AMD Radeon RX 470 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and the AMD Radeon RX 470 represent two distinct eras of graphics hardware, separated by a five-year gap in release timing and a fundamental shift in process technology. The data shows a decisive performance chasm between the two, with the RTX 3070 Ti leading in every head-to-head benchmark recorded, yet the RX 470 still holds a relevant place in the database's percentile ranking, suggesting its legacy performance remains competitive against a wider field of older and entry-level cards.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head benchmark results provide a clear, quantitative picture of the performance gap. In the 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti scores 3,478 points, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 manages only 842 points. This translates to a delta of 313.1%, meaning the RTX 3070 Ti is over four times faster in this modern DirectX 12 workload. This is the largest relative difference of the three shared tests, highlighting how the newer architecture handles contemporary rendering features with far greater efficiency.

The compute-oriented benchmarks reinforce this dominance. In geekbench_opencl, the RTX 3070 Ti scores 119,718, compared to the RX 470's 33,568, yielding a delta of 256.6%. This result indicates that the NVIDIA card's raw compute throughput, driven by its 6,144 shading units and 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, is vastly superior to the AMD card's 2,048 shading units and 4.940 TFLOPS. The geekbench_vulkan test shows a similar story, with the RTX 3070 Ti scoring 139,541 versus 39,884 for the RX 470, a delta of 249.9%. Across all three shared benchmarks, the NVIDIA card wins decisively, securing 3 wins out of 3 head-to-head matchups.

When placed in the broader context of the database, the RTX 3070 Ti's average benchmark score of 29,945 places it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, according to the data, include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (average score 29,928, delta 0.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 (average score 30,095, delta -0.5%). This indicates that, despite its age, the RTX 3070 Ti remains firmly in the upper mid-range tier of performance, trading blows with newer mobile flagship parts and previous-generation desktop high-end cards. The RX 470, with an average score of 28,996, sits in the 74th percentile, a surprisingly close overall ranking to the RTX 3070 Ti. This is explained by its nearest rivals: the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (average score 28,874, delta 0.4%) and the Intel Arc A370M (average score 29,175, delta -0.6%). The RX 470's average is buoyed by its strong showing in legacy DirectX benchmarks and its wide install base, even though its modern workload performance is far behind.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is significantly faster, scoring 3,478 points compared to the AMD Radeon RX 470's 842 points, a difference of 313.1%.

Q: How does the Vulkan performance compare between the two cards?

A: The RTX 3070 Ti leads decisively in Geekbench Vulkan with a score of 139,541, while the RX 470 scores 39,884, resulting in a 249.9% advantage for the NVIDIA card.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 29,945, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 has an average score of 28,996.

Q: Are these two cards considered close in overall performance ranking?

A: Yes, surprisingly. The RTX 3070 Ti is in the 75th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 470 is in the 74th percentile. This is due to the RX 470's competitive average score, which is only 3.3% lower than the RTX 3070 Ti's.

Q: Which card has a higher FP32 (single-precision) compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti has a much higher FP32 throughput at 21.75 TFLOPS, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 470's 4.940 TFLOPS.

Q: What are the launch MSRPs for these two cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, and the AMD Radeon RX 470 has a launch MSRP of 179 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The data presents a clear split: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti wins in every category of modern, computationally intensive workload. Its victories in 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12), Geekbench OpenCL, and Geekbench Vulkan demonstrate that it is the superior choice for current-generation gaming, content creation, and any application that leverages compute APIs. The card's 8 GB of GDDR6X memory and 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth provide a massive advantage in texture-heavy scenes and high-resolution rendering, a factor not directly measured in the head-to-head tests but supported by its specification sheet. The RTX 3070 Ti also brings hardware-accelerated ray tracing and tensor cores, features entirely absent from the RX 470, which would make it the only viable option for games that utilize these technologies.

The AMD Radeon RX 470's wins are not found in the head-to-head data, but rather in its historical and legacy context. Its 74th percentile ranking, nearly matching the RTX 3070 Ti's 75th, indicates that it remains a competent performer in older DirectX 9, 10, and 11 titles, where its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 211.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient. Its lower TDP of 120 W and simpler power connector requirements (1x 6-pin) make it a more suitable drop-in upgrade for older systems with modest power supplies, a practical advantage not captured in raw benchmark scores. Furthermore, its shorter physical length of 240 mm (9.4 inches) compared to the RTX 3070 Ti's 267 mm (10.5 inches) makes it easier to fit into smaller cases. The RX 470 is the clear choice for a user seeking a legacy card to power a basic system or play older games, where its performance is adequate and its power draw is low.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every core specification. The memory subsystem is a major divergence: the RTX 3070 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 608.3 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RX 470 has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding 211.2 GB/s. The compute resources are also vastly different, with the RTX 3070 Ti featuring 6,144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, versus the RX 470's 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Clock speeds differ significantly, with the RTX 3070 Ti boosting to 1770 MHz from a base of 1575 MHz, while the RX 470 boosts to 1206 MHz from a base of 926 MHz. The power requirements are distinct: the RTX 3070 Ti has a TDP of 290 W and requires a 600 W power supply and a 1x 12-pin connector, while the RX 470 has a 120 W TDP, a 300 W suggested PSU, and a 1x 6-pin connector. The bus interface also differs, with the RTX 3070 Ti using PCIe 4.0 x16 and the RX 470 using PCIe 3.0 x16. Finally, the dimensions vary, with the RTX 3070 Ti being longer at 267 mm and taller at 112 mm, whereas the RX 470 is 240 mm long, 95 mm tall, and has a specified width of 35 mm, which is not listed for the NVIDIA card.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is generational. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture using a GA104 chip manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process node. It integrates 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 44.4M / mm². Crucially, it includes dedicated 48 RT cores for ray tracing and 192 tensor cores for AI acceleration, which are integral to its feature set. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 470 uses the GCN 4.0 architecture, built around the Ellesmere chip on GlobalFoundries' 14 nm node. It has 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, with a transistor density of 24.6M / mm². It has no RT cores or tensor cores, and its API support is capped at DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. The RTX 3070 Ti's FP16 and FP32 throughput are both rated at 21.75 TFLOPS (1:1), while the RX 470 also has a 1:1 ratio for these, but at a much lower 4.940 TFLOPS. The foundry choice also differs, with NVIDIA using Samsung and AMD using GlobalFoundries.

The Verdict

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the choice is straightforward for users requiring maximum performance. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the superior card in every measured head-to-head metric, with deltas ranging from 249.9% to 313.1% over the RX 470. Its higher average score, modern feature set including ray tracing and DLSS-capable tensor cores, and significantly higher memory bandwidth make it the only rational choice for playing modern games at high settings. Its 75th percentile ranking confirms it is still a high-end performer, competitive with cards like the AMD Radeon RX 6800. This card is for the user who demands the best possible frame rates and visual fidelity in current software.

The AMD Radeon RX 470 is not a competitor to the RTX 3070 Ti; it is a legacy part. Its 74th percentile ranking reflects its historical value, but its performance in modern DX12 and Vulkan workloads is a fraction of the NVIDIA card's. Its lower TDP and smaller physical footprint make it a viable choice for a secondary PC, a home theater PC, or a system constrained by power and space. For a user building a new system or upgrading for modern gaming, the data overwhelmingly points to the RTX 3070 Ti. For a user with a very old system needing a basic graphics output or playing pre-2016 titles, the RX 470's lower power draw and adequate legacy performance could suffice, but the performance gap in any modern task is so vast that the RTX 3070 Ti is the only defensible pick for general-purpose use.