NVIDIA RTX 4070 Super review: A 1440p powerhouse for $599

No, NVIDIA’s mid-range RTX 40-series GPUs do not get any cheaper, however a minimum of the brand new RTX 4070 Tremendous packs in much more efficiency for $599. We known as the unique RTX 4070 the “1440p gaming chief,” and that also holds for the Tremendous. It is a lot sooner, particularly in terms of ray tracing, that it edges near the $799 RTX 4070 Ti (due to get replaced by its personal Tremendous variant, as nicely). And along with the facility of DLSS3 upscaling, the 4070 Tremendous is a much more succesful 4K gaming card.

So what makes the RTX 4070 Tremendous so particular? Uncooked energy, principally. It options 7,168 CUDA cores, in comparison with 5,888 on the 4070 and seven,680 on the 4070 Ti. Its base clock pace is a bit greater than earlier than (1.98GHz in comparison with the 4070’s 1.92GHz), nevertheless it has the identical 2.48GHz enhance clock and 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM as the unique.

The distinction between the RTX 4070 Tremendous and the plain mannequin was instantly apparent. On my desktop, powered by a Ryzen 9 7900X with 32GB of RAM, I used to be capable of run Cyberpunk 2077 in 4K with Extremely graphics and DLSS at a median of 78fps. The RTX 4070 generally struggled to remain above 60fps at these settings. NVIDIA’s new GPU confirmed its limits in Cyberpunk’s RT Overdrive mode (which permits intensive real-time path tracing), the place I solely noticed 51fps on common whereas utilizing DLSS and body technology. (CD Projekt says that mode is supposed for the RTX 4070 Ti and up, or on the 3090 at 1080p/30fps).

Whereas the unique RTX 4070 was a card that would often allow you to sport in 4K, the 4070 Tremendous makes {that a} risk much more typically (as long as you need to use DLSS). In fact, you will must have affordable expectations (you’re not getting 4K/120fps) and ideally a G-Sync monitor to clean out efficiency.

On the subject of 1440p gaming, the RTX 4070 Tremendous is really a celebrity. In Cyberpunk’s Overdrive ray tracing mode with Extremely graphics settings, I noticed a median of 157fps — nearly sufficient to fulfill the calls for of a 165Hz 1440p monitor. To my eye, the entire expertise seemed far smoother than the 4K Overdrive outcomes and, as regular, I discovered it onerous to inform the distinction between 4K and 1440p textures throughout precise gameplay.

Equally, I might reasonably hold the 160 fps/1440p common I noticed in Halo Infinite with maxed out graphics, than the 83fps I reached in 4K. That sport does not get an help from DLSS, both, so there isn’t any upscaling magic happening in these numbers.

Throughout most of our benchmarks, the RTX 4070 Tremendous landed smack dab between the 4070 and 4070 Ti. In 3DMark Timespy Excessive, for instance, the brand new GPU scored 9,830 factors, in comparison with 8,610 on the 4070 and 10,624 on the 4070 Ti. In some circumstances, just like the Port Royal ray tracing benchmark, it leaned far nearer to the 4070 Ti (which additionally bodes nicely for the 4070 Tremendous’s overclocking potential). NVIDIA’s superior cooling setup on its “Founders Version” playing cards additionally continues to work wonders: The 4070 Tremendous idled at round 40 Celsius and sometimes maxed out at 66C underneath heavy load.

The RTX 4070 Tremendous is clearly a giant step ahead from the unique card, and a much better worth for $599. It is a strong improve should you’re working a 20-series NVIDIA GPU and even among the lower-end 30-series choices. The worth ought to hopefully trickle downhill, as nicely: The unique 4070 now sells for $550 on NVIDIA’s web site and used fashions are on eBay for nicely beneath that.

Whereas we’ll proceed to lengthy for the times when “mid-range” described a $300 GPU, NVIDIA is giving players extra of a cause to shell out for the $599 RTX 4070 Tremendous. It’ll fulfill all your 1440p gaming wants — and it’s able to ship respectable 4K efficiency, as nicely.