Following the releases of the GeForce RTX 4090, 4080, and 4070Ti, Nvidia has now unveiled the GeForce RTX 4070, a high-end gaming graphics card that is priced at the recommended retail price of $599.
This stunning card is available in both a “custom” version and a Founders Edition. It is the fourth reference from the Alda Lovelace series and is designed specifically for gaming at 1440p. It offers several improvements over its predecessors, including the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti.
To mark the launch of this highly-anticipated graphics card, we are providing a comprehensive review of the Gainward model, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ghost.
The “classic” version of the GeForce RTX 4070 comes equipped with a dual ventilation cooling system, providing a viable solution for users. In practical use, it delivers comfortable gaming experiences at 1440p with maximum graphics options. The card’s Ray Tracing capabilities are impressive, offering high-quality visuals and an immersive gaming experience.
DLSS 3.0 technology also enhances the graphics performance of the GeForce RTX 4070, offering improved visual clarity, sharper images, and smoother gameplay. The technology is highly effective, and its impact on the card’s overall performance is noticeable.
Considering its capabilities and features, the GeForce RTX 4070 is a worthy purchase at its recommended price of $599. It delivers exceptional performance and is well-positioned as a high-end gaming graphics card.
GeForce RTX 4070, overview
After weeks of rumors and leaks, the GeFoce RTX 4070 is official. The beauty will be available in stores from April 13, 2023. It is the fourth reference in Nvidia’s Alda Lovelace range.
Its mechanics benefit from all the advances offered by this generation. These range from new streaming multiprocessors (SM) to 4th generation Tensor cores to 3rd generation RT cores , hardware support for Shader Execution Reordering (SER) DLSS 3 technology support or an 8th generation (NVENC) AV1 compatible encoder.
AV1 – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
AV1 is an open, royalty-free1 video codec created in 2018 and designed for streaming video over the Internet and IP networks as a successor to VP9. (…) It can achieve a compression rate 30-40% higher on average than VP9 and H.265/HEVC and 50% higher than H.264, the most popular video codec for streaming in 2019. AV1 allows therefore to halve the use of the bandwidth compared to H.264 but, in return, the reference implementation (libaom) consumes significantly more computing resources than VP9 and H264, both for coding and for decoding. Nevertheless, the development of libaom favored correctness and completeness with respect to the standard, to the detriment of efficiency; other implementations significantly improve performance.
Nvidia does not hide its ambitions. This GeForce RTX 4070 is supposed to provide gaming in 1440p at 100 frames per second. If such a figure is verified, we will be according to our criteria facing optimal gameplay. The manufacturer also insists a lot on its compatibility with DLSS 3. This technology is even at the heart of its argument because it would make it possible to meet the objective of 100 fps with Ray Tracing. We will be sure to check all of this.
DLSS 3 technology uses AI to generate new images, not just pixels. It combines current DLSS techniques such as motion vectors and super resolution AI algorithms with new frame generation techniques taking advantage of OFAs.
This hardware component (Optical flow accelerator) helps to predict the next frame by creating an optical flow-field. Its role is to allow DLSS 3 to know static objects in a dynamic 3D scene. This process relies on the FP8 math format supported by 4th generation Tensor cores. Note that to reduce the latency inherent in this advancement, DLSS 3.0 relies on Reflex.
Knowing that DLSS 3 generates a new image without involving the game, it benefits titles with limited CPU resources, especially those that are heavy on world physics or offer a large and detailed world causing heavy calculations. processor. In this case, DLSS 3 makes it possible to exceed the framerates provided by the processor. Clearly, we have a CPU limited effect less present.
DLSS 3 works simultaneously with DLSS Super Resolution (aka DLSS 2) to boost performance in demanding Ray Tracing rendering workloads. DLSS 3 games are backward compatible with DLSS 2 technology.
It is important to understand that DLSS is a solution to meet the ever-growing computing needs of games, especially if Ray Tracing is involved. For example, its first implementation through a basic effect in the title Battlefield V in 2018 required 39 operations per pixel while we are now at 635 operations per pixel in 2023 with Cyberpunk 2077. We leave the calculations to you with a rendering in 4k or 3260 x 1440 pixels.
The GeForce RTX 4070 is released with the hope of winning the hearts of new PC gamers and users equipped with a GTX 1080 or an RTX 2070. Its audience does not stop there since its AV1 hardware encoding is also a argument with creators and streamers. Compared to its predecessor the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, the Ada Lovelace GPU architecture offers a much larger L2 cache (36 MB Vs 4 MB) which helps boost performance while minimizing energy requirements (to a certain extent).
Its GPU is an AD104 equipped with 5,888 CUDA cores. It provides a power of 29 TFLOPs (FP32) for classic graphics rendering (rasterization). Alongside them, we have 184 4th Gen Tensor cores and 46 3rd Gen RT cores as well as 184 texture units and 64 ROPs. All this little world is calibrated at a base frequency of 1920 MHz against 2475 MHz in Boost mode. Regarding its “media” engines we have two units, an 8th gen NVENC and a 5th Gen NVDEC.
This GeForce RTX 4070 is announced with a TGP of 200 Watts and an average consumption in game of 186 Watts.
Its equipment includes 12 GB of GDDR6X at 21 Gbps operated via a 192-bit bus. The memory bandwidth reaches 505 GB/s. Nvidia evokes four video outputs with three DisplayPort and one HDMI while the power supply is entrusted to either two 8-pin PCIe connectors or a 12VHPWR 300W or more. It is also possible that some manufacturers opt for a single 8-pin PCIe
It is recommended a power supply of at least 650 Watts to operate it.
| GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition | GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition | |
| Architecture | Ampere | There’s Lovelace |
| Fineness of engraving | 8 nm | TSMC 4N |
| GPU | GA104-400 | ADA104 |
| Number of transistors | 17.4 billion | 35.8 billion |
| Hearts CUDA | 6,144 | 5,888 |
| Tensor Cores | 192 | 184 (4th Gen) |
| Ray-Tracing Hearts | 48 | 46 (3rd Gen) |
| TMU | 192 | 184 |
| ROPs | 96 | 64 |
| Base frequency | 1575 MHz | 1920 MHz |
| Boost frequency | 1770 MHz | 2475 MHz |
| Memory | GDDR6X | GDDR6X |
| Amount of memory | 8 Go | 12 Go |
| Memory frequency | 2375 MHz | 21 Gbps |
| Memory bus | 256-bit | 192-bit |
| Performance | ||
| Performance FP32 | 21.7 TFLOPs | 29 TFLOPs |
| Memory bandwidth | 608 Go/s | 504 Go/s |
| TDP/TBP | 290W | 200 Watts |
| Release date | June 10, 2021 | April 13, 2023 |
| Recommended price | $599 | $599 |
GeForce RTX 4070 Ghost, overview
For this launch Nvidia offered us to test a personalized version of the GeForce RTX 4070 through Gainward’s Ghost version. The card is announced at a price of €659, which is Nvidia’s recommended price.
We find a card with reasonable dimensions allowing it to easily find a place in a medium tower case. In double slot format, it has a length of 27 cm. Gainward opts for a dress with a “passes everywhere” design. The two fans are highlighted by a “radiator” rendering through multiple parallel lines. Unfortunately, the housing and the back plate are made of plastic, which in view of the price positioning is a shame. Apart from a covering, there is no cooling aid here.
At the front, a ventilation grille with a honeycomb structure ensures air circulation with the outside of the case. We have three video connectors including three DisplayPort and one HDMI.
The power supply is provided by a single 8-pin PCIe connector placed on the side and in the center of the card.
This choice is not optimal for the storage of cables and the visual. It is difficult in this context to hide the beam if the box benefits from a windowed or tempered glass panel. A position at the end of the map is much more efficient.
The radiator is imposing with larger dimensions than those of the PCB. It overflows by 10 cm which allows the second fan to push the air through. The air thus circulates from side to side.
This approach is now increasingly used in the graphics card segment. On the other hand, be careful, the hot air is found directly in the box. The ventilation of the latter must therefore be thought in this direction by proposing a focus on the extraction of hot air and the arrival of fresh air. Finally, we have a small area of RGB lighting around the GeForce RTX branding.
This GeForce RTX 4070 Ghost from Gainward is announced at the recommended price by Nvidia of $599 or €659 after scholarly calculations.
Test protocol.
We used games, several definitions, several benchmarks and GPGPU applications. For each title, all rendering parameters are at maximum. The graphics drivers are the latest at the time of writing this review.
Testing platform.
- Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus Z690 HERO
- Processor: Intel Core i9-12900K,
- RAM: Vengeance RGB DDR5 6400 MHz CL38 from Corsair (2×16 GB),
- Storage: Kioxia Exceria Pro 2TB SSD,
- Alimentation: Dark Power 13 1000 Watts
- Heatsink: WaterCooling DeepCool LS720
Video games
- Metro Exodus
- Far Cry 6,
- Shadow of Tom Raider,
- Total War : Warhammer,
- Horizon Zero Dawn,
- Watch Dogs Legion,
- Cyberpunk 2077,
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- Microsoft Flight Simulator.
Benchmarks
- 3DMark Fire Strike (Performance, Extreme, Ultra),
- 3DMark Time Spy Extreme,
- 3DMark Port Royal (1440p, 2160p),
- 3DMark DirectX RayTracing Feature Test,
- 3DMark DLSS Feature Test,
- Blender 3.2.1 (Monster, JunkShop and Classroom Scenes),
Powerful development tool for creating 3D images and animations. This version brings support for the OptiX at Nvidia either hardware acceleration with a GeForce or Quadro RTX. This concerns rendering and viewport. For the Radeon RX 6000 Series we use the OpenCL API. - LuxMark 3.1
This application leverages the OpenCL API to perform 3D rendering calculations. It is possible to work only with the GPU, the CPU or even both at the same time (ideal to realize the difference in performance that exists between a processor and a graphics solution). Even better, this benchmark exists on different environments like Linux, OS X and Windows. It delivers a score and indices of Samples/sec and Rays/sec values. - OctaneBench 2020.1.5
3D rendering test with or without RTX enabled. - FAHBench (Pression double / DHFR)
GeForce RTX 4070 Ghost, environment
Cooling performance.
All monitoring is provided by GPU-Z. We tortured this solution for 10 minutes by using its GPU to the maximum. The tests are done in the open air in order to disregard the cooling performance of the case. The room temperature is 21°C.
Our custom version of the RTX 4070 is equipped with two 100 mm fans and an imposing heatsink with several areas of aluminum fins and equipped with heat pipes. The GPU temperature is well controlled. In burn, it stabilizes between 66 and 67°C. We are therefore far from the maximum authorized by Nvidia (90°C). Each turbine fan at 1500 rpm.
Noise.
At rest, the card offers a Fanless mode, that is to say that these two fans are stopped. In this context, it is inaudible while the GPU temperature stabilizes at 48°C. Our tests are conducted in the open air via a bench table. The room temperature is 21°C.
In charge after 10 minutes with a GPU at 100% of its capacity, the ventilation is discreet. With 38.2 dBA on our sound level meter, this Ghost Edition is not very noisy. We have a slight breath that is quickly forgotten. It’s perfect. We are in front of the quietest solution of our comparison.
Frequency stability.
On this point, the result is bizarre. Although the GPU temperature is perfectly controlled, its frequency continues to fluctuate between 1550 MHz and 2250 MHz. We have a jagged curve. Taking the entire duration of the test, we obtain an average frequency of 1842 MHz in burn. For its part, the VRAM is calibrated to 1312 MHz without any variation.
Electrical consumption.
We record needs between 19.8 and 195.8 Watts depending on the level of demand. This RTX 4070 is the most economical in our comparison. It beats its elder, the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti capable of engulfing more than 300 Watts. We are also more energy efficient than with the RTX 4070 Ti. On the other hand, its consumption at rest is far too high compared to its big sisters of the Ada Lovelace generation. We should be around 5 to 6 Watts. Is it related to our version and its lighting?
Noticed.
This consumption measurement corresponds to the minimum and maximum needs of the card in order to be able to make an overall assessment of its operating cost and its operating carbon footprint. In detail, its energy needs vary enormously depending on the type of exercise. The declared thermal envelope (TGP) of 200 W is interesting information, but it does not allow the energy consumption to be detailed according to use. Clearly, its energy balance is not universal. It varies according to need.
The TGP is the maximum power limit for the GPU boost frequency. It will be optimized according to this limit but also other parameters such as temperature. This power can be reached (this is our case in this test) with very greedy applications.
Financial cost and carbon footprint of operation .
Consumption at rest and in burns is used to calculate the annual operating cost and its operating carbon footprint.
Our working basis is a daily use of 6 hours a day, 365 days a year with a tariff of €0.174 per kWh billed (regulated tariffs in mainland France on 01/08/2022 from EDF for a subscribed power of 6 kVA).
The EDF indicator, in grams of CO2 equivalent for the production of 1 kWh, is set at 21.6 grams (period November 2020 to November 2021). It is synonymous with the rate of greenhouse gas emissions induced by the production of the electricity consumed.
No surprise in these two balance sheets. Being closely linked to consumption, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ghost is the least expensive and polluting to use. We are on a yearly operating cost of between €9 and €88 for a carbon footprint of between 1.2 and 11.6 kilograms of CO2 equivalent.
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming OC 12G, performance en gaming
Performance in Rasterization.
We took as a reference the performance offered by the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti. This reference thus has an index of 100. We worked with several definitions including 1440p and 2160p. In any case, the graphic options are at the maximum.
The GeForce RTX 4070 offers a nice increase in performance compared to its predecessor the RTX 3070 Ti (and not the 3070!). We are on a gain of 13% in 1080p, 14% in 1440p and 10% in 2160p. This assessment is positive knowing that in parallel we have a collapse in electricity consumption. The RTX 4070 Ti is 12% faster in Full HD, 24% in 2160p and 36% in 4K. Faced with AMD’s latest innovations, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and XT, we are down in all three definitions.
Framerate analysis is reassuring. The balance sheet is perfect in 1080p and 1440p. This GeForce RTX 4070 with its 12 GB of VRAM is cut out for 1440p. We have values always above 90 fps which is optimal. As a reminder, each title is executed with maximum graphics options excluding Ray Tracing and DLSS.
The transition to 4K does not go unnoticed but the beauty manages to get by. Its performance remains solid but requires lowering the parameters with certain games to exceed 60 frames per second.
Here is the review of its big sister, the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti with the same titles
Performance in Ray Tracing.
Here is the balance sheet under different games with the activation of Ray Tracing. We always work with maximum graphic options. DLSS technology is not disabled at this time. We took the performance offered by the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti as a benchmark.
The ranking does not change and we find roughly the same increase in performance against its elder, the RTX 3070 Ti. We are on +14% in 1440p and +12% in 4k. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is more efficient as well as the RTX 4070 Ti offering significant gains (+39% in 1440p and +38% in 4K).
3DMark’s “DirectX Ray Tracing Feature Test” confirms this difference but positions this GeForce RTX 4070 ahead of the two new AMD releases, the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and Radeon RX 7900 XT.
The Framerate analysis shows that Ray Tracing is a resource-intensive technology. In 1440p, we have two situations. With some titles like Far Cry 6 and Tomb Raider, the Framerate remains impressive, exceeding 90 frames per second, which is perfect. For others like Metro Exodus and Watch_Dogs Legion, the situation is more delicate with framerates between 55 and 65 frames per second. We work in Full Option and Full RT.
In 4K, the drop is brutal, in particular under Watch_Dogs Legion with this time 29 fps and 37.2 fps under Metro Exodus. In both cases, it is necessary to do without Ray Tracing to hope to cross the bar of 60 fps. The other possibility to not touch the settings is to activate the DLSS upscaling technology. It allows you to find a comfortable gameplay without touching the level of the graphic options or the Ray Tracing rendering.
Performance of DLSS 2 and DLSS 3
The 3DMark – DLSS Feature test provides an assessment of the “boost” offered by DLSS 2 and 3.
The result is impressive. DLSS 2 doubles the framerate and DLSS 3 increases it by a factor of 3.6. We thus go from 22.4 frames per second to 82 frames per second. The results are also interesting with the RTX 3070 Ti since the DLSS 2 allows the framerate to be boosted by a factor of 2.7 in 4K.
This test highlights another advance offered by the RTX 4070 compared to the RTX 3070 Ti. The Ada Lovelave architecture provides support for DLSS 3.0 where its predecessor is limited to DLSS 2.0. If the difference between the two cards is around 15% in raw power, the use of DLSS further improves the ranking. Under this test, the RTX 4070 performs 12% better without DLSS and 51.8% with DLSS 3.0 enabled compared to the RTX 3070 Ti and DLSS 2.0.
We are in front of a theoretical benchmark. Now here is the same study with two A Plague Tale games: Requiem and CyberPunk 2077 in 1440p and 2160p
The use of DLSS 3.0 allows the GeForce RTX 4070 to take a comfortable lead. Under A Plague Tale: Requiem, its framerate is 82% higher in 1440p and 61% in 4K against +74 and +61% under Cyberpunks. Without DLSS, the differences are between 13 and 32% in favor of the RTX 4070. Also note the problem of the amount of VRAM. With 8 GB available, the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is abused under Cyberpunk 2077 in 4K! (5 frames per second).
Zoom Cyberpunk in 1440p Full Option and Full Ray Tracing with and without DLSS technology.
Here are other tests with this time the activation of DLSS 2.0.
Upscaling technology is a solution to find a framerate above 60 frames per second with maximum Ray Tracing. It boosts the framerate by 48% and 62% in 1440p and 2160p under Watch Dogs Legion (RT) and by 26 and 46% under Shadow Of Tomb Raider!
Below are details of various benchmarks we have used.
3DMark – Port Royal.
3DMark – Speed Way
3DMark – Fire Strike
3DMark DirectX Ray Tracing Feature test.
GeForce RTX 4070 Ghost, “creation” performance.
Although limited by its 12GB of VRAM in such a context, the mechanics of this GeForce RTX 4070 Ghost can also speed up calculations in video creation and encoding. This solution can be used in certain contexts such as video creation, photo editing and 3D. Many applications are able to exploit its GPU in order to benefit from hardware acceleration.
Once again, we took the performance of the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti as a reference. It has an index of 100 in our chart.
We find our ranking but with a more marked difference than in gaming. The gap is 27% compared to the RTX 3070 Ti. The beauty is 11% behind its big sister the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition while the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti shows an impressive +59%.
Here are the details of the various tests we conducted.
OctaneBench
Blender Benchmark Launcher
LuxMark v3.1
V-Ray Benchmark
FAHBench .
FAHBench runs a sample molecular dynamics calculation to compare GPU performance for biophysics research.
GeForce RTX 4070 Ghost, conclusion.
GeForce RTX 4070 Ghost, conclusion
The GeForce RTX 4070 is a gaming graphics card designed for 1440p resolution, and it delivers impressive performance to meet all gaming needs. Our tests with various games on Full Option settings resulted in a framerate exceeding 90 frames per second, which is excellent. When comparing performance gains in Rasterization or Ray Tracing to the RTX 3070 Ti, the RTX 4070 showed a 14% increase with a significant drop in energy consumption. The performance gain becomes even more significant with the use of DLSS 3.0, which improves the framerate by 50-60% on average compared to DLSS 2.0. The difference becomes even more striking when compared to older cards like the GeForce RTX 2070 or the GeForce GTX 1070.
The use of DLSS 3.0 ensures active Ray Tracing and a comfortable framerate for smooth gameplay. While 4K gaming is possible, it requires adjustments to the settings and the use of DLSS to maintain a high framerate. In Rasterization, we managed to stay above 60 fps in Full Option settings. However, with active Ray Tracing, DLSS becomes necessary for optimal performance.
The Ghost version of Gainward’s GeForce RTX 4070 is an affordable option that offers a sleek design and compact size. Its silent cooling system ensures quiet operation, and its size is suitable for most cases. However, it is unfortunate that at this price point (649 €), the card comes with a plastic rear plate and
