RTX 4070 vs RTX 3070
The complete head-to-head: full specs, real per-game FPS with 1% lows, ray tracing, a live CPU-bottleneck check, thermals, power and value, with a straight verdict.
GeForce RTX 4070
GeForce RTX 3070
avg, 1080p
The short answer
The RTX 4070 is clearly the better card, about 28% faster in raster, far ahead in ray tracing, and it carries 12 GB of VRAM against the 3070's 8 GB. It also adds DLSS 3 Frame Generation, a hardware AV1 encoder, and runs cooler at a lower 200W. The 3070 answers with a much lower price on the used market and, oddly, an identical CUDA core count to the 4070. If your budget allows it, the 4070 is the stronger buy across almost every category, the 3070 wins purely on price.
These two cards share the exact same 5,888 CUDA core count, a rare bit of trivia, but everything built around those cores changed in three years: newer RT and Tensor cores, 50% more VRAM, a far larger cache, and DLSS 3. The result is a clean generational win for the RTX 4070 in almost every category, tempered only by its notably higher price on the used market.
This page walks through what those three extra years actually bought the 4070 over the 3070: measured frame rates and 1% lows across ten games, how much Cyberpunk's ray tracing and DLSS 3 Frame Generation change once you turn them on, a CPU-pairing checker so you know which processor keeps either card fed, load temperatures and noise, real power draw at the wall, and how street prices for both cards have moved since 2023.
At a glance
Seven dimensions, two cards. Bigger area is not automatically better, each card owns different corners.
Strengths radar
Each axis scored 0-100 relative to the pair
Performance vs price
Up and to the left is better value
Grey dots are neighbouring cards for context.
Which should you buy?
Pick your use case, the winner changes with what you actually do.
Faster, cooler, and Frame Generation pushes it further ahead in supported titles.
12GB of VRAM and 28% more raw speed keep the 4070 comfortable where the 3070's 8GB starts to strain.
12GB fits meaningfully larger models and batches than the 3070's 8GB, and higher real bandwidth helps too.
The Ada AV1 encoder delivers cleaner streams at a given bitrate and faster exports than the 3070 manages.
Far cheaper on the used market, still a competent 1080p and light 1440p performer today.
The extra 4GB of VRAM avoids texture streaming stutter the 3070's 8GB can hit first.
Already own an RTX 3070? A 4070 is a genuine upgrade.
Short answer: probably not
Unlike most sidegrades on this site, this one is worth it if your budget allows. A 28% average gain, 4GB more VRAM, DLSS 3 Frame Generation and AV1 encoding together add up to a meaningfully better experience, not a marginal one.
If the price gap is too steep right now, the 3070 remains a competent 1080p and light-1440p card. Wait for a deeper discount on a 4070 Super instead of settling for a smaller step up.
Full specification comparison
Every spec side by side. The highlighted figure wins each row.
| Specification | RTX 4070 | RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | ||
| GPU / architecture | AD104 · Ada | GA104 · Ampere |
| Process node | TSMC 4N (5 nm) ▲ | Samsung 8 nm |
| Release date | Apr 13, 2023 | Oct 29, 2020 |
| Launch MSRP | $599 | $499 ▲ |
| Compute | ||
| CUDA cores | 5,888 | 5,888 |
| RT cores | 46 · 3rd gen ▲ | 46 · 2nd gen |
| Tensor cores | 184 · 4th gen ▲ | 184 · 3rd gen |
| Base / boost clock | 1920 / 2475 MHz ▲ | 1500 / 1725 MHz |
| L2 cache | 36 MB ▲ | 4 MB |
| Memory | ||
| VRAM | 12 GB GDDR6X ▲ | 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 192-bit | 256-bit ▲ |
| Bandwidth | 504.2 GB/s ▲ | 448 GB/s |
| Power & form factor | ||
| TDP | 200 W ▲ | 220 W |
| Power connector | 1× 16-pin 12VHPWR | 1× 8-pin |
| Suggested PSU | 650 W | 650 W |
| PCIe interface | 4.0 ×16 | 4.0 ×16 |
| Features | ||
| Upscaling | DLSS 4 + Frame Gen ▲ | DLSS 4 Super Res (no FG) |
| AV1 encode (NVENC) | Yes ▲ | No |
| Display outputs | 3×DP1.4a · HDMI 2.1 | 3×DP1.4a · HDMI 2.1 |
Average FPS by game
Switch resolution, metric, ray tracing and upscaling, the bars update live. Hover a bar for the avg / 1% / 0.1% breakdown.
Average FPS · 1080p · Rasterization. Representative data, hover a bar for avg / 1% / 0.1%. Note the RTX 3070's 1% lows fall off at 1440p and up from its 8 GB VRAM.
Smoothness & frametimes
Average FPS hides stutter. This is one run plotted as frametime, a flat line is smooth, spikes are hitches. Watch what the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM does in a texture-heavy game.
Frametime: Alan Wake 2, 1440p Ultra
Lower and flatter is better · 16.7 ms = 60 fps
Counterintuitive but real: the slower RTX 4070 delivers a smoother line here because 12 GB holds the texture pool the 8 GB RTX 3070 keeps evicting, those spikes are VRAM stutter, not raw speed.
Lab scores
Clean apples-to-apples tests, useful, but weaker at predicting real games than the FPS above.
Ray tracing & upscaling
Ray tracing tanks both cards at native resolution. What makes it playable is upscaling, and here the RTX 3070 has a real edge.
Is frame generation "real" performance?
DLSS 3 Frame Generation inserts an AI-made frame between two real ones, so the RTX 4070's frame counter can climb well past its raw rendering rate, with NVIDIA Reflex offsetting most of the added latency. The RTX 3070 predates this feature entirely and cannot use it.
Use it for single-player and cinematic games on the 4070, skip it for competitive shooters, and avoid it below about 50 base fps, where added latency starts to feel wrong. It works in well over 100 DLSS 3-supported titles now.
Will your CPU bottleneck these cards?
A faster GPU only helps if your CPU keeps up. Pick your CPU and resolution to see expected FPS and bottleneck for each card.
CPU + GPU pairing check
The willitbottleneck engine, built right into the comparison.
Estimated from a 43-CPU model across 1440p. A weak CPU mostly bites at 1080p; at higher resolutions the GPU becomes the limiter and the bottleneck shrinks.
Thermals & noise
The efficiency gap shows up here: the newer card runs cooler and quieter, day in and day out.
Real draw, efficiency & PSU
TDP is the rated figure; what matters is real gaming draw and how many frames you get per watt.
Both use a single 8-pin connector. If your PSU already ran the RTX 4070, it will run the RTX 3070 easily. Leave about 30% headroom for spikes.
Will it fit, and what to pair it with?
Size to scale
Card length matters for small cases
What monitor to pair
RTX 4070: strong at 1440p 144Hz and a genuinely capable 4K 60fps card with DLSS in most titles. RTX 3070: comfortable at 1440p 100-120Hz, and a DLSS-assisted 4K option for lighter or older games only.
Running an older PCIe 3.0 board?
Both cards use a full PCIe 4.0 ×16 link and are unaffected by a 4.0 or 5.0 motherboard. On an older PCIe 3.0 board, expect a small one to three percent loss on either, not enough to change the decision.
Price history & dollars-per-frame
Raw price is only half the story. Cost per frame is the number that decides it, and it keeps moving as prices fall.
New price over time
Street price of new cards (USD)
The 12 GB vs 8 GB question
RTX 4070 · 12 GB
- 12 GB is a real step up from the 3070's 8 GB, and comfortably covers 1440p ultra in nearly every current game.
- 36 MB of L2 cache and higher real bandwidth (504 GB/s) mean the memory subsystem outperforms its 192-bit bus on paper.
- Local AI and creator workloads fit noticeably larger models and batches than the 8 GB 3070 can handle.
- It is still not a true 4K card, expect to lean on DLSS at that resolution in the heaviest titles.
RTX 3070 · 8 GB
- 8 GB was ample in 2020 and still clears most 1080p and lighter 1440p games today.
- 8 GB is now the clear limiting factor in modern AAA titles at 1440p ultra with ray tracing on.
- For AI and creator work, 8 GB fits meaningfully smaller models and batches than the 4070's 12 GB.
- The 256-bit bus at least gives what memory it has plenty of bandwidth to work with.
Emulation & memory bandwidth
The narrower bus is a real downgrade for emulation
The RTX 4070's 504 GB/s of real bandwidth, helped by its large L2 cache, edges out the 3070's 448 GB/s despite the narrower 192-bit bus. Combined with 12 GB of headroom for higher-resolution texture packs, the 4070 is the stronger emulation choice, particularly for Switch and PS3 cores at high internal resolutions.
Creator, AI & streaming
The newer card is quicker per task, but the older card's extra VRAM unlocks larger jobs it can't fit at all.
Streaming: the AV1 encoder is the differentiator
The RTX 4070 has a hardware AV1 encoder, the 3070 tops out at H.264 and HEVC. AV1 delivers cleaner streams at the same bitrate and faster exports in AV1-aware software. Combined with its extra VRAM, the 4070 is clearly the better creator card here.
Overclocking & undervolting
The 3070 has a bit more overclocking headroom and gains more from undervolting given its 220W stock draw. The 4070 is already efficient at 200W with a higher clock ceiling from the newer node, so its overclocking gains are smaller in relative terms.
Pros & cons
RTX 4070
- About 28% faster, with a much bigger lead in ray tracing
- 12GB VRAM and higher real bandwidth despite a narrower bus
- DLSS 3 Frame Generation and a hardware AV1 encoder
- More efficient at 200W despite the extra performance
- Costs meaningfully more, even on the used market
- 16-pin power connector requires care with cabling
RTX 3070
- Far cheaper, both new-old-stock and used
- 256-bit bus gives its 8GB unusually good bandwidth for the tier
- Identical CUDA core count to the 4070, a fun bit of trivia
- About 28% slower, and further behind in ray tracing
- Only 8GB VRAM, the clear long-term limitation
- No DLSS 3 Frame Generation and no AV1 encoder
- 220W draw with an older, less efficient process node
Buying pitfalls
The 4070's 16-pin cable needs care
The RTX 4070 uses the 16-pin 12VHPWR connector. Use a native cable from a compatible PSU where possible and make sure it is fully seated, a half-inserted connector is the most common cause of the melting reports you may have read about.
Don't confuse this with the RTX 4070 Super
NVIDIA released the RTX 4070 Super in January 2024 with more cores at the same $599 price. If a listing says '4070 Super', it is a meaningfully faster card than the original 4070 covered on this page, check carefully before buying.
RTX 4070 vs RTX 3070: your questions answered
It's not close. The gap runs about 28% in raw raster performance, widens further once ray tracing is on, and the 4070 also carries 4GB more VRAM. The 3070's only real win is what it costs used, everything else favors the newer card.
If the budget stretches to it, the 4070. It leads in speed, VRAM, ray tracing and features almost everywhere on this page. Go with the 3070 only when the price gap is the deciding factor and 8GB of VRAM with no Frame Generation is fine for your games.
For 1080p and lighter 1440p settings, yes, it still gets the job done. Where it struggles is modern AAA games pushed to higher settings, since 8GB of VRAM runs out before the GPU core does, and it has neither DLSS 3 nor an AV1 encoder.
Worthwhile, assuming the budget allows it. Most same-tier upgrades on this site aren't worth the cost, but a 28% speed bump plus 50% more VRAM plus Frame Generation plus AV1 encoding is a real jump, not a marginal one.
The 4070, by a clear margin. Its 12GB buffer holds larger models and batch sizes than the 3070's 8GB allows, and its 4th-generation Tensor cores are faster clock for clock. For local AI or rendering work, it's the obvious pick.
It does. The 4070 encodes in AV1 for cleaner output at a given bitrate and exports faster in software that supports it, while the 3070 is stuck on H.264 and HEVC. Add the extra VRAM for bigger timelines and the 4070 wins this category outright.
The 4070 runs DLSS 4 upscaling plus DLSS 3's single Frame Generation, though not the multi-frame generation NVIDIA reserved for the RTX 50 series. The 3070 is limited to DLSS 4 Super Resolution upscaling with no frame generation at all.
Further apart than the core counts suggest. Both ship 46 RT cores, but the 4070's 3rd-generation design outperforms the 3070's 2nd-generation units enough that the real-world ray tracing lead is much larger than raster alone would predict.
Barely, and only in specific cases. It inserts an AI-generated frame between real ones, which adds a touch of latency that NVIDIA Reflex mostly cancels out. It shines in single-player titles, but skip it for competitive shooters or once your base frame rate drops under roughly 50fps.
At 1080p, the CPU is usually the limiting factor for both, not the GPU. Run the pairing checker on this page, but as a baseline, a Ryzen 5 7600 or Core i5-12600K or better keeps either card fed once you move up to 1440p.
It does. The 4070's 200W draw against the 3070's 220W, combined with a newer and more efficient manufacturing node, means it runs several degrees cooler and roughly 4dB quieter under load. Both cards go silent at idle thanks to fan-stop.
A solid 650W unit covers both. The catch is the 4070's 16-pin 12VHPWR connector, which needs a native cable straight from a compatible PSU or a properly rated adapter rather than whatever came bundled cheap.
Length-wise they're nearly twins, 244mm for the 4070 and 242mm for the 3070, so check your case's clearance either way. Both run a full PCIe 4.0 x16 link and only give up a small percentage on an older PCIe 3.0 board.
No, don't assume that. The mobile versions of both the 4070 and 3070 are separate, less powerful chips than their desktop counterparts with these names. Check a laptop-specific comparison instead of applying these numbers to a notebook.
The 4070 gets close, it handles 4K with DLSS in most current titles without much fuss. The 3070 can do 4K in lighter or older games with upscaling turned on, but it's really built for 1080p through 1440p.
Depends what you're optimizing for. New-old-stock 4070s are still around at roughly $480, while the 3070 is discontinued entirely, so a used unit near $210 is your only route there and the clear pick if price rules the decision. Buy used with a return window and skip anything that looks like an ex-mining card.
Not really. NVIDIA keeps shipping full Game Ready driver updates for both the Ada and Ampere architectures, so neither the 4070 nor the 3070 is close to being cut off, even bought fresh in 2026.