Yeah, so generally in VEX, the faster something spins, the more friction it will have. Small imperfections in the shaft/bearings will be much more pronounced at higher speeds.
In this case, the 12t gear will be sandwiched between two 36t gears. Because of this 600 rpm 3:1 ratio, the 12t gear will be spinning at 1800 rpm.
This will inherently cause more friction than running the above drive setup, since the 36t raised gears (idlers) are spinning at a much more reasonable 600 rpm.
Hope this helps!