A store near me has an RTX gaming laptop for $999. With tax it’ll probably be $1,100.
This demo scene renders in 1:08.05 on that laptop.
I’m currently using a GTX gaming laptop.
The same scene takes 3:44.89 on my laptop.
It is worth it to upgrade now for that price or should I wait a few (or many) months for newer laptops with more powerful hardware for the same price?
even after a few months with rtx 4000 series you can " wait a few (or many) months for newer laptops " again, it’s a never ending question with hardwares 
Just focus on what it brings you right know, and if there’s no rush ( you’re not working on a deadline ) you can wait for the 4000 series
Back in the 1980’s – yes, I was there – musicians paid $100,000+ for “Fairlight®” and “Synvclavier®” music keyboards which had infinitely less power than your phone does today. But, they paid that money willingly, in order to reap musical advantage at the time. (And in so doing, they helped to advance the musical technology that we all enjoy today …)
If you are up against a deadline in a project that is worth many times more than “$1,100,” such a purchase might be an expense. To be written off as “Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS).” As an inconsequential cost of getting the project done to the customer’s satisfaction and timetable. You wouldn’t blink at it … as long as the product did deliver on its promise.
You can always wait and there will be always something better and faster or cheaper.
If you wait you might never buy a machine.
Also another way to look at it, if you ask the question if you need it then you probably don’t as otherwise you would know.
Not to sound harsh but that is 2 truths that I learned over the year.
Do it if it’s for your job (because time is money). Otherwise I’ll wait for the prices to go down more…
Sounds like a good deal to me. I know I’m investing in a 3090 later this year, it’ll basically pay itself with the speed gains.
Is it worth it TO YOU?
Is it a problem that your current machine takes almost 4 min to render that scene? Are you pressed for time? Do you work as a 3D artist? Heck, then it’s almost a no-brainer, you can even write it off on your taxes.
If it’s for a hobby, for fun, you’re not seriously limited in your creativity by your old machine, you just WANT something sexier – can you afford to buy $1000 worth of hardware for that; nothing else in your life that might need it more in the foreseeable future? If that’s iffy, then you might want to wait, not for better hardware, but until you have more of a margin (once the new hardware comes out, the older hardware becomes cheaper).
But if I could fairly easily afford it, and this hobby added a lot to my quality of life, I’d buy the better machine now if it’s a good deal at this time. Waiting in that position is really only worth it if you already know for certain you can save a significant amount, or there will be new features that you feel are essential. But that’s usually uncertain. Instead we might get an unexpected chip shortage. Also take into account all the time between now and “some future date” – that’s time during which you could have much better performance already, and maybe design more exciting renders.
