Doom: The Dark Ages has finally arrived, and after ripping and tearing my way through Doom Eternal over the past few years to test the best gaming laptops, it's now time for Doomguy to brutalize hordes of demons in medieval fashion with the latest Nvidia RTX 50-series gaming laptops.
I recently got my hands on an MSI Stealth A16 AI+ with an RTX 5070 Ti and an Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an RTX 5080, and there's no better way to put these gaming laptops to the test than by playing Doom: The Dark Ages — with the franchise having a solid history of delivering well-optimized PC games.
For the most part, that's true. Developers id Software and Nvidia teamed up to have the latest installment of the iconic first-person shooter be a flagship title of sorts for RTX 50 gaming PCs. However, Nvidia's Gamer Ready driver for Doom dropped, and there has already been a list of known issues for PCs (with fixes in the works).
Fortunately, I haven't experienced any freezes or crashes, so I was able to get on with all the ferocious and bullet hell-like action Doom: The Dark Ages throws at you. And what a blast it is.
There's no Path Tracing and DLSS Ray Reconstruction yet, as they are set to arrive sometime later, but you will find DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation, ray tracing and Nvidia Reflex — and it all very much adds to the destruction and savagery our Doom Slayer stomps around in.
But the question is: how does it perform on an RTX 5080 and RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptop? Very well, as you'd expect, but I've been surprised by the results.
RTX 5080 vs RTX 5070 Ti gaming laptop specs
Before getting into the results, here's a look at what's under the hood of the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ and Asus ROG Zephyrus G16.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | MSI Stealth A16 AI+ (RTX 5070 Ti) | Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (RTX 5080) |
Price | From $2,899 | From $3,599 |
Display | 16-inch QHD+ (2560 x 1600) OLED, 240Hz refresh rate | 16-inch WQXGA (2560 x 1600) OLED, 240Hz refresh rate |
CPU | AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 | Intel Core Ultra 9 285H |
GPU | Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti | Nvidia GeForce RTX 5080 |
RAM | 32GB DDR5 | 32GB DDR5 |
Storage | 2TB | 2TB |
Ports | 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB-C (with USB4/DisplayPort/Thunderbolt 4/ PD 3.0), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet, 1x 3.5mm audio jack | 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 2, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 (with DisplayPort/ PD 3.0/G-Sync), 1x Thunderbolt 4, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x SD card reader, 1x 3.5mm audio jack |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 | Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Dimensions | 14 x 10.2 x 0.7 inches | 13.94 x 9.69 x 0.59 ~ 0.69 inches |
Weight | 4.6 pounds | 4.3 pounds |
Even by latest standards, these gaming laptops pack a mighty punch.
There's a difference in CPUs and GPUs here, with the Stealth A16 AI+ sporting an AMD Ryzen 9 HX 370 and the ROG Zephyrus G16 with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285H chip. Both are some of the top of their respected brands, and they pull their weight when it comes to heavy duty gaming tasks.
The RTX 5080 onboard the ROG Zephyrus G16 should pull off greater performance feats than the RTX 5070 Ti in the Stealth A16 AI+, but with the results I got, that isn't exactly the case.
Other than that, these 16-inch laptops share similar specs.
RTX 5080 vs RTX 5070 Ti showdown
We've tested Doom: The Dark Ages on an RTX 5090 PC and saw amazing results in both its raw power and with DLSS turned on, as expected from a pricey GPU. Nvidia's RTX 50-series laptop GPUs won't ever reach those heights due to lower TDP and thermal constraints, but that doesn't mean they can't deliver great performance.
Set on Ultra Nightmare (the highest graphical settings) at 1600p, these laptops made Doom: The Dark Ages look absolutely stunning in all of its hellscape glory. From slicing demons in half with a buzzsaw shield to firing plasma rounds at soldiers with (terrible) shields only to see an eruption of blue sparks explode on display, everything is smooth and thrilling to look at.
Even with DLSS off, graphics looked gorgeous and frame rates were what I'd want from an optimized PC gaming experience. That's not to say a higher-end RTX 40-equipped gaming laptop wouldn't dish out the same numbers, but these rigs even without the aid of DLSS.
Anyway, despite enjoying my time on both laptops, I realized I was getting a similar experience. Using Nvidia's analytics overlay and Doom: The Dark Age's own logistics tool, the RTX 5070 Ti laptop saw an average 87 FPS without DLSS. That's impressive numbers for max graphical settings at 1600p, and that number jumped to a whopping 207 FPS with DLSS multi frame gen x4.
Moving to the RTX 5080 laptop, I saw an average of 95 FPS with DLSS off, and up to 221 FPS with DLSS x4.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 (RTX 5080) | MSI Stealth A16 AI+ (RTX 5070 Ti) |
1600p no DLSS | 95 | 87 |
1600p DLSS x4 | 221 | 207 |
Having anything over 120 FPS for a single-player experience (I'm even satisfied at over 60 FPS) is superb, even if the differences are negligible. But over 200 FPS? That's wild. However, even though the RTX 5080 clearly comes on top, it's equally clearly not by much.
I checked if there was something the ROG Zephyrus G16 had switched on that was making the smaller gap, but all settings were the same. Sure, it packs a lot of power, but so too does the RTX 5070 Ti — and not by much less.
Is the difference worth it?
Of course, gaming laptops all come with different configurations and builds, so even if they offer the same specs, they may offer slightly differing performance. That's all to say that the Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 with an RTX 5080 may be slacking a tad, as the MSI Stealth A16 AI+ with the RTX 5070 Ti isn't too far behind when it comes to Doom: The Dark Ages.
Both deliver the latest graphics potential for the game that's made to be optimized using Nvidia's graphics cards, and it's a stunning ride. However, it's clear that even the RTX 5070 Ti has a lot going for it. I don't know about you, but I'd opt for a gaming laptop, delivering that kind of performance, that's around $700 cheaper compared to a slightly more powerful notebook.
That said, as you'll find in my Stealth A16 AI+ hands-on, this machine can make a lot of racket, especially when compared to the ROG Zephyrus G16.
Regardless, if you're after the latest in graphics with a bunch of demons to obliterate, whether it be on a laptop or gaming PC, you'll get a kick (and shield saw) out of playing Doom: The Dark Ages with an RTX 50-series GPU.
More from Tom's Guide
- I spent 30 days with the RTX 5090-powered Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 — here's my pros and cons
- I just experienced DLSS 4 and now I can never go back — here’s why
- I test gaming controllers for a living — here are the 6 best for each platform
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