PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC review: small, mighty, and pricey
Table of Contents
Contrary to my last GPU review (ASUS Noctua RTX 5080), this time I’ve got my hands on something much smaller. The graphics card we’ll be looking at today is the PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC, a lower-tier card that focuses more on its low-profile design than top-tier performance.
The PNY model takes the power of the card and packs it into a slimmed-down 290 x 128 x 40mm shell – a two-slot model that fits into most PC cases. While it doesn’t quite reach ITX dimensions, it still makes for an appealing size – far smaller than other models in the 5070 family (ASUS TUF or MSI Gaming Trio). But does its small factor take anything away from its performance? I find out in this GPU review.
- GPU: GB205-300
- CUDA cores: 6,144
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR7
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Base clock speed: 2,325MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2,587MHz
The PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC is a compact, well-designed card that offers a refreshing alternative to the oversized GPUs dominating the market. Its smaller form factor makes it a great fit for tighter builds without sacrificing the core RTX 5070 performance.
That said, it’s currently on the expensive side, which makes it a harder purchase when comparing it to other’s in the family. You’re largely paying a premium for the size rather than any significant performance gain.
- Small size fits in mini-ITX cases
- It isn’t restricted by thermals
- Not particularly loud for its size
- Rather expensive for what it offers
- A fairly basic design
Pricing
When it comes to pricing, the card is difficult to position given the current state of the market. With so many PC components seeing inflated prices, it ends up sitting on the higher end – especially when compared to the RTX 5070’s original launch MSRP. That was set to $549, whereas the PNY Slim OC is available at the time of writing for $699.99/£639.99.
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- AMD Ryzenâ„¢ 9 9900X 12-Core - was $499 now $337
- CORSAIR 4000D PC Case - was $124.99 now $75.99
- Hisense 65" Class E6SR - was $549 now $377.99
- Apple 2026 MacBook Air - was $1,999 now $1,799
- Skytech Gaming PC Desktop (9850X3d) - was $3,699 now $3,199
- Apple Magic Mouse - was $79 now $59
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra - was $2,099 now $1,699
- Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet - was $154 now $72
Prices correct as of October 6th, 2026.
That’s quite a lot for a 5070 and way too much for what it offers. But that is the state of the market, unfortunately, and it looks like it will stay that way for some time. Some other examples include the MSI Gaming Trio OC at $679.99 and the Gigabyte Windforce for $644.45, while ASUS’s Prime and TUF cards are usually well above $700.
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC box, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC open box, Image by PC Guide
Design & specs
| Specifications | PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC | RTX 5070 FE |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | GB205-300 | GB205-300 |
| CUDA Cores | 6,144 | 6,144 |
| Base clock speed | 2,325 MHz | 2,325 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2,587MHz | 2,512 MHz |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR7 | 12GB GDDR7 |
| Memory interface | 192 bit | 192 bit |
| Memory clock | 28 Gbps | 28 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 672.0 GB/s | 672.0 GB/s |
| TBP | 250W | 250W |
| Power connector | 1x 16-pin | 1x 16-pin |
| PCIe Connector | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 5.0 x16 |
| Slot width | 2-slot | 2-slot |
| Video outputs | 3x DisplayPort 2.1b 1x HDMI 2.1b | 3x DisplayPort 2.1b 1x HDMI 2.1b |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 290 x 128 x 40mm | 245 x 115 x 40mm |
Comparing the custom PNY Slim model to Nvidia’s Founder’s Edition, we get to see the key differences that separate the two models. Firstly, the fact that it is still slightly bigger than the original. With a bigger length and width, while the height and slot size stay the same.
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC front fans, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC angled, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC side, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC backplate, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC top & adapter, Image by PC Guide
That might be to help with the overclock on the GPU, as it is capable of boosting about 75MHz higher on paper. But with that, more heat is produced, so it might just need that bit more space to remove the heat in its design. Otherwise, the rest of the specs remain the same between the two cards.
Instead, the look and design are PNY’s main reasons for bringing this card to fruition. Most prominently on the front, it has two fans on either end of the GPU. These are 9-blade fans, with a faceplate that’s fairly simple and lacking – albeit with two angled lines that add some character to the front. The edges of the card are rather simple, too. With just a trim of plastic around the bottom, they leave the heatsink well exposed and free for airflow.
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC fan, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC power connector, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC logo, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC side name, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC backplate logo, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC backplate flowthrough, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC bottom PCB, Image by PC Guide
That’s also achieved with the backplate having a great big cutout at the end, above the far fan. Continuing the simple design, the back lacks anything distinct apart from the big logo and card name on the left next to the back of the die. In the center, there is a bit of a cutout for the power connector, which also shows the end of the PCB and why the card is able to have such a short design.
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC fans in PC, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC backplate in PC, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC in PC, Image by PC Guide
Performance
Design aside, I put the card through our GPU tests. Running through a range of gaming and synthetic scenarios, it should provide a good overview of what the card can do overall. That includes its thermal behavior under its stress limits.
Test bench components:
- Motherboard: MSI MEG X870E Godlike
- CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- RAM: Corsair Dominator Titanium RGB (64GB, 6600MT/s, CL32)
- CPU Cooler: ROG RYUJIN III 360
- PSU: Seasonic Prime TX-1600 Noctua Edition
- Case: Antec Flux Pro Noctua Edition
Gaming
First up are the various gaming benchmarks across our suite of titles. Testing out its ability across various scenarios and comparing it to other 5070 models we have reviewed previously. Although those were a bit further back, so game and driver updates have likely altered those, so it might not be directly comparable.
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC F1 24, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC CS2, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC AC Mirage, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Cyberpunk 2077 upscaling, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Indiana Jones, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Cyberpunk 2077 rasterization, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Doom Eternal, Image by PC Guide
First up is Counter-Strike 2, where the PNY 5070 averaged 400 fps, with 1440p averaging 271 and 135 in 4k. Then, in Cyberpunk 2077, the card achieved 150 fps at 1080p, 100 at 1440p, and 49 at 4k. Turning on ray tracing, figures drop to 68, 43, and 18 fps, respectively.
Trying out upscaling, we were able to turn an 18 fps at 4K RT overdrive into 25 with just DLSS quality. Then, with DLSS performance, it becomes 41; with frame generation, 2x boosting it jumps to 82 fps; and with frame generation 4x, it becomes 112 fps. As for Doom Eternal, that averages 445, 331, and 176 fps across 180p, 1440p, and 4k, respectively. Then, turning on ray tracing, it becomes 301, 225, and 124 fps.
Next up, Assassin’s Creed Mirage manages to average out 159, 127, and 78 fps. Then, in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, in pure rasterization, it averaged 141, 114, and 60 fps. Then, using upscaling on each of the resolutions, DLSS quality, balance, and performance, it averages 167, 150, and 93 fps, respectively, and then 4K using frame generation makes it 115 fps.
In Indiana Jones: The Great Circle, the PNY 5070 runs an average of 195, 136, and 91 fps across 1080p, 1440p, and 4k, respectively. Lastly, in F1 24, in pure rasterization, it averages 111, 94, and 47 fps, respectively, while using upscaling, it becomes 126, 117, and 105, with frame generation boosting the last one to 137 fps.
Synthetics
Next up, we test the card in our synthetics suite, showcasing the card’s ability beyond just gaming. Including the cards’ rendering performance and the AI capability of the 5070.
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Geekbench AI, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Geekbench 6, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Blender 5, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC 3DMark, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Handbrake FPS, Image by PC Guide
PNY RTX 5070 Slim OC Handbrake time, Image by PC Guide
Firstly, we ran 3DMark to see the 5070’s rendering ability across various APIs. There, it achieved a score of around 14,400 in Fire Strike Ultra, 10,000 in Time Spy Extreme, 14,500 in Port Royal, and 5,300 in Steel Nomad. Very much on par with the other 5070 models. While in Handbrake, its ability to use the NVENC encoder means a much faster render time, with the 12-min video rendered in under 2 minutes.
Similarly, in the Blender GPU rendering benchmark, the card averaged 3,457 samples per minute in monster, 1,866 in junkshop, and 1,805 in classroom scenes. Cinebench 26 achieved a score of 77,354.
Lastly, there are the two Geekbench applications, testing the card’s ability in those. In standard Geekbench 6, it averages a score of 200,542 in OpenCL and 194,928 in Vulkan. While in the AI one, the card achieved scores of 31,138 in single precision, 58,263 in half precision, and then 24,599 in quantized.
Thermals
Lastly, I tested out the thermal performance of the card. Loading up Furmark 2, I ran the CPU and GPU stress tests for 20 minutes; it should provide a good look at the cooling ability of the GPU.
During the test, the graphics card pulled around 250W over that period, and the temperature of it rose and averaged out to 66°C on the die, as the memory junction leveled off at 60°C.
During that time, the fan ramped up to 1,400 RPM, but wasn’t ridiculously loud at all. It wasn’t screaming or anything, most likely due to the help from the big case full of fans. But its small size doesn’t hold it back as it levels off at a speed of 2,400MHz.
- GPU: GB205-300
- CUDA cores: 6,144
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR7
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Base clock speed: 2,325MHz
- Boost clock speed: 2,587MHz
Conclusion
As an RTX 5070, the PNY Slim OC goes for size over power. Yet it still boasts a small overclock over the Founder’s Edition to give it some extra juice. With its small size, PNY shrinks down the requirements and suits even the smallest of cases. However, you do have to pay a lot for it right now, and it’s a hard recommendation for a card that is mostly 1440p capable. Still, compared with other models, it is a consideration if prices ever start to fall.
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