Nvidia is gearing up to deliver a whole new 40 series lineup this year, which should include several models, such as the RTX 4050, RTX 4060, and RTX 4070. While the 30-series might be soon left in the dust, it’ll still be interesting to see just how Nvidia’s newer cards stand against predecessors, as represented by the RTX 4070 vs RTX 3070 bout.
Though still very much in the dark, the RTX 4070 is expected to be a major hit across the board, as most Nvidia cards in the high-end range tend to be upon debut. With all but hearsay and rumor to go on, we’ll pit Nvidia’s upcoming model against its earlier rival to determine just how much the platform has improved – if at all.
RTX 4070 vs RTX 3070: Specs
The RTX 3070 might not be the best among Ampere, but it still remains the most beloved of the bunch for its somewhat budget price while still leveraging some intense internals. The RTX 3070 features 8GB of GDDR6 memory in tandem with a boost clock speed of 1725 MHz, 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, and 5888 shading units.
| Specs | RTX 4070 | RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6X | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Base clock speed | 2310 MHz | 1500 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2610 MHz | 1725 MHz |
| TDP | 250W | 220W |
| MSRP | $599 | $499 |
Obviously, that’s nothing in comparison to its far larger sibling, the RTX 3090, but when pitted against its more modern iteration, the RTX 4070, the lengths of enhancement become ever-real. To be clear, the current RTX 4070 specs are all rumors at this point in time, as the card is set to be released late into 2023, but we will be updating this post regularly.
Thus far, current specs for the 4070 highlight DLSS 3 as the main draw, with 3rd gen RT cores, $599 MSRP, and 12GB of GDDR6X as being major additions. The RTX 4070 is set to take on a major leap over both the 3070 and 3070 Ti. Size-wise, it may well be about equal to the 4070 Ti, which makes upgrading far simpler.
RTX 4070 vs RTX 3070: Price
The RTX 3070 debuted in 2020 at an MSRP of $499, making it somewhat ideal for budget builders that wanted that extra power. It’s a nice middle-of-the-road and somewhat beefier card, gifting users a multitude of features, the most prominent among them being DLSS.
With the RTX 4070, Nvidia is taking the DLSS to its third iteration and only charging a $100 premium over the card’s predecessor. That is, of course, if the rumored $599 price tag is to be believed. Nvidia could charge even more, as the firm is known to slap some high price points on its products, i.e. the $1,599 RTX 4090.
RTX 4070 vs RTX 3070: Performance
There’s not much known just yet on how the RTX 4070 should run, but rumors do suggest that it could see as high as a 25% to 30% performance boost when compared to the RTX 3070. When pitted against its older cousin, the RTX 4070 Ti, current benchmarks suggest a potential 19% drop in performance with the 4070.
Again, these are all just rumors right now, but the RTX 4070 is slated to be one powerful card, especially in terms of gaming performance. Reports note that the 4070 might wield as high as 5888 CUDA cores and 21 Gbps of GDDR6X memory, making one truly powerful option in the $500 plus range.
Final thoughts
It’s still too early to tell just how well the RTX 4070 will fare in the current graphics card climate, but it’s a safe bet to assume it will be a major hit – and not just for gamers. The 4070 could well be a beast for productivity workflows beyond the gaming pastime, too, especially when paired with a CPU that has ample specs to match.
The current potential release date for the RTX 4070 is set for April 13th, with reviews debuting the day before. It’s still unclear just how much this date holds merit, as Nvidia has yet to announce a single thing on the card, but time will only tell if the 4070 not only releases on its current timeframe but also is met with some ample praise.
