Nvidia RTX 4070 vs 3090 – which GPU should you go for?

Updated on April 13, 2023 by Rory Greig

Posted in Tech

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We’re looking at the RTX 4070 vs 3090, to see what the difference between these two cards is. The RTX 4070 is the shiniest new card from Nvidia and its balance of price and performance is sure to be a hit with gamers.

We’re here to give you a sense of what kind of GPU the RTX 4070 is and comparing it to other cards in the GPU market is a great way to do it. This should let you know if it is the kind of card you are looking for.

Where to buy RTX 4070:

Amazon US

Best Buy

Newegg

Newegg (in stock)

The RTX 3090 is an especially apt choice for comparison. This is because both cards actually have quite similar performance when DLSS is enabled. The RTX 3090 was released all the way back in September of 2020, but despite this, the powerful high-end card still manages to hold its own against parts of the new RTX 40-series.

We’ll be breaking our comparison down into different sections to try and give you an overview of how these cards perform. Let’s get into it.

RTX 4070 vs 3090 – specs

Specs	RTX 4070	RTX 3090
Architecture	Lovelace	Ampere
RT Cores	3rd Gen	2nd Gen
Tensor Cores	4th Gen	3rd Gen
CUDA Cores	5,888	10,496
Base Clock	1,920MHz	1,395MHz
GDDR6X VRAM	12GB	24GB

The table above shows that the RTX 4070 and 3090 have some pretty different specs overall. In fact, almost nothing seems consistent between the two.

The RTX 3090 has far more CUDA cores than the RTX 4070, almost double in fact, as well as exactly double the GDDR6X VRAM, with 24GB of the stuff. However, the 4070 boasts more advanced Ray Tracing and Tensor Cores as well as a higher Base Clock.

Essentially, the RTX 4070 is built from more powerful constituent parts, thanks to its modern architecture, however the 3090 can pack a tonne of power in thanks to sheer numbers. As a result, despite the differences between these cards, there is fairly similar though the RTX 3090 is superior overall. We’ll be breaking down performance in more detail below.

RTX 4070 vs 3090 – architecture

One of the most significant differences between these two cards lies in their architecture. As part of the more recent RTX 40-series of GPUs, the RTX 4070 will feature the ground-breaking Ada Lovelace architecture. This technology represents a major breakthrough in 3D graphics boasting significantly more powerful Ray Tracing Cores and improved AI optimization when compared to the Ampere architecture that features in the RTX 3090.

That’s not to say that the Ampere architecture is especially weak. It too features a tonne of powerful AI tools and the ability to deliver impressive Ray Tracing. However, Nvidia continued to improve everything that made Ampere great, as well as adding a few new features, which means the Lovelace architecture does perform better across the board.

This is significant as by looking at some of the specs listed above, you might think the RTX 3090 is far more powerful.

RTX 4070 vs 3090 – performance

Let’s have a look at how these cares fit in amongst Nvidia’s line-up.

Essentially the RTX 4070 is less powerful when placed vs the RTX 4070 Ti. We’ve already compared the RTX 3090 vs 4070 Ti, and saw that the RTX 4070 Ti just edged it in terms of performance, despite the higher core and VRAM count of the 3090.

From this, you can see that the performance of the RTX 3090 and 4070 are similar, but the RTX 3090 performs slightly better overall. The superior architecture of the RTX 4070 is counteracted by the far higher VRAM and core count of the 3090.

RTX 4070 vs 3090 – price

The RTX 4070 carries with it an MSRP of $599. This makes the card the most affordable way to get your hands on the Ada Lovelace architecture that we’ve seen so far. This explains its popularity among gamers looking for high performance for an affordable price.

The RTX 3090 came out as the most powerful graphics card on the market, and as a top-range card, it came with a larger price tag. That exact tag was in fact $1,499, and we’ve actually seen that number largely hold true ever since.

Of course, it’s possible we will see the price of the RTX 3090 drop somewhat with the RTX 4070’s release but the RTX 4070 is the cheaper overall card, and by some margin too.

RTX 4070 vs 3090 – which one should you go for?

Essentially the RTX 4070 offers a similar, but slightly inferior level of gaming performance for a fraction of the price. This will make it a tempting offer for many gamers out there looking to upgrade. The real question may be whether you can get your hands on one, as it is sure to be a popular choice.

It’s not a totally done deal however, the RTX 3090 is still a top-end card, and while its architecture may perform worse, it does significantly outgun the RTX 4070 in certain areas such as VRAM and CUDA core count. Overall, it is likely to just outperform the RTX 4070 in general, but significantly in VRAM-heavy uses.

Frequently asked question

Is the RTX 3090 outdated?

No, the RTX 3090 may be a few years old now but its exceptionally high power means that it can still perform very well in the latest games, even on the highest settings.

Can 3090 do 8K gaming?

Yes, in fact, the RTX 3090 was the first graphics card able to generate 8K images for gaming.