is this laptop enough to run all new games?

[b0shi]

hello again,

my current laptop is i5 10th gen, 16gb ram,2gb mx230 + intel UHD graphics... but i am looking to upgrade to run all new games ..laptop i am looking to buy has following spec, its few years old so i am asking you this question... specs below :
i7 9th gen cpu
32gb ram
rtx 2080 gpu

.. can this laptop run all new games smoothly? whats your advice.......

 

[Charagma]

I used to play games on laptops. Easy, convenient but let us think about it. Yes, nice specs on the new one, but for how long? You cannot upgrade so "what you have is ........ what you have" kind of thing and once outdated it becomes a very expensive paper weight or retires onto someone's office desk to run spreadsheets and browse the internet and if you are lucky it can still run the latest windows (Seeing MS cancel support daily now a days) and read a bit of email possibly on Gmail web view since outlook will be too advanced for it. Harsh reality.

Desktops on the other hand is upgradable. You can up on CPU, GPU, RAM and when that fails to keep up, you replace the mother board, and you are set again for a few years.

Can it run all games.... probably not. Laptops in general are prone to overheat while gaming. Currently I think Alienware has the best laptop temperatures during game play (I could be wrong here but recall something like that). So, if the game is working but you are running it at max settings, it will somewhere begin to throttle to protect the system.

From my side, give the laptop a miss and get a desktop if you are going full on gaming. Stil your choice but that is my advice.

Edit: BTW, why downgrade to Coffee lake? (Gen 9). Added if I remember correctly on Gen 9 CPU's the GPU was a renderer and shared your RAM same as your iGPU. Someone might be able to shed a bit more light on that, but looks more like a down grade as opposed to an upgrade. Only thing you are really gaining is 16Gb Ram, but the rest you are pretty much down grading. Gen 10 (Going on memory here) would have been an Intel UHD or 620, maybe even a 630 iGPU as opposed to Gen 9 was a UHD 610 or 615. Also, Gen 9 was split into two. You will need to check if it is gen9 first or second version. Both sockets are the same, but chips are not interchangeable. Think you might need to do a bit more research on this downgrade.

 

[Zloth]

Yeah, I think it can still run all new games smoothly, but you'll certainly need to turn a few options off to cover for that 2080 card.

How long does NVIDIA keep making drivers? That card is from 2018, so it has been about 7 years now.

Also, does the laptop have Windows 11? Support for Windows 10 ends in about 5 weeks.

 

[Charagma]

Yeah, I think it can still run all new games smoothly, but you'll certainly need to turn a few options off to cover for that 2080 card.

How long does NVIDIA keep making drivers? That card is from 2018, so it has been about 7 years now.

Also, does the laptop have Windows 11? Support for Windows 10 ends in about 5 weeks.

As far as I know they support for 5 years where after it moves to the "Legacy" drivers bin for another few years without support. Somewhere it moves to GitHub, and they start "hacking" or "modding" the driver.

Should be able to run Win 11. I have a 4900 (Gen9) chip and has no problem with Windows 11. All depends on if it can handle TMP. Waiting for the 25h2 version to release and rumours has it that we will be seeing Windows 12 early next year.

 

[b0shi]

reason i am upgrading is because of gpu... cpu 10th gen i5 is good but i am looking for 8gb gpu to play all the new games... current gpu is entry level 2gb gpu mx230 which is not enough for new games... so thats the reason i am upgrading..

 

[Charagma]

I do not know the model of laptop you are looking at so am going to talk about (In general here). In addition, no one can tell you it will run all games because I have seen some crazy builds struggling to play some games and I have seen old machines able to play games they are not supposed to be able to. But let's go into the technical side here.

The new laptop has an RTX 2080 and you say 8GB. In general, this 8GB is Shared so will come from the 32GB RAM you have. This will give you 24GB RAM (Left) and then 8GB on your GPU. The iGPU will also take a slice on this but you can drop that down to maybe 2GB in the BIOS. Leaves you with 22GB RAM.

General games specs I have seen is between 8GB and 21GB RAM (Yes saw one that recommends 21GB RAM). So, from a RAM point of view, you are within spec. GPU, there is actually so many tweaks you can do if it runs a bit short, but 8GB GPU will be withing gaming specs. You might have to switch of some things just for Thermal purposes. DDR on a Gen9 will be DDR4. The motherboard should be able to do 2666 and up so on DDR you should be fine. Windows 11 should be able to run on it. As far as I recall CPU's 8th GEN and up is supported by Windows 11. The new 25h2 should release soon (Next month or two) and would think that it will still be fine on that one. Windows 12, everyone says MS will be upping the minimum specs, so if it can go higher than Win 11 I cannot say.

So, from a technical point of view, you have a good chance to play many of the new games.

 

[b0shi]

current laptop model is dell inspiron 5593 and the one i am looking to buy is MSI stealth GS65 9SG slim gaming laptop...

 

[Aldarion]

hello again,

my current laptop is i5 10th gen, 16gb ram,2gb mx230 + intel UHD graphics... but i am looking to upgrade to run all new games ..laptop i am looking to buy has following spec, its few years old so i am asking you this question... specs below :
i7 9th gen cpu
32gb ram
rtx 2080 gpu

.. can this laptop run all new games smoothly? whats your advice.......

If you are interested in gaming and portability is not an issue, buy a desktop. First off, in order to get the same paper stats, you will need to pay some 25% - 30% more for the laptop compared to the desktop - and I am talking the entire setup here (computer + monitor + keyboard + mouse + speakers), not just the computer alone. Second off, equal paper stats (same RAM numbers, same graphic card model etc) will still leave desktop having some 25% to 50% better performance compared to laptop, due to differences in architecture and, primarily, better cooling.

Turns out, 8 GB in a laptop and 8 GB in a desktop are not the same.

And lastly, as already commented, there is an issue of upgradeability. When you don't have enough RAM any more, for a desktop you can just buy more. Get a new graphics card. New cooling.

With a laptop, in vast majority of cases, the only possible solution is replacing the entire thing. Only a few laptops have replaceable graphic card IIRC, and I'm not even sure that is an experiment that has worked out.

Of course, if portability is an issue... get as powerful laptop as you can within your budget, because it's gonna have to last.

 

[b0shi]

so basically 2080 rtx is not good enough in a laptop anymore?

 

[b0shi]

btw one more thing i wanted to mention is that i am not picky when it comes to resolution, 1080p is ok with me...

 

[Aldarion]

so basically 2080 rtx is not good enough in a laptop anymore?

It may be, depending on what you want it to do. But I don't think laptop 2080 would be able to run ALL new games smoothly. To be exact, desktop RTX 2080 Super is anywhere between 29% and 50% faster than its laptop "variant". Overall, laptop 2080 is at best equivalent to desktop 2060, and oftentimes significantly worse (due to the cooling issues I've mentioned before).

Literally the only reason to buy laptop rather than desktop is if you need your computer to be mobile.

 

[b0shi]

ok understood... so now i am thinking about buying a laptop with 3080 rtx instead.. hopefully it can run all new games smoothly ....but one thing for sure i want a laptop(instead of a desktop)

 

[Charagma]

so basically 2080 rtx is not good enough in a laptop anymore?

A very technical question this. Something to keep in mind when looking at a Laptop with a renderer (GPU).

Even though it has the same model number it is the "Mobile" Version. GPU's comes in different forms. You will get like a RTX 2080, a RTX 2080 (LP) and a RTX 2080 (M). Each one of them are different but has similar components.

LP is low profile and is weaker than it's "full" counterpart because it has about half the components the "Full" one has to be able to make it smaller. The Mobile is designed to be compact, energy efficient as well as thermal efficient so they are again weaker than the LP's.

Do not get me wrong, they are all RTX 2080 but when bench marking, they will have different results to what they were designed for but will be equal to another GPU when testing and not to the "Full" card.

When the game does it's checks on the system, it will detect the name but will adjust to the design. Worst case scenario you will have less FPS. SO not bad if you are not that much into the immersive experience.

Ony problem you might experience (I might be wrong here) will be bottlenecking. Data moving from CPU to GPU and back at such a speed that it loses track and it start slowing down to catch up. You usually see this when you get a sudden stutter or lag in a game. There are ways to get past it by tweaking some settings.

If it must be a laptop for mobility, then it should be fine. Check that you have an SSD in there (will give you 6GB/s transfer rate) and up the system cache to alleviate so of the data from the RAM. But overall, you should be fine. Unfortunately playing solitaire on a laptop also makes it a Gaming Laptop (Because that is what I use it for) so calling something a Gaming laptop does not necessarily mean it is.

Just saw your msg about the 3080. Great but again remember it is Mobile version.

Spec's

That is what I found on the Laptop. Obviously, you are already busy doing your homework on it which is the best way before buying. You will never (NEVER) find the perfect PC or Laptop. There will be pro's and Con's on all of them.

 

[b0shi]

so is 3080 rtx laptop version about as good as 3060 rtx desktop version?

 

[Charagma]

We all hate it, but we all use it.....Thank you Copilot:

The RTX 3080 desktop GPU outperforms the RTX 3080 laptop GPU in terms of performance, clock speeds, and thermal management, making it the better choice for high-end gaming and professional tasks.

Performance Differences​

1. Clock Speeds: The desktop RTX 3080 typically has higher base and boost clock speeds compared to the laptop version. This is due to better cooling solutions and higher power availability in desktop systems, allowing the desktop GPU to run at full capacity without thermal throttling.
   
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2. CUDA Cores and Shaders: The desktop RTX 3080 features more CUDA cores (5888) compared to the laptop variant, which usually has fewer cores (around 6144). This difference contributes to the desktop version's superior performance in rendering and gaming tasks.
   
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3. Memory Bandwidth: The desktop version has a wider memory bus (320-bit) and higher memory bandwidth (760 GB/s) compared to the laptop's (256-bit and lower bandwidth). This allows for faster data transfer rates, enhancing overall performance in memory-intensive applications.
   
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Thermal Design Power (TDP)​

• Power Consumption: The desktop RTX 3080 has a TDP of around 260W, while the laptop version is typically limited to around 150W. This lower power consumption in laptops is necessary to manage heat and extend battery life, but it results in reduced performance compared to the desktop variant.
  
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Use Cases​

• Gaming and Content Creation: For gamers and content creators who require maximum performance, the desktop RTX 3080 is the better option due to its higher performance metrics and capabilities. However, the RTX 3080 laptop is still a strong performer and is suitable for gaming on the go, offering a good balance of performance and portability.
  
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Conclusion​

In summary, while both the RTX 3080 laptop and desktop GPUs are powerful, the desktop version offers significantly better performance due to higher clock speeds, more CUDA cores, and greater memory bandwidth. The laptop version, however, provides a viable option for those needing portability without sacrificing too much performance. Depending on your specific needs—whether it's gaming, content creation, or mobility—you can choose the one that best fits your requirements.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

The new laptop has an RTX 2080 and you say 8GB. In general, this 8GB is Shared so will come from the 32GB RAM you have. This will give you 24GB RAM (Left) and then 8GB on your GPU. The iGPU will also take a slice on this but you can drop that down to maybe 2GB in the BIOS. Leaves you with 22GB RAM.

Laptop non integrated GPUs like the RTX2080 have dedicated VRAM, so it wouldnt be shared with system RAM and will be faster. Thats true afaik of all Nvidia mainline mobile GPUs.

The MX line and Radeon 600/700m series for example are integrated and share memory. It is confusing if you arent familiar with the nomenclature for sure.

so is 3080 rtx laptop version about as good as 3060 rtx desktop version?

It hard to find comparisons, good quality benchmark sites dont normally compare mobile to desktop because there are too many other variables. It differs from gen to gen but mobile GPUs are always somewhat weaker than the numbered equivalent desktop chip. Mobile is also a nest of snakes because some laptops run more or less power through the GPU which will affect the performance a lot between even the exact same models of Nvidia GPU!

Techpowerup does a base comparsion which is a useful rule of thumb if not completely accurate because so much depends on other stuff. They put the 3080 mobile around a 3060TI or a little behind an RTX 5060.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile Specs

NVIDIA GA104, 1545 MHz, 6144 Cores, 192 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 8192 MB GDDR6, 1750 MHz, 256 bit

www.techpowerup.com

Heres the 2080M, they put it a little behind the AMD Radeon RX7600. It would run pretty much any game out now, newer AAA games at reduced settings should be fine. But no one can say for exactly how long that will be true unfortunately.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Mobile Specs

NVIDIA TU104, 1590 MHz, 2944 Cores, 184 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 8192 MB GDDR6, 1750 MHz, 256 bit

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Zed Clampet]

hello again,

my current laptop is i5 10th gen, 16gb ram,2gb mx230 + intel UHD graphics... but i am looking to upgrade to run all new games ..laptop i am looking to buy has following spec, its few years old so i am asking you this question... specs below :
i7 9th gen cpu
32gb ram
rtx 2080 gpu

.. can this laptop run all new games smoothly? whats your advice.......

I'm a laptop gamer, and even have a laptop with the same specs as you do (as the 2080 you were looking at). It will run every game, but some big AAA games you will get speeds in the 30s or 40s. If you are used to laptop gaming, that won't bother you.

Without the make and the model, I can't tell you whether it will run hot or not. I haven't had any problems with laptops running hot in quite awhile. The one with the 2080 definitely gets hot in spots where it is venting air, but it doesn't throttle.

@Charagma The GPU doesn't share the RAM in laptops.

The biggest problem with the 2080 is how much longer it will be sufficient. You might get 40 in your toughest game on Medium settings right now, but in a couple of years that is liable to be in the 20s.

So I would do the 3080, as you seem to be planning.

IMPORTANT: Also, I missed the part where you talked about mobility. I was just scanning the thread. One thing you need to know about gaming laptops is that they have to be plugged in to play games. So if you are sitting in a hotel room with it, you need to make sure that it's plugged in. If you are in a situation where you can't plug it in, you'll need to play the least demanding game you have and be prepared for the battery to die in 30 to 40 minutes.