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The 4070 is here, meaning it’s worth asking the question – is the RTX 4070 overkill?
Joining Nvidia’s latest generation of GPUs to boast Ada Lovelace architecture, the RTX 4070 has garnered a lot of curiosity over the last few weeks. Expected to release on April 13th if the leaks prove true, it’s worth taking a closer look at whether the 4070 could be overkill.
To unpack whether the RTX 4070 is worth it for you, you need to be clear on how you plan to use the graphics card. For gamers, there’s a long list of factors that should inform your buying decision. This includes the PC hardware you currently use and the type of games you play.
If you’re a competitive gamer, you’ll also need to determine what frame rate and resolution best suits your gameplay. For example, you might be wondering whether the 4070 can handle 4K or 8K.
Then of course you’ll need to balance the price as another major factor – if the rumours prove true, the 4070 will have an MSRP of $599. This might make your decision harder if you’ve had your eye on an RTX 3080 or 3090 for a while since these cards are potentially more expensive.
If you decide the 4070 is for you, you can find one to buy at these sites:
Amazon US
- Amazon US
- PNY GeForce RTX 4070 12GB XLR8 Gaming VERTO EPIC-X RGB
- Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 4070 Master 12G Graphics Card
- PNY GeForce RTX 4070 12GB Verto Dual Fan Graphics Card DLSS 3
Best Buy
- Best Buy
- Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 12GB GDDR6X
- ASUS Nvidia RTX 4070 12GB GDDR6X
- GIGABYTE – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G GDDR6X
- MSI – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 12GB VENTUS 3X 12GB DDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card
- ASUS – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Overclock 12GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card
- ASUS – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Overclock 12GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card
- GIGABYTE – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 EAGLE OC 12G GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card – Black
- MSI – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 12GB VENTUS 3X OC 12GB DDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card
- GIGABYTE – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GAMING OC 12G GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card – Black
Newegg
- Newegg (in stock)
Do the RTX 4070 specs reflect the price?
If we’re looking to determine whether the RTX 4070 could be overkill or not, comparing the GPU specs against the price is a vital to determine the value.
We’ve already compared the card against the RTX 4070 Ti and 4080, both of which are close competitors to the 4070.
| Rumoured Specs | RTX 4070 |
| Architecture | Lovelace |
| Clock speed (base – boost) | 1,820MHz, 2,475MHz |
| VRAM (GDDR6X) | 12GB |
| RT Cores | 3rd Gen |
| CUDA cores | 5,888 |
| Dimensions | 336mm x 140mm x 61mm |
Assuming the above leaks are accurate, we can make a few assumptions on how the 4070 might perform.
Standout features for the 4070 include its ray tracing potential. With Third Gen ray-tracing cores, the GPU is very capable of rendering physical light in games, something that we’ve come to expect with Nvidia’s graphics cards. Then of course there’s the DLSS 3 performance, which massively improves the efficiency of the card.
The 4070’s Ada Lovelace architecture is also very appealing. Going for the 4070 would mean you have access to Nvidia’s latest and greatest architecture at a more affordable price than say, a 4090.
The 4070 is also capable of 4K, so if you’re happy playing in 1080p or 1440p, then you might be better off with a Nvidia 30-series graphics card.
Could the RTX 4070 be overkill for gaming?
With the rumoured specs and performance in mind, we can then fully answer the question – is the RTX 4070 overkill for gaming?
Though we’re still waiting on the release, the 4070 could be a great choice, particularly for casual gamers. With a potential 12GB of VRAM, the 4070 will perform with high frame rates at 1440p, with much higher clock speeds than its predecessor.
Especially considering that AMD offers 16GB RAM on their RX 7900 XT and XTX graphics cards, it’s fair to say that the RTX 4070 probably won’t be overkill for gaming.
Could the RTX 4070 be overkill – final word
Now that we’ve discussed the potential specs and performance for the 4070 against its rumoured price, we think that the RTX 4070 won’t be overkill for gaming.
As a high to mid-range graphic card, the 4070 looks like it could be a good deal. Of course, we’ll have to wait until launch day – we might find that the 4070 sells like hotcakes. If that’s the case, we can help you out with our stock tracker. Hopefully, this doesn’t take the price up too much.
Frequently asked questions
Is the RTX 4070 good for 1440p?
Based on the specs we’ve seen, and the performance of its sibling, the 4070 Ti, the 4070 looks set to deliver a strong performance for 1440p gaming.