Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 (Laptop GPU) Review

Considering the popularity and widespread use of the GeForce GTX 1060 in gaming laptops, the new RTX 2060 is fix to be one of the key offerings in Nvidia'south latest lineup. We recently reviewed the RTX 2070 Max-Q and spent some time talking about how Nvidia'south naming scheme for their laptop GPUs tin be very misleading for prospective buyers. That'due south still the case with the RTX 2060, only we're not harping on about this issue. Merely know that in this generation, the RTX GPUs are named the same only performance will be slower than their desktop counterparts.

The RTX 2060 GPU used in laptops uses the same TU106 GPU as the desktop carte, with the aforementioned core configuration. That means you lot get 1920 CUDA cores, 240 Tensor cores and 30 RT cores. It too has the same memory configuration: 6GB of GDDR6 at 14 Gbps on a 192-bit bus for 336 GB/s of bandwidth. Information technology's still built on TSMC's 12nm process, too.

However the laptop RTX 2060 isn't clocked anywhere near what the desktop card tin achieve. The desktop card has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost of 1680 MHz, with GPU Heave taking the GPU even higher. The laptop variant is clocked at only 960 MHz with a boost of 1200 MHz -- the boost clock is lower than the desktop's base of operations clock -- Nvidia was forced to do this to shave the TDP down from 160W, to 80-90W which is more suitable for laptop designs.

Evidently, you won't become desktop RTX 2060 performance from the laptop variant, despite both having the same proper name. Turing laptop GPUs are likewise more than aggressively underclocked relative to the desktop cards than Pascal always was, so we're not expecting to encounter the same margins or performance improvements every bit on the desktop. We'd much prefer if this GPU was called the RTX 2060M instead, but plenty on that...

For benchmarking the RTX 2060 nosotros've used the new Asus ROG Strix Scar II GL504GV. A mouthful indeed, but this Asus laptop is essentially this a typical 15-inch gaming notebook. It's not a slim and lighter car similar the Asus Zephyrus, just a regular design that's 25mm thick and about five.three lbs heavy. In that location's no Max-Q RTX 2060 model, and so this full GPU is virtually suited to these designs.

The ROG Strix Scar 2 is powered by Intel's six-core Core i7-8750H, the go-to offering for gaming laptops these days. The same CPU is used in our Pascal laptops and other RTX laptops we've tested so far, meaning nosotros go to run across a more than straight comparison looking at GPU performance specifically.

This Asus laptop comes configured with 16GB of RAM in a single-channel configuration, merely for testing we swapped that out for 32 GB in dual-aqueduct to keep it apples-to-apples with other laptops in our database. We also used the laptop's "balanced" fan mode because we constitute no deviation in gaming functioning between that and the louder "Turbo" style. Finally, we've washed all testing at 1080p, the standard resolution for gaming laptop displays, with this unit packing a 144 Hz console.

Benchmarks

We're going to boot this i off with a look at Battlefield 1. Information technology's not the nearly recent Battlefield title but it's one that plays well on laptops. The RTX 2060 manages to squeeze ahead of the GTX 1070 Max-Q, providing over 100 FPS on boilerplate with a similar 1% low. It's also 28% faster than the GTX 1060 6GB in this title. However it tin't quite match the previous generation GTX 1070, falling 10 percent behind the older Pascal GPU.

If you've been following our desktop coverage of the RTX series, these results might seem a little strange. On the desktop side, the RTX 2060 is more than l% faster than the GTX 1060 in this title, and more than than 10% faster than the GTX 1070. However on the laptop side, the margins are much smaller and the comparisons are very different, with the new Turing GPU declining to beat the GTX 1070.

Most gamers looking at the RTX 2060 on desktop might believe their new RTX 2060 laptop will outperform an older GTX 1070 model, which is again why we feel the naming is misleading. While the RTX 2060 easily clocks in a higher place 1800 MHz on the desktop, in our Asus laptop it sits around 1450 MHz, hence the large performance discrepancy. Meanwhile our laptop GTX 1070 clocks at 1800 MHz, compared to slightly over 1900 MHz on the desktop. Pascal laptop GPUs just clocked a lot closer to their desktop counterparts than these new Turing GPUs do.

That'southward not to say performance is bad overall. In Wolfenstein II, which is very favorable to Turing's architecture, the RTX 2060 comes in 34% ahead of the GTX 1060 although information technology still gets beaten badly past the GTX 1070.

Watch Dogs 2 is one of those games that tends to exist more than CPU constrained in a laptop, although we're still getting a handy 25 percent performance uplift in this older Ubisoft championship. This is one of the few games we tested where the RTX 2060 performed below the GTX 1070 Max-Q.

With Far Cry 5 we're looking at a 25% performance improvement over the GTX 1060. However this fourth dimension it gets to outperform the GTX 1070 Max-Q by 6 per centum and merely slotting in 3 pct behind the RTX 2070 Max-Q. With the RTX 2060 consistently delivering above 60 FPS at Ultra settings hither, this is a handy improvement on the GTX 1060.

Resident Evil ii is one of the newer games in our test suite. Using the Balanced quality preset, which is near visually identical to the maximum preset, laptops in general perform really well, achieving over 100 FPS for the most part.

The RTX 2060 is 35% faster than the GTX 1060, only vii% slower than the GTX 1070 and a decent 11% faster than the GTX 1070 Max-Q.

Hitman 2 is a punishing title for CPU constrained hardware, but current-generation laptops are still capable of a 60 FPS experience at 1080p using maximum quality settings. The RTX 2060 is 23% faster than the GTX 1060 here, but other margins are in line with what we've previously seen. Impressively, the RTX 2060 is 4% faster than the RTX 2070 Max-Q in this title.

Dirt four sees the RTX 2060 hold a 37% performance advantage over the GTX 1060, while still coming in 12 percent behind the GTX 1070 and ten percent behind the newer RTX 2070 Max-Q. Fifty-fifty with 8xMSAA in this game at 1080p, you're in for a rock solid experience.

Probably time to throw an older title into the mix. How about Deus Ex: Mankind Divided? This game has one of the smallest margins between the RTX 2060 and the GTX 1070, with the 2060 but 7 percent behind. It's also 8 percent faster than the GTX 1070 Max-Q, and 36% alee of the GTX 1060 6GB.

Yous're probably wondering about Battleground V performance besides. Here the new RTX 2060 is 23% faster than the GTX 1060. At 1080p, paired with a high-refresh laptop brandish, the RTX 2060 is very capable and delivers a not bad experience.

Rounding this performance comparison out, we've settled on Prey. This represents a game that really doesn't do good all that much from the faster GPU, it'due south only 13% faster than the GTX 1060, 7% slower than the GTX 1070 and vii% faster than the GTX 1070 Max-Q.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is one of the hardest games to become running smoothly on a laptop, we think it's down to the CPU and for some reason Gigabyte'south Aero laptops go destroyed in this title. That said, with the Very Loftier preset you lot're looking at a 60 FPS average at 1080p with the RTX 2060.

The final game in our comparing: Middle-earth Shadow of War has the RTX 2060 performing 32% faster than the GTX 1060, 10% slower than the GTX 1070 and 9% backside the RTX 2070 Max-Q.

Individual Matchups

Nosotros ran additional performance summaries putting GPUs head to head in all the games we tested. We actually benchmarked a total of 20 games on the RTX 2060 and refreshed the data for a number of other GPUs simply for this comparison.

RTX 2060 Laptop vs. GTX 1060 6GB

The large one here albeit probably non the best comparing in terms of value and pricing, which we'll talk almost afterward. The RTX 2060 is a adept 28% faster than the GTX 1060 6GB on average. That's a much bigger margin than we were expecting after the RTX 2070 Max-Q review which only clocked in around 10% faster than its direct predecessor, the GTX 1070 Max-Q.

RTX 2060 Laptop vs. GTX 1070 Max-Q

Speaking of the GTX 1070 Max-Q, the RTX 2060 is also faster than that GPU, to the tune of a half dozen% boilerplate. It's not faster in every title, but information technology'southward only in older games where it appears to struggle. Annihilation recent and the RTX 2060 pulls away.

RTX 2060 Laptop vs. GTX 2070 Max-Q

To our surprise, the RTX 2060 isn't much slower than the RTX 2070 Max-Q on average. We're talking four% slower on boilerplate, with some games clocking in faster than what is supposed to exist a college tier GPU. This could identify prospective RTX 2070 Max-Q buyers in an awkward position.

RTX 2060 Laptop vs. GTX 1070

Where the comparison isn't equally favourable, is when comparing the RTX 2060 to the GTX 1070. The RTX 2060 is 11 pct slower on average, losing in every single game in a margin that goes from 2 per centum to up to 20 percent.

And this is where we encounter the weakness of Nvidia'south RTX laptop lineup.

On the desktop the RTX 2060 is ~53% faster than the GTX 1060 6GB. But here on the laptop realm, it'south simply 28% faster. This ways that instead of existence 10+% faster than a GTX 1070, it'southward xi% slower. Not a proficient state of affairs for those who might accidentally utilise desktop data for their laptop buying decision.

Within a generation though, the comparisons make sense. The GTX 1070 is about twoscore% faster than a laptop GTX 1060, which is similar to the desktop margin. The RTX 2060 is four% slower than the RTX 2070 Max-Q, and while we haven't tested the full laptop RTX 2070 yet, with desktop cards the 2060 is 11% slower than the 2070 on average. So the margins we've seen so far keep the whole series in accordance.

Lesser Line

If you lot're looking for a direct desktop comparison to the RTX 2060 laptop GPU, it's difficult to give a specific 1, but and so far performance looks to be betwixt the GTX 1660 and the GTX 1060 Ti.

Let's now focus on value and pricing of newer RTX laptops, and where they stand compared to previous generations. With the RTX 2060, we're looking at a typical price for a Core i7-8750H organisation of effectually $1,800. For much of the GTX 1060's life, y'all could detect a typical laptop for $one,300. That's a 38% increase in price, for 28% more operation.

We're quoting typical mid-generation GTX 1060 laptop pricing in that location. Today, many GTX 1060 laptops are available for less than $ane,100 since they are on their way out.

It doesn't get much better comparing the RTX 2060 to the GTX 1070. On the desktop, the RTX 2060 was priced higher to match the older GTX 1070, only this really made sense every bit the RTX 2060 is a decent amount faster, and then it'south a better value and therefore the better buy in that price tier. But on laptops, information technology's non quite the same.

We're seeing RTX 2060 laptops coming in around the typical price for a GTX 1070 arrangement: $1,800. Simply the newer GPU is actually 11% slower. With some of older-gen laptops selling at a discount today, ofttimes sitting at $one,500 or less, it'due south a no brainer to choose the Pascal option. Information technology'south hard to predict what will happen when GTX 1070 laptops leave the market, but correct at present it doesn't make sense to go for an RTX 2060 at those prices.

This state of affairs also throws into question the RTX 2070 Max-Q. The average laptop with that GPU is ~$2,400, or 33% more than RTX 2060 laptops, for nearly no performance uplift. Of course, in this example you're paying for the portability and often nicer build. To be completely fair, with Pascal the standard GTX 1070 laptops were considerably cheaper than slower GTX 1070 Max-Q units for the near office.

Ultimately, we feel RTX 2060 laptops demand to exist priced closer to $i,500 or less to be a proficient value. But that'southward a big price cut, which seems like a tough ask when competition does not abound.

Practice note there are a few RTX 2060 laptops y'all tin purchase for $ane,400 right now, but those models are equipped with a quad-cadre Core i5-8300H CPU inside, non the standard half dozen-core 8750H. Those may seem similar a amend bargain, but are not equivalent and we all the same wouldn't buy them over a $1,500 GTX 1070 system.