NVIDIA’s “most powerful” RTX 50-Series laptops fail to impress — Here’s what I suggest before buying

On March 28, gaming laptops equipped with NVIDIA’s RTX 50-series mobile graphics processors became available, featuring models from brands like Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, MSI, Razer, among others.

A significant number of laptops are now prepared for immediate dispatch, with more models becoming available across April. Most models can be pre-ordered, despite potential delays in shipping.

Concerning the latest high-end NVIDIA RTX gaming laptops, I feel compelled to share a cautionary note.

NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 laptop performance is half that of its desktop counterpart

NVIDIA offers a selection of laptop GPUs, including the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and RTX 5070 Ti, giving OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) multiple options to pick from.

However, I come with a word of warning for those who are interested in the mobile 5090.

Instead of thinking that NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 Laptop GPU appears similar to a desktop RTX 5080, remember not to anticipate the same level of performance when purchasing a new laptop with this GPU.

In their preliminary tests on the RTX 5090 Laptop, Notebookcheck found that the laptop’s performance can be as much as 50% lower compared to the desktop variant of the same graphics card.

The data presented pertains to PC games and artificial benchmarks. For a more comprehensive understanding, I recommend exploring the complete set of graphs and additional analysis available at Notebookcheck.net.

It’s quite evident from the charts provided that there’s a substantial disparity in size between the laptop and desktop versions of the RTX 5090 GPUs.

In their comparison, Notebookcheck utilizes a solid version of Zotac’s RTX 5090 to evaluate it against the latest Razer Blade 16 (2025) and the ASUS Strix Scar 18 G835LX, both equipped with mobile versions of the 5090 graphics card.

The difference in performance also extends to gaming benchmarks.

It’s not unexpected that the laptop versions of NVIDIA’s graphics processors fall short compared to their desktop equivalents; the difference is quite substantial, as I had anticipated.

The NVIDIA RTX 5090 Founders Edition desktop graphics card we assessed is slimmer than previous models, yet compacting such immense computing power into a heat dissipation system of this size, similar to that found in laptops, is practically impossible due to thermal constraints.

Compared to its desktop counterpart, the RTX 4090 Laptop exhibits a noticeable yet not extreme drop in speed, with approximately a 35% reduction in performance.

The technical details of the two NVIDIA RTX 5090 graphics cards reveal some intriguing aspects, and I also incorporated the RTX 5080 desktop GPU into the analysis for a more comprehensive comparison.

The RTX 5090 Laptop GPU looks a lot closer to the desktop RTX 5080 than anything else.

To clarify, the mobile RTX 5090 is undeniably a powerful graphics card, but perhaps it didn’t deserve the premium XX90 label.

The mobile model 5090 and the desktop model 5080 share the same GB203 GPU chip. Apart from its 24GB of VRAM and lower power consumption, the specifications between these two devices are quite alike.

The advantage here is increased portability at the cost of reduced power consumption. In comparison, the mobile version of the 5090 uses only a small portion of the power that the desktop model requires.

The primary attraction of the 50-series cards lies in providing access to all the tools within DLSS 4, such as Multi Frame Generation (MFG), among other features.

Manufactured by NVIDIA (MFG), this technology currently caters only to the RTX 50-series graphics cards. The remarkable enhancement in its performance is largely due to the strides made in artificial intelligence (AI).

Where can I buy NVIDIA RTX 50-series laptops?

As a fellow enthusiast, I’m not intending to hinder your quest for the perfect laptop. Instead, I aim to offer some insights that might help you make an informed decision about your purchase.

The performance you may anticipate from NVIDIA’s RTX 5090 Laptop GPU might not meet your expected XX90 level, so let’s keep our expectations in check before these devices hit the market.

If you’re looking for the power that comes with the desktop model 5090, your options are limited to two main paths: constructing your own computer system or exploring pre-built systems that have already been equipped with the 5090.

👉 These pre-built PCs have NVIDIA’s RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 inside

If you’re keen on exploring the new NVIDIA RTX 50-series laptops, it seems that both Best Buy and Newegg offer a wide range of options for your perusal.

Additionally, you might want to visit Razer for a look at their revamped Blade 16 and Blade 18 lineup, or if you’re interested in gaming laptops, Dell offers the latest Alienware Area-51 models.

I also found the Legion Pro 7i (Gen 10) with RTX 5080 Laptop GPU available for preorder at Lenovo.

Are you planning on purchasing a laptop that features NVIDIA’s latest RTX 50-series mobile graphics cards? If so, which specific model have you decided on? Feel free to share your choice in the comments section below!

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2025-04-01 17:11