RTX 3080 Versus RTX 3080, Sedentary Versus Mobile
Max-Q May Be Gone But Mobile NVIDIA Cards Remain
We recently took a look at how a desktop RTX 3080 works when connected via ThunderBolt 3.0, and now Bjorn3D is comparing a desktop RTX 3080 with the mobile version of the card to see what the difference in performance is. The comparison isn’t perfect, they used the best Ryzens available which gives the R9 5950X a bit of an edge over the R9 5900H that is the best of the mobile Zen chips available. Then again it is the GPU that we are focused on.
The laptop they tested is the ASUS Zephyrus G15 which contains the 8GB version of the mobile RTX 3080, there is a 16GB version which might prove a bit more powerful, but only in situations where you are memory limited; a scenario which does not happen with great frequency. As the Zephyrus G15 has a 1440p display, that is the resolution they used on the desktop as well.
After testing a variety of games, Bjorn3D were impressed with the performance of this mobile GPU, but it was beaten in all tests by the desktop version. The mobile RTX 3080 performance is closer to a desktop RTX 3070, which is still impressive and perhaps one of the best ways to get your hands on a current generation GPU.
One way to get hold of a RTX Series 30-card is to buy it in a laptop. Earlier this year Nvidia released the mobile version of the RTX 30 Series and these of course are a bit easier to get hold of as you buy them together with a laptop.
“there is a 16GB version which might prove a bit more powerful, but only in situations where you are memory limited”
This is actually not an accurate analysis. The difference between the 8gb version and the 16gb version is essentially the same as Max-q vs Max-p. The 16gb version is essentially this year’s max-p version of the chip and has a higher TGP (usually 150, but as high as 165 with GPU boost 2.0 in some laptops). Compared to the version you tested, which is 80 watts, with a 100 watt limit with GPU boost 2.0. This difference is pretty significant. I like that you’re doing a comparison but it would be nice to see the stronger version of the mobile 3080 in this fight (Alienware M17 R4 or MSI GE 77 are a few that have it).