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We’re having a look at the RTX 4070 vs 3070 Ti, to see what’s different between these two graphics cards.
The RTX 4070 is Nvidia’s newest edition to the RTX 40-series GPU range. Its arrival has been welcomed particularly by 1440p gamers looking for a Lovelace GPU for an affordable price.
Where to buy RTX 4070:
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 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)
If this potential new card had piqued your interest, it’s a good idea to see how it compares to other options on the market right now, so you can get a better sense of whether it’s the kind of card you want to go for.
The RTX 3070 Ti was released all the way back in 2021 but has remained popular since. The card balances high performance with a price tag that doesn’t break the bank, performing especially well at getting competitive-level frame rates at 1080p.
To see how these cards differ we’ll be breaking our comparison down into several sections. This should give you as complete an overview as is currently possible, with the limited RTX 4070 information we have. Let’s get into it.
Nvidia RTX 4070 vs 3070 Ti – specs
| RTX 4070 specs | RTX 3090 Ti specs | |
| Architecture | Lovelace | Ampere |
| RT Cores | 3rd Gen | 2nd Gen |
| Tensor Cores | 4th Gen | 3rd Gen |
| CUDA Cores | 5,888 | 6,144 |
| Base Clock | 1,920MHz | 1,575 MHz |
| GDDR6X VRAM | 12GB | 8GB |
| Dimensions | not known | 323 x 140 x 56mm |
The RTX 4070 will have a higher base clock speed, while the RTX 3070 Ti boast more CUDA cores. It is nice to see that both cards carry the most advanced GDDR6X VRAM though the 4070 does have more with 12GB versus 8GB for RTX 3070 Ti. VRAM is a kind of memory used to store information needed for the generation of images and it has an important impact on the speed a GPU can run at.
From the first 3 columns, you can also see that the RTX 4070 has some more advanced component parts. This is thanks to the GPU architecture it is built from. Let’s get into what that means.
Nvidia RTX 4070 vs 3070 Ti – architecture
Architecture is the underlying design and system for organising the hardware components of a card. It has a massive impact on performance and the difference between the architectures inside the RTX 4070 and RTX 3070 Ti is significant.
As part of the latest generation of GPUs from Nvidia, the RTX 4070 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture. This brings with it a tonne of technical breakthroughs and represented at the time of release a major breakthrough in 3-dimensional graphics processing.
A lot of these improvements are down to the upgraded cores. Inside a Lovelace GPU, you’ll find third generation ray tracing cores, which are able to more effectively calculate and track the movement of light, and the fourth generation Tensor cores. These power multiple deep learning algorithms whose calculations optimise the computing power of the card, freeing up power.
That’s not to say that the Amphere architecture we find in the RTX 3070 Ti is weak. It too features Ray Tracing and Tensor cores but they are both from the generation before and thus less effective.
Nvidia RTX 4070 vs 3070 Ti – performance
With that, let’s break down the performance of these two cards. It’s all very well crunching numbers and specs sheets but at the end of the day what matters is how this translates to the experience and performance these cards can muster up.
With some confidence, we can say with some confidence that the RTX 4070 has a superior all-around performance, with its superior architecture allowing for increased efficiency and AI scaling.
We can also look at other cards in the RTX 40-series to get a sense of performance. When we compared the RTX 4070 Ti vs RTX 3070 Ti, for example, the 4070 Ti came out on top by some margin, thanks to its superior ray tracing and solid 4K performance. While the regular RTX 4070 will be less powerful than its Ti counterpart, the drop-off won’t be huge, meaning we’re fully expecting the RTX 4070 to outperform the RTX 3070 Ti.
Nvidia RTX 4070 vs 3070 Ti – price
Interestingly, the RTX 4070 will have an MSRP of $599, the exact same price as the 3070 Ti on its release day in 2021.
Perhaps surprisingly, the 3070 Ti’s price hasn’t dropped too much since that, still staying at around $600 and often going for more. This is because different manufacturers make their own editions of GPUs and can sell them for whatever price they wish, often raising it significantly to account for the huge demand.
It is very possible this will happen for the RTX 4070 on its release day. As a result, depending on what deal you can find, it is possible the RTX 3070 Ti will be the more affordable card, at least until prices settle.
Nvidia RTX 4070 vs 3070 Ti – which one should you go for?
Hopefully this article should have given you a good sense of where this new card is likely to fit in amongst a crowded GPU market.
It looks set to be a more budget-friendly way to get access to the technological advancements the latest generation of GPU architecture brings, which will make it a very tempting offer for many gamers.
Meanwhile, RTX 3070 Ti has proven itself to be really capable, even being able to run games such as CS: GO and Valorant at max settings with impressively high frame rates. However, in graphically intensive games the 3070 Ti can sometimes struggle at 4K resolutions
Overall if the RTX 4070 price stays close to its MRSP, it looks set to offer you a higher level of performance for a lower price making it a no-brainer. If prices do surgery the RTX 3070 Ti offers you a reliable card with a reliable performance.
We’ve got a tonne of coverage on the new RTX 4070 and will be keeping you up to date on the latest news right here.
Frequently asked questions
Can the RTX 4070 Ti do 4K gaming?
The RTX 3070 Ti can handle 4K a decent frame rate but only on mid-settings. The card was not built to be aimed at the 4K gaming market.
Is the RTX 3070 Ti outdated?
No, if you have the RTX 3070 you will not need to update it, even if you want to play the latest games. However, if you’re looking for a new GPU you can now get more performance for a lower or similar price.
