NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition Review (2024)

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition Review (1)548Architecture»

Introduction

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition Review (2)

Today NVIDIA releases the GeForce RTX 4070 Ada—we have the review. The new RTX 4070 (non Ti) is the most affordable graphics card in the RTX 40-series so far, which also makes it the most important one. At a starting price of $600, and with the promise of maxed out 1440p gaming, or 4K gaming with fairly high settings the card could bring fresh wind to the gaming segment. You also get the force multiplier that is DLSS 3, to achieve significantly higher framerates.

The GeForce RTX 4070 in this review has a lot in common with the recently launched RTX 4070 Ti, in that it's based on a cut-down version of the same silicon, and offers the same 12 GB of GDDR6X memory; but at a much lower wattage class. In fact, many custom-design RTX 4070 cards, including some factory-overclocked ones, make do with just one 8-pin PCIe power connector (a 225 W power configuration when you count in the PCIe slot). Of course, NVIDIA also lets board partners use the newer ATX 12VHPWR power connector that can provide a lot more power.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition Review (3)

The GeForce "Ada Lovelace" graphics architecture that the RTX 4070 is based on, debuts the third generation of RTX, NVIDIA's ground-breaking technology that ups realism in games by fusing real-time ray traced elements with classic raster 3D graphics. Even this bit of ray tracing requires enormous compute power, and so the company created dedicated hardware inside the GPU that takes care of these workloads. Ada debuts the 3rd generation RT core with a generational uplift in ray tracing intersection performance; and 4th generation Tensor cores, which accelerate AI deep-learning neural nets, by tapping into even newer capabilities. The Ada CUDA core, plus higher GPU clock-speeds, and a completely redesigned memory sub-system with larger on-die caches, make up the new architecture. Putting it all together is the new TSMC 4N (5 nm with 4 nm-class characteristics) process.

The GeForce RTX 4070 that we test in this review is based on the same AD104 silicon that powers the RTX 4070 Ti, but while the latter maxes out all available hardware on the silicon, the former is heavily cut down. The RTX 4070 has just 46 out of 60 streaming multiprocessors (SM) physically present; which works out to an identical shader count to its predecessor, of 5,888 CUDA cores. It also features 184 Tensor cores, 46 RT cores, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs (out of 80 present). Thankfully, the memory itself is unchanged, you get 12 GB of 21 Gbps GDDR6X across the chip's 192-bit memory bus; yielding 504 GB/s bandwidth, which is generationally higher than the 448 GB/s of the RTX 3070.

While NVIDIA didn't release a Founders Edition for the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, they've engineered one for the RTX 4070. The Founders Edition is no longer a pure reference design, but a slightly more premium one, that still comes at MSRP.

The RTX 4070 Founders Edition design is based on the same Dual Axial Flow-through philosophy as the RTX 3080 FE, or even the latest RTX 4090 FE, but in a much more compact form. While NVIDIA does allow its board partners to use legacy 8-pin power connectors, the Founders Edition relies on the 16-pin 12VHPWR connector, but features the same clocks and power limit as the other cards we're testing today.

GeForce RTX 4070 Market Segment Analysis
PriceCoresROPsCore
Clock
Boost
Clock
Memory
Clock
GPUTransistorsMemory
Arc A770$29040961282100 MHzN/A2187 MHzACM-G1021700M16 GB, GDDR6, 256-bit
RTX 2080$3102944641515 MHz1710 MHz1750 MHzTU10413600M8 GB, GDDR6, 256-bit
RTX 3060 Ti$3204864801410 MHz1665 MHz1750 MHzGA10417400M8 GB, GDDR6, 256-bit
RX 6700 XT$320
2560642424 MHz2581 MHz2000 MHzNavi 2217200M12 GB, GDDR6, 192-bit
RTX 2080 Ti$4204352881350 MHz1545 MHz1750 MHzTU10218600M11 GB, GDDR6, 352-bit
RTX 3070$4005888961500 MHz1725 MHz1750 MHzGA10417400M8 GB, GDDR6, 256-bit
RTX 3070 Ti$5006144961575 MHz1770 MHz1188 MHzGA10417400M8 GB, GDDR6X, 256-bit
RX 6800$4503840961815 MHz2105 MHz2000 MHzNavi 2126800M16 GB, GDDR6, 256-bit
RX 6800 XT$51046081282015 MHz2250 MHz2000 MHzNavi 2126800M16 GB, GDDR6, 256-bit
RTX 3080$5508704961440 MHz1710 MHz1188 MHzGA10228000M10 GB, GDDR6X, 320-bit
RTX 4070$6005888641920 MHz2475 MHz1313 MHzAD10435800M12 GB, GDDR6X, 192-bit
RTX 3080 Ti$750102401121365 MHz1665 MHz1188 MHzGA10228000M12 GB, GDDR6X, 384-bit
RX 6900 XT$62051201282015 MHz2250 MHz2000 MHzNavi 2126800M16 GB, GDDR6, 256-bit
RX 6950 XT$68051201282100 MHz2310 MHz2250 MHzNavi 2126800M16 GB, GDDR6, 256-bit
RTX 3090$800104961121395 MHz1695 MHz1219 MHzGA10228000M24 GB, GDDR6X, 384-bit
RTX 4070 Ti$8007680802310 MHz2610 MHz1313 MHzAD10435800M12 GB, GDDR6X, 192-bit
RX 7900 XT$80053761922000 MHz2400 MHz2500 MHzNavi 3157700M20 GB, GDDR6, 320-bit
RTX 3090 Ti$1000107521121560 MHz1950 MHz1313 MHzGA10228000M24 GB, GDDR6X, 384-bit
RTX 4080$115097281122205 MHz2505 MHz1400 MHzAD10345900M16 GB, GDDR6X, 256-bit
RX 7900 XTX$96061441922300 MHz2500 MHz2500 MHzNavi 3157700M24 GB, GDDR6, 384-bit
RTX 4090$1600163841762235 MHz2520 MHz1313 MHzAD10276300M24 GB, GDDR6X, 384-bit

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition Review (2024)

FAQs

Is the RTX 4070 Founders Edition worth it? ›

The new card delivers roughly 15% higher frame rates at the same $599 price, making its release a clear win for gamers. That said, while it's an outstanding graphics card at its list price, the RTX 4070 Super isn't quite powerful enough to wholly dominate its market segment.

Is a RTX 4070 good for gaming? ›

Like the RTX 4070, the RTX 4070 Super seems like a well-rounded gaming card choice. Its performance straddles highest quality 1080p through entry 4K gaming (and video editing), hitting all of 1440p in between.

Is the RTX Founders Edition worth it? ›

It's an excellent graphics card if you're shopping in its price range, even if it doesn't make a convincing reason to upgrade if you already have an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 or similar level of card. But if this will be your jump into the market from a 20 Series or older card, this is will be a rocket.

Is RTX 4070 high end? ›

Nvidia's RTX 4070 is one of the best graphics cards you can buy, and it's quickly dropping in price at the start of 2024. You might be tempted to pick one up, but with Nvidia's RTX 4070 Super now here, the choice isn't as simple as it once was.

Will 4070 outperform 3080? ›

To wrap things up here, we've got one last statistic locked and loaded: the RTX 4070 offers about fifteen percent better performance per dollar than the RTX 3080.

What is special about Nvidia Founders Edition cards? ›

Cool, Quiet Performance With Dual Fans

For the first time ever our Founders Edition graphics cards feature dual fans, resulting in better cooling capabilities and better acoustics in well-ventilated chassis.

Why are Founders Edition cards so expensive? ›

Founders Edition cards are often priced higher than their aftermarket counterparts due to their limited availability and unique design. Aftermarket cards may offer better cooling performance and overclocking potential compared to Founders Edition cards.

What is the difference between founders edition and normal graphics card? ›

Founders Edition graphics cards come directly from the original manufacturers and set the standard for performance. These graphics cards often have a streamlined cooling design and may include a factory overclock.

What CPU to pair with 4070? ›

Intel's Core i7-14700K is the most powerful Intel chip, and we recommend pairing it with the RTX 4070. It brings 20 cores, 28 threads, and a Turbo Boost up to 5.6GHz; the base TDP hits 125W, climbing to 253W in Turbo.

Is RTX 4070 overkill? ›

As evidenced by the benchmarks above, its utilization of DLSS 3 has meant framerates far beyond what its competitors could do. Considering its asking price in the US and the UK and its capabilities, we don't think the RTX 4070 Super is overkill, but believe it's the right choice for the mainstream gamer.

Is 4070 better than 3070? ›

The gaming performance disparity increases at higher resolutions, so consider what display you'll be using; if you're using one of the best gaming monitors running at 1080p with a high refresh, the 3070 is going to be the better value. Above that, you do get more bang for your buck with the 4070.

Is the RTX 4080 Founders Edition worth it? ›

In every 1440p and 4K performance benchmarks, the RTX 4080 Super card shines brilliantly. Especially at 4K resolution, and even with NVIDIA's excellent DLSS technology turned off. Take Cyberpunk 2077, for example, where it hit a respectable 55fps with the visual settings cranked up to Ultra.

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