GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, RTX 2060 Appear in Benchmark Database

Two versions of the Turing-based Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 for laptops can now be found in the popular 3DMark Time Spy benchmark database. In terms of performance, it appears to match the mobile version of the GeForce GTX 1080.

At the time of writing, it is unclear exactly when the mobile versions of Nvidia’s latest graphics card generation, including the RTX 2060, 2070 and 2080 will appear in laptops. However, rumors point to a launch date coinciding with the upcoming CES 2019 trade show – or perhaps earlier, as Nvidia is organizing a press conference on January 6, right before the start of CES on January 8.

Putative mobile RTX specifications have already been posted online.

Early Benchmarks for RTX 2060, 2070 Max-Q

Twitter user Tum Apisak has managed to dig up some benchmark results from Futuremark’s 3DMark database, which seem to show early results from runs of the laptop RTX 2060, RTX 2070 and the 2070 Max-Q Design. The GPU names are mentioned in the driver details.

As for the GeForce RTX 2070 – with and without Max-Q Design –  the results indicate that these will perform slightly better than corresponding versions of current GTX 1080 for laptops. In terms of Time Spy scores, the two graphics cards reach 6 154 and 7 322 points, respectively, where the lower value applies to Geforce RTX 2070 Max-Q Design.

Apisak has compared the scores with data from Notebookcheck’s performance index, where the corresponding GeForce GTX 1080 for laptops achieve 6,917 points. The average result for the same card in Max-Q Design version is 5,868.5 points.

We also learn that both 2070 graphics cards are equipped with 8 GB of graphics memory. However, the memory speed differs somewhat between the Max-Q and non-Max-Q versions, with the more power-hungry GPU being about 17 percent faster. The maximum clock frequency in the Max-Q variant is also marginally slower with 1,800 versus 1,875 MHz.

The benchmark runs were apparently done in combination with the popular six-core Intel Core i7-8750H mobile processor.

In a previous tweet, the RTX 2060 for laptops has also been mentioned. This graphics card, which will likely be used in many upper mid-range gaming laptops, will allegedly perform somewhat better than the current GTX 1070 Max-Q.

What is Nvidia’s Max-Q Design?

The above data is still not confirmed. What we do know is that the desktop versions of the upcoming laptop RTX cards are already available. But considering that they have a TDP of 175 Watts or higher, some clever design solutions will be needed to get them to play well with laptops smaller than 17 inches.

This brings us to Nvidia’s Max-Q Design concept, which was launched at Computex in 2017. It is basically a compromise between performance and power consumption. Clock frequencies are lower than standard, but adjustments are also made on both the driver and overall design level to find the right balance.

The end result is that high-end GPUs can be used in comparatively thin and light laptops. Max-Q versions of Nvidia’s current generation pf graphics cards, based on the Pascal architecture, are already available in gaming laptops such as the Razer lineup.

Image source: Tum Apisak

Jesper Berg
Jesper Berg

Gaming hardware enthusiast since the 80286 era.

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