The release of NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series graphics cards must have been the most exciting event for the gaming community in 2020. And rightly so: the RTX GPUs of the 30 Series takes gaming to the next level. However, they are also very popular with digital creators. The new cards run on the Ampere architecture and have new RT and Tensor cores for a vivid ray-traced image combined with AI features.
What’s even better is that gaming laptops support RTX graphics from the 30 series. And in this article, we will focus on the most popular RTX 3080 configuration models. Several brands, including Alienware, Razer, and MSI, are very attractive, lightweight (and very expensive!) Game models based on GeForce RTX 3080.
Yes, as you can imagine, laptops based on RTX 3080 are not inexpensive. And if you are an aspiring gamer on a tight budget, we suggest you check out our Best gaming laptop post.
Without further ado, let’s explore some of the most popular gaming laptops on the market with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card.
Alienware X15 gaming laptop with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card
This one comes with the recent 8-core i9-11900H model up to 4.9 GHz with 32 GB of RAM, a 4 TB SSD drive and, of course, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 8 GB GDDR6 video card.
It is difficult to understand how such a thin and light model (only 5 lbs) can sport such powerful equipment. However, the Alienware X15 is able to replace your gaming desktop while offering you the mobility you have always dreamed of. And suppose you are wondering how it will hold without overheating. In the X15 model, Alienware uses a proprietary Element 31 technology, an “encapsulated gallium-silicone thermal interface material”.”It is supposed to slow down heat dissipation, providing up to a 25% increase in heat resistance.
Needless to say, the Alienware X15 is extremely expensive: its basic configuration starts + taxes. And for those who want to upgrade their previous model, we have put together some tips on how to sell a used Alienware laptop for the best value for money.
MSI GE76 Raider Dragon Edition TIAMAT with RTX 3080
The laptop is beautiful and unique in a meticulously engraved chassis. This is a 17.3-inch model with a base frequency of 2.2 GHz Intel Core i7-10870H of the 10th generation, 64 GB of RAM and 2 TB SSD storage. And unlike the Alienware above, its RTX 3080 offers a GDDR6 video memory of 16 GB. An upgrade from the MSI GE75 Raider model that we reviewed a few months ago. MSI GE76 runs AAA titles like Fortnite, Halo 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Warzone seamlessly, allowing you to really enjoy the game. And we have the RTX 3080 architecture to thank for that.
Some of the other cool features are a per-key RGB gaming keyboard, a better cooling system, a 99.9 Whr battery, Dragon Center with an exclusive 2.0 game mode.
MSI GE76 Raider with RTX 3080 graphics card can be pre-ordered.
Razer Blade 15 Advanced RZ09-0409CEC3-R3U1
You get your traditional Razer blade design with this one, without major updates. However, it is the material that matters the most. This powerful gaming laptop comes with the 11th generation Intel i7-11800h 8-core processor, a 360 GHz FHD display and a mandatory 8 GB RTX 3080 VRAM discrete video. You also get 32 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD storage with this one; in addition, there is an open M. 2 PCIe 4.0 x4 slot for easy expansion.
The model is currently available on the Razer website.
Used RTX 3080 laptops Resale value
We are going to see more laptop models with this high-end NVIDIA video hardware. For now, it is still quite difficult to get your hands on the RTX 3080 configurations in stores and online. BestBuy is either out of stock or should get them in July. Razer keeps stocks, but the MSI GE76 is a rare find. Alienware X15 is ready to ship in mid-July.
But let’s say you were lucky enough to get a gaming laptop based on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 earlier this year. What if you didn’t like it enough to keep using it? We have some price indicators, just to give you an idea of how much a used model can cost online.
For example, a used ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 with an AMD Ryzen 9 processor and an RTX 3080 graphics card gets an estimate. Not bad.
Used Alienware M15 R4 with 10th Generation Core i7 processor gives up to offer
We will continue to add new models as they become available. And if you have another laptop for sale, enter your make and model in the search bar to get an instant free estimate.
Final Thoughts
Laptops based on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 are super powerful and capable of replacing a desktop computer. Not only gamers, but creative professionals will love everything the RTX 3080 has to offer. Unfortunately, these laptop models come at a price. In many matters, it will make more sense to upgrade the graphics on your desktop computer instead of investing in a fancy new RTX 30 series laptop.