NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 represent two distinct eras of graphics hardware, separated by seven years of architectural evolution. The data available for direct comparison is limited to a single common benchmark, but the specifications alone reveal a generational chasm in performance capabilities. The GTX 1070 Ti, built on the Pascal architecture, delivers a staggering 264.2% higher score in the Geekbench OpenCL test compared to the older Fermi-based GTX 570. For users seeking modern performance, the GTX 1070 Ti is the clear choice; the GTX 570, while historically significant, is only relevant for legacy system compatibility or as a collector's item.

The Verdict

The benchmark data unequivocally favors the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti. In the only head-to-head benchmark available, Geekbench OpenCL, the GTX 1070 Ti scores 49,219 points against the GTX 570's 13,515 points, representing a 264.2% advantage. This is not a marginal improvement but a complete generational overhaul. The GTX 1070 Ti's average benchmark score of 14,277 places it in the 56th percentile of all GPUs, while the GTX 570's average score of 13,515 places it in the 54th percentile. Although their percentile rankings are similar, this is misleading; the GTX 1070 Ti's score is drawn from a broader set of modern tests where it excels, whereas the GTX 570's lone score reflects its age.

The GTX 1070 Ti is the pick for anyone running contemporary applications, particularly those leveraging DirectX 12 or Vulkan, as its feature set and raw compute power are vastly superior. The GTX 570, with its older Fermi 2.0 architecture and limited 1,280 MB of memory, is simply outclassed. The nearest rivals for the GTX 1070 Ti include the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (avg score 14,315, delta -0.3%), AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14,352, -0.5%), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN (14,373, -0.7%), showing that its average score is tightly clustered with those integrated and older discrete solutions. However, this clustering does not reflect the GTX 1070 Ti's peak performance in compute-heavy tasks, where it dramatically outperforms the GTX 570.

For the GTX 570, its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7770M (13,536, -0.2%) and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (13,543, -0.2%), which is an anomaly in the data. The GTX 570's score is so low that it is comparable to modern entry-level or mobile parts. The verdict is simple: the GTX 1070 Ti is a high-performance GPU that, while not top-tier by today's standards (56th percentile), is leagues ahead of the GTX 570. The older card should only be considered for systems with PCIe 2.0 slots and no need for modern API support, as it lacks Vulkan support entirely.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two cards is vast. The GTX 1070 Ti is built on the Pascal architecture using a 16 nm process at TSMC, packing 7,200 million transistors onto a 314 mm² die. In contrast, the GTX 570 uses the older Fermi 2.0 architecture on a 40 nm process, also from TSMC, but with only 3,000 million transistors on a much larger 520 mm² die. This results in a transistor density of 22.9M per mm² for the GTX 1070 Ti versus just 5.8M per mm² for the GTX 570, highlighting the immense efficiency gains of the newer process node.

The compute resources differ dramatically. The GTX 1070 Ti features 2,432 shading units, 152 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 render output units (ROPs). The GTX 570, by contrast, has only 480 shading units, 60 TMUs, and 40 ROPs. This translates to a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 255.8 GTexel/s for the GTX 1070 Ti, versus 21.96 GPixel/s and 43.92 GTexel/s for the GTX 570. Floating-point performance (FP32) is also massively divergent: the GTX 1070 Ti achieves 8.186 TFLOPS, while the GTX 570 manages just 1,405.4 GFLOPS.

Memory configurations are equally distinct. The GTX 1070 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s and operating at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The GTX 570 has only 1,280 MB of GDDR5 on a 320-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 152.0 GB/s and a memory clock of 950 MHz (3.8 Gbps effective). While the older card has a wider bus, the newer card’s higher clock speed and larger capacity provide a significant advantage in modern workloads. The GTX 1070 Ti also supports PCIe 3.0 x16, while the GTX 570 is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16.

Feature support is another differentiator. The GTX 1070 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 570 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6 but has no Vulkan support, making it incompatible with many modern games and applications. The display outputs also reflect their eras: the GTX 1070 Ti offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 570 has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a. Power requirements differ, with the GTX 1070 Ti rated at a 180 W TDP and a single 8-pin connector, while the GTX 570 has a 219 W TDP and requires two 6-pin connectors. The suggested PSU for the GTX 1070 Ti is 450 W, whereas the GTX 570 suggests 550 W.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available is the Geekbench OpenCL test. In this compute-oriented workload, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti scores 49,219 points, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 scores 13,515 points. The delta is a massive 264.2% in favor of the GTX 1070 Ti. This indicates that the newer card is nearly four times faster in raw compute throughput, aligning with its superior shading unit count, higher clock speeds, and greater memory bandwidth.

This single result encapsulates the generational leap. The GTX 1070 Ti's score of 49,219 is not just an incremental improvement; it is a category-defining jump. For context, the GTX 1070 Ti's average benchmark score across all tests is 14,277, but this OpenCL result shows its peak compute capability. The GTX 570's score of 13,515 is nearly identical to its average benchmark score of 13,515, indicating that this test is representative of its overall performance ceiling. The data shows that in any compute-heavy task, the GTX 1070 Ti will dominate, leaving the GTX 570 far behind. There are no other head-to-head results, so this OpenCL benchmark stands as the definitive quantitative comparison, reinforcing the verdict that the GTX 1070 Ti is the superior product by a wide margin.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti is significantly faster, scoring 49,219 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to the GTX 570's 13,515, a 264.2% advantage.

Q: What are the memory sizes of these two GPUs?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 570 has 1,280 MB (1.25 GB) of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Do both cards support modern graphics APIs?

A: No. The GTX 1070 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The GTX 570 supports DirectX 12 (11_0) and OpenGL 4.6, but has no Vulkan support.

Q: What are the process nodes for each GPU?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti is manufactured on a 16 nm process, while the GTX 570 uses a 40 nm process, both from TSMC.

Q: How does the transistor count compare?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti has 7,200 million transistors, whereas the GTX 570 has 3,000 million transistors.

Q: What is the power connector requirement for each?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti requires a single 8-pin power connector, while the GTX 570 requires two 6-pin connectors.

Where Each One Wins

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti wins in every measurable category where data exists. Its sole head-to-head benchmark victory in Geekbench OpenCL (49,219 vs 13,515) establishes its dominance in compute and general-purpose workloads. The card's architecture also gives it wins in modern gaming scenarios due to its support for Vulkan 1.4 and DirectX 12 (12_1), which are essential for contemporary titles. Its 8 GB memory capacity is better suited for high-resolution textures, and its higher bandwidth (256.3 GB/s vs 152.0 GB/s) ensures smoother performance in memory-intensive applications. The GTX 1070 Ti also wins on efficiency, with a lower TDP of 180 W compared to 219 W, despite delivering far more performance.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 has no benchmark wins in the data. However, it could be considered a "winner" in narrow legacy scenarios. Its PCIe 2.0 x16 interface makes it compatible with older motherboards that lack PCIe 3.0 support, though the GTX 1070 Ti is backward compatible as well. The GTX 570's 320-bit memory bus, while slower in effective bandwidth, is a wider interface, but this does not translate to any practical advantage in the data. The older card's dual 6-pin power connectors might be preferable for users with older power supplies that lack a single 8-pin connector, but this is a minor electrical consideration. Ultimately, the GTX 570 wins only in historical significance, as a product from the GeForce 500 generation, but the benchmark results offer no scenario where it outperforms the GTX 1070 Ti.