RTX 4090 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop
When comparing the RTX 3080 Ti laptop vs RTX 4090 laptop GPU - which is more worth the money?
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- 01Best all-round RTX 4090 gaming laptop
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02Best value RTX 4090 gaming laptop - 03Variable 4K/FHD resolution RTX 4090 gaming laptop
The clash of the king of the new gen against that of the old gen: RTX 4090 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop.
Below we discuss all the main differences between these two devices: covering specifications, price, performance and ultaimtely helping you decide which one is right for you to buy. Read on for all the details.
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RTX 4090 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop specs
| RTX 4090 laptop graphics card | RTX 3080 Ti laptop graphics card | |
| GPU | AD103 | GA103 |
| CUDA Cores | 9,728 | 7,424 |
| Clock Speed | 1.455-2.040 GHz | 1.125-1.590 GHz |
| VRAM | 16GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 576 GB/s | 512 GB/s |
| TGP | 80-150W (175W with boost) | 80-150W (175W with boost) |
As you can see above, the specifications of both laptop GPUs are remarkably similar in all other areas than Core count and Clock Speed. Ultimately the new Ada Lovelace GPU architecture with its smaller 4nm process on the new RTX 4090 laptop graphics card (compared to the 8nm process of the RTX 3080 Ti) allows more cores to be fit onto the same space, and greater efficiency in general.
RTX 4090 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop price
It’s not that easy to give a straightforward, single figure answer to what’s the difference in price between RTX 4090 laptops and RTX 3080 Tis. Ultimately the number differs between brands and specific models. Also you have to consider the fact the other components in the devices will also differ, as they will have been released at least a year apart, so it’s hard to get a like-for-like comparison.
Generally though you’re looking at something like an additional $400-$600 for the RTX 4090 model approximately.
Take a look at our where to buy RTX 4090 laptop pages for the various models on sale where you are, or our monthly laptop deals page for the best RTX 3080 Ti laptop offers.
RTX 4090 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop performance
Based on comparative tests done by the one and only Jarrod’s Tech, where he compared the performance of both laptop GPUs against each other over 25 games, we’ve got a good idea of the performance difference between RTX 4090 laptops vs RTX 3080 Ti laptops.
The difference in performance varies considerably depending upon the game in question, but we’ve summarised the ranges and averages between the two below, across three different resolutions. On average, it’s an impressive lead for the RTX 4090.
RTX 4080 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop FPS benchmarks
- 1080p: 28.79% average increase in FPS for the RTX 4080 (ranging between 12 – 43%)
- 1440p: 30.57% average increase in FPS for the RTX 4080 (ranging between 18 – 39%)
- 4K: 26.59% average increase in FPS for the RTX 4080 (ranging between 0.5 – 37%)
RTX 4090 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop: which should you buy?
Since the release of RTX 4090 laptops you can get some great RTX 3080 Ti laptop deals which could sway you to picking the older gen option, but unless they’re more than 30% cheaper than the RTX 4090 laptop equivalent you’re considering, we wouldn’t bother. The RTX 4090 is the superior option.
Our RTX 4090 laptop picks
- 01Best all-round RTX 4090 gaming laptop
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02Best value RTX 4090 gaming laptop - 03Variable 4K/FHD resolution RTX 4090 gaming laptop
Our RTX 3080 Ti laptop picks
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XMG Neo 15 E22 / Eluktronics MECH-15 G3 (2022, i7-12700H)
RTX 4090 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop FAQs
Is a 4090 laptop better than a 3080 Ti laptop?
The newer RTX 4090 laptop GPU is definitely a more powerful graphics card than the RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, but whether it’s worth the extra money depends on your needs and budget. Read within for a more detailed breakdown.
How much VRAM does a RTX 4090 laptop have?
An RTX 4090 laptop GPU has 16GB GDDR6 VRAM, which is the same as the RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU, but considerably less than the 24GB GDDR6X VRAM in the desktop RTX 4090.
RTX 4090 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop : Final Word
We hope that this RTX 4090 laptop vs RTX 3080 Ti laptop page has proven sufficiently illuminating. Do be sure to check out our various other gaming laptop guides in the mega menu above.
