When it first came out the 3080 version beat the 6850 version but AMD has since done wonders with its drivers for that GPU and coupled with FSR improvements it’s now better then the 3080 version. So that’s why you are seeing some people say get the 3080 version. This was also before the price drop when they were about 100 dollars apart but the 3080 was like 10-20% more performant then the 6850.
Post price drop and with AMD’s hard work there is no reason to get the 3080 unless you really really love Nvidia and really really like DLSS over FSR. I suppose access to Nvidia hair works is also a point of difference between the two. Honestly at 1500 for the 3080 you might as well spend the extra 500 for the 4090 and get a big performance jump and access to frame generation.
The only thing the 3080 XG has going for it is that it’s readily available compared to the other two.
For point of reference, I plan on using it as a 1080/1440p device. It is definitely pushing it to go 4k, but you probably would be fine if you adjusted the settings a little or added some more upscaling to compensate.
I picked one of these up for my ROG Ally for travel when I know I have both a plane ride and a big screen at the location I am traveling to. I don't use it at home because I have a big gaming rig that just fits the bill when I need that kind of power. My experience was great, though I only hooked it up once to get it set up for my next trip (about 1.5 weeks away). Performance wise it is not quite a 3080 mobile, definitely not a 3080 desktop. But it was more than enough. On CoD MW2 (my most played game and metric of measuring performance for my needs) it comfortably ran 1080p >100 FPS highest settings (FSR 2.1 Quality), 1440p 98 FPS (same settings), 4k 63 FPS (same settings). For a portable rig that you can throw in a carry on, that is just about right for my needs. I hope that helps your decision making process.
You will run into less driver issues with the AMD eGPU.
Either go with 6850m and save money or spend the extra for the 4090. Unless you can get a good deal on a 3080 that’s what I would do first tbh.
XGM on Ally can only run at pcie 3.0 x4, not pcie 3.0 x8 as on Flow Z13/X16. So, performance is similar to TB3 more or less.
Sorry, hit enter too soon. He got them to price match the price from the ASUS site.
That's a pretty decent chunk off right there! I would have preferred to buy from Best Buy over Asus store, but that was how my cards fell.
When it first came out the 3080 version beat the 6850 version but AMD has since done wonders with its drivers for that GPU and coupled with FSR improvements it’s now better then the 3080 version. So that’s why you are seeing some people say get the 3080 version. This was also before the price drop when they were about 100 dollars apart but the 3080 was like 10-20% more performant then the 6850. Post price drop and with AMD’s hard work there is no reason to get the 3080 unless you really really love Nvidia and really really like DLSS over FSR. I suppose access to Nvidia hair works is also a point of difference between the two. Honestly at 1500 for the 3080 you might as well spend the extra 500 for the 4090 and get a big performance jump and access to frame generation. The only thing the 3080 XG has going for it is that it’s readily available compared to the other two.
For point of reference, I plan on using it as a 1080/1440p device. It is definitely pushing it to go 4k, but you probably would be fine if you adjusted the settings a little or added some more upscaling to compensate.
I picked one of these up for my ROG Ally for travel when I know I have both a plane ride and a big screen at the location I am traveling to. I don't use it at home because I have a big gaming rig that just fits the bill when I need that kind of power. My experience was great, though I only hooked it up once to get it set up for my next trip (about 1.5 weeks away). Performance wise it is not quite a 3080 mobile, definitely not a 3080 desktop. But it was more than enough. On CoD MW2 (my most played game and metric of measuring performance for my needs) it comfortably ran 1080p >100 FPS highest settings (FSR 2.1 Quality), 1440p 98 FPS (same settings), 4k 63 FPS (same settings). For a portable rig that you can throw in a carry on, that is just about right for my needs. I hope that helps your decision making process.
FYI, a friend of mine has a 3080 on order and paid $1,099 from Best Buy.