A few days ago, we saw the launch of the NVIDIA RTX 4070. This is a great mid-range GPU, packed with fourth-gen Tensor cores, third-gen ray tracing cores, and the new Ada Lovelace architecture. On the other hand, NVIDIA released the RTX 3070 Ti on June 2021. It is now almost a two-year-old graphics card. Both were launched at a similar price, but one has the "Ti" badge, and one does not.
Should you choose the modern RTX 4070 or the older and cheaper RTX 3070 Ti variant? Which NVIDIA GPU under $500 is best for you? We will try to solve all this confusion through this article.
NVIDIA RTX 4070 vs. RTX 3070 Ti: Specs, performance, and price comparison
Specs comparison:
Here is the specs comparison table of NVIDIA RTX 4070 and RTX 3070 Ti:
From the table above, one can understand the differences between RTX 4070 and 3070Ti. First, the 4070 belongs to the 4th gen Ada Lovelace series NVIDIA ray tracing GPUS, and the 3070 Ti belongs to the 3rd gen Ampere series. There's a real generation gap between the two GPUs, making them even more different in specs.
Being a "Ti" badged GPU, the 3070 Ti has more CUDA cores than the 4070. But The RTX 4070 takes the lead by utilizing Ray-Tracing and Tensor cores that are one generation more advanced than those found in the RTX 3070 Ti. It also has a higher 1.92 GHz base clock. In the case of VRAM, the 4070 again wins with a more significant 12 GB GDDR6X memory.
It's impressive to note that NVIDIA has succeeded in reducing the power draw of its ray-tracing GPUs compared to the previous three generations. That's why the 4070 is maxed at 200 watts. On the other hand, the 3070 Ti has a max TDP of 290 watts, which is even higher than the 4070 Ti (285 watts).
Performance comparison:
Although both GPUs have 4K capabilities, they are meant for 1440p gaming. Both GPUs are capable of handling ray tracing efficiently in a 1440p resolution. The NVIDIA RTX 4070 performs about 20% better than the RTX 3070 Ti.
Due to the latest 3rd generation ray tracing cores, its ray tracing performance is also more stable. Gamers can expect a 30 to 15 FPS difference between the two GPUs.
Price Comparison:
Although RTX 3070 Ti is a two-year-old graphics card, its price has not fallen much. In the current market, both GPUs are priced at around $599. Price is the primary factor in the NVIDIA RTX 4070 vs. RTX 3070 Ti battle. On the other hand, market analysts are expecting NVIDIA RTX 4070 prices to get a significant price cut-off. Shortly, we may see 4070 prices go even lower than the 3070 Ti.
Which one should you get?
Finally, from the bucks-per-FPS viewpoint, NVIDIA RTX 4070 is the clear winner between the two GPUs. Remember that one can also haul some good deals on used RTX 3070 Ti. But, if you have a budget of $600, and want a modern GPU that will play modern AAA games at 1440p ultra settings, with ray tracing on, then RTX 4070 is the best option.