The same performance ensured for both PC and laptop.
In: Technology
1. By not having the same performance. Mobile GPUs usually run at a lower frequency to reduce power consumption and heat, but that also means less FPS.
2. By being highly integrated. Desktop GPUs are designed to be exchangable, mobile GPUs are soldered onto the mainboard. They mostly share memory with the CPU, and the tight integration means they can leave out some of the PCIx stuff or use components together with other hardware.
It’s not easy. That’s why most laptops have much lower performance GPUs or even integrated ones (where the graphics card is part of the motherboard). Gaming laptops have better GPUs but can be quite expensive. And even then, they can’t match high end gaming PCs
The GPU itself is pretty small, what is big is the cooling. Because you’re not going to have a battery that delivers 300W or more, you also don’t need to cool it as much.
The other trick is it’s not the same performance at all, far from it. If you divide power by 3, you’ll get maybe half the performance so while it’s more efficient, it’s not going to be as good.
They’re [actually not that big](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-e3e43542faf87ee5a7e4838524ae8118.webp). In every GPU, the actual GPU portion is just the small CPU-size chip in the center/middle. The rest is vram, vrm, chokes, and other stuff needed by the GPU. So what laptop designers do is integrate that chip into the laptop motherboard directly, and do all sorts of electrical engineering stuff to make sure the GPU still has everything it needs to function. Most, if not all mobile versions of GPU are also a bit more inferior, since you don’t have as much space or heatsink for such a hot chip. So mobile GPUs tend to run slower and use less power than its desktop counterparts.
They don’t have the same performance because the one installed in your laptop isn’t the same as the one in your desktop case. They share a similar marketing name but a [NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile](https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-rtx-4090-mobile.c3949) is smaller and weaker than a [NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090](https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-rtx-4090.c3889). The bigger size of both the board and the casing allows more transistors and better heat management in the GPU (which in turn allow even more transistors).
GPU manufacturers are trying to blur the line between the two by reusing brand name and naming convention (GeForce RTX serie 40 for example) to make customers believe their newly bought $3700 gaming laptop is actually equiped with the strong stuff.
However they are somewhat constrained by various countries’ laws against false advertising (hence the “M” or “Mobile” name).
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