New GTX10-Equipped Gaming Laptops Might Be As Powerful As Desktop Rigs

It has always been the rule in PC gaming since its inception that Desktops are better than Laptops. Although laptops provide the advantage of portability, players almost always have to sacrifice quality and playability. Thanks to the new GTX10 series of GPUs by Nvidia however, it would seem that the more compact devices might finally be able to keep up with their bulkier cousins.

As Business Insider points out, laptops used to suffer on the quality aspect of gaming compared to desktops simply because they lacked the components to really push titles to their limits. Using the example of the GTX 980M for the laptop versus the GTX 980 for the desktop, the latter always performs better at higher graphical settings and frames per second.

Stacking the case against laptops, even more, is the matter of price since gaming units are almost always more expensive than their desktop counterparts that are equipped with the same parts. As a result, gamers almost never opt for a laptop for the sole purpose of playing video games.

With a recent test conducted by Kotaku, however, it would seem that Nvidia finally achieved the impossible. By equipping a prototype ‘ROG GX800’ with two “GTX 1080” GPUs, a liquid cooling system that cools both the GPU units and the CPU, and an i7 processor, the laptop could actually deliver the same performance as a desktop with roughly the same build.

The site tested the laptop with 8 AAA games, all of which yielded practically the same performance as the high-end rig of the testers in terms of framerate, playability, and consistency. In terms of definitive proof that a gaming laptop could compete with a desktop, the site’s approach came closest to proving that it is more than possible if companies are willing to invest.

On that note, it’s worth remembering that the ‘ROG GX800’ is a prototype, and is thus not yet commercially available. Even if it is, there is also the huge possibility that it will come with a hefty price tag.