GPU power limits.

One thing I've always wondered is why 3080s can go upto 175w (laptops obv) yet lower end cards like 3060/70 cap at 140w.

The chips themselves are capable of higher wattages as proven by shunt mods, yes people have even shunt modded laptops. I know it's risky and all. I am aware somethings come down to cooling, but if a 3070 had 160w, that would give it more room for frequency boosts and faster clocking RAM too. With the use of liquid metal compounds, vapour chambers, 3 fans and all the new tech... why haven't we seen higher wattages on lesser cards?

Its not like a 3070 8gb at 160w is going to hold a candle to a 3080/ti 16gb 175w. The core count alone makes it a no brainer. Just makes me think the midrange could be a bit better, you know?

Parents
  • For saving money on cooling and for efficiency reasons. Would you really want a 3060 that consumes 300W and is only 5% better than a normal 3060, while also costs a lot more?

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  • For saving money on cooling and for efficiency reasons. Would you really want a 3060 that consumes 300W and is only 5% better than a normal 3060, while also costs a lot more?

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  • Doesnt need to be 300w on a 3060, you kinda took the sentiment and ran there. A 150w 3060 would likely perform better than a 130w. The power budget is split between the GPU and the memory. It could be an extra boost in frequency for both when needed. Controlled by smart shift and the Nvid power control thing. Also with GDDR6W more budget could do to the GPU.

    Maybe not on budget laptops, but if Strix laptops can pair a top tier CPU with a bottom tier GPU and give cooling all the bells and whistles for that, pretty sure if could accommodate an extra 20w on that GPU. If the cooling structure is already there it makes a lot of sense.