The third generation GeForce cards, on the one hand, caused a revolution, on the other hand, provoked mass discontent among the majority of gamers. Having hit a technical ceiling, NVIDIA engineers went for a trick and equipped their Ampere video accelerators with separate cores for lighting processing and artificial resolution scaling.

The outcome is an intriguing combination: intensive ray tracing severely impacts FPS, but DLSS steps in, converting unplayable 15 FPS into a smooth 30 — 40 FPS. In the upcoming RTX 40XX series, codenamed Ada Lovelace, NVIDIA has enhanced streaming multiprocessors and tensor cores, notably boosting ray tracing and DLSS 3.0 efficiency.

Comparison of specs with predecessors.

Initially, NVIDIA introduced flagship models of the Ada Lovelace series - the RTX 4090 featuring 24 GB VRAM, along with two RTX 4080 versions - one with 16 GB VRAM and the other with 12 GB. Interestingly, the 16 GB variant utilizes the AD103 chip, while the 12 GB model is built on the GA104 chip, previously employed in the RTX 3070. This distinction extends to CUDA cores, bus width, and other vital specifications. You can read more about this in our material about the NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture.

To avoid further aggravating discontent among gamers, the RTX 4080 12 GB model was initially discreetly removed from the lineup, only to resurface six months later as the RTX 4070. This maneuver resulted in a shift for the entire GeForce 40 series, with the RTX 4070 priced at $599 taking the spot of the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. The added cost was justified by the introduction of the third iteration of DLSS, which remains incompatible with previous NVIDIA card generations. A modification from Asus from the Dual series helped us get to know the new product in more detail.

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Asus GeForce RTX 4070 Dual 12GB 
45% better performance than RTX 3070 on average, 12GB memory, low power consumption, DLSS 3.0 support.
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The Asus GeForce RTX 4070 Dual graphics card is based on the GA104 GPU based on the progressive NVIDIA Ada Lovelace architecture, made using an updated 5nm process technology. In general, the technical specifications are similar to the predecessor GeForce RTX 3070, however, due to the optimization of the architecture, engineers from the green camp were able to significantly increase the clock speeds: the RTX 3070 has a video core running at 1725 MHz, and the memory is 14000 MHz, the GPU frequency has risen to 2505 for the RTX 4070 MHz, and memory up to 21000 MHz. Only thanks to this, the performance of the novelty in comparison with its predecessor increased by 45%. Well, the increased amount of memory is designed to increase performance for games at 1440p resolution, which, in fact, this video accelerator is designed for.

In terms of design, the RTX 4070 closely mirrors the RTX 3070. Its substantial PCB is cloaked by an integrated cooling solution, occupying multiple motherboard slots, and designated third-generation RT cores handle lighting and reflections. The Asus rendition of the RTX 4070 16GB diverges notably from the reference model. Notable changes include the replacement of the standard cooling system with a fourth-generation passive radiator housing two Axial fans, a reinforced support structure through a metal plate, and an aperture on the protective casing to facilitate the release of hot air. In contrast, the original RTX 4070 features a partially open casing.

These advancements stem from the heightened energy efficiency of the Ada Lovelace silicon and GDDR6X memory components. During gameplay, the card draws a mere 200 W, comparable to the power consumption of RTX 3060 Ti models. In contrast, the RTX 3080, which delivers similar performance, demands over 330W. This efficiency is mirrored in the compact size and design. Notably, Asus' dual-slot cooling solution lacks a vapor chamber, yet the fans remain pleasantly quiet even during demanding tasks. Credit is also due to the designers for refraining from incorporating backlighting to prevent inflating the final cost. The inclusion of the ASUS GPU Tweak III software for precise adjustments and overclocking further enhances the card's utility.

Results in games

An example of various modifications of the RTX 4070 from Gigabyte.

NVIDIA presents this card as a versatile solution for gaming at 1440p resolution, making it logical to conduct tests at this setting. The testing setup included the Asus card paired with the recent Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor, recognized for its exceptional gaming prowess, and the Asus TUF GAMING B650-PLUS motherboard equipped with 16 GB of DDR5 RAM by Kingston. To streamline the process (particularly for ray tracing and DLSS assessments), the scope was narrowed down to NVIDIA's current and previous generation video cards, excluding GPUs from Radeon and Intel.

The testing itself was carried out on the largest AAA games of recent years: Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 5, Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Returnal and Gears 5. Graphic settings are ultra, extreme or something in between. We note right away that the card successfully coped with the task, in 99% of cases going beyond 100 frames per second. The only time we had to slightly reduce the graphics settings was when the counter in Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition dropped to 55 FPS.

The game RTX 3070 RTX 3070 Ti RTX 3080 RTX 4070 RTX 4070 Ti
Cyberpunk 2077 64 73 88 81 102
Cyberpunk 2077 + DLSS 2 + RT 50 56 67 68 86
Forza Horizon 5 Extreme 97 107 113 128 155
Forza Horizon 5 + DLSS 2 98 105 114 127 150
Gears 5 96 108 122 129 167
Metro Exodus Enhanced 69 68 84 82 104
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 118 132 156 159 199
Shadow of the Tomb Raider + DLSS 2 148 162 189 202 256
Returnal 79 83 96 95 122
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 83 96 105 113 132
Watch Dogs: Legion 72 79 91 90 115
Watch Dogs: Legion + DLSS 2 + RT 48 60 77 79 99

In retrospect, there's remarkable similarity between the RTX 4070 and the RTX 3080. They offer nearly identical FPS across most games, with a minor 4-5 FPS variance observed in titles such as Watch Dogs: Legion and Gears 5. Intriguingly, the RTX 3080 boasts outdated tensor cores and lacks support for the DLSS 3.0 technology, a key highlight of the present video accelerator generation.

Despite its intended focus on 1440p gaming, the card we reviewed comfortably handles 4K gaming, maintaining a minimum of 60 FPS in most instances. Stuttering was only noticeable in Cyberpunk 2077 and Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition at extreme settings, which we resolved by adjusting to ultra settings and activating DLSS 2.0. This led to a notable increase in average frames per second, from 32 to 48 FPS. For other scenarios, the RTX 4070 consistently delivers smooth and enjoyable gameplay at 60+ FPS. The sole drawback was the surprising fact that the older RTX 3080, introduced in 2021, outperformed our reviewed card in almost all 4K tests.

The game RTX 3070 RTX 3070 Ti RTX 3080 RTX 4070 RTX 4070 Ti
Cyberpunk 2077 32 35 43 42 48
Cyberpunk 2077 + DLSS 2 + RT 22 27 37 36 44
Forza Horizon 5 77 73 83 89 111
Forza Horizon 5 + DLSS 2 67 73 86 91 112
Gears 5 52 60 71 64 83
Metro Exodus Enhanced 41 40 49 48 60
Shadow of the Tomb Raider 63 72 87 83 103
Shadow of the Tomb Raider + DLSS 2 89 103 119 120 146
Returnal 47 49 61 56 70
Assassin's Creed Valhalla 52 57 64 65 77
Watch Dogs: Legion 37 41 57 52 65
Watch Dogs: Legion + DLSS 2 + RT 20 22 46 48 60

It’s still quite difficult to conduct adequate tests with DLSS 3.0 and path tracing, since both technologies are still raw, plus the previous generation GPU only supports DLSS 2.0, so we don’t see much point in such a comparison.

Conclusions

RTX 4070 reference sample from NVIDIA.

While DLSS hasn't yet become an integral part of gaming rendering, the RTX 4070 is notably unmatched in the mid-range price bracket. Radeon RX 7000 series cards come at significantly higher costs, and previous-generation NVIDIA models like the RTX 3080 are either inflated in price or have exited the market, only available secondhand. In essence, the Radeon RX 69XX XT models from the previous generation are the sole alternatives. Unfortunately, after initial successes, numerous sellers raised their prices, with the RX 6900 XT now often pricier than the RTX 4070. Furthermore, it lacks proper ray tracing and DLSS capabilities, and necessitates an 850 W power supply rather than the typical 650 W.