Choosing "More Complex and Harder" Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series Laptops

Nvidia's next-generation graphics finally appeared on laptops. As can be seen in previous GeForce RTX 3080 notebook GPU reviews, the 'Green Team', Nvidia's mobile version of Ampere's architecture, pulls out surprisingly fast frame rates. However, even between notebooks with the same hardware configuration, there are differences in the performance of the mobile RTX 30 series graphics chips. 

For example, even the same GeForce RTX 3070 laptop can perform faster or slower. In theory, slower GPUs are sometimes faster than more expensive models. In some games, the GeForce RTX 3070 laptop may outperform or outperform the RTX 3080 laptop. However, more reviews are needed in the future for accurate conclusions. After all, it's true that there are more things to look at than before when buying a gaming laptop. 

It's all because Nvidia has fundamentally changed some of the specifications of the GeForce RTX 30-series mobile GPUs, so we need to look a little deeper.

GeForce RTX 30 Series Desktop vs. Laptop core

Nvidia's Ampere-based RTX 30-series GPU doesn't match the desktop model specs

Before looking at the wattage and clock speed (an important thing to look for in current NVIDIA gaming laptops), note that the mobile version of the GeForce RTX 30-series GPU doesn't match the specs of a desktop graphics card. There is a difference in the number of CUDA graphics cores between the RTX 3060, 3070, and 3080 laptop versions and desktop models. 

• RTX 3080: 8,704 desktop CUDA cores vs. 6,144 mobile CUDA cores
• RTX 3070: 5,888 desktop CUDA cores vs. 5,120 mobile CUDA cores
• RTX 3060: 3,584 desktop CUDA cores vs. 3,840 mobile CUDA core

This is a big change from the last 2nd generation of NVIDIA mobile chips. In the GTX 10 series and RTX 20 series, the laptop version of the GPU was the same as the desktop version, but it simply reduced power consumption and clock speed. There are no other changes. 

Nvidia hasn't even adjusted its mobile RTX 30-series GPU specifications in numerical order. The mobile GeForce RTX 3080 is equipped with more than 2,500 CUDA cores, making it a huge hit compared to the desktop version. According to the official specifications, the RTX 3080, which is mounted on a gaming laptop, has more in common with the RTX 3070 desktop card. The mobile RTX 3070 has a significant but not huge hit compared to the number of CUDA cores, while the RTX 3060 notebook version has more cores than a desktop graphics card. It is an unknown confusion.

At this level, it's still a great mobile graphics option, so I hope there's no misunderstanding. However, don't expect the performance of a gaming laptop that weighs more than 2kg with a simplified version of the desktop RTX 3080 with three slots. More detailed differences can be found in the GeForce RTX 3080 notebook GPU review.

The meaning of the Max-Q brand, power consumption, and confusion

The bigger problem for buyers is that notebook manufacturers are putting RTX 30 series GPUs into their products with tremendous flexibility. As shown in the previous chart, the minimum and maximum limits for GPU subsystem power differ significantly from GPU to GPU, as are the available clock speeds. The amount of power supplied to the GPU has a major impact on clock speed and overall performance, so they are closely related. However, notebooks require a cooling system to dissipate heat, so NVIDIA supports different configurations for each GPU. The GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile's power rating is '80 watts to more than 150 watts', so it is suitable for both thin and light laptops and heavy laptops that can replace desktops. 

None of these are new. Chip vendors and notebook manufacturers have been balancing raw performance, efficiency gains and cooling needs for years. Laptop design is also a very important factor. But the problem is, I'm not sure how much performance you can expect from a laptop with GeForce RTX 30-series GPUs now.

Through Max-Q technology and power tuning, we were able to create a powerful gaming laptop that weighs less than 2.3kg, like the new Gigabyte Aero model in the photo above

Nvidia abolished the Max-Q sub-brand, which was generally applied to the GPU name, and'mobile vs. Another signal that tells you'Desktop-level performance' has been removed. Nvidia introduced Max-Q technology to its GTX 10-series notebook chips, and the Max-Q brand was the first chip with the same number of CUDA cores as the desktop version. The Max-Q version of the GeForce chip drastically increased energy efficiency by reducing power consumption, making it possible to create a small portable gaming laptop that is common today but very rare at the time. 

Conversely, this means that the Max-Q version is, of course, slower than a full mobile GPU. It can also be seen from the product naming method. The GTX 1080 is faster than the GTX 1080 Max-Q, and the GTX 1080 Max-Q is slightly faster than the GTX 1070. And the GTX 1070 is faster than the GTX 1070 Max-Q. All are easy to understand nomenclature. 

NVIDIA's Dynamic Boost 2.0 now manages the CPU and GPU energy as well as the GPU VRAM power level as part of the 3rd generation Max-Q

According to IT professional media Hot Hardware, the previous Max-Q version was only connected to the full power of the chip, but Nvidia's third-generation Max-Q version, which debuted with the RTX 30 series gaming laptop, was a powerful and thin laptop. It is a holistic set of broad platform technologies and design approaches to create'. In addition to adjusting raw wattage, the Max-Q brand now features NVIDIA's Dynamic Boost 2.0 intelligent power management technology, a new Whisper Mode that uses AI to match user-specified noise levels, and Advanced Optimus. ) Includes graphic conversion, resizable BAR support. To make things even more complicated, the laptop vendor may pick and support advanced features. 

All are good and welcome technology. However, as the way to display low-clock GPUs is gone, and it's easy to confuse the meaning of Max-Q, buying a gaming laptop is now much more complicated.

Which gaming laptop should I choose?

Now, Max-Q no longer indicates GPU power consumption, so even RTX 30 series notebooks with lowered wattage and clock speeds do not have 'Max-Q' after the GPU name. Without any other distinction, they are all simply referred to as RTX 3060 notebooks, RTX 3070 notebooks, and RTX 3080 notebooks.

What kind of graphics card is installed in the gaming laptop you are considering buying? Could it be the weak 60-watt RTX 3060? Or maybe the RTX 3060 with a full maximum clock and 115 watts? Would the output be the middle RTX 3060? In esports games, is the 125W version of the RTX 3070 laptop faster, or the 80W RTX 3080 laptop faster? Can the RTX 3080 laptop play games in 4K like a desktop graphics card? What if the model is 150W or more?

The GTX 2070 Max-Q is generally not known to be as powerful as the standard GTX 2070 laptop. However, unless you search extensively for a specific model in advance, it is no longer reliable advice.

To some extent, Nvidia also recommends marking the TGP (Total Graphics Power) rating on notebook manufacturers that use their chips. It is not required. “We strongly recommend that the OEMs indicate the clock speeds and other technologies supported by the laptop, such as Advanced Optimus and Dynamic Boost 2,” Nvidia told Hot Hardware. In the end, as with all notebook features and specifications, it is the OEM who promotes support for a particular notebook configuration.”

Once you get a laptop, it's not difficult to find its advantages. “To make the features of the RTX 30 series notebooks even clearer, we show more information than ever before, such as accurate TGP and clock speeds and supported features. This information can be found in the control panel, and now you can see not only the full power (TGP+boost) but also all the core support functions belonging to Max-Q, including Dynamic Boost 2, WhisperMode 2, Advanced Optimus, etc."

The importance of GPU reviews is greater than ever

However, this information is only helpful after purchasing a GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptop. Despite Nvidia's recommendations, I've never seen an example of a vendor listing notebook GPU's TGP and clock speeds online. The same goes for Nvidia's own website. It's disappointing. Gaming laptops with enhanced cooling tend to have newer, more powerful GPUs as they become heavier and thicker, but this is not always the case.

Even on Nvidia's own RTX 30 series page, I can't find any information about the clock speed or power of the GPU

If you can't find the TGP, clock speed information for your desired GeForce RTX 30 series gaming laptop online, rely on official reviews like the GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile GPU review tested on a Gigabyte Aorus 17 laptop or reports from other users. You need to figure out what exactly you can get from it. In particular, the RTX 30 series contains this information in the software control panel, so I hope that the details will appear on the website or in a post on the online community Reddit after information about the laptop starts to flow. After reviewing more models, PCWorld will organize the best gaming laptops to use as a useful reference.

But let's consume it wisely for now. It's important to note that even the same GeForce RTX 3070 laptop has very different performance. If it's not too thin or too light, some RTX 3070-equipped laptops perform on par with energy-efficient 3080 laptops. It's certainly not easy.

Oh, keep in mind that Nvidia sells the GeForce RTX 3080 mobile chip's RAM in two versions, 8GB and 16GB. Good luck.