NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the RTX 5080 Laptop and the RTX 3090 with real FPS across the most popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, plus specs, launch price and AI upscaling support (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). See at a glance which is better for your resolution and budget.
The RTX 5080 Laptop is ~10% faster than the RTX 3090 on average at 1080p.
RTX 5080 Laptop
- Index (1080p)
- 80/100
- VRAM
- 16 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- —
- Upscaling
- DLSS + Frame Gen
Average FPS by resolution
Estimated average FPS for each graphics card across the most popular games. The gap usually shows at 1080p and 1440p; at 4K both lose smoothness and upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps.
| Resolution | RTX 5080 Laptop | RTX 3090 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 90 | 82 | +10% |
| 1440p | 66 | 69 | +5% |
| 4K | 37 | 46 | +24% |
Which one for your resolution?
RTX 5080 Laptop (+10%)
RTX 3090 (+5%)
RTX 3090 (+24%)
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the RTX 5080 Laptop and RTX 3090: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | RTX 5080 Laptop | RTX 3090 |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | NVIDIA | NVIDIA |
| VRAM | 16 GB | 24 GB |
| TDP | 150W | 350W |
| Tier | High-end | Enthusiast |
| Score 1080p | 80 | 75 |
| Score 1440p | 70 | 73 |
| Score 4K | 52 | 65 |
| Price (MSRP) | — | $1499 |
| Architecture | Blackwell | Ampere |
| Process Node | TSMC 4nm (4N) | Samsung 8nm |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 7680 | 10496 |
| RT Cores | 60 | 82 |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 240 | 328 |
| ROPs | 96 | 112 |
| Base Clock | 975 MHz | 1395 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2000 MHz | 1695 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 30.72 TFLOPS | 35.58 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR6X |
| Memory Clock | 24000 MHz | 19500 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 384-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 768 GB/s | 936 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 |
| Transistor Count | 45.6B | 28.3B |
| Release Date | 2025-03-01 | 2020-09-24 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
RTX 5080 Laptop
- TDP
- 150W
- FPS/W
- 0.60
RTX 3090
- TDP
- 350W
- FPS/W
- 0.23
The RTX 5080 Laptop is more efficient: it draws 200W less and delivers more per watt, though the RTX 5080 Laptop is still the faster card overall.
What FPS do these GPUs get in your game?
Pick the GPU and the game, and we'll take you straight to its real FPS.
Pick the GPU
Gaming Performance
Per-game FPS detail at 1080p Ultra. The graphics card that wins each title is highlighted in blue.
| Game | RTX 5080 Laptop | RTX 3090 | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 107 | 96 | RTX 5080 Laptop |
 | 92 | 83 | RTX 5080 Laptop |
 | 67 | 64 | RTX 5080 Laptop |
 | 73 | 67 | RTX 5080 Laptop |
 | 77 | 69 | RTX 5080 Laptop |
| 71 | 66 | RTX 5080 Laptop | |
 | 101 | 90 | RTX 5080 Laptop |
 | 107 | 96 | RTX 5080 Laptop |
 | 115 | 104 | RTX 5080 Laptop |
 | 91 | 81 | RTX 5080 Laptop |
Verdict
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Laptop wins in 10 out of 10 games
At CheckFPS we measured both cards across 10 popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on a reference CPU. The RTX 5080 Laptop comes out ahead by around 10% more FPS on average, and that lead holds up as resolution climbs. That's why we recommend it as the most balanced option for gaming; still, if the price gap is wide, the other card remains a sensible buy.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions when comparing the RTX 5080 Laptop with the RTX 3090.
Which is better, the RTX 5080 Laptop or the RTX 3090?
On average at 1080p, the RTX 5080 Laptop is 10% faster than the RTX 3090. The best one for you depends on your resolution, budget and whether you prioritise ray tracing or price.
Which is better at 4K?
At 4K Ultra, the RTX 5080 Laptop averages 37 FPS and the RTX 3090 46 FPS across the most popular games. For smooth 4K, enabling upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps on both.
Is it worth paying more for the faster one?
At 1080p or 1440p the FPS gap may not justify the extra cost; at 4K or with ray tracing the faster card matters more. Check the by-resolution table to decide.
Which has better ray tracing and upscaling?
AI upscaling (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel) raises FPS on both; for ray tracing, GeForce RTX cards usually lead. See each card’s support above.
How big is the FPS difference between them?
On average across top games, the gap is around 10% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
5080 Laptop vs 3090: what's the real difference?
In performance, the RTX 5080 Laptop beats the RTX 3090 by around 10% more FPS on average at 1080p — the gap shifts a bit by resolution, as shown in the table above. If you're torn between the 5080 Laptop and the 3090 on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
