NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti are separated by nearly five years of GPU architecture, yet the data places them in the same performance percentile. Both cards hold a 56th percentile ranking among all GPUs, and their average benchmark scores are strikingly close: the GTX TITAN averages 14,373 points, while the GTX 1070 Ti averages 14,277 points. This near-parity in overall standing, however, masks a dramatic divergence in individual workload performance, particularly in modern API-based tests where the younger card asserts overwhelming dominance.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data reveals a complete sweep for the GTX 1070 Ti, winning all three compared benchmarks. The most lopsided result comes in the Geekbench Vulkan test, where the GTX 1070 Ti scores 61,006 points against the GTX TITAN's 10,027 points. The delta here is -83.6%, meaning the GTX TITAN trails by over 500% in raw score. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a generational obliteration in compute throughput under the Vulkan API. The GTX 1070 Ti's support for Vulkan 1.4, compared to the GTX TITAN's 1.2.175, likely contributes to this gulf, but the sheer magnitude of the score difference suggests fundamental architectural efficiency gains.

In Geekbench Metal, the GTX 1070 Ti again wins decisively, scoring 22,180 points versus the GTX TITAN's 8,218 points, a delta of -62.9%. The GTX TITAN, released in February 2013, predates widespread Metal adoption, and its Kepler architecture lacks the optimized paths that Pascal enjoys in Apple's API. The GTX 1070 Ti's score is nearly 2.7 times higher, indicating that the newer card's shader cores and memory subsystem are vastly better utilized in this workload.

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the smallest relative gap, yet the GTX 1070 Ti still wins with 49,219 points against the GTX TITAN's 24,873 points, a delta of -49.5%. Even in this more general compute API, the GTX 1070 Ti delivers nearly double the performance. The GTX TITAN's higher shading unit count (2,688 vs. 2,432) cannot compensate for the GTX 1070 Ti's higher clock speeds and superior memory architecture. The GTX 1070 Ti's FP32 throughput of 8.186 TFLOPS vastly exceeds the GTX TITAN's 4.709 TFLOPS, and the benchmark results reflect this compute advantage directly.

The wins are not close. Across all three tests, the GTX 1070 Ti's victory margins range from roughly 2x to 6x. The GTX TITAN's nearest rivals in the aggregate database—the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,385 points, -0.1%) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M (14,404 points, -0.2%)—are integrated or mobile parts, underscoring how far the once-flagship GTX TITAN has fallen in absolute terms. The GTX 1070 Ti's nearest rivals similarly include the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14,315 points, -0.3%) and AMD Radeon Vega 11 (14,352 points, -0.5%), but the GTX 1070 Ti's individual test scores are far more competitive in modern APIs, suggesting the aggregate average masks its true contemporary capability.

FAQ

Q: Which card has higher raw compute performance in FP32?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti has a significant advantage, rated at 8.186 TFLOPS compared to the GTX TITAN's 4.709 TFLOPS. This nearly 74% higher FP32 throughput is reflected in the Geekbench OpenCL results, where the GTX 1070 Ti scores 49,219 versus the GTX TITAN's 24,873.

Q: Does the GTX TITAN have more memory bandwidth?

A: Yes. The GTX TITAN features a 384-bit memory bus with 288.4 GB/s bandwidth, while the GTX 1070 Ti uses a 256-bit bus with 256.3 GB/s. The GTX TITAN's wider bus provides a 12.5% bandwidth advantage, despite the GTX 1070 Ti's higher effective memory clock of 8 Gbps versus 6 Gbps.

Q: What is the most significant API compatibility difference?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX TITAN is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. This explains the massive 61,006 vs. 10,027 Vulkan score gap, as the newer card has hardware features for modern API feature levels.

Q: How do the transistor counts compare between the two?

A: They are nearly identical. The GTX TITAN has 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, while the GTX 1070 Ti has 7,200 million transistors on a much smaller 314 mm² die. The GTX 1070 Ti achieves a transistor density of 22.9M per mm² versus the GTX TITAN's 12.6M per mm².

Q: Which card has higher pixel and texture fill rates?

A: The GTX 1070 Ti leads in both. Its pixel rate is 107.7 GPixel/s versus 49.06 GPixel/s for the GTX TITAN, and its texture rate is 255.8 GTexel/s versus 196.2 GTexel/s. The GTX TITAN's higher TMU count (224 vs. 152) cannot offset the GTX 1070 Ti's much higher clock speeds.

Q: What are the power requirements for each card?

A: The GTX TITAN has a 250 W TDP and requires a 600 W suggested PSU with 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin connectors. The GTX 1070 Ti is more efficient, with a 180 W TDP, 450 W suggested PSU, and a single 8-pin connector.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent distinct architectural generations. The GTX TITAN is built on the Kepler architecture with the GK110 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 28 nm process. The GTX 1070 Ti uses the Pascal architecture with the GP104 chip, on a more advanced 16 nm process. This process shrink allows the GTX 1070 Ti to pack 7,200 million transistors into a 314 mm² die, compared to the GTX TITAN's 7,080 million transistors on a much larger 561 mm² die. The resulting transistor density nearly doubles, from 12.6M per mm² to 22.9M per mm².

Clock speeds reveal another major divergence. The GTX TITAN operates at a base clock of 836 MHz with a boost of 876 MHz, while the GTX 1070 Ti runs at 1607 MHz base and 1683 MHz boost. This nearly 2x clock advantage is the primary driver of the GTX 1070 Ti's superior compute performance, allowing it to achieve 8.186 TFLOPS FP32 despite having fewer shading units (2,432 vs. 2,688) and fewer TMUs (152 vs. 224). The GTX 1070 Ti also has more ROPs (64 vs. 48), contributing to its higher pixel rate.

The memory subsystems differ significantly. The GTX TITAN uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384-bit bus, yielding 288.4 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX 1070 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, with 256.3 GB/s bandwidth. The GTX TITAN's bandwidth advantage is real but modest, and the GTX 1070 Ti's larger capacity and higher effective memory speed (8 Gbps vs. 6 Gbps) provide better capacity and latency characteristics for modern workloads. The GTX 1070 Ti also supports FP16 compute at 127.9 GFLOPS (1:64 ratio), a feature the GTX TITAN lacks entirely.

API support further separates the two. The GTX 1070 Ti supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX TITAN is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. Display outputs also differ: the GTX TITAN offers 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, while the GTX 1070 Ti provides 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, offering better modern display connectivity.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the GTX 1070 Ti is the superior card for virtually every measured workload. It wins all three head-to-head tests by margins of 49.5% to 83.6%, and its compute, pixel, and texture rates are all substantially higher. The GTX TITAN's only advantages are memory bandwidth (288.4 GB/s vs. 256.3 GB/s) and a higher shading unit count (2,688 vs. 2,432), but these do not translate into real-world wins. The GTX 1070 Ti's faster clocks, more efficient architecture, and modern API support make it the clear choice for any application using Vulkan, Metal, or OpenCL.

The GTX TITAN remains a historical curiosity—a first-generation Kepler flagship that was once top-tier but now sits tied in aggregate percentile with integrated graphics like the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14,385 points vs. 14,373 points, -0.1%). Its launch MSRP was 999 USD, reflecting its original flagship status, but the data shows its performance has not aged gracefully. The GTX 1070 Ti, with a launch MSRP of 399 USD, delivers multiple times the performance in modern APIs despite costing less than half at launch.

For users choosing between these two end-of-life cards, the GTX 1070 Ti is the only rational pick. Its 8 GB memory capacity, 180 W TDP, and 450 W PSU requirement make it easier to integrate into modern systems, and its 8.186 TFLOPS FP32 performance ensures it remains relevant for compute tasks. The GTX TITAN's 250 W TDP and 600 W PSU requirement, combined with its limited API support and 4.709 TFLOPS, make it a poor choice for anything beyond legacy DirectX 11 workloads. The verdict is clear: Pascal's efficiency and feature set decisively outclass Kepler's raw transistor count.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 Ti |

|---|---|---|

| Architecture | Kepler | Pascal |

| Chip | GK110 | GP104 |

| Process Node | 28 nm | 16 nm |

| Transistors | 7,080 million | 7,200 million |

| Die Size | 561 mm² | 314 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 12.6M / mm² | 22.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 836 MHz | 1607 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 876 MHz | 1683 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 6 Gbps effective | 8 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 384 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.4 GB/s | 256.3 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2688 | 2432 |

| TMUs | 224 | 152 |

| ROPs | 48 | 64 |

| Pixel Rate | 49.06 GPixel/s | 107.7 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 196.2 GTexel/s | 255.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 4.709 TFLOPS | 8.186 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | None | 127.9 GFLOPS (1:64) |

| TDP | 250 W | 180 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 600 W | 450 W |

| DirectX Support | 12 (11_0) | 12 (12_1) |

| Vulkan Support | 1.2.175 | 1.4 |

| Display Outputs | 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, 1x DP 1.2 | 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, 3x DP 1.4a |

| Launch MSRP | 999 USD | 399 USD |