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The flagship Nvidia laptop GPU is RTX 5090, which makes people think it’s the same as the desktop RTX 5090, but will they perform similarly?
It’s no secret that the Nvidia RTX 5090 is the most powerful GPU in the world, at least that’s the case with the desktop RTX 5090. Nvidia also has an RTX 5090 for laptops, but are they the same? Nvidia would want you to believe the difference is closer than ever, but that seems highly unlikely given the size difference between a desktop and a laptop GPU.
Today, we’ve decided to find out once and for all what sort of performance difference you can expect between the Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop and RTX 5090 Desktop. Read on to learn more.
Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.
Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop vs RTX 5090 Desktop: Detailed Comparison
Comparing an RTX 5090 laptop and RTX 5090 desktop is not easy. That’s because the CPUs, RAM speeds, SSDs, and other specifications inside both PCs can’t be matched spec for spec. Therefore, we would like to remind you that an apples-to-apples comparison is simply impossible. The margin of error shouldn’t be too big.
However, we can get a rough estimate of the performance difference, which should be enough to satisfy most users. With that said, let’s start this comparison by checking out their specs.
Specs Comparison
Here are the specs of the Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop and RTX 5090 Desktop:
| Specifications | Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop | Nvidia RTX 5090 Desktop | Nvidia RTX 5080 Desktop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Blackwell | Blackwell | Blackwell |
| Shader cores | 10496 | 21760 | 10752 |
| RT cores | 82 | 170 | 84 |
| TMUs | 328 | 680 | 336 |
| ROPs | 112 | 176 | 112 |
| Base core clock speeds | 990 MHz | 2017 MHz | 2295 MHz |
| Boost core clock speeds | 1515 MHz | 2407 MHz | 2617 MHz |
| Memory capacity | 24GB GDDR7 | 32GB GDDR7 | 16GB GDDR7 |
| Memory bus width | 256-bit | 512-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory bandwidth | 896.0 GB/s | 1.79 TB/s | 960.0 GB/s |
| Manufacturing node | 5nm | 5nm | 5nm |
| Thermal design power (TDPs) | 150 – 175W | 575W | 360W |
The specs table paints a clear picture. The Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop is nowhere close to the Nvidia RTX 5090 Desktop GPUs. It is actually rather close to the desktop Nvidia RTX 5080 graphics card, but with more VRAM and lower clock speeds. The desktop RTX 5080 itself has half the shader cores, TMUs, ROPs, RT Cores, and memory bandwidth than the desktop RTX 5090. Therefore, this doesn’t look good for the Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop GPU. However, specs don’t always translate linearly, so it will be interesting to see how they compare.
Performance Comparison
Here’s how the Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop and RTX 5090 Desktop perform in some popular games in the industry:
| Games | Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop | Nvidia RTX 5090 Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 54 FPS | 114 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (RT Ultra + DLSS) | 68 FPS | 131 FPS |
| Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition (RT Ultra) | 38 FPS | 96 FPS |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 49 FPS | 92 FPS |
| Black Myth: Wukong (RT) | 42 FPS | 83 FPS |
| Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 | 49 FPS | 104 FPS |
Note: The two GPUs tested here were evaluated at a 4K resolution with High/Ultra Settings, unless otherwise specified. All the FPS numbers were sourced from Jarrod’s Tech channel on YouTube.
On an average of five tested games, the Nvidia RTX 5090 Desktop delivered 106.67% more FPS than the Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop. In other words, the former has double the performance of the latter. Therefore, the performance difference between them is absolutely huge.
Final Verdict on Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop vs RTX 5090 Desktop
The verdict is clear. The Nvidia RTX 5090 Desktop GPU has more than double the performance of the Nvidia RTX 5090 Laptop. That’s more than double and not just double. The Desktop RTX 5090 also has more VRAM, which may not be useful for gaming, but it is quite important for content creation, AI training, and other productivity workloads.
In terms of cost, an average RTX 5090 laptop costs in the range of $3500 to $4200. On the other hand, a pre-built desktop with RTX 5090 will cost around $4500 to $5400. Therefore, there’s only around $1000 difference between them, but the performance difference is much larger. Not to mention, the desktop will also have a more powerful CPU and more upgrade options.
Therefore, the answer is clear. A desktop with an Nvidia RTX 5090 GPU is the better option unless you do a lot of travelling. In that case, an RTX 5090 laptop could be better despite offering half the performance. It really depends on your usage and needs.
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