Mobile RTX 5090M vs Desktop: Gaming Performance Gap Hits a Staggering 149%

Tech reviewer Jarrod'sTech conducted an extensive performance comparison of the new generation's top GPUs: the desktop GeForce RTX 5090 and its mobile variant, the RTX 5090M. Testing across 25 modern games revealed that the speed difference can be significantly larger than many anticipate and is heavily dependent on the chosen resolution.

The comparison pitted a desktop system (Core Ultra 9 285K, 32GB DDR5-6400) against an MSI Titan 18 laptop (RTX 5090M, Core Ultra 9 285HX, 32GB DDR5-6400). Testing was done at maximum graphics settings in Full HD (1080p), Quad HD (1440p), and Ultra HD (4K) resolutions.

At Full HD, the difference is smallest – the desktop card averages a 30.37% lead. At this resolution, the CPU often becomes the bottleneck, limiting the potential of both GPUs. Nevertheless, in specific titles like Black Myth: Wukong and Dying Light 2, the PC version's advantage exceeded 70%. The gap widens dramatically at Quad HD, where the RTX 5090 leads the mobile chip by an average of 53.44%. In games such as The Witcher 3 or Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, the difference surpassed 100%, meaning the laptop took more than twice as long to render a frame.

But it's at 4K resolution where the maximum gap emerges. The desktop card proved a whopping 95.99% faster on average. Astonishingly, in half of the tested games, the desktop version's lead exceeded 100%. The absolute record was set in Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition – here, the desktop RTX 5090 was a staggering 149.77% faster, nearly 2.5 times the speed. Analysis of price-per-frame also favored the desktop solution. The system with the desktop RTX 5090 demonstrated superior cost efficiency, outperforming both the flagship MSI Titan 18 and more affordable laptops equipped with the RTX 5090M.

These benchmarks clearly show that even the flagship mobile GPU (RTX 5090M) significantly lags behind its desktop counterpart, particularly at high resolutions like 1440p and 4K. For gamers focused on maximum performance and 4K gaming, a desktop system with the RTX 5090 remains the undisputed choice. While powerful, an RTX 5090M laptop may struggle to deliver comfortable frame rates at maximum settings in the most demanding titles when pushing high resolutions like 4K.