The Nvidia RTX 4080 laptop GPU is expensive, but it offers a better value compared to the RTX 3080 Ti from last generation. In terms of specifications, both GPUs have the same number of CUDA cores, with the 4080 clocking higher. The 3080 Ti does have more GDDR6 memory and a wider memory bus, but the 4080 has a higher memory speed. The 4080 can also run with lower power limits, allowing it to be used in smaller, thinner laptops.
When it comes to performance, both GPUs have Intel HX CPUs, with the 4080 using the newer 13th generation chip. Both were tested with the same software, drivers, and an external screen, meaning that there was no Optimus bottleneck.
When looking at 25 games across three different resolutions, the RTX 4080 laptop GPU offers a better performance than the RTX 3080 Ti. In terms of price difference, the 4080 is more expensive than the 3080, but offers better cost-per-frame value. It is also more suitable for content creators, with its higher performance and lower power limits.
Game Comparison
The Plague Tale Requiem is an incredibly demanding GPU-intensive game, as can be seen from the results of the 1080p, 1440p, and 4K tests. With the RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 4080, the latter was able to achieve a 39% higher average frame rate at 1440p max settings. Additionally, the use of DLSS (with or without Nvidia's frame generation feature) can lead to a 30% increase in the average FPS at 1440p.
With Cyberpunk 2077, the RTX 4080 is again able to perform 30% better than the 3080 Ti, with DLSS and Frame Generation further increasing the frame rate. Finally, 4K max settings with ray tracing are made more playable with the use of DLSS and Frame Generation, though still far from ideal. Ultimately, with the right settings and features, players can ensure that their gaming experience is both visually pleasing and as smooth as possible.
Dead Space had below-average performance out of the 25 games tested. The RTX 3080 Ti had a slight edge at 1080p, 1440p, and 4k resolutions, but the difference was small, especially in the 1% lows. The 3080 Ti was still able to reach above 60 FPS at 1440p max settings, but DLSS allowed the RTX 4080 to surpass the 3080 Ti by 25%.
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is a CPU-heavy game, resulting in some of the lowest differences between the two cards. DLSS didn't change the results significantly at 1080p and 1440p resolution, suggesting this game is limited by the CPU, despite both laptops having Intel's top-end HX chips. Frame Generation enabled at 4K gave slightly worse results compared to regular DLSS without Frame Generation, which could be a bug in this specific game.
Testing the Next Generation of GPUs with the Witcher 3 and Other Popular Games
The next generation of GPUs is a major milestone in the history of gaming. With their increased power, they are capable of powering a range of games at higher resolutions and with better graphics. To see what these GPUs can do, we tested the Witcher 3 with its next gen update, with ray tracing preset enabled and FSR set to quality mode. The results were impressive, though somewhat disappointing, with both laptops limited to about 30 FPS at 4K.
We then tested Call of Duty with its benchmark and saw a 34% higher average FPS with the RTX 4080 laptop at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. While this game could be further boosted with upscaling features like DLSS, we won't be including those results in this test as it already takes days to get through 25 games of testing.
Finally, we tested Apex Legends in the firing range and saw that the RTX 4080 laptop was around 30% faster at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. Nevertheless, the gap between the RTX 4080 and the other laptops got smaller at 4K, with the 4080 only 20% ahead. At this resolution, competitive gamers are likely to be running lower settings anyway.
Fortnite, the new epic setting preset on the RTX 4080 laptop was tougher than expected, as 1440p only just hit 60 FPS, a 31% lead over the RTX 3080 Ti laptop. However, this could be improved even further by features such as DLSS. 
Microsoft Flight Simulator had one of the smaller differences at 1080p, as it is mainly CPU bound, with a 17% lead from the 4080. The gap widened to 29% at 1440p, as the GPU was better utilized, and 4K saw a 32% jump in performance. 
Red Dead Redemption 2 was tested with the game's benchmark, and the 4080 had its second highest win over the 3080 Ti with a 32% better average frame rate out of the 25 games tested. 
Metro Exodus Enhanced was the only game to have a bigger difference, likely due to the ray traced reflections taxing the GPU more. Despite the 37% lead, 33 FPS at max settings isn't ideal. 
Halo Infinite felt choppy at 4K ultra settings on the 3080 Ti, with the 4080 being a bit better but the 1% lows still suffering the occasional stutter. It's not recommended to play at max settings on this resolution, even though the 4080 was 30% better.
4080 vs 3080 Ti - 1080p - 25 Game Average
The RTX 4080 laptop GPU is up to 29% faster than the RTX 3080 Ti laptop GPU at 1080p resolution on average, and up to 31% faster at 1440p. At 4K resolution, the 4080 laptop is 27% faster on average. Results depend on the game; for example, ray tracing-enabled titles will see higher boosts than those that are more CPU-bound. In the most GPU-heavy games, the 4080 laptop GPU can be up to 39% faster than the 3080 Ti, while in more CPU-bound games like Spider Man there may only be an 18% boost due to the difference from the 12900HX to 13950HX processor. These results do not factor in DLSS or frame generation, which could provide much higher perceived boosts.
Content Creation
If you're looking for a quick and easy summary of how much better the 4080 laptop is in comparison to other frames, here it is. At 4K, the difference is the smallest, which may be due to the 12 gig VRAM limit of the 4080. Other content creator workloads show a larger performance gap, with the RTX 4080 scoring a 51% higher in the Classroom test and 75% higher in the Monster test. The ray tracing test was 33% higher with the RTX 4080, and the DaVinci Resolve test saw a 7% improvement.
Price Difference
As for the prices, Lenovo's Legion 7i with RTX 3080 Ti graphics and 12900HX processor is $3200 USD, while Razer's Blade 18 with RTX 4080 starts at $3800, or $600 more. When looking at it from a cost per frame perspective, the RTX 4080 in the Blade 18 is offering better value at all resolutions.
It is worth noting that the Legion was on sale, meaning that the 3080 Ti would have an even worse value-to-cost ratio at a higher price point. Razer laptops are usually more expensive than those from other brands. However, there are cheaper 3080 Ti laptops available, and the same goes for 4080 options. The Blade is a premium machine, and as such, is one of the pricier options. That said, most people would be fine with spending less money and getting a 4070 or an RTX 30 series laptop, which still provides good performance.
Conclusion
The RTX 40 series offer new features such as DLSS 3 frame generation, but only 17 titles currently support this so it is not a good enough reason to upgrade. Moreover, it is rarely worth upgrading between single generations of hardware, so if you can already run modern games on your laptop then there is no reason to upgrade to the 4080. With that said, 3080 Ti laptops may go on sale and cost even less money than expected, making it an even more attractive option.
In conclusion, unless you really want the best and can afford it, it is not worth trading in your wallet for a more powerful laptop.
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