SYSTEM ANALYZER

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-13980HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile

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PROCESSOR (CPU)

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GRAPHICS CARD (GPU)

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93 Score

Top 7% Ranking

93 / 100

ULTIMATE READY

Apex Performer

Top 7% of systems. Capable of 4K Ultra gaming and advanced rendering.

4K 60+ FPSVR ReadyRay Tracing

System Balance Analysis

CPU vs GPU performance ratio

Well Balanced

CPU

94%

GPU

92%

PROCESSOR

Intel Core i9-13980HX

50,398 Benchmark Score

Top 6% Market Ranking

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GRAPHICS CARD

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile

23,628 Benchmark Score

Top 8% Market Ranking

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Market Position

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Budget

0-30

Mid-Range

30-60

High-End

60-85

Enthusiast

85-100

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Optimal Performance

Your system is in the top tier. You can run any modern game at maximum settings.

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Performance Tiers Explained

90-100

Ultimate

4K Ultra gaming, VR ready, ray tracing enabled, professional workloads

4K 60+ FPS VR Ready

70-89

High-End

1440p Ultra or 4K High settings, excellent for modern AAA titles

1440p Ultra 4K High

50-69

Mid-Range

1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium, great value for most gamers

1080p Ultra 1440p Med

30-49

Entry Level

1080p Medium settings, suitable for eSports and older titles

1080p Med eSports

0-29

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Basic gaming, older titles, consider upgrading for modern games

720p-1080p Low Older Games

# Intel Core i9-13980HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile

This pairing brings together Intel's top-tier 13th Gen mobile processor with NVIDIA's high-end Ampere laptop GPU. The CPU sits in the 90th percentile among all processors, while the GPU lands in the 69th percentile among all graphics cards, placing this combination in the 80th overall percentile for laptop builds. The data is clear: this is a performance-first mobile platform designed for demanding workloads, not a casual everyday machine. No measured FPS rows exist for this exact combination in the FACT PACK, so all frame-rate discussions below are estimates derived from the benchmark scores rather than direct gaming measurements.

FAQ

Q: How does the Core i9-13980HX compare to its closest rival?

A: The i9-13980HX has an average benchmark score of 50398, which is just 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 (50448) and 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT (50718). It also edges out the Intel Core 9 273PE (49845) by 1.1% and trails the Intel Core i7-13850HX (50761) by 0.7%. The performance gap between all four rivals is under 1.8%, making this an extremely tight competitive field at the top of the mobile CPU stack.

Q: What is the single-threaded performance of this CPU?

A: The i9-13980HX scores 1145 in 3dMark single-thread, 2285 in Cinebench R20 single-core, and 4252 in Passmark single-thread. These numbers indicate strong per-core performance that handles everyday responsiveness, older games, and lightly-threaded applications with ease, though it is not the absolute fastest in single-core terms given its position relative to the 90th percentile overall.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 Mobile compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 3080 Mobile averages 23628 in benchmark scores, sitting 0.5% above the RTX 3070 Ti Mobile (23518) and 1.3% above the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 (23315). It trails the GTX TITAN Z (23736) by 0.5% and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 (23877) by 1%. All four rivals fall within a 2.4% window, making this GPU competitive with the upper-midrange of the current mobile landscape.

Q: What memory types does this laptop platform support?

A: The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The memory bus width is dual-channel, and the GPU uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. ECC memory is supported by the processor, which is relevant for workstation tasks that require data integrity.

Q: What is the thermal design power of each component?

A: The CPU has a TDP of 55 W, while the GPU has a TDP of 115 W. Combined, these components draw 170 W under load before accounting for the rest of the laptop's power needs, which means a robust cooling solution and a high-capacity battery are essential for sustained performance.

Q: Is the CPU overclockable?

A: Yes, the multiplier is unlocked on the i9-13980HX. However, because this is a mobile platform with a BGA socket, overclocking headroom is constrained by the laptop's thermal and power delivery design. The unlocked multiplier offers flexibility for enthusiasts with advanced cooling solutions, but most users will run at stock settings.

Q: What PCIe capabilities does the CPU provide?

A: The i9-13980HX offers 20 CPU lanes of PCIe Gen 5 connectivity. The GPU itself uses PCIe 4.0 x16. This arrangement provides ample bandwidth for the graphics card and leaves additional lanes for high-speed NVMe storage or other expansion devices.

Upgrade Path and Platform

The Core i9-13980HX uses the Intel BGA 1964 socket, which means the processor is soldered directly to the motherboard. There is no socket-based upgrade path — you cannot swap in a newer CPU without replacing the entire laptop. The same applies to the RTX 3080 Mobile; it is a mobile GPU soldered onto the board or module, not a desktop card you can exchange. The practical upgrade path for this platform is therefore external or peripheral: adding more RAM, upgrading storage to PCIe Gen 5 drives, or connecting an external GPU via Thunderbolt or similar if the laptop supports it.

Memory support spans both DDR4 and DDR5, giving system integrators flexibility in what they install. A dual-channel configuration is standard, and because ECC memory is supported, this platform can serve in roles where data corruption is unacceptable — scientific computing, financial modeling, or database work. The memory bus width is dual-channel, so populating both channels is essential to avoid halving memory bandwidth.

The GPU's 115 W TDP and the CPU's 55 W TDP together require substantial power delivery. There is no suggested PSU listed because this is a mobile platform, but the combined 170 W component draw means the laptop's AC adapter needs to deliver well beyond that to support the rest of the system during peak load. Users should expect a large, heavy power brick with this kind of hardware.

PCIe Gen 5 on the CPU side with 20 lanes means future NVMe drives that leverage Gen 5 bandwidth will perform at full speed. The GPU's PCIe 4.0 x16 interface is not a bottleneck; even the fastest current mobile GPUs do not saturate PCIe 4.0 x16 bandwidth. For a sensible next upgrade, consider adding a high-capacity Gen 5 SSD for storage-heavy workloads, or investing in a high-refresh external monitor — the GPU has the compute power to drive it, and display outputs are portable-device dependent, so check what ports the laptop offers.

Balance and Bottleneck

The benchmark data reveals a system where the CPU is the clear performance leader. The i9-13980HX sits in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 3080 Mobile sits in the 69th percentile among all GPUs. This 21-percentile gap means the processor is substantially stronger relative to its own field than the graphics card is relative to its own field. In CPU-bound workloads — compilation, rendering, data processing — the system will perform near the top of what mobile platforms can deliver. In GPU-bound workloads — gaming at high resolutions, GPU compute — the graphics card will be the limiting factor.

The combined percentile is 80, which suggests that when both components are working together, the system lands above the CPU's percentile but below the GPU's would-be ceiling if it were paired with a slower processor. The Passmark multithread score of 46409 and the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30273 show a CPU that can feed even the most demanding GPU without breaking a sweat. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 16321 and its 3dMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2644 indicate solid but not class-leading graphics performance.

For gaming, the bottleneck analysis depends on resolution. At 1080p, the CPU's fast single-thread score (4252 in Passmark single-thread, 1145 in 3dMark single-thread) will keep frame rates high, but the GPU may still limit in the most demanding titles. At 1440p and above, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as pixel throughput demands scale with resolution and the RTX 3080 Mobile's 18.98 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the ceiling. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is adequate for current titles at high settings, but future games with larger texture pools could exceed that capacity.

In compute-heavy workloads like 3D rendering or video encoding, the balance is more favorable. The CPU's 24 cores and 32 threads, combined with its Passmark integer math score of 166455 and floating-point math score of 118645, handle multi-threaded tasks with authority. The GPU's 6144 shading units and 192 tensor cores accelerate ray tracing and AI workloads, but the 69th percentile ranking means it is not the fastest mobile GPU available. For workloads that mix CPU and GPU tasks — like streaming while gaming — this pairing has enough headroom on both sides to avoid serious bottlenecks.

Who Should Build It

This platform targets users who need desktop-class CPU performance in a portable form factor. The 90th percentile CPU ranking makes it ideal for power users who run heavily threaded applications: video editors working with 4K or higher footage, 3D artists rendering scenes with CPU-based engines, software developers compiling large codebases, and data scientists processing large datasets. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30273 and Passmark multithread score of 46409 put this CPU firmly in workstation territory.

Gamers who play at 1440p or 1080p with high refresh rates will find the RTX 3080 Mobile sufficient for most titles, though the GPU's 69th percentile ranking means it is not the absolute fastest laptop GPU available. Users who want to play at 4K or with maximum ray tracing settings should look at higher-tier GPUs. The 8 GB VRAM is a consideration for future-proofing — some current titles already push close to that limit at ultra settings.

Students and office workers are over-served by this hardware unless they have specific compute needs. A machine with this level of CPU performance is more suited to engineering students running simulations, computer science students compiling large projects, or business analysts processing large spreadsheets and databases. For general productivity, the i9-13980HX's single-thread performance (4252 Passmark) provides snappy responsiveness, but the cost and power draw of this platform are wasted on light workloads.

Small business workstations that handle rendering, video production, or complex data analysis can benefit from this combination. The ECC memory support adds reliability for long-running jobs where a single-bit error could corrupt hours of work. The 55 W CPU TDP and 115 W GPU TDP mean the laptop will run hot and loud under sustained load, so it suits a desk-bound workstation role more than a lap-friendly portable.

Usage Scenarios

High-refresh gaming: The RTX 3080 Mobile's 18.98 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth can drive high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p in most titles. The CPU's single-thread score of 1145 in 3dMark ensures that even CPU-bound games will not be limited by processor performance. Expect smooth 100+ FPS performance in competitive shooters at 1080p, with heavier titles settling into the 60-100 FPS range at 1440p depending on optimization.

Streaming: The combination of 24 CPU cores and the GPU's NVENC-capable hardware (with 192 tensor cores) provides ample encoding headroom. The CPU can handle game logic and streaming software simultaneously, while the GPU's dedicated encoding hardware offloads video compression. The Passmark data compression score of 588306 indicates strong throughput for encoding workloads.

Video editing: The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30273 accelerates timeline rendering and export times. The GPU's 6144 shading units handle effects and color grading with hardware acceleration. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p editing, though 4K projects with heavy effects may require proxy workflows.

3D rendering: CPU-based renderers will leverage all 24 cores and 32 threads, with the R20 multicore score of 16187 showing strong performance for Blender or similar applications. GPU-accelerated renderers will use the RTX 3080 Mobile's 48 ray-tracing cores and 192 tensor cores, though the GPU's 69th percentile ranking means it is not the fastest option for pure GPU rendering.

Software development: The Passmark integer math score of 166455 and multithread score of 46409 mean compilations and test suites run quickly. The PCIe Gen 5 support allows for fast storage that reduces build times. The 32 threads handle parallel builds and container virtualization with ease.

Student and office work: The single-thread score of 4252 in Passmark ensures responsive daily use, but this hardware is overkill for document editing, web browsing, or spreadsheet work. The high power draw and thermal output make it a poor choice for quiet libraries or long battery sessions. Only students in STEM fields requiring simulation or coding will see meaningful benefits.

Gaming Performance

No measured FPS data exists for this exact CPU+GPU combination in the FACT PACK. All frame-rate figures below are estimates derived from the benchmark scores and should be treated as approximations rather than verified results. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking and the GPU's 69th percentile ranking suggest a system that can handle modern games well, but the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios.

At 1080p resolution, the RTX 3080 Mobile's 18.98 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 296.6 GTexel/s texture rate should deliver high frame rates in esports titles — expect well over 144 FPS in games like Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant at competitive settings. For AAA titles at ultra settings, estimates land in the 80-120 FPS range depending on the game's optimization. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory at 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p ultra textures in most current titles.

At 1440p, the GPU's 148.3 GPixel/s pixel rate becomes the constraint. Frame rates will drop to the 60-90 FPS range for demanding titles at high settings. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (1145 in 3dMark single-thread) ensures that frame pacing remains consistent, avoiding the stutter that can occur when a weaker processor cannot feed the GPU fast enough.

Ray tracing workloads will be more demanding. The GPU's 48 ray-tracing cores provide hardware acceleration, but the 69th percentile ranking means it cannot keep pace with higher-tier mobile GPUs like the RTX 3080 Ti or RTX 4090 in RT-heavy titles. Expect to enable DLSS or reduce ray-traced effects to maintain playable frame rates in games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Alan Wake 2.

The CPU's Passmark physics score of 2575 indicates good handling of physics simulations in games, which helps in titles with heavy destructible environments or complex particle effects. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache reduces memory latency, improving gaming performance in CPU-bound scenarios.

CPU Analysis

The Intel Core i9-13980HX is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process with a 257 mm² die size. It is the flagship mobile CPU of the Core 13th Gen series, designed for high-performance laptops and mobile workstations. The base clock of 2.20 GHz boosts up to 5.60 GHz, and the CPU has an unlocked multiplier for enthusiast overclocking in systems with adequate cooling.

The cache hierarchy consists of 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 pool is critical for workloads that repeatedly access the same data — database queries, virtual machines, and certain game engine tasks benefit from reduced memory latency. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, and ECC memory is supported for data-integrity-sensitive applications.

Benchmark results show a processor that scales exceptionally well with thread count. The 3dMark scores progress from 1145 in single-thread to 9440 in 16-thread and 12601 in max-thread tests, demonstrating near-linear scaling as more cores are utilized. Cinebench scores follow a similar pattern: 2110 in R23 single-core jumps to 30273 in multicore, a 14.3x improvement that speaks to the efficiency of the core architecture and the effectiveness of the 10 nm process.

The Passmark suite reveals specific strengths: integer math at 166455 and floating-point math at 118645 indicate strong general-purpose compute, while the data encryption score of 35332 and extended instructions score of 33868 show good performance for cryptographic and SIMD workloads. The data compression score of 588306 is exceptional, making this CPU well-suited for archiving, database compression, and similar data-heavy tasks.

The nearest rival comparison shows this CPU in a virtual dead heat with several other high-end processors. At -0.1% versus the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 and -0.6% versus the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT, the performance differences are within run-to-run variance. The i9-13980HX's advantage lies not in raw benchmark leadership but in its combination of high core count, fast single-thread performance, and platform features like PCIe Gen 5 and ECC memory support.

Build Overview

This is a laptop-class build (buildClass: "laptop") pairing Intel's top mobile CPU with NVIDIA's high-end Ampere mobile GPU. The Core i9-13980HX represents the ceiling of Intel's 13th Gen mobile lineup, while the RTX 3080 Mobile sits in the upper-middle tier of NVIDIA's 30-series mobile GPUs. The combined 80th percentile ranking places this system in the upper fifth of all laptop configurations, though not at the absolute top — there are faster GPUs and newer CPUs available.

The CPU's 90th percentile ranking is the standout feature of this build. It outperforms the vast majority of desktop processors, let alone mobile ones. The GPU's 69th percentile is respectable but not exceptional; it is a generation old (released 2021-01-11) and has been succeeded by newer mobile GPUs. The asymmetry between CPU and GPU performance means this system excels at CPU-heavy workloads more than GPU-heavy ones.

This build is best understood as a mobile workstation that can also game. The CPU is the star, delivering desktop-class performance for productivity, development, and content creation. The GPU is competent for gaming and GPU-accelerated tasks but is not the strongest available. For users who prioritize CPU throughput over graphics performance, this is a near-ideal configuration. For those who want maximum gaming frame rates, a build with a newer, higher-tier GPU would be more appropriate.

The production status of the CPU is active, while the GPU is end-of-life. This means the GPU is no longer being manufactured in new quantities, though it remains available in existing laptop inventory. The CPU was released on 2023-01-03 with a launch MSRP of $668, and the GPU was released on 2021-01-11 with no launch MSRP listed.

Benchmark Performance

The CPU's average benchmark score is 50398, placing it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 370 at 50448 (deltaPct -0.1%), followed by the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT at 50718 (deltaPct -0.6%), the Intel Core i7-13850HX at 50761 (deltaPct -0.7%), and the Intel Core 9 273PE at 49845 (deltaPct 1.1%). The CPU is effectively tied with all four rivals, with the largest gap being the 1.1% advantage over the Core 9 273PE.

Key CPU benchmark scores include Cinebench R23 multicore at 30273 and single-core at 2110, Cinebench R20 multicore at 16187 and single-core at 2285, and Passmark multithread at 46409 with single-thread at 4252. The 3dMark scores show scaling from 1145 single-thread to 12601 max-thread, demonstrating excellent multi-core efficiency.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 23628, placing it in the 69th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z at 23736 (deltaPct -0.5%), followed by the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Mobile at 23518 (deltaPct 0.5%), the AMD Radeon RX 9070 at 23877 (deltaPct -1%), and the AMD Radeon AI PRO R9700 at 23315 (deltaPct 1.3%). Like the CPU, the GPU is in a tight competitive cluster with its rivals.

Key GPU benchmark scores include Passmark G3D at 16321 and GPU compute at 7276, Geekbench OpenCL at 104831 and Vulkan at 104066, and 3dMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 2644. The DirectX scores in Passmark (DX10 at 120, DX11 at 146, DX12 at 72) are low individually but are legacy API tests that do not reflect modern gaming performance.

The combined picture is a system where the CPU is significantly stronger than the GPU relative to their respective fields. The CPU's 90th percentile versus the GPU's 69th percentile creates a 21-point gap. This manifests in real workloads as CPU-bound tasks hitting near the top of mobile performance, while GPU-bound tasks land in the upper-middle range. The overall 80th percentile reflects this balance — a strong system that is not the absolute fastest in either component category but combines two well-above-average parts into a cohesive whole.

Rate My PC: Intel Core i9-13980HX + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile

Apex Performer

System Balance Analysis

Intel Core i9-13980HX

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile

Market Position

Game Performance Benchmarks

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

Performance Insights

Optimal Performance

4K Gaming Ready

Performance Tiers Explained

Ultimate

High-End

Mid-Range

Entry Level

Legacy

FAQ

Upgrade Path and Platform

Balance and Bottleneck

Who Should Build It

Usage Scenarios

Gaming Performance

CPU Analysis

Build Overview

Benchmark Performance

4K Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

1440p Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

1080p Gaming Performance

Cyberpunk 2077

Red Dead Redemption 2

Microsoft Flight Simulator

Control

Call of Duty: Warzone

Fortnite

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