Performance Analysis: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU
Test System
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We used the MSI GE76 Raider for our performance check. It is a pre-production unit, but it was very stable and reliable during our tests (no restarts or graphics issues). The 17-inch system is powered by the very fast Core i9-12900HK from Intel’s brand-ne Alder Lake generation. The memory equipment is very modern as well: 2x 16 GB DDR5-4800 RAM in a dual-channel configuration should offer plenty of headroom for the next couple of years. The package is completed by 2x 2 TB NVMe-SSDs (M.2-2280).
We want to avoid a limitation by the processor and therefore an influence of the rating or the verdict, respectively, so we only perform our benchmarks (except for the Ray Tracing benchmarks) for this article to QHD and UHD (2560 x 1440 pixels & 3840 x 2160 pixels). The very fast 360 Hz panel of the MSI GE76 Raider only supports Full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), so we used an external 4K screen. Information about the emissions, the power consumption and the battery runtime of the GE76 with the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is available in the corresponding notebook review.
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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.
Notebook | MSI GE76 Raider |
---|---|
Display | 17.3" FHD 360 Hz |
Processor | Intel Core i9-12900HK (14 Cores, 20 Threads) |
Graphics Card | GeForce RTX 3080 Ti (175 W TGP) w/ 16 GB GDDR6-VRAM |
Memory | 2x 16 GB Micron DDR5-4800 |
Storage | 2x 2 TB Samsung NVMe-SSD |
Operating System | Windows 11 Pro 64-bit |
Specifications
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Looking at the specifications, the new GeForce RTX 3080 Ti offers some advantages over the previous flagship GeForce RTX 3080. Nvidia does not only increase the number of CUDA cores (7424 vs. 6144), which is a 20% increase, but also the important units for Ray Tracing, which climbs from 48 to 58. The number of Tensor cores is also increased from 192 to 232.
In return, the RTX 3080 Ti has a lower core clock. Instead of 1245 up to 1710 MHz, Nvidia only specifies a core clock between 1125 up to 1590 MHz (the cooling solution plays an important role). The memory interface is identical at 256-bit, but the RTX 3080 Ti has more VRAM at 16 GB GDDR6, which is adequate for a high-end GPU in 2022. The RTX 3080 was only equipped with 8 GB in some laptops.
Synthetic Benchmarks
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.
3DMark / Port Royal Graphics | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio | |
Alienware x17 RTX 3080 P48E | |
Schenker XMG Apex 17 M21 |
Gaming Benchmarks
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.
Performance Rating - Percent | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio -12! | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio -8! | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X -8! | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio -17! | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP -11! | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP -11! |
Far Cry 6 | |
2560x1440 Ultra Graphics Quality + HD Textures AA:T | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP | |
3840x2160 Ultra Graphics Quality + HD Textures AA:T | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP | |
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality + HD Textures + DXR AA:T | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP |
Battlefield 2042 | |
2560x1440 Ultra Preset | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP | |
3840x2160 Ultra Preset | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset + Ray Tracing | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP |
Guardians of the Galaxy | |
2560x1440 Ultra Preset | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP | |
3840x2160 Ultra Preset | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset + Ultra Ray-Tracing | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
XMG Neo 15 @165 W TGP | |
XMG Neo 17 @140 W TGP |
Resident Evil Village | |
2560x1440 Max Preset | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
3840x2160 Max Preset | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
1920x1080 Ray Tracing Preset | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Ventus 3X | |
MSI GE76 Raider |
Watch Dogs Legion | |
2560x1440 Ultra Preset (DX12) | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio | |
3840x2160 Ultra Preset (DX12) | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio | |
1920x1080 Ultra Preset + Ultra Ray Tracing (DX12) | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio |
Cyberpunk 2077 | |
1920x1080 Ray Tracing Ultra Preset (DLSS off) | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
3840x2160 Ultra Preset | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
2560x1440 Ultra Preset | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider |
Crysis Remastered | |
2560x1440 Very High Preset AA:SM | |
MSI GE76 Raider | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
3840x2160 Very High Preset AA:SM | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio | |
MSI GE76 Raider |
Verdict
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.