This year, among the RTX 40 series gaming laptops, the RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 are considered performance beasts. The top-tier RTX 4090, while the most powerful, comes with a hefty price tag, making it a choice for only a select few. Thus, the RTX 4080 gaming laptop has become the hottest high-end laptop with a dedicated graphics card this year. Of course, as the current mid-range flagship gaming laptop, the RTX 4080 models are not cheap either, with even the new brand known for its cost-performance ratio starting at around 15,000 yuan.
However, among the many RTX 4080 gaming laptops, the Thunder God ZERO 2023 is priced extremely aggressively, and its processor specifications have reached the top level—featuring the i9 13900HX. With such high specifications, the promotional starting price (16GB + 512GB) is only 12,999 yuan! As a result, this model has instantly become one of the most appealing RTX 4080 gaming laptops currently available. So, does this machine’s actual performance match its attractive price? This is a question many friends are concerned about, and let’s take a look at its real-world performance.
■Screen: 16-inch 2560×1600 240Hz IPS screen
■Processor: Core i9 13900HX (24 cores, 32 threads, max turbo frequency 5.4GHz)
■Graphics Card: RTX 4080 Laptop GPU (performance release 175W)
■Memory: 2×16GB DDR5 4800MHz
■Storage: 1TB PCIe4.0 SSD (with a second M.2 slot)
■Wireless Network Card: intel AX201 WiFi6
■Left Ports: USB 3.1 Type-A, 3.5mm combo audio port
■Right Ports: 2×USB 3.1 Type-A
■Rear Ports: Power port, RJ45, HDMI2.1, Thunderbolt 4, Mini DP 1.4
■Weight: Measured at 2.65kg (including 63Wh battery) + 1.142kg (300W power adapter)
Test Configuration Reference Price: 17,999 yuan
16GB + 512GB Promotional Price: 12,999 yuan (limited-time offer on the 21st at midnight)
Pros:High cost-performance ratio for the starting configuration; dual-core hardware specifications are powerful; 2.5K high-refresh rate screen experience is good; the build quality is decent, supporting multi-zone lighting effects synchronization
Cons:Fan noise is significant under high load; SSD performance is average
Unique design and good build quality
The appearance of the Thunder God ZERO 2023 inherits the “Genesis” ID design language of its predecessor, giving it a strong gaming laptop vibe. The body color options are rich, such as the vibrant orange and the subdued white. The model we shot is Ice Blade White, which looks refreshing and indeed feels more stylish and youthful compared to the all-black gaming laptops.
The center of the A-side features the Thunder God logo, which can light up and supports synchronization with the keyboard and rear light strips. Such cool lighting effects are generally a selling point of high-end gaming laptops.
The screen features a narrow bezel design, with a camera on the top and the bottom bezel minimized to avoid the annoying “long chin”. No worries about aesthetics here.
The C-side feels solid but is prone to fingerprints. The numeric keypad area and the main key area lack clear separation, and the frequently used Enter key is small and easily mispressed. Additionally, the vertical size of the up and down arrow keys has been compressed, which may annoy some users. However, overall, the C-side has a strong cyberpunk style and considers the usability details of high-end gaming laptops, which is commendable.
Some detailed positions on the body also have unique embellishments, such as the wrist rest engraving, decorative slants on the touchpad edge, and the illuminated power button logo, indicating that the design of this machine is quite meticulous.
As a 16-inch large-screen laptop, the measured weight of this machine is 2.65kg, paired with a 300W power adapter, portability is not very high, which is a point that all high-end heavy gaming laptops need to pay attention to.
Powerful! Processor performance release at 110W!
The reviewed version of the Thunder God ZERO 2023 is equipped with the i9 13900HX processor. Remember a few key parameters for this processor: it reaches the top level for current gaming laptops, with 24 cores and 32 threads; base power consumption is 55W, maximum turbo power consumption is 157W; maximum turbo frequency is 5.4GHz. It handles all heavy applications on the laptop platform without issue.
At around 24°C, during a half-hour single test of the Thunder God ZERO 2023 with the processor (performance mode set to extreme), the processor stabilized at a power of 110W, with core frequencies of 3.5GHz for large cores and 2.9GHz for small cores, and a processor temperature of 95°C. I want to emphasize that the performance release of the Thunder God ZERO 2023 is very impressive! Compared to previous performances, the improvement is substantial!
Below is the benchmark test summary:
In the Cinebench R23 multi-core test, the i9 13900HX of the Thunder God ZERO 2023 scored an impressive 29033, which is about 38% stronger than the i9 13900H; in the V-RAY 5.0 benchmark test, the i9 13900HX scored 19881, while the i9 13900H scored 13920, indicating that the i9 13900HX is about 43% stronger.
It should be noted that since the 100W i9 13900H is already a strong contender, this comparison highlights just how formidable the 110W i9 13900HX is! For conventional strong 8-core 16-thread processors, the Cinebench R23 multi-core test scores around 14,000, which is less than half of the i9 13900HX score, making it a benchmark for performance comparison…
▲ Using Blender for rendering to test the machine’s full-load performance, for a single image rendering test, the software version is 3.5, and the testing project is a longer Classroom scene. The final rendering time for this machine was 3 minutes and 31 seconds, which is a very fast result. The 100W i9 13900H took 4 minutes and 50 seconds (software version 3.4.1). Excluding the impact of software updates, it is clear that the Thunder God ZERO 2023’s performance is very strong, leading the 100W i9 13900H by over a minute. For reference, the previous generation product i9 12900H had a rendering time of 6 minutes and 33 seconds, which is nearly half the rendering time compared to the previous generation—this is a significant performance leap for the Thunder God ZERO 2023!
Processor Test Summary: The Thunder God ZERO 2023’s processor maintains a performance release of 110W, significantly improved compared to its predecessor, which is commendable! In practical tests, the i9 13900HX has shown very strong capabilities, easily outperforming the powerful i9 13900H and far surpassing the 8-core 16-thread H processors.
Regarding processor performance, for gaming laptops like the Thunder God ZERO 2023 equipped with the i9 13900HX, you don’t need to worry about processor performance—it’s firmly in the top tier of mobile platforms. If you are into effects video production, simulation computing, engineering design, mechanical design, 3D rendering, and other related applications, the i9 13900HX, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is definitely one of the best choices among laptop processors.
Full Power RTX 4080: Smooth at 2.5K Highest Quality
The reviewed Thunder God ZERO 2023 is equipped with the RTX 4080 Laptop GPU (hereafter referred to as RTX 4080), using the AD104 core, featuring 7424 stream processors, 12GB GDDR6 memory, a 192-bit memory bus, and a maximum power consumption of 175W, which is commonly referred to as the full-power version. The RTX 4080 is indeed the most sought-after high-end graphics card for gaming laptops.
First, let’s take a look at the benchmark performance of this graphics card. In the tests, we included the 175W RTX 3080Ti (the previous generation flagship graphics card) and the 140W RTX 4070 test results for comparison: the former compares inter-generational performance improvements, while the latter compares performance within the same generation, making it easier for everyone to understand the performance level of the RTX 4080.
From the 3DMark benchmark test results, the 175W RTX 4080 in the Thunder God ZERO 2023 is very powerful. In the Time Spy test, the graphics score was 18564, which is about 37% higher than the 175W RTX 3080Ti and about 56% faster than the 140W RTX 4070. In the Fire Strike Extreme test, the Thunder God ZERO 2023’s graphics score reached 22239, leading the reference graphics scores by 33% and 58%, respectively, with all scores ranking among the top gaming laptops.
2.5K Raster Game Performance Comparison Test
The Thunder God ZERO 2023 features a 2560×1600 resolution 240Hz high-refresh screen, so this time we set the game testing to 2560×1600 resolution with the highest preset quality, running in “extreme mode” with the dedicated graphics card directly connected.
▲ In “Cyberpunk 2077,” using the game’s built-in benchmark test, the Thunder God ZERO 2023 achieved an average frame rate of 77fps at the highest quality in 1600P, which is quite smooth. In reality, we all know that “Cyberpunk 2077” is known for its poor optimization, so when you see this game running close to 80fps at 2.5K highest quality, other games should be no problem at all.
▲ The results confirm this, as in “Forza Horizon 5,” the machine achieved an average frame rate of 113fps at 2.5K highest quality, which is very smooth.
▲ For the less hardware-demanding AAA title “Shadow of the Tomb Raider,” the machine’s average frame rate skyrocketed to 149fps at 2.5K highest quality, reaching esports-level frame rates.
In the raster game performance test, the RTX 4080 ran AAA games at 2.5K highest quality with a minimum frame rate of 77fps, and the average frame rate for most games exceeded 100fps, easily handling the performance tests for 2.5K highest quality AAA games! In other words, at 2.5K resolution, players can fully enjoy the ultimate smooth gaming experience. If you pursue esports-level frame rates, you can enable DLSS in supported games—frame rates exceeding 100fps are not an issue. Additionally, compared to the previous generation flagship graphics card, the RTX 4080 significantly outperforms it and is better equipped to handle future high-resolution, high-quality AAA titles.
RTX and DLSS 3 Performance Testing
Next, let’s look at the ray tracing performance and DLSS 3 testing. DLSS 3 is a core feature of the RTX 40 series graphics cards, which can greatly enhance game frame rates. So how does it perform in practical tests? In the following game tests, we conducted two sets of comparative tests: 2K highest quality + RTX highest with DLSS 3 off, and 2K highest quality + RTX highest with DLSS 3 quality on.
▲ First, let’s still use the poorly optimized “Cyberpunk 2077” to see the effect. When RTX 4080 is set with DLSS 3 off, the average frame rate is 32fps; with DLSS 3 quality enabled, the frame rate is 97fps, almost a threefold performance increase!
▲ “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” has increased its hardware performance requirements after the next-gen graphics update. With ray tracing enabled, it has become a hardware killer. The RTX 4080’s average frame rate is 35fps with DLSS 3 off, and 81fps with DLSS 3 on.
Testing shows that enabling DLSS 3, which supports “frame generation” technology, leads to a significant improvement in game frame rates. It is sufficient to run 3A games with extremely high hardware demands smoothly at 2K highest quality with ray tracing effects enabled. For example, the frame rate of “Cyberpunk 2077” increased from 32fps to 97fps, moving from a very choppy experience to a very smooth one! This demonstrates that DLSS 3 is a great tool for players to experience ray tracing games.
Machine Testing
At around 23°C, the Thunder God ZERO 2023 underwent dual testing (slightly elevated), and after half an hour, the situation was as follows: the power consumption of the i9 13900HX processor was about 55W, with a temperature of about 82°C; the RTX 4080’s power consumption was around 150W, with a temperature of about 86.4°C, resulting in a total performance release of around 205W under full load, which is quite powerful.
During the dual test under full load, the user noise level was about 61 decibels, which is an area for improvement for this machine. Currently, among the RTX 40 series gaming laptops tested this year, it is one of the louder ones, but fortunately, the fan noise is not shrill, just relatively loud.
Regarding the C-side temperature, during full load, the heat accumulated around the K and L keys on the right side of the keyboard, with the highest temperature around 50°C, which is quite noticeable. However, the keycaps themselves remain cool, and placing your palm on them does not feel hot. The left control area is relatively cool, around 40°C, so avoiding the heat accumulation area on the right side during high load is advisable.
▲ By unscrewing the bottom shell screws, you can easily open the bottom cover, where the internal design is tidy, and a second SSD can be upgraded.
Overall, during the dual testing, the advantages are good power output and performance. The downside is that fan noise could be optimized and the right side of the keyboard gets quite hot.
Screen, Ports, and SSD
Next, let’s talk about the user interaction details. The Thunder God ZERO 2023 features a 2560×1600 resolution (16:10) 100% sRGB color gamut 240Hz high-refresh gaming screen, with a claimed maximum brightness of 500 nits, DC dimming, and Rheinland eye protection certification, with a response time of 5ms. I believe this is a screen that perfectly matches gamers—suitable resolution, extremely high refresh rate, sufficient brightness, and high color gamut for daily use or simple image processing.
▲ The actual color gamut is 100% sRGB, high-color gamut IPS screen.
▲ The maximum color accuracy value is 4.04, with a minimum value of 0.12 and an average of 1.09. Generally, the color accuracy performance of 2.5K high-refresh screens is good, and the overall quality is at a good level.
▲ In fact, the maximum brightness exceeded 500 nits, reaching 534 nits, allowing for comfortable use with the brightness set to around 70-80%.
The port design of this machine is generally reasonable, with the most commonly used USB-A ports on both sides, while all the bulky cables (network, power, HDMI, DP, etc.) are placed at the rear, completely avoiding interference with users. Moreover, there are three USB ports distributed on both sides of the body, making it convenient for any usage. However, if there was one more Type-C port that supports PD charging, it would be perfect.
▲ The SSD quality of this machine is not ideal; the 1TB capacity is good, but there are speed drops during large data transfers. Additionally, there are rumors that later machines will switch SSDs, and since the probability of transferring large files all at once is low, and gamers usually upgrade their SSDs, this point may not be too concerning.
Summary: Some Regrets but a Great Price! Recommend Buying the 16GB + 512GB Version
The Thunder God ZERO 2023 is a very appealing high-end gaming laptop, and its biggest selling point is its high hardware specifications and attractive pricing! At around 13,000 yuan, you can get a configuration with the i9 13900HX + RTX 4080 + 2.5K 240Hz screen, which is very attractive for users seeking high-performance gaming laptops. Although we have also discovered some regrets during use, such as the fan noise being relatively loud and the SSD quality being average, this machine is still a worthwhile choice for a high-performance and cost-effective gaming laptop!
Finally, regarding specific purchasing advice, I suggest that you prioritize the 16GB + 512GB version, as the recent promotional price is only 12,999 yuan! After purchasing, adding a 1TB SSD only costs a little over 400 yuan, making the configuration quite complete.
Editor: Chen Yong
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