NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 vs NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 represent two distinct eras of GPU design, separated by five years of architectural evolution. While the GTX 560 Ti was a capable performer in its day, the benchmark data shows a decisive generational leap, with the GTX 1070 dominating the single available head-to-head comparison by a massive margin.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The only direct benchmark comparison available between these two cards is the Geekbench OpenCL test, and the results are stark. The GTX 1070 scores 44,700, while the GTX 560 Ti manages just 10,690. This translates to a deltaPct of -76.1% for the older card, meaning the GTX 1070 is roughly 4.2 times faster in this compute-oriented workload. This is not a marginal improvement; it is a complete and total victory for the newer architecture.

The magnitude of this win is worth emphasizing. In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the GTX 1070’s score is so far ahead that it doesn't just beat the GTX 560 Ti—it dwarfs it. The 34,010-point gap between the two cards is larger than the GTX 560 Ti’s entire score. This suggests that the GTX 1070 is not merely a faster version of the same design, but rather a fundamentally different class of hardware that excels in parallel compute tasks.

Looking at the broader benchmark picture, the GTX 1070’s average benchmark score of 9,780 across all its tested workloads places it in the 47th percentile of all GPUs. The GTX 560 Ti, with its single OpenCL score of 10,690, sits in the 49th percentile. While these percentile rankings appear close, they are misleading because they are drawn from different benchmark suites. The GTX 1070’s score is an average across many tests, including DirectX 9, 10, 11, and 12, as well as compute and 2D workloads, while the GTX 560 Ti’s percentile is based on that single OpenCL result alone. The head-to-head data is the only fair comparison, and it is not close.

The GTX 1070 also shows its versatility in other benchmarks not shared by the GTX 560 Ti. For instance, it scores 13,498 in Passmark G3D and 6,102 in Passmark GPU Compute. It also achieves 18,801 in Geekbench Metal and 22,121 in Geekbench Vulkan, demonstrating strong performance across different API environments. The GTX 560 Ti has no comparable data, leaving its performance in these modern APIs unknown, but its lack of Vulkan support in the fact pack suggests it would struggle in such tests.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the data, the GTX 1070 wins every measurable category. There are zero benchmark wins for the GTX 560 Ti (winsA: 0), while the GTX 1070 claims a single, decisive win (winsB: 1) in the head-to-head comparison. This is not a nuanced battle where each card has its strengths; it is a clean sweep.

The GTX 1070’s advantages are not limited to raw compute. Its memory subsystem is also significantly more capable. It offers 8 GB of GDDR5 memory compared to the GTX 560 Ti’s 1 GB, and its bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s is double the older card’s 128.3 GB/s. For modern games and applications that require large textures and high-resolution assets, this memory capacity and bandwidth advantage alone would be a decisive factor, even if the compute scores were closer.

The GTX 560 Ti’s only potential claim to relevance is its smaller physical footprint. It is 229 mm long, compared to the GTX 1070’s 267 mm, making it easier to fit in compact cases. However, this is a minor physical attribute, not a performance win. In every performance metric available, the GTX 1070 is the clear victor.

Architecture Differences

The fundamental difference between these two cards lies in their underlying architectures and manufacturing processes. The GTX 560 Ti is built on the Fermi 2.0 architecture using a 40 nm process at TSMC, while the GTX 1070 uses the Pascal architecture on a 16 nm process, also at TSMC. This process shrink is critical: it allows the GTX 1070 to pack 7,200 million transistors into a die size of 314 mm², resulting in a transistor density of 22.9M / mm². The GTX 560 Ti, by contrast, has only 1,950 million transistors on a larger 332 mm² die, yielding a density of just 5.9M / mm².

These architectural differences translate directly into massive compute resource advantages. The GTX 1070 features 1,920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 64 render output units (ROPs). The GTX 560 Ti is far more modest, with 384 shading units, 64 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. This means the GTX 1070 has five times the shading units, nearly double the TMUs, and double the ROPs.

The clock speeds and resulting throughput figures reflect this hardware disparity. The GTX 1070 operates at a base clock of 1506 MHz with a boost clock of 1683 MHz, while the GTX 560 Ti’s base and boost clocks are not listed. The memory clock also differs significantly: the GTX 1070 runs its GDDR5 memory at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective), whereas the GTX 560 Ti’s memory runs at 1002 MHz (4 Gbps effective). Consequently, the GTX 1070 achieves a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s, compared to the GTX 560 Ti’s 13.17 GPixel/s and 52.67 GTexel/s.

The FP32 compute performance is where the gap becomes even more apparent. The GTX 1070 delivers 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, while the GTX 560 Ti manages just 1,263.4 GFLOPS. This is a five-fold increase in raw floating-point throughput. The GTX 1070 also supports FP16 at 101.0 GFLOPS, a feature entirely absent from the GTX 560 Ti’s specifications.

Feature support also differs. The GTX 1070 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.4, while the GTX 560 Ti is limited to DirectX 12 (11_0) and has no Vulkan support at all. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. The GTX 1070 also uses a PCIe 3.0 x16 interface, whereas the GTX 560 Ti is limited to PCIe 2.0 x16. Display outputs are another differentiator: the GTX 1070 offers 1x DVI, 1x HDMI 2.0, and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the GTX 560 Ti has 2x DVI and 1x mini-HDMI 1.3a.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is the vastly superior graphics card. Its 76.1% lead in the head-to-head OpenCL benchmark, combined with its five-fold advantage in shading units and FP32 compute, makes it the clear choice for virtually any workload. The GTX 1070 also benefits from 8 GB of memory, double the bandwidth, and newer API support including Vulkan and DirectX 12_1. Anyone seeking a card for modern gaming, content creation, or compute tasks should choose the GTX 1070 without hesitation.

The GTX 560 Ti, while a solid card for its era, is simply outclassed. Its 1 GB of memory and lack of modern API support make it unsuitable for contemporary applications. Its only advantages are a shorter physical length and a lower launch MSRP of 249 USD, compared to the GTX 1070’s launch MSRP of 379 USD. However, these factors do not compensate for the massive performance deficit. The GTX 560 Ti may be adequate for legacy applications or basic 2D workloads, but the data shows it is not competitive with the GTX 1070 in any meaningful way.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster in the Geekbench OpenCL benchmark?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is significantly faster, scoring 44,700 compared to the GTX 560 Ti’s 10,690, a deltaPct of -76.1% for the older card.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The GTX 1070 has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory, while the GTX 560 Ti has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory.

Q: Do both cards support the same DirectX version?

A: No. The GTX 1070 supports DirectX 12 (12_1), while the GTX 560 Ti supports DirectX 12 (11_0). The GTX 1070 also supports Vulkan 1.4, which the GTX 560 Ti does not.

Q: What are the physical dimensions of each card?

A: The GTX 1070 is 267 mm long, 112 mm high, and 40 mm wide. The GTX 560 Ti is 229 mm long, with no listed height or width.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor count?

A: The GTX 1070 has 7,200 million transistors, while the GTX 560 Ti has 1,950 million transistors.

Q: What is the power connector requirement for each card?

A: The GTX 1070 requires a single 8-pin power connector, while the GTX 560 Ti requires two 6-pin power connectors. Both have a suggested PSU of 450 W.