Desktop and laptop GPUs explained

I do not care what Gandalf says. You may’t fit a full-size graphics card right into a laptop without using some crazy magic. Despite this, modern gaming laptops still feature discrete GPUs that, in lots of cases, can handle demanding titles almost in addition to desktop computers. So how do laptop manufacturers take care of this?

Well, GPUs have benefited from the identical thing that each one CPUs have benefited from over time: reducing the scale of their transistors. This implies more computing power while using less electricity. As you’ll be able to see, about 10 years ago mobile GPUs were much weaker than their desktop counterparts. Nonetheless, over time, performance per watt increased to the purpose that manufacturers were in a position to start installing high-power graphics processors in laptops.

An excellent example is NVIDIA’s GTX 1080 from 2016, where the desktop and laptop versions had essentially the identical chip.

But wait a minute. Even with smaller transistors, what is the point? Desktop graphics cards are still as powerful as ever, and gamers are still installing 700+ watt power supplies of their rigs. How on earth can a slim laptop handle that much power?

There are a number of things occurring here. First, one in every of the explanation why desktop graphics cards are so large is that they do not actually need to be very small to suit into a normal mid-tower case. They require supporting components akin to VRAM and an influence supply, but might be accommodated in a comparatively small area if obligatory. Just take a take a look at a few of the mini graphics cards designed for smaller cases. The additional bulk of a desktop card provides higher power delivery and cooling than a laptop, however it seems that many modern GPUs don’t require huge amounts of power to operate.

For instance, the mid-range RTX 3060 only has a TDP of 170 W. The explanation why so many desktop power supplies offer 600 to 800 W is to support other high-power components, particularly the CPU, and since desktop power supplies Desktop computers run most efficiently at 50% load. Due to this fact, an experienced designer won’t buy an influence supply that he uses consistently. So how much power do gaming laptops need?

Often, even high-end gaming laptops can afford to have an external power supply of 200 to 300 W, especially since though a laptop manufacturer may use a GPU that is nearly an identical to the desktop variant, the mobile version normally runs at a lower frequency clock speed and lower power limit. While this represents a slight performance penalty as some very advanced chips still draw an excessive amount of power to slot in a laptop, lower clock speeds on mobile devices allow for near desktop-quality results combined with the lower power supply of the mobile processor.

The facility supplies for these gaming laptops could also be bulkier than the compact ones you’ll be able to buy for non-gaming ultraportables, but they’re still sufficiently small to take with you.

But wait, you continue to must pay close attention to what you purchase. GPU manufacturers are known for failing to take care of brand consistency across generations. Remember how we mentioned earlier that the desktop and mobile GTX 1080 are extremely similar systems? Well, that is not the story of the mobile 3080, which has fewer cores and fewer VRAM, and NVIDIA simply calls each models the RTX 3080. And that is only one example of misleading branding, so make sure you read the reviews so exactly what level of performance expect. It might be great if the present authorities could simply make clear this issue, but why do it when the patron could possibly be misled as a substitute?