Nvidia Geforce RTX 3000 “Ampere” makes entry into laptops

During Nvidia’s CES event, the company presents, as previously indicated, a new generation of graphics cards for laptops. Like previous generations, these are variants of their siblings for desktops, where the graphics cards in the Geforce RTX 3000 “Ampere” get portable equivalents. As before, the news gets adjustments in terms of energy consumption and heat levels to better suit the physical limitations of the portable format.

Geforce RTX 3080, RTX 3070 and RTX 3060 for laptops bake the capacity of the desktop variants into portable form factors. The customizations that make it possible are called Dynamic Boost 2.0, and with the third generation of technology, Nvidia uses AI-controlled algorithms to adjust the performance profile of graphics cards. The system switches the load between processor, graphics card and graphics card memory to achieve the best possible performance to the lowest possible energy consumption and heat generation.

The system is similar to AMD’s Smartshift technology, which also switches performance levels between processor and graphics part depending on where the capacity is needed most. According to Nvidia, the solution makes the Geforce RTX 3000 series for laptops twice as energy efficient as its predecessors in the Geforce RTX 2000 Max-Q. The system should also allow the fans to operate at lower speeds for lower noise levels.

Just cooling laptops uses a system called Whisper Mode 2.0, which is tailored for the laptop the graphics cards will be used in. Physical format and fan solutions are adapted one after the other to achieve low noise levels. Geforce RTX 3000 for laptops also premieres Resizable BAR support, which gives the processor access to the entire graphics memory per graphics call.

AMD introduced support for Resizable BAR with the graphics cards in the Radeon RX 6000 series, there under the name Smart Access Memory. The feature utilizes a portion of the PCI Express specification that unlocks access to the entire graphics memory, something that was previously limited to access in smaller portions. Nvidia announces that support will be added to RTX 3000-equipped laptops via a future driver.

Nvidia does not share in-depth specifications for graphics cards. Geforce RTX 3080 Max-Q is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and is stated to be able to reach over 100 FPS in the resolution 1440p with graphics settings on Ultra, but specific game titles are not mentioned. The step down to Geforce RTX 3070 Max-Q provides 90 FPS in 1440p with graphics settings on Ultra, and thus offers 50 percent better performance than RTX 2070 Max-Q.

The simplest member of the lineup is the Geforce RTX 3060 Max-Q, which is said to reach 90 FPS in 1080p resolution. Here, Nvidia chooses to compare performance with Sony’s gaming console Playstation 5, where the RTX 3060 Max-Q is said to offer 30 percent better graphics performance. Nvidia also highlights the progress of the RTX 3000 series for laptops for creative pursuits, where Ampere-equipped laptops should be five times faster.

In terms of prices, Nvidia states that laptops with Geforce RTX 3080 Max-Q are expected to reach price levels of USD 1,999, corresponding to approximately SEK 20,700 including VAT. For the RTX 3070 Max-Q, the price level drops to USD 1,299 or approximately SEK 13,500. For RTX 3060 Max-Q, the price levels will instead be 999 USD or approximately 10,400 kronor.

The first laptops with Geforce RTX 3000 Max-Q will be available from 26 January.