Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
The ROG Ally has proved to be a well-oiled machine since its release, but do we know what the desktop GPU equivalent of the ROG Ally actually is?
Performance is power, and anyone considering upgrading to the ASUS ROG Ally instead of a PC probably wants to know what graphics card out there offers the best alternative to the Ally. The popular Z1 Extreme model runs an impressive 1080p display at 120Hz. It’s build on RDNA 3 architecture, with a total 24MB cache and 8.6 TFLOPS Compared to the Steam Deck, that’s double the default 60Hz refresh rate, and higher than its 720p resolution.
But what could the desktop GPU equivalent be? Well, after pawing through Reddit, we’ve found some suggestions – let’s investigate below.
What is the GPU equivalent of ASUS ROG Ally?
The GPU equivalent of the ASUS ROG Ally is closest to the Nvidia GTX 1650, though potentially falling to an Nvidia GTX 1060. The GTX 1650 has been an old favourite for years, handling most AAA games at 1080p with high settings at 60 FPS. Let’s put these claims to the test though in a handy comparison.
Before we go ahead and consider what GPU is equivalent to the Ally in further depth, remember that multiple factors influence the performance of a GPU. The thermal management is a big one (remember that BIOS 322 update has increased the speed of the Ally fans), and so are a GPU’s power limits and CPU. This means you should take these estimates with a pinch of salt, as they only really suggest a ballpark GPU equivalent. There are also ways to boost the performance of your Ally so make sure you consider those factors too.
ROG Ally GPU specs vs GTX 1650 and GTX 1060
| GPU | Clock Speed (base) | Architecture | RAM | Shading Units | ROPs | TMUs |
| ASUS ROG | 1500MHz | RDNA 3 | 16 | 256 | 8 | 16 |
| GTX 1060 | 1506MHz | GP106-A1 (Pascal) | 6 | 1280 | 48 | 80 |
| GTX 1650 | 1485MHz | TU117 (Turing) | 4 | 896 | 32 | 56 |
To go a little deeper on the specs, the GTX 1650 boasts a modest 4GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus. It launched back in 2019, meaning it lacks the ray tracing that the ROG Ally has. This means you might want to compare the ROG Ally to the RTX 2060 which has more powerful ray tracing abilities.
There’s also the ROG Ally’s ability to work with an external GPU (eGPU) which can provide a massive boost to performance. The handheld gaming PC specifically pairs with the XG Mobile eGPU range which appears in our selection of the best accessories for ROG Ally. It is expensive though, and unfortunately, the XG Mobile eGPU collection are the only eGPUs compatible with the Ally.
ASUS ROG XG Mobile 4090
GPU
RTX 4090 laptop GPU
TGP
150W
Ethernet connection
2.5 Gigabit
Display ports
1 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4
USB ports
3 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
Power supply
330W
