165 W vs. 105 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti: It matters most at higher resolutions

We recently got the chance to review both the MSI GS77 equipped with the Core i7-12700H CPU and 105 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and the Razer Blade 17 equipped with the Core i7-12800H and 165 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. With the Razer GPU running at significantly higher TGP levels of up to 57 percent over the MSI GPU, can users expect their performance deltas to be just as large?

Based on our time with both machines, users can expect the Blade 17 GPU to run at 20 percent faster frame rates albeit only when under GPU-bound conditions. In other words, users should run at higher resolutions above 1080p and with more settings cranked to maximum on the 165 W GeForce RTX 3080 Ti or else performance will be about the same as the 105 W version. We're able to observe this on demanding titles such as Final Fantasy XV, Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and Strange Brigade.

It's worth noting that the GS77 would consistently produce faster frame rates in most lower resolution scenarios before eventually falling behind the Blade 17 when the resolutions were set higher. This can be attributed to the Core i7-12700H in the MSI running faster than the Core i7-12800H in the Razer despite the Core i7-12800H being the faster processor on paper. As shown by our reviews of each system, the GS77 is able to maintain higher TDP levels for its CPU when compared to the "faster" CPU in the Razer which runs at lower clock rates and temperatures.

Users who want to squeeze as much performance when gaming at 1440p resolutions or higher will want to invest in a 165 W GPU laptop. Otherwise, a less expensive 105 W GPU laptop like the GS77 will perform somewhat similarly.