The fastest GeForce RTX 4090 & RTX 4080 GPUs from NVIDIA are now useable in gaming laptops, and initial performance tests reveal amazing improvements.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop Is on Par With RTX 4070 Ti Desktop In Games, RTX 4080 Blazes Past 3080 Ti Laptop
The speediest processors available for gaming laptops are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 GPUs. They provide the greatest generational performance gains and the highest levels of performance. These laptop chips also include cutting-edge features like DLSS 3, which allows for an increase in speed of up to 4 times over native resolution. Let’s now examine what all these chips are all about.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 16 GB Laptop GPU – Extreme Performance, Extreme Power
The top-tier GeForce RTX 4090 utilizes the same NVIDIA AD103 GPU core setup as the desktop-class RTX 4080, with a total of 76 SMs or 9728 CUDA cores. It also has TGP options between 150W and 175W (+25W Dynamic Boost). The 1590 MHz Base and 2040 MHz Boost clock ranges will be used for the 150W TGP target. Additionally, there is a 25W Dynamic Boost that enables also higher boost clocks.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 12 GB Laptop GPU – High-End For The Masses
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB option is the next one up. It has a total of 58 SMs with 7424 cores and a memory setup that includes 12 GB of GDDR6 capacity over a 192-bit interface. The GPU is a scaled-down version of the Ada AD104 design, the same chip used in the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Desktop graphics card. In actuality, the GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU has roughly 24% fewer cores than the RTX 4080 graphics card for desktop computers.
The GPU uses the AD104 GPU core but ships with a similar TGP range. With a Base clock of 1.86 GHz and a Boost clock of 2.28 GHz for the 150W target, the GPU will have a 150W and up to 175W TGP range. Additionally, the RTX 4080 will receive an expanded 25W Dynamic Boost range.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 Ada Laptop GPUs ‘Official’
| GPU NAME | NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 | NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4080 | NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 | NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4060 | NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4050 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Node | TSMC 4N | TSMC 4N | TSMC 4N | TSMC 4N | TSMC 4N |
| GPU Core | AD103 | AD104 | AD106 | AD107 | AD107 |
| GPU SKU | GN21-X11 | GN21-X9 | GN21-X6 | GN21-X4 | GN21-X2 |
| CUDA Cores | 9728 | 7424 | 4608 | 3072 | 2560 |
| VRAM | 16 GB | 12 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 192-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit | 96-bit |
| Boost Clock | 1455 – 2040 MHz | 1350 – 2280 MHz | 1230 – 2175 MHz | 1470 – 2370 MHz | 1605 – 2370 MHz |
| TBP | 80 – 150 W (+25W DB) | 60 – 150 W (+25W DB) | 35 – 115 W (+25W DB) | 35 – 115 W (+25W DB) | 35 – 115 W (+25W DB) |
First, let’s look at the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU’s performance. This mobile GPU was evaluated by MyDrivers on a Zero Thunderobot system and was able to use up to 170W of power while sustaining GPU core temperatures below 80C. The memory is observed operating at a temperature of 85C, which is only slightly above its thermal threshold.
In 3DMark Time Spy and 3DMark Time Spy Extreme, the GPU scores 19,387 and 10,203 points, respectively. The same GPU achieves scores of 13,371 in 3DMark Fire Strike Ultra and 26,100 in 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme. This represents an improvement in the performance of up to 60% over the previous generation’s flagship 3080 Ti Laptop GPU.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU Benchmarks on ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR 17 (Image Credits: ITHome):
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU Benchmarks on Zero Thunderobot (Image Credits: Mydrivers):
Better designs, like the ASUS ROG STRIX SCAR 17 that ITHome checked, can raise the GPU’s score considerably. Although the GPU on the SCAR 17 operates within the same 175W power limit, it only reaches a maximum temperature of 70C during the Furmark stress test. Here, the GPU outperformed the other laptop’s 4090 by scoring 22,044 in 3DMark Time Spy and 26,526 in 3DMark Fire Strike Extreme. This puts the efficiency on par with an RTX 3090 or RTX 4070 Ti graphics card for desktop computers.
Additionally, PCWorld demonstrated their own gaming and content-creation benchmarks, which show a significant performance improvement over the previous generation. According to HardwareUnboxed, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 (150-175W) laptop GPU can perform 58% better at 4K resolution than the RTX 3080 Ti desktop GPU. This is a significant improvement, as demonstrated by the desktop-class RTX 4090 graphics card. While this was going on, Jarrod’sTech looked at a Lenovo machine with an RTX 4080 laptop and discovered an average performance improvement of >25% at 4K resolution over the RTX 3080 Ti laptop.
The only drawback is that buying one of these monstrous machines will cost you several thousand dollars. But according to this intriguing graph by Jarrod’sTech comparing the price per frame, the new RTX 40 Ada laptop actually provides a marginally better value for its performance. For instance, the least expensive RTX 4090 laptop available from Newegg costs $3,499 US (AORUS 17X). whereas the least expensive RTX 4080 laptop at Newegg costs US $2,299. The list of RTX 4090 & RTX 4080 laptops usable at Newegg is as follows:
Laptops with RTX 4090:
- AORUS 17X from Gigabyte (Core i9-13900HX + RTX 4090) – $3499 US
- Core i9-13900H and RTX 4090, MSI Stealth 17 Studio – $3999 US
- (Core i9-13980HX + RTX 4090) MSI Raider GE78 HX 13 – $3999 US
- Core i9-13950HX + RTX 4090, Razer Blade 16 – $4299 US
- Core i9-13950HX + RTX 4090, Razer Blade 18 – $4499 US
- Core i9-13980HX and RTX 4090, ASUS ROG STRIX Scar 18 – $5199 US
- (Core i9-13980HX + RTX 4090) MSI Titan GT77HX 13 – $5299 US
RTX 4080 laptops-
- AORUS 17H from Gigabyte (Core i7-13700H + RTX 4080) – $2299 US
- AORUS 17H from Gigabyte (Core i9-13900H + RTX 4080) – $2599 US
- AORUS 17X from Gigabyte (Core i9-13900H + RTX 4080) – $2699 US
- (Core i9-13980HX + RTX 4080) ASUS ROG STRIX Scar 16 – $2899 US
- Core i9-13950HX + RTX 4080, Razer Blade 16 – $3599 US
- Core i9-13980HX and RTX 4080 in the MSI Raider GE78 HX 13 – $3599 US
- Core i9-13980HX and RTX 4080, ASUS ROG STRIX G16 – $3650 US
- Core i9-13950HX + RTX 4080, Razer Blade 18 – $3799 US
- (Core i9-13980HX + RTX 4080) MSI Titan GT77HX 13 – $4299 US
Source: wccftech.com, Jarrod’sTech, PCWorld, HardwareUnboxed, MyDrivers, ITHome
