Nvidia RTX 4070 vs 3070 – which graphics card should you go for?

We’re comparing the Nvidia RTX 4070 vs 3070 to see which graphics card makes the most sense for you.

The RTX 4070 is the newest GPU released by Nvidia. Its balance of price and performance is sure to tempt in many a gamer, offering the most affordable way to get access to the technological breakthroughs of the Ada Lovelace GPU architecture. If you do fancy it, it’s a good idea to see how it shapes up against other GPUs on the market.

Where to buy RTX 4070:

Amazon US

1. Amazon US
2. PNY GeForce RTX 4070 12GB XLR8 Gaming VERTO EPIC-X RGB
3. Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 4070 Master 12G Graphics Card
4. 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 Car
• 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)

The tried and tested RTX 3080 has continued to be a popular graphics card since its 2020 release. It’s capable of running 4K with ray tracing, though is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming. Similarly, if you’re looking for an affordable graphics card for VR, the RTX 3080 is definitely a good shout.

To make things as simple as possible we’ll be breaking our comparison down into key categories such as rumoured specs, price and performance. This should give you an overview of how both cards fit into Nvidia’s growing GPU lineup. Let’s get into it.

RTX 4070 vs 3070 – specs

	RTX 4070 specs	RTX 3070 specs
Architecture	Lovelace	Ampere
RT Cores	3rd Gen	2nd Gen
Tensor Cores	4th Gen	3rd Gen
CUDA Cores	5,888	5888
Base Clock	1,920MHz	1500 MHz
GDDR6X VRAM	12GB	8 GB

As you can see, the components in the RTX 4070 are more advanced. Not only that but it has a higher VRAM count with 12GB versus 8GB for the 3070, as well as an improved base clock.

It’s worth noting that the clock speed and 2nd generation Ray Tracing cores in the RTX 3070 are still seriously impressive and grant access to impressive performance stats, it is just the RTX 4070 is superior in this department.

The cards also have identical CUDA core counts. These cores do much of the brute work of graphic generating. However, even though both cards do have the same number, the RTX 4070 is able to get more performance out of them, thanks to its more advanced GPU architecture.

RTX 4070 vs 3070 – architecture

Architecture is possibly the most important spec of them all. It dictates the physical organisation and component design of GPU. This hugely impacts performance. The architectures of the RTX 4070 and 3070 are organised similarly but the RTX 4070’s Ada Lovelace architecture is the upgraded, improved and optimised version.

For example, while the Ampere architecture in the RTX 3070 has 2nd generation Ray Tracing cores and 3rd generation Tensor cores, the RTX 4070 has 3rd and 4th generation cores respectively. This means you can expect significantly better ray tracing performance and improved AI optimization.

It also means that the overall performance of the card is likely to be a step up from the RTX 3070, despite their identical core counts and similar clock speeds.

RTX 4070 vs 3070 – performance

The RTX 4070 is a powerful mid-range graphics card, with its Lovelace architecture ensuring a solid ray tracing performance to boot. In fact, with DLSS enabled, its performance is very similar to that of the RXT 3080. This means impressive speeds all the way up to a 4K resolution and even 8K.

The RTX 3070 meanwhile can handle games at the highest resolution but it was not aimed at the 4K gaming market. This is because when it reaches this top resolution on ultra settings the frame can drop to a noticeable extent. The ray tracing performance is impressively good, especially considering its price, but the RTX 4070 performs better here.

RTX 4070 vs 3070 – price

The RTX 4070 has an MSRP of $599, which makes it the most budget-friendly way to get access to many breakthroughs of the Lovelace architecture.

The RTX 3070 occupied the same space back it was released for $499 and it’s still got a seriously impressive amount of power for such a low price. As it has been out for a while now it is also possible to find some great deals on the card, making the offer even more tempting.

RTX 4070 vs 3070 – which one should you go for?

The RTX 4070 offers gamers a seriously impressive price for performance. For anyone looking to upgrade their GPU this year, it is sure to be a stand-out choice. Not only is the card itself far more affordable than the other in the RTX 40-series but you are also less likely to need to upgrade your PSU or CPU in order to unlock its full potential.

The RTX 3070 meanwhile still packs a punch and can reach impressive frame rates all the way up to 4K and across a range of demanding games. However, there is no getting around the fact that the RTX 4070 is significantly more powerful, to such an extent as to justify its slightly higher price tag. It will depend on whether the RTX 4070 price shoots up after release, or if you can find an especially good offer on the 3070.

Frequently asked questions

Can RTX 3070 run 4K?

Yes, the RTX 3070 can run games at 4K though it is a good idea to use mid settings if you want to get speeds above 60FPS.

Does the RTX 3070 have DLSS?

Yes, the RTX 3070 has DLSS though only DLSS 2, while the RTX 4070 has the superior DLSS 3, thanks to it’s Ada Lovelace architecture.