Is the RTX 4070 Super overkill?

If you’re weighing up a new upgrade for your PC then you’ve likely asked yourself whether the new upcoming RTX 4070 Super is overkill for your machine. It’s a complicated question, and one that doesn’t necessarily have an easy answer, that’s why we’re breaking things down logically to help you decide if the RTX 4070 Super is right for you.

It’s the right time as well. That’s because the hotly anticipated mid-range graphics card is scheduled to launch later today. We’re showing you where to buy RTX 4070 Super graphics cards in the US and the UK at the lowest prices, so if you’re convinced after reading, we recommend starting your search there. What’s more, we’re also weighing up the RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 4070 to help you get the complete picture.

The RTX 4070 Super is a mid-range graphics card

The key thing to remember is that the RTX 4070 Super offers strong 1440p performance and entry-level 4K gaming at playable framerates. According to Nvidia, this GPU is actually faster than the RTX 3090 thanks to advancements made with the Ada architecture and the usual generational leaps. It’s launching today with 12GB GDDR6X memory complete with 36 Shader TFLOPS, 82 RT TFLOPS, and 568 AI TOPS, not to mention being backed with Nvidia DLSS 3 Frame Generation.

This tech utilizes the Tensor cores (through an advanced AI deep learning algorithm) to dynamically upscale a picture from a lower native rendering resolution which makes high-end 1440p and 4K a possibility. That means you can enjoy the benefits of ray tracing, doubly so now with the Ray Reconstruction in supported games, without needing one of the best graphics cards from a raw technical perspective.

It’s reflected in the price point for the RTX 4070 Super which starts at $599 / £579 for the Founders Edition model and as a starting point for Nvidia’s partners such as PNY, ASUS, Gigabyte, MSI, and so on. For reference, the starting 80-class performance at this point in time will cost you $1,199 / £1,139 which is an increase of 100% for the dedicated 4K card. This is until the release of the RTX 4080 Super at the end of the month (January 31) for $999 / £959 which is still a considerable jump up of 66%.

How powerful is the RTX 4070 Super?

According to Nvidia’s own internal benchmarks, the RTX 4070 Super boasts a significant lead in demanding hardware which has support for DLSS 3 Frame Generation. We can take the proposed numbers posted by Team Green for A Plague Tale: Requiem as an example. With the RTX 4070 Super, the game is averaging around 133fps when maxed out in 1440p, where the RTX 3070 (from 2020) and the RTX 2070 (from 2018) struggle below the 60fps mark.

An even larger jump can be seen with Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty with a comparison of the RTX 4070 Super against those aforementioned older 70-class cards. In Nvidia’s benchmarks, the gaming running at the highest settings in 1440p with RT Overdrive Mode enabled and DLSS set to Quality Mode, the game runs at an impressive average of 100fps on the RTX 4070 Super. In contrast, the RTX 2070 limps along at an unplayable 15fps in a casual non-action setting, with the RTX 3070 putting up a more playable figure of around 40fps.

More optimized titles have a greater lead with the RTX 4070 Super. In Nvidia’s comparison benchmarks for Warhammer 40K: Darktide, we can see that the upcoming GPU is absolutely capable of achieving framerates perfect for the best 1440p gaming monitors at 144Hz and above. The game runs at a respectable 37fps average on the RTX 2070 and hovers around the 60fps mark on the RTX 3070. However, with the RTX 4070 Super, the game runs at a staggering 144fps average which is a massive improvement of 140% against its predecessor.

RTX 4070 Super price-to-performance ratio

Ultimately we have with the RTX 4070 Super is a graphics card that’s geared towards top-end 1440p performance. As evidenced by the benchmarks above, its utilization of DLSS 3 has meant framerates far beyond what its competitors could do. Considering its asking price in the US and the UK and its capabilities, we don’t think the RTX 4070 Super is overkill, but believe it’s the right choice for the mainstream gamer. Far more powerful than the RTX 4060 and vastly cheaper than the RTX 4080, this is the card to get that won’t break the bank and won’t struggle in the future.

Is the RTX 4070 Super worth it?

Considering the relatively low asking price of $599 / £579 for the performance at 1440p and 4K, we think that the RTX 4070 Super is absolutely worth it right now.

Can RTX 4070 Super handle 240Hz?

While it’s possible the RTX 4070 Super will be able to hit 240fps and above in well optimized titles and Esports games, the GPU is going to be more comfortable hovering around the 120fps – 150fps mark.