GeForce RTX 4090 vs RTX 3080 Mobile

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile with GeForce RTX 4090, including specs and performance data.

RTX 3080 Mobile
2021
8 GB GDDR6, 115 Watt
42.76

RTX 4090 outperforms RTX 3080 Mobile by a whopping 134% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking921
Place by popularitynot in top-1006
Cost-effectiveness evaluationno data18.83
Power efficiency25.4815.23
ArchitectureAmpere (2020−2024)Ada Lovelace (2022−2024)
GPU code nameGA104AD102
Market segmentLaptopDesktop
Release date12 January 2021 (3 years ago)20 September 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)no data$1,599

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores614416384
Core clock speed1110 MHz2235 MHz
Boost clock speed1545 MHz2520 MHz
Number of transistors17,400 million76,300 million
Manufacturing process technology8 nm5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)115 Watt450 Watt
Texture fill rate296.61,290
Floating-point processing power18.98 TFLOPS82.58 TFLOPS
ROPs96176
TMUs192512
Tensor Cores192512
Ray Tracing Cores48128

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizelargeno data
InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Lengthno data304 mm
Widthno data3-slot
Supplementary power connectorsno data1x 16-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR6GDDR6X
Maximum RAM amount8 GB24 GB
Memory bus width256 Bit384 Bit
Memory clock speed1750 MHz1313 MHz
Memory bandwidth448.0 GB/s1.01 TB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display ConnectorsNo outputs1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI-+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model6.56.8
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL2.03.0
Vulkan1.21.3
CUDA8.68.9

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

RTX 3080 Mobile 42.76
RTX 4090 100.00
+134%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

RTX 3080 Mobile 16477
RTX 4090 38538
+134%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

RTX 3080 Mobile 37933
RTX 4090 104598
+176%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

RTX 3080 Mobile 78406
RTX 4090 137609
+75.5%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

RTX 3080 Mobile 27194
RTX 4090 73447
+170%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 3080 Mobile 107695
RTX 4090 260357
+142%

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 3080 Mobile 544242
RTX 4090 771257
+41.7%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04

RTX 3080 Mobile 183
RTX 4090 310
+69.4%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03

RTX 3080 Mobile 75
RTX 4090 127
+68.7%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02

RTX 3080 Mobile 13
RTX 4090 28
+120%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04

RTX 3080 Mobile 112
RTX 4090 265
+137%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01

RTX 3080 Mobile 63
RTX 4090 120
+91.2%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01

RTX 3080 Mobile 125
RTX 4090 437
+250%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 3dsmax-05

RTX 3080 Mobile 217
RTX 4090 550
+153%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD120
−120%
264
+120%
1440p75
−176%
207
+176%
4K45
−224%
146
+224%

Cost per frame, $

1080pno data6.06
1440pno data7.72
4Kno data10.95

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077 134
−67.9%
225
+67.9%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 122
−92.6%
235
+92.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 98
−193%
287
+193%
Battlefield 5 130−140
−83.5%
240−250
+83.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 80−85
−42.9%
120−130
+42.9%
Cyberpunk 2077 117
−89.7%
222
+89.7%
Far Cry 5 85−90
−34.1%
110−120
+34.1%
Far Cry New Dawn 100−110
−97.1%
200−210
+97.1%
Forza Horizon 4 190−200
−47.7%
290−300
+47.7%
Hitman 3 130
+0.8%
120−130
−0.8%
Horizon Zero Dawn 170−180
−107%
350−400
+107%
Metro Exodus 130−140
−19.2%
150−160
+19.2%
Red Dead Redemption 2 95−100
−30.5%
120−130
+30.5%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 150−160
−202%
450−500
+202%
Watch Dogs: Legion 130−140
−16.7%
150−160
+16.7%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 188
−8%
200−210
+8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 79
−214%
248
+214%
Battlefield 5 130−140
−83.5%
240−250
+83.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 80−85
−42.9%
120−130
+42.9%
Cyberpunk 2077 99
−116%
214
+116%
Far Cry 5 85−90
−34.1%
110−120
+34.1%
Far Cry New Dawn 100−110
−97.1%
200−210
+97.1%
Forza Horizon 4 190−200
−47.7%
290−300
+47.7%
Hitman 3 117
−10.3%
120−130
+10.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn 170−180
−107%
350−400
+107%
Metro Exodus 144
−7.6%
150−160
+7.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2 96
−29.2%
120−130
+29.2%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 213
−157%
548
+157%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 85−90
−184%
240−250
+184%
Watch Dogs: Legion 227
+47.4%
150−160
−47.4%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 75
−139%
179
+139%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 69
−219%
220
+219%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 80−85
−42.9%
120−130
+42.9%
Cyberpunk 2077 90
−133%
210
+133%
Far Cry 5 85−90
−34.1%
110−120
+34.1%
Forza Horizon 4 157
−85.4%
290−300
+85.4%
Hitman 3 108
−19.4%
120−130
+19.4%
Horizon Zero Dawn 155
−154%
394
+154%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 185
−192%
541
+192%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 106
−188%
305
+188%
Watch Dogs: Legion 74
−107%
153
+107%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 95
−30.5%
120−130
+30.5%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5 80−85
−108%
160−170
+108%
Far Cry New Dawn 60−65
−77.8%
110−120
+77.8%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 62
−150%
155
+150%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 60
−205%
183
+205%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 45−50
−67.3%
80−85
+67.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 30−35
−353%
154
+353%
Far Cry 5 45−50
−75%
80−85
+75%
Forza Horizon 4 230−240
−17.8%
270−280
+17.8%
Hitman 3 76
−81.6%
130−140
+81.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn 121
−221%
388
+221%
Metro Exodus 90
−68.9%
152
+68.9%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 141
−257%
504
+257%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 79
−239%
268
+239%
Watch Dogs: Legion 177
−35.6%
240−250
+35.6%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 83
−55.4%
120−130
+55.4%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5 40−45
−110%
85−90
+110%
Far Cry New Dawn 35−40
−97.1%
65−70
+97.1%
Hitman 3 47
−76.6%
80−85
+76.6%
Horizon Zero Dawn 33
−218%
105
+218%
Metro Exodus 74
−91.9%
140−150
+91.9%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 70
−301%
281
+301%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey 43
−179%
120
+179%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 38
−216%
120
+216%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 27−30
−92.6%
50−55
+92.6%
Cyberpunk 2077 14−16
−433%
80
+433%
Far Cry 5 24−27
−100%
50−55
+100%
Forza Horizon 4 87
−194%
250−260
+194%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 79
−257%
282
+257%
Watch Dogs: Legion 33
−255%
117
+255%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2 46
−141%
110−120
+141%

This is how RTX 3080 Mobile and RTX 4090 compete in popular games:

  • RTX 4090 is 120% faster in 1080p
  • RTX 4090 is 176% faster in 1440p
  • RTX 4090 is 224% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the RTX 3080 Mobile is 47% faster.
  • in Cyberpunk 2077, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 4090 is 433% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • RTX 3080 Mobile is ahead in 2 tests (3%)
  • RTX 4090 is ahead in 70 tests (97%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 42.76 100.00
Recency 12 January 2021 20 September 2022
Maximum RAM amount 8 GB 24 GB
Chip lithography 8 nm 5 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 115 Watt 450 Watt

RTX 3080 Mobile has 291.3% lower power consumption.

RTX 4090, on the other hand, has a 133.9% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 200% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 60% more advanced lithography process.

The GeForce RTX 4090 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile is a notebook card while GeForce RTX 4090 is a desktop one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

Vote for your favorite

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile
GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090
GeForce RTX 4090

Comparisons with similar GPUs

We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.

Community ratings

Here you can see the user ratings of the compared graphics cards, as well as rate them yourself.


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Questions & comments

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