of one such rig on the Chinese social media site. Cryptocurrency mining on laptops has historically been unprofitable, but with the improved performance of Nvidia's latest GPUs, it appears that large-scale mining is becoming possible. Coupled with the recent surge in the price of Ethereum, one of the most popular cryptocurrencies, it seems unlikely that laptops will be spared the same demand squeeze that miners have put on desktop cards.

However, we have yet to see similar mining rigs outside of China, and it remains to be seen whether regional demand fluctuations will affect more global availability. At the very least, it is clear that the desktop RTX 30 series shortage is becoming so severe that even serious miners who have put their money down still cannot get enough of them, forcing them to use less cost-effective laptops instead.

Ironically, part of the reason new GPUs sold out earlier this year was the rising bitcoin price. Then again, stagnant manufacturing processes, resale bots, and high demand from the general public also spurred this. If anything, the mass buying up of Nvidia RTX 30 series laptops won't be the only reason you can't get one yourself.

If you still want to try your luck with a desktop card, check out our guides on where to buy RTX 3080, RTX 3070, and RTX 3060 Ti. We update it daily and will let you know when new inventory becomes available.