Is it time to get an NVIDIA GeForce 40 series graphics card?

We compare the Razer Blade 15 RTX 3070 vs ACER Predator RTX 4080

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 / Nvidia

It’s never easy picking the right moment to take the plunge on a new PC or laptop. Too soon and the changes are minimal; too late and you’ve wasted years of your life languishing with an underpowered rig. And no one wants that. So should you get an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40 series graphics card? That’s what we’re finding out in this feature.

I’m comparing my Razer Blade 15 RTX 3070 laptop to the ACER Predator RTX 4080. The former released in 2021, while the latter launched in 2023, so it’s a difference of almost three years. The bigger difference, though, is with the graphics cards they each contain.

One is an RTX 30 series (releasing in 2020), and the other is an RTX 40 series (releasing in 2022), with the latter being the only generation of NVIDIA cards compatible with some of the company’s latest innovations. These include DLSS 3 with Frame Generation which is exclusive to 40-Series GPUs. Read about 9 incredible NVIDIA technologies that will (apparently) shape the future of gaming – ranked.

Before we dive in, here are the full specs of both laptops for clarity. As you can see, not only do they have different generations of graphics card, but the ACER Predator has a better processor, more RAM, and superior SSD storage.

Laptop comparison

(2021) Razer Blade 15-inch

• RTX 3070
• Core i7
• 8GB
• 512GB SSD
• Cost: £1805.95 

(2023) ACER Predator 16-inch

• RTX 4080
• Core i9
• 16GB
• 2TB SSD
• Cost: £2,807.98

GeForce 40 series vs GeForce 30 series: graphics

Cyberpunk 2077 runs great at max settings on the RTX 4080 ACER Predator / CD Projekt Red

First, I compare Cyberpunk 2077 on both laptops. The ACER Predator effortlessly runs it at max settings, aka Ray Tracing: Overdrive mode. This includes the highest level of crowd density, facial lighting geometry, and volumetric clouds, all at a buttery 60fps. In fact, after some tinkering in the visual settings with the numerous DLSS options (there are about 15 different sub-settings here), I get the game running at 150fps on max, even in busy sections of the city. That’s desktop-level performance.

Cyberpunk 2077 Ray Trancing: Overdrive preset / CD Projekt Red

My Razer Blade does less well. In fact, it gets nowhere near the other laptop. Cyberpunk 2077 on max settings here is unplayable, while medium runs at about 10fps. On the lowest settings, it just about manages 60fps, but looks awful. 

Winner: ACER Predator 

GeForce 40 series vs GeForce 30 series: performance

The ACER Predator’s RTX 4080 barely breaks a sweat running Cyberpunk 2077 on max settings, despite it being one of the most intensive games around. The heat is minimal, and the fan volume - while fairly loud - isn’t obnoxious. 

Cyberpunk 2077 / CD Projekt Red

The Razer Blade meanwhile sounds like it’s dying. The heat is too intense to put it directly on my lap without leaving a red mark on my legs (this has happened to me before), and the fans are enough to draw comment from flatmates and family members. To be fair, it wasn’t like this at the start. After almost three years, however, the laptop’s performance has deteriorated. This says more about the quality of the laptop than the 30 series graphics card, granted.

For instance, when Elden Ring launched in 2022, my Razer Blade 15 was able to get 50-60fps on max settings. Now, it’s barely squeezing 60fps out of the lowest possible settings. 

Elden Ring / Bandai Namco, FromSoftware

The ACER Predator is… weird. It matches the Razer Blade 15’s original, peak performance on Elden Ring, outputting 60fps on max settings with Ray Tracing included, but also gives 60fps on the lowest settings. It doesn’t make sense - maybe there’s an option in the game’s menu capping its performance at 60fps regardless of graphics settings (Edit: Elden Ring does indeed cap itself at 60fps).

Winner: ACER Predator 

GeForce 40 series vs GeForce 30 series: battery life

OK, we’re talking the laptops specifically here rather than their cards, but it helps to know what the card is attached to. The ACER Predator gives you two hours of life once you unplug it, and an extra ten minutes if you turn on battery mode. Relying on the battery alone for gaming is ill-advised, however. Those two hours become one when you boot up a game, and the performance drops right down. If you want to play something on your ACER Predator, plug it in.

The Razer Blade is half as good. It lasts about an hour on a full charge, and you can buy yourself an extra 20 minutes by turning on battery saver mode. Don’t expect to play games without it plugged in, however. You’ll halve not only the battery life, but also your framerate, making it pointless unless you’re desperate.

Winner: ACER Predator 

GeForce 40 series vs GeForce 30 series: build quality

Now, there are two ways we can examine the build quality between our two laptops: how they stacked up against each other when they were both new, and how they compare now. Currently, the Razer Blade is objectively worse, because it’s falling apart. The mouse trackpad is cracked and unusable, and the body no longer sits flush with the desk, due to the laptop expanding over the years, probably from the heat. All laptops have a lifespan, of course, but after spending almost £2000 on one, you’d expect it to last a bit longer.

Razer Blade 15 / Razer

The ACER Predator is better purely because it’s newer. For starters, you can actually use the mouse trackpad, which frees up one of your three allotted USB ports (more of these please, laptop manufacturers) from having to host a plug-in mouse. There are also no dead pixels on the screen, unlike the several tiny white dots on my Razer Blade 15, and I’m able to have it on my lap without fear of scalding. It’s not clear exactly how long it’ll stay in this shape - it might last even fewer years than the Razer Blade 15 - but for now, it’s the superior laptop in terms of build.

Winner: ACER Predator 

GeForce 40 series vs GeForce 30 series: form factor

The Razer Blade 15 is the sexier laptop, hands-down. It’s thinner, sleeker, and lighter. The bezels around the screen are slimmer, and the matte black finish works ridiculously well with the glowing green Razer logo on the shell. This is a rare gaming laptop that actually looks cool.

Acer Predator 16 / Acer

From a style perspective, the ACER Predator, like most gaming laptops, is doing too much. It's got two large vents on the side, and two more on the rear. Combine that with a sort of circuit board pattern running along the hinge and it’s got a dated look. For most people, though, performance comes first, so if a few extra vents are what’s needed to stop it burning your legs, so be it.

Winner: Razer Blade 15

GeForce 40 series vs GeForce 30 series: screen

ACER Predator’s screen is 16 inches, at 2560x1600, with 240hz, and HDR. It also features NVIDIA G-Sync, which essentially results in a smoother image on-screen, although it’s hard to tell unless you’re a pro to be honest. The RTX 40 series card handles this resolution easily. It still puts up a fight when you try and force 4K on it, though.

The Razer Blade 15 has a 15.6 inch screen at 1920x1080 resolution, with 144hz. It’s the bare minimum for playing games - you wouldn’t want to dip down to 720p - but it’s good enough, and the RTX 3070 is comfortable with it. If you’re looking to be wowed by crisp lines, bright colours, and higher resolutions, you’ll need a better card.

Winner: ACER Predator 

GeForce 40 series vs GeForce 30 series: price

Prices aren’t going down, for either cards or laptops. In 2021, the Razer Blade RTX 3070 cost £1805.95. In 2024, the ACER Predator RTX 4080 costs £2,807.98. That’s a hefty price to pay to transition from one generation of graphics card to the next one. However, prices for laptops fitted with RTX 40 series cards vary. An ASUS RTX 460 is currently £1,179.99, while one with an RTX 490 is £3,319.56. So, is a more powerful RTX 40 series card worth it?

GeForce 40 series vs GeForce 30 series: verdict

This is a limited experiment given I’m only comparing two laptops. Added to that, the older one could be bottlenecking the RTX 370 due to its age, so it’s not a completely fair test. However, the RTX 40 series is the clear winner.

With NVIDIA DLSS 3 technologies (exclusive to RTX 40-Series GPUs) able to give you a boost of about 30 frames seemingly out of thin air, as well as use AI to improve ray-traced images and create more realistic illuminated scenes without running your machine into the ground, there’s the promise RTX 40 series 40 graphics cards will keep you ahead of the gaming curve much longer, meaning, theoretically, you won’t have to buy another card so soon.

Which card specifically in the RTX 40 series is down to you, at whatever price point you feel comfortable with. The same goes for what laptop or desktop you decide to house it. But in my opinion, an RTX 40 series card is worth the investment.