NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile vs NVIDIA N1 20SM Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile and the NVIDIA N1 20SM represent two distinctly different design philosophies from the same manufacturer. The RTX 4080 Mobile is a dedicated graphics processor built for high-performance laptops, while the N1 20SM is an integrated graphics solution with a large memory pool. The recorded data shows that these two products target entirely different workloads, and their benchmark results, architecture, and specifications reflect that divergence.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4080 Mobile wins decisively in every recorded compute and graphics benchmark. Its average benchmark score of 38135 places it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs in the database, whereas the N1 20SM has no recorded benchmarks and sits at the 50th percentile. The RTX 4080 Mobile delivers 24.72 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is more than double the N1 20SM's 12.01 TFLOPS. This raw compute advantage translates directly into higher frame rates and faster rendering in any application that uses the GPU.

The N1 20SM wins in memory capacity and connectivity. It offers 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory, which is over ten times the 12 GB found on the RTX 4080 Mobile. This memory capacity is suited for large datasets, virtualized workloads, or in-memory computing tasks where the GPU acts as a shared resource rather than a dedicated renderer. The N1 20SM also uses a PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, while the RTX 4080 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16, giving the N1 20SM twice the potential host bandwidth for data transfers.

The RTX 4080 Mobile wins on pixel throughput. It produces 133.2 GPixel/s compared to the N1 20SM's 56.30 GPixel/s, a 2.37x advantage. The texture rate tells a similar story: 386.3 GTexel/s versus 375.4 GTexel/s, a narrower margin but still a win for the RTX 4080 Mobile. For typical gaming or creative workloads, the RTX 4080 Mobile is the clear choice. The N1 20SM is a different class of product, one that appears optimized for memory-heavy tasks rather than graphics rendering.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs use different architectures from different generations. The RTX 4080 Mobile is built on Ada Lovelace, the architecture behind the GeForce 40-series, while the N1 20SM uses Blackwell 2.0, which appears in the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation. The process node is the same for both: 5 nm at TSMC. However, the chip designs diverge significantly.

The RTX 4080 Mobile uses the AD104 chip with a die size of 294 mm² and 35,800 million transistors. The N1 20SM uses the GB20B chip with a larger die at 382 mm², but its transistor count is listed as unknown in the database. The transistor density for the RTX 4080 Mobile is 121.8M per mm², while the N1 20SM has no recorded density figure. This suggests the N1 20SM may integrate additional logic beyond just GPU cores, potentially including memory controllers or other system functions, given its 128 GB memory capacity.

The core configurations differ dramatically. The RTX 4080 Mobile has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 58 RT cores, and 232 tensor cores. The N1 20SM has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 24 ROPs, 20 RT cores, and 80 tensor cores. The RTX 4080 Mobile has 2.9x more shading units and 3.3x more ROPs. The N1 20SM's lower ROP count (24 versus 80) is particularly limiting for rasterized graphics output.

Clock speeds also differ. The RTX 4080 Mobile has a base clock of 1290 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The N1 20SM has a much lower base clock of 741 MHz but a significantly higher boost clock of 2346 MHz. This suggests the N1 20SM is designed for short bursts of high performance, possibly with different power management characteristics, though the TDP for the N1 20SM is unknown while the RTX 4080 Mobile is rated at 110 W.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no head-to-head benchmark results between the RTX 4080 Mobile and the N1 20SM. The headToHeadBenchmarks field is empty, and the win counts for both items are zero. However, the RTX 4080 Mobile has its own benchmark scores, which can be compared against the N1 20SM's lack of recorded scores.

The RTX 4080 Mobile scores 159575 in Geekbench OpenCL and 145807 in Geekbench Vulkan. These are substantial numbers, indicating strong compute and graphics performance. In PassMark tests, the RTX 4080 Mobile scores 24926 in G3D, 11191 in GPU compute, 929 in G2D, 286 in DirectX 9, 244 in DirectX 11, 157 in DirectX 10, and 96 in DirectX 12. The N1 20SM has no recorded scores in any of these tests, which means the database cannot directly quantify its performance.

The nearest rivals for the RTX 4080 Mobile provide context. The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 has an average score of 38299, which is 0.4% below the RTX 4080 Mobile's 38135. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile scores 38349, 0.6% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 scores 37648, 1.3% lower, and the NVIDIA Tesla P4 scores 37628, also 1.3% lower. These deltas show that the RTX 4080 Mobile sits in a tight cluster with these other GPUs, within roughly one to two percent of each other. The N1 20SM has no nearest rivals listed, reflecting its lack of benchmark data.

Given the N1 20SM's absence from benchmark results, the data cannot support any direct performance comparison. The RTX 4080 Mobile's scores indicate it is a mid-to-high-tier mobile GPU, while the N1 20SM's percentile rank of 50 is based on its specification profile, not measured performance.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every specification category. The memory configuration shows the starkest contrast. The RTX 4080 Mobile uses 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The N1 20SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, but its bandwidth is lower at 273.2 GB/s. The N1 20SM has a wider bus but slower memory clocks (1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective) compared to the RTX 4080 Mobile's 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective. The result is that the RTX 4080 Mobile has 1.58x more memory bandwidth despite having a narrower bus.

The core counts differ as noted earlier: 7424 vs 2560 shading units, 232 vs 160 TMUs, 80 vs 24 ROPs, 58 vs 20 RT cores, and 232 vs 80 tensor cores. The RTX 4080 Mobile dominates in every core category.

The FP32 and FP16 performance are both listed as 24.72 TFLOPS for the RTX 4080 Mobile with a 1:1 ratio. The N1 20SM offers 12.01 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16, also at a 1:1 ratio. The RTX 4080 Mobile has 2.06x the floating-point throughput.

The API support also differs. The RTX 4080 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 20SM lists all APIs as N/A, indicating it may not expose traditional graphics APIs in the same way, or that the database has not recorded them. This reinforces the idea that the N1 20SM may not be intended for standard gaming or graphics applications.

The bus interface differs: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RTX 4080 Mobile versus PCIe 5.0 x16 for the N1 20SM. The display outputs are "Portable Device Dependent" for the RTX 4080 Mobile, while the N1 20SM has a single HDMI output. Both use an IGP slot width and have no power connectors.

The release dates are far apart. The RTX 4080 Mobile was released on January 2, 2023, while the N1 20SM has a release date of May 31, 2026, more than three years later. The RTX 4080 Mobile has a predecessor (GeForce 30 Mobile) and a successor (GeForce 50 Mobile), while the N1 20SM has neither in the database.

The power consumption figures differ in availability: the RTX 4080 Mobile is rated at 110 W TDP, while the N1 20SM has an unknown TDP. The die sizes are 294 mm² for the RTX 4080 Mobile and 382 mm² for the N1 20SM, meaning the N1 20SM is 29.9% larger physically, yet it uses a smaller core configuration.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile delivers 24.72 TFLOPS FP32 and FP16, while the N1 20SM delivers 12.01 TFLOPS in both. The RTX 4080 Mobile offers 2.06x the floating-point throughput.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have?

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The N1 20SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus, which is 10.7x more capacity.

Q: Which GPU has higher memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile has 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the N1 20SM has 273.2 GB/s. Despite the N1 20SM's wider memory bus, the RTX 4080 Mobile has 1.58x more bandwidth due to faster memory clocks.

Q: What are the core counts for each GPU?

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 58 RT cores, and 232 tensor cores. The N1 20SM has 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 24 ROPs, 20 RT cores, and 80 tensor cores.

Q: Do these GPUs support the same APIs?

A: No. The RTX 4080 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 20SM lists all APIs as N/A in the database.

Q: How do their benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 38135 and sits in the 81st percentile. The N1 20SM has no recorded benchmark scores and sits in the 50th percentile, so no direct numerical comparison is possible from the data.