GeForce RTX 4070 vs RTX 3070

Place in the ranking	41	20
Place by popularity	38	32
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	59.03	60.21
Power efficiency	18.37	24.38
Architecture	Ampere (2020−2024)	Ada Lovelace (2022−2024)
GPU code name	GA104	AD104
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	1 September 2020 (4 years ago)	12 April 2023 (1 year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$499	$599

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RTX 4070 has 2% better value for money than RTX 3070.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	5888	5888
Core clock speed	1500 MHz	1920 MHz
Boost clock speed	1725 MHz	2475 MHz
Number of transistors	17,400 million	35,800 million
Manufacturing process technology	8 nm	5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	220 Watt	200 Watt
Texture fill rate	317.4	455.4
Floating-point processing power	20.31 TFLOPS	29.15 TFLOPS
ROPs	96	64
TMUs	184	184
Tensor Cores	184	184
Ray Tracing Cores	46	46

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Interface	PCIe 4.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	242 mm	240 mm
Width	2-slot	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	1x 12-pin	1x 16-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR6	GDDR6X
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	12 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	192 Bit
Memory clock speed	1750 MHz	1313 MHz
Memory bandwidth	448.0 GB/s	504.2 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort	1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	+	+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_2)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.5	6.7
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	2.0	3.0
Vulkan	1.2	1.3
CUDA	8.5	8.9

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

RTX 3070 57.96

RTX 4070 69.93
+20.7%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

RTX 3070 22360

RTX 4070 26976
+20.6%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

RTX 3070 43005

RTX 4070 59969
+39.4%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

RTX 3070 88744

RTX 4070 128530
+44.8%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

RTX 3070 31020

RTX 4070 43824
+41.3%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 3070 154864

RTX 4070 193559
+25%

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 3070 502470

RTX 4070 773592
+54%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	150 −46%	219 +46%
1440p	97 −26.8%	123 +26.8%
4K	64 −18.8%	76 +18.8%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	3.33	2.74
1440p	5.14	4.87
4K	7.80	7.88

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

147

−46.9%

216
+46.9%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	125 −15.2%	140−150 +15.2%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	100 −25%	120−130 +25%
Battlefield 5	180−190 −21.2%	220−230 +21.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	100−110 −9.2%	110−120 +9.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	139 −25.2%	174 +25.2%
Far Cry 5	110−120 −6.4%	110−120 +6.4%
Far Cry New Dawn	140−150 −22.1%	170−180 +22.1%
Forza Horizon 4	220−230 −6.3%	230−240 +6.3%
Hitman 3	109 −18.3%	120−130 +18.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	220−230 −15.5%	250−260 +15.5%
Metro Exodus	144 −7.6%	150−160 +7.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	118 −3.4%	120−130 +3.4%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	230−240 −26.2%	290−300 +26.2%
Watch Dogs: Legion	174 +13.7%	150−160 −13.7%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	120−130 −20%	140−150 +20%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	87 −43.7%	120−130 +43.7%
Battlefield 5	180−190 −21.2%	220−230 +21.2%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	100−110 −9.2%	110−120 +9.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	126 −13.5%	143 +13.5%
Far Cry 5	110−120 −6.4%	110−120 +6.4%
Far Cry New Dawn	140−150 −22.1%	170−180 +22.1%
Forza Horizon 4	220−230 −6.3%	230−240 +6.3%
Hitman 3	116 −11.2%	120−130 +11.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn	220−230 −15.5%	250−260 +15.5%
Metro Exodus	144 −7.6%	150−160 +7.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	110−120 −7%	120−130 +7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	255 −47.5%	376 +47.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	120−130 −24%	150−160 +24%
Watch Dogs: Legion	178 +16.3%	150−160 −16.3%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	81 −77.8%	140−150 +77.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	78 −60.3%	120−130 +60.3%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	100−110 −9.2%	110−120 +9.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	102 −25.5%	128 +25.5%
Far Cry 5	110−120 −6.4%	110−120 +6.4%
Forza Horizon 4	220−230 −6.3%	230−240 +6.3%
Hitman 3	111 −16.2%	120−130 +16.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn	181 −61.9%	293 +61.9%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	223 −44.4%	322 +44.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	121 −40.5%	170 +40.5%
Watch Dogs: Legion	85 −45.9%	124 +45.9%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

116

−5.2%

120−130
+5.2%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	120−130 −32%	160−170 +32%
Far Cry New Dawn	90−95 −23.3%	110−120 +23.3%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	68 −20.6%	80−85 +20.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	65 −36.9%	85−90 +36.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	65−70 −18.8%	80−85 +18.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	62 −30.6%	81 +30.6%
Far Cry 5	65−70 −20.6%	80−85 +20.6%
Forza Horizon 4	270−280 +0%	270−280 +0%
Hitman 3	96 −6.3%	100−110 +6.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	146 −52.1%	222 +52.1%
Metro Exodus	101 −41.6%	143 +41.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	166 −33.7%	222 +33.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	95−100 −28.6%	120−130 +28.6%
Watch Dogs: Legion	175 −36.6%	230−240 +36.6%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

114

−0.9%

110−120
+0.9%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	65−70 −35.4%	85−90 +35.4%
Far Cry New Dawn	55−60 −25.5%	65−70 +25.5%
Hitman 3	52 −17.3%	60−65 +17.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	210−220 −3.7%	220−230 +3.7%
Metro Exodus	107 −3.7%	110−120 +3.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	90 −27.8%	115 +27.8%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	48 −20.8%	55−60 +20.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	43 −27.9%	55−60 +27.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	40−45 −26.8%	50−55 +26.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	30 −20%	36 +20%
Far Cry 5	35−40 −31.6%	50−55 +31.6%
Forza Horizon 4	85−90 −36%	120−130 +36%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	97 −24.7%	121 +24.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion	38 −31.6%	50 +31.6%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

−10.1%

75−80
+10.1%

This is how RTX 3070 and RTX 4070 compete in popular games:

RTX 4070 is 46% faster in 1080p
RTX 4070 is 27% faster in 1440p
RTX 4070 is 19% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the RTX 3070 is 16% faster.
in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 4070 is 78% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RTX 3070 is ahead in 2 tests (3%)
RTX 4070 is ahead in 69 tests (96%)
there's a draw in 1 test (1%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	57.96	69.93
Recency	1 September 2020	12 April 2023
Maximum RAM amount	8 GB	12 GB
Chip lithography	8 nm	5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	220 Watt	200 Watt

RTX 4070 has a 20.7% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 2 years, a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount, a 60% more advanced lithography process, and 10% lower power consumption.

The GeForce RTX 4070 is our recommended choice as it beats the GeForce RTX 3070 in performance tests.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.