Nvidia RTX 4090 Founders Edition vs RTX 4090 laptop: How big is the gaming performance difference?

The RTX 4090 lineup of graphics processors are among the fastest available GPUs on the market. Nvidia launched the desktop variant of the graphics card back in September 2022. The laptop version of the GPU was introduced in January 2023. This is the first time Nvidia has launched a 90-class card in Nvidia for notebooks.

It is well known that the laptop equivalents of a GPU are slower than their desktop variants. Hence, it is worth knowing how much notebook gamers are losing while opting for the 90-class flagship mobile chip from Team Green.

While both variants are potent options for playing the latest titles on the market, they have significant differences.

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The RTX 4090 laptop and desktop variants are powerful options

The 4090 notebook and desktop cards are wildly different in multiple key aspects. Starting with the on-paper specs, everything has been bumped down to match the mobile GPU's lower profile and power draw.

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Specs

The RTX 4090 desktop and laptop variants are based on wildly different graphics processors. While the $1,600 desktop discrete card is based on the larger and more powerful AD102 die, the laptop card utilizes the smaller AD103 found on the RTX 4080 desktop GPU.

Interestingly, the RTX 4080 desktop card and the 4090 laptop pack the same CUDA cores: 9,728.

The memory size has been downgraded from 24 to 16 GB, shifting to slower and more power-efficient GDDR6 VRAM based on a narrow 256-bit. This results in a 50% slower memory bandwidth. Thus, the 4090 laptop is a step down from its more powerful desktop sibling.

A major reduction in the power draw also accompanied this. While the 4090 desktops can draw up to 450 W of power, the notebook chip has a maximum TDP of 150W, with some models drawing as low as 80W.

	Nvidia RTX 4090	Nvidia RTX 4090 laptop
GPU Name	AD102	AD103
CUDA Core Count	16,384	9,728
Texture Mapping Units (TMUs)	512	304
Render Output Units (ROPs)	176	112
Ray Tracing (RT) Core Count	128	76
Tensor Core Count	512	304
Video Memory Size	24 GB	16 GB
Video Memory Type	GDDR6X	GDDR6
Video Memory Bus Width	384 bit	256 bit
Base Clock Speed	2235 MHz	1335 MHz
Boost Clock Speed	2520 MHz	1695 MHz
Memory Clock Speed	1313 MHz	2250 MHz
MSRP	$1,599	$3,500+ (for laptops)

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Performance difference

According to TechPowerUp's GPU computing power aggregates, the RTX 4090 laptop GPU is slightly faster than the RTX 3080 desktop GPU and slower than the RX 6900 XT. The GPU is 85% slower than the desktop RTX 4090 and about 48% slower than the 4080.

We also have some video game benchmarks to look at the courtesy of the benchmarks run in 4K resolution by YouTuber Testing Games. The ASUS ROG Strix Scar 18 laptop with the 4090 GPU was used, and the 4090 desktop card was paired with the Core i9 13900K, one of the fastest gaming CPUs on the market.

	RTX 4090 laptop GPU	RTX 4090 desktop
Red Dead Redemption 2	80	126 (+57.5%)
Cyberpunk 2077	83	132 (+59%)
Forza Horizon 5	111	156 (+40%)
Microsoft Flight Simulator	54	92 (+70.3%)
Hogwarts Legacy	31	56 (+80.6%)
Horizon Zero Dawn	100	161 (+61%)
God of War	106	174 (+64.2%)
Hitman III	96	179 (+86.5%)

The benchmark results show that the RTX 4090 desktop GPU feels like a generation uplift over the laptop variant. In some games, the card is over 80% faster than the notebook version.

However, we should look at other aspects of these results. The RTX 4090 laptop card can pump out playable framerates at 4K resolution on a portable machine, most of which do not come with a UHD panel. It also achieves so with a much lower power draw. The notebook chip shoots up to a maximum of 160W under full load.

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Conclusion

Although the performance differences between the two variants of the high-end RTX 4090 are massive, the cards satisfy their purpose well. The 4090 laptops are designed for high-end mobile gaming.

Paired with the latest technologies like frame generation and RTX Video Super Resolution, it is a solid card that provides the limitations of a portable notebook chassis.

While gamers will lose a ton of performance with the laptop version, it is worth noting that some notebooks weigh less than what the RTX 4090 FE card hits on a scale.