Performance Analysis: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU

The laptop comes is shipped with the MSI Center software, which offers different performance profiles as well as additional system settings. We used the user scenario Extreme Performance without the optional Cooler Boost for all our measurements in this article. Nvidia’s switchable graphics technology Optimus can also affect the gaming performance, so we deactivated the iGPU (GPU Switch: Discrete Graphics Mode). We also updated the graphics drivers from the pre-installed version 497.17 to the review version 511.14.

Just like the other Ampere siblings, the performance of the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is heavily influenced by the TGP settings. MSI sets the maximum TGP to 175 Watts (including Dynamic Boost), which is the maximum spec. Other 3080 Ti laptops with lower TGP values might perform considerably worse in 3D applications.

We only use laptops where the GPUs benefit from the highest possible TGP settings for the comparison devices, so we can ensure fair duels. In addition to the GeForce RTX 3080, the GeForce RTX 3070 is another high-end GPU. All less expensive or weaker RTX models (RTX 3060, RTX 3050 Ti etc.) can be classified as mainstream GPUs. The comparison with desktop counterparts is also very interesting and they are included in the tables.

Looking at the synthetic benchmarks, the mobile RTX 3080 Ti is just slightly ahead of the mobile RTX 3080. The 3DMark tests (Port Royal, Time Spy, Fire Strike) show an advantage of about 10-20%. The mobile RTX 3070 on the other hand is beaten by 20-30%. All in all, the notebook RTX 3080 Ti is roughly on par with the desktop RTX 3070 or slightly ahead. The desktop RTX 3080 is about 25% faster.

Similar to the synthetic graphics benchmarks, the mobile RTX 3080 Ti is roughly on par with the desktop RTX 3070 in the gaming benchmarks with a slight advantage for the notebook chip. The RTX 3080 desktop once again has a two-digit advantage, but the mobile RTX 3080 Ti is faster than the other mobile GPUs – with or without Ray Tracing.

Overall, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is powerful enough for the majority of modern games in 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) with maximum details smoothly, as long as you can waive Ray Tracing if necessary. Only in some cases with poor coding or optimizations, like Crysis Remastered and Cyberpunk 2077, it can be closer with 30-40 fps. Otherwise, the RTX 3080 Ti often manages more than 60 fps in UHD. All games we tested with the RTX 3080 Ti can be found on our GPU site and the games list.

We think the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the first notebook GPU, which is really suited for 4K displays. The older siblings often required some compromises in terms of picture quality. This means the mobile RTX 3080 Ti leaves a particularly good impression in combination with UHD laptops.

If you only play in resolutions like 2560 x 1440 or 1920 x 1080 pixels, there will be a performance difference as well, but you are usually good with a laptop equipped with the RTX 3080 or RTX 3070. The difference to the desktop counterparts is still very noticeable and you should not expect much more than RTX 3070 levels of performance from the mobile RTX 3080 Ti (except the titles require a lot of VRAM). The performance is still impressive for a laptop and there is currently no competition.

Notice: We should receive the first test devices with the RTX 3070 Ti shortly.