Some time again we reviewed the Nvidia RTX 4090 Laptop computer GPU, taking a complete have a look at the way it fares within the laptop computer market. Briefly, it is a highly effective however costly improve over the earlier quickest GPU, the RTX 3080 Ti Laptop computer mode. Nvidia positively made spectacular strides when it comes to efficiency per watt with the Ada Lovelace structure.
However there’s one other side of the RTX 4090 laptop computer GPU we did not concentrate on earlier than, and that is how the 2 RTX 4090 variants evaluate: the laptop computer half and the desktop half. As regular, we did observe the deceiving naming scheme, however this overview shall be solely devoted to take a look at simply how important the margin is between these GPUs – and why you may wish to spend your hard-earned money on a desktop as an alternative of a laptop computer this era for gaming.
With out even benchmarking, it is readily obvious from trying on the spec sheet that the GeForce RTX 4090 desktop and laptop computer components are vastly completely different.
It goes proper again to the GPU die itself: the desktop card makes use of AD102, a formidable 609 sq mm die with 76 billion transistors. In the meantime, the laptop computer mannequin makes use of AD103, the identical die because the RTX 4080, which is 379 sq mm in measurement with 46 billion transistors. This brings with it a considerable discount in CUDA core rely, dropping from a whopping 16,384 to only 9,728 within the laptop computer mannequin, together with related reductions in tensor cores, RT cores and L2 cache.
The reminiscence subsystem can be so much smaller on the laptop computer mannequin. We get 16GB of GDDR6 reminiscence on a 256-bit bus, versus 24GB of GDDR6X reminiscence on a 384-bit bus on the desktop.
GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop computer GPU 150W | GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop computer GPU 80W | GeForce RTX 4090 (Desktop) | GeForce RTX 4080 (Desktop) | |
SM Depend | 76 | 76 | 128 | 76 |
Shader Models | 9728 | 9728 | 16384 | 9728 |
RT Cores | 76 | 76 | 128 | 76 |
Tensor Cores | 304 | 304 | 512 | 304 |
GPU Core Enhance Clock (MHz) | 2040 MHz | 1455 MHz | 2520 MHz | 2505 MHz |
VRAM Dimension and Sort | 16GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6 | 24GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR6X |
Reminiscence Clock | 18 Gb/s | ? | 21 Gb/s | 22.4 Gb/s |
Reminiscence Bus Width | 256-bit | 256-bit | 384-bit | 256-bit |
Reminiscence Bandwidth | 576 GB/s | ? | 1008 GB/s | 717 GB/s |
TGP | 150W | 80W | 450W | 320W |
GPU Die | AD103 | AD103 | AD102 | AD103 |
GPU Die Dimension | 379 sq.mm | 379 sq.mm | 609 sq.mm | 379 sq.mm |
Transistor Depend | 46 billion | 46 billion | 76 billion | 46 billion |
The desktop graphics card not solely has 50% extra VRAM, however 75% extra reminiscence bandwidth as effectively.
And since the laptop computer GPU is energy restricted to 150-175W in the most effective instances, versus a whopping 450W for the desktop card, clock speeds are decrease throughout each the GPU core and reminiscence. The GPU has a lift clock about 500 MHz decrease, and reminiscence speeds drop from 21 to 18 Gbps.
All issues thought-about, the laptop computer chip is trimmed by about 60% in comparison with the desktop card throughout all sides with clock speeds at about 80% of the desktop card’s stage. Based mostly on this alone, there isn’t any manner the laptop computer variant and desktop variant will carry out anyplace shut to one another, so it is extremely deceptive to present each GPUs principally the identical title.
We may possibly, simply possibly reduce Nvidia some slack if each the laptop computer and desktop fashions used the identical GPU die, however that’s not the case. And with that, it is time to discover efficiency…
For testing, on the desktop facet we’re utilizing a high-end gaming system as a result of that is what the vast majority of folks shopping for an RTX 4090 graphics card shall be utilizing. The take a look at system is powered by a Ryzen 9 7950X, 32GB of DDR5-6000 CL30 reminiscence, the MSI MEG X670E Carbon Wi-Fi motherboard, constructed contained in the Corsair 5000D.
On the laptop computer facet we have now the MSI Titan GT77, which has the RTX 4090 Laptop computer GPU configured to an influence restrict of 150-175W. There’s the Core i9-13950HX processor inside, 64GB of DDR5-4800 CL40 reminiscence, plus loads of cooling capability to dissipate over 200W of mixed CPU and GPU energy.
For this overview we’ll be evaluating efficiency at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, with an exterior show used for all configurations. That implies that on the laptop computer facet the show is related on to the GPU for the absolute best efficiency output.
Additionally, when testing at 1080p we have elevated the ability restrict on the CPU to 75W to finest alleviate the potential CPU bottleneck. In the meantime, on the desktop, the whole lot is a inventory configuration with no overclocking.
Gaming Benchmarks
Beginning with Murderer’s Creed Valhalla at 1080p, we see that the RTX 4090 desktop delivers 20% higher efficiency than the laptop computer, which is helped by a major contribution from the sooner desktop CPU.
As we get extra GPU restricted, the margin between the 2 GPUs will develop: there is a 31% distinction at 1440p, and 39% at 4K in favor of the desktop graphics card. 1% lows are constantly greater as effectively. Once more, as a result of additional CPU headroom accessible within the desktop system.
Watch Canine Legion outcomes are fascinating. At 1080p we’re taking a look at comparable margins to Murderer’s Creed, with the desktop 18 % forward. At 1440p it is a smaller margin that seen beforehand with the desktop 4090 coming in 27 % sooner, however then at 4K the beefy 450W GPU is ready to totally flex its muscular tissues and sit an enormous 62 % sooner.
That is the distinction between an expertise round 70 FPS and round 110 FPS, which is big for these utilizing a excessive refresh price 4K show.
Far Cry 6 is without doubt one of the extra uncommon instances right here. At 1080p we see just about equivalent efficiency between the desktop and laptop computer fashions as a result of we’re totally CPU restricted and the Core i9-13950HX is ready to play to its strengths.
At 1440p we additionally do not see a lot of a bonus for the desktop GPU, coming in simply 8 % sooner on common, with 15% greater 1% lows. However then at 4K the margin will increase to 33 % total. Not the most important delta however actually a good consequence for the desktop card.
Metro Exodus is a typical exhibiting. At 1080p the margin between the desktop and laptop computer variants sits at 18 %, just like a number of the different video games seen up to now. At 1440p this margin will increase to 39% in favor of the desktop card, then 59 % at 4K – you’d positively wish to be utilizing the desktop mannequin at this excessive decision.
Purple Lifeless Redemption 2 was one of many least CPU restricted titles at 1080p, giving the desktop card 32 % greater efficiency on the lowest decision examined. This elevated to a 44 % margin at 1440p, then a 58 % margin at 4K, once more exhibiting the relative slowness of the laptop computer mannequin when totally GPU restricted.
Cyberpunk 2077 utilizing the Extremely preset with out ray tracing or upscaling is sort of favorable to the desktop RTX 4090. At 1080p it was 27% sooner than the laptop computer GPU, which then grew to 39% at 1440p, and 55% at 4K.
With the body charges seen right here that is fairly important: it is the distinction between 45 FPS at 4K on the laptop computer versus 70 FPS on the desktop – with the desktop being way more playable at that body price.
Subsequent up is Horizon Zero Daybreak, which confirmed a 37 % margin between the 2 fashions at 1080p, a 48 % margin at 1440p and a 61 % margin at 4K so in any respect three resolutions there’s a sturdy efficiency lead for the desktop card.
Forza Horizon 5 is exhibiting modestly fascinating outcomes. It did not have the bottom margins between the desktop and laptop computer at 1080p or 1440p, the numbers listed here are first rate with a 26% lead at 1080p and 38 % lead at 1440p for the desktop.
However at 4K the margin is a bit decrease than anticipated, simply 41 % in favor of the desktop mannequin which is decrease than the common and a comparatively good consequence for the laptop computer variant.
Players enjoying Trendy Warfare 2 will certainly need the desktop configuration because it’s fairly sooner in any respect resolutions utilizing Excessive settings, with comparable margins seen utilizing Fundamental settings. 30 % sooner at 1080p, 45 % sooner at 1440p and 55 % sooner at 4K with a lot stronger 1% lows in any respect resolutions as effectively.
The latency distinction between gaming at 80 FPS and 120 FPS is one thing that I can discover and I am not likely a hardcore multiplayer gamer, however I think most critical multiplayer followers would a lot favor a desktop setup.
In Dying Mild 2 the sport was fairly simply GPU bottlenecked more often than not even utilizing rasterization. At 1080p the desktop card was 39 % sooner, a margin that grew to 45% at 1440p and 56 % at 4K. Whereas the laptop computer mannequin is playable at 4K utilizing these settings, the desktop is able to a extra excessive refresh price expertise.
Maybe the worst exhibiting for the desktop configuration and due to this fact the most effective for the laptop computer was Spider-Man Remastered. At 1080p the sport is so CPU bottlenecked there was no substantial efficiency distinction between the desktop and laptop computer fashions.
At 1440p the desktop card was solely 12 % sooner, and even at 4K it held only a 28 % margin which is the slimmest of any rasterized recreation we examined. Desktop configuration continues to be preferable, however laptop computer avid gamers shall be completely satisfied to know they’re getting a greater than cheap stage of efficiency.
Ray Tracing Efficiency
The variations between these two GPUs do not change considerably when taking a look at ray tracing. Far Cry 6, for instance, stays very comparable between each variants at 1080p and 1440p, whereas at 4K the desktop configuration is barely 25% sooner. A really favorable recreation for the laptop computer and largely CPU restricted on desktop…
In different titles the distinction may be large.
In Cyberpunk 2077 utilizing the extremely ray tracing preset and no upscaling, the RTX 4090 is 45 % sooner at 1080p, 61 % sooner at 1440p and whopping 83 % sooner at 4K.
That is the distinction between playable and unplayable efficiency, the laptop computer mannequin is barely good for 21 FPS at 4K which is not fixable via upscaling with out dropping different high quality settings if you’re focusing on 60 FPS.
The desktop card can do 38 FPS right here which isn’t superb however nonetheless playable with DLSS Balanced settings.
Dying Mild 2 with ray tracing additionally noticed enormous margins in favor of the desktop card. 55% sooner at 1080p, 71% sooner at 1440p, and 77% sooner at 4K is big, and utterly adjustments the dialogue round what kind of settings are playable.
The laptop computer GPU delivers an appropriate 65 FPS at 1440p utilizing these settings, however the desktop card can supply comparable efficiency at the next decision, or a a lot greater body price on the identical decision. It is a night time and day distinction on this recreation.
What is not an evening and day distinction is the ray tracing efficiency in Spider-Man Remastered. Whereas the margins listed here are bigger than with out utilizing ray tracing, the desktop card is simply 15% sooner at 1080p, 22 % sooner at 1440p, and 41 % sooner at 4K.
Ray tracing on this title is extraordinarily CPU intensive which we suspect is decreasing the margins considerably in comparison with being totally GPU restricted, like we noticed in Dying Mild or Cyberpunk.
Efficiency Abstract
RTX 4090 Laptop computer vs. RTX 4090 Desktop in 20 Video games
Trying throughout all recreation configurations that we examined, together with a handful of ray tracing outcomes, the RTX 4090 desktop GPU is clearly the sooner variant at 1440p.
On common, the desktop half was 36 % sooner than the laptop computer operating at 150W, though there’s a important unfold of outcomes as some video games are fairly closely CPU restricted, whereas others are GPU restricted.
Far Cry 6 and Spider-Man Remastered, for instance, do not profit considerably from the desktop configuration, whereas video games like Purple Lifeless Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil Village all profit massively from the desktop card.
This margin grows when enjoying video games at 4K as we change into nearly fully GPU restricted throughout the suite of video games examined.
On common, the desktop configuration provides 56 % extra efficiency than the laptop computer card, which is gigantic for 2 GPUs which have the identical title.
This contains some particularly large leads to Cyberpunk and Dying Mild 2 ray tracing, and a few much less spectacular beneficial properties in titles like Valhalla and Spider-Man.
In the meantime, at 1080p the margins between the desktop and laptop computer card are a lot much less pronounced. On common, the desktop card was simply 21 % sooner – nonetheless a major margin – however this included 4 take a look at situations with a margin lower than 10 %.
Some video games are nonetheless very GPU demanding at 1080p and so they noticed the most important margins in extra of 30 %, nevertheless it’s clear in CPU restricted situations that the distinction between a flagship desktop CPU and flagship laptop computer CPU are lower than the variations on the GPU facet.
What We Realized
After evaluating the variations between the RTX 4090 for desktops and the RTX 4090 for laptops, it turns into abundantly clear why Nvidia shouldn’t have given the laptop computer mannequin just about the identical title because the desktop mannequin. The laptop computer variant is considerably slower when GPU restricted, to the purpose the place the desktop card provides one to 2 tiers of additional efficiency. This could possibly be the distinction between a 60 FPS expertise at a given decision, and a 100+ FPS excessive refresh price expertise.
The margins are notably massive at 4K with ray tracing enabled, one thing we suspect house owners of a flagship GPU may be occupied with exploring.
Even within the worst case situations for the desktop GPU, like 1080p gaming, the desktop GPU continues to be sooner to a notable diploma, and it is solely a small handful of titles the place you may say the 2 configurations are tied – largely because of CPU limitations.
Actually the 4K outcomes are most consultant of the true GPU variations between the GPU variants: the laptop computer mannequin is about 60% the scale of the desktop card when it comes to {hardware} configuration, and it delivers 64% the efficiency.
After all, it is hardly a good battle to pit a gaming laptop computer with about 250W of whole energy capabilities up in opposition to a desktop GPU that alone consumes above 400W in some video games…
After all, it is hardly a good battle to pit a gaming laptop computer with about 250W of whole energy capabilities up in opposition to a desktop GPU that alone consumes above 400W in some video games – it is utterly unrealistic to count on probably the most highly effective desktop card to suit right into a laptop computer kind issue.
However whereas we all know it is unrealistic, there are informal consumers on the market who could also be mislead into genuinely believing the desktop and laptop computer RTX 4090s are successfully equivalent when that could not be farther from the reality.
We expect Nvidia may merely admit that it isn’t doable to place their flagship desktop GPU right into a laptop computer, and provides the laptop computer GPU a barely completely different title. This ought to be an RTX 4090M – and even higher, the RTX 4080M – as a result of then we’d be matching the desktop mannequin in GPU die and have the M suffix to make it clear it is clocked decrease and energy restricted relative to the desktop card.
The explanation why we imagine Nvidia does not do this and is giving the desktop and laptop computer GPUs the identical title, is that it permits laptop computer distributors to overprice their gaming laptops and put them on an analogous pricing tier to a way more highly effective desktop.
For instance, high-end gaming desktops utilizing the RTX 4090 are priced round $3,500, whereas probably the most inexpensive RTX 4090 gaming laptops are round $3,200 as of writing. Have been this laptop computer GPU really named the RTX 4080M, it might look a bit foolish being priced at $3,500 up in opposition to a full RTX 4090 desktop.
We must also observe that the margin between desktop and laptop computer variants of the identical GPU (title) have grown through the years. With the GeForce RTX 3080, the desktop card was 33% sooner than a 135W laptop computer variant at 1440p. Now with the RTX 4090, the desktop card is a minimum of 40% sooner when not CPU restricted at 1440p, and nearer to 55% sooner at 4K.
It’s nonetheless spectacular to a sure diploma that the laptop computer variant is barely 36 % slower than the desktop GPU, whereas consuming manner lower than half the ability.
That is as a result of the {hardware} hole between laptop computer and desktop has been rising as has energy consumption: laptops have stayed comparatively flat, topping out round 150W on the GPU, whereas desktop graphics playing cards have shot as much as 450W. It is very laborious for a laptop computer variant to maintain up.
Backside line, the GeForce RTX 4090 desktop is way sooner as anticipated and likewise a greater worth than the laptop computer variant. It’s nonetheless spectacular to a sure diploma that the laptop computer variant is barely 36 % slower than the desktop GPU, whereas consuming manner lower than half the ability. The RTX 4090 Laptop computer is clearly way more environment friendly, whereas the desktop card is operating effectively outdoors the effectivity window at ridiculous ranges of energy. It’s important to commend Nvidia for delivering an enormous uplift in efficiency per watt in Ada versus Ampere, it simply would have been nicer if it was priced extra appropriately.
Procuring Shortcuts
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 on Amazon
- Nvidia RTX 4090 Laptops on Amazon
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 on Amazon
- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X on Amazon
Additional Testing
Since we revealed this GeForce RTX 4090 comparability, we have now run further benchmarks and checks chances are you’ll be occupied with: