NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile Comparison

NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile represent two very different eras of GPU design, and the benchmark data reflects a decisive generational shift. The RTX 3070 Mobile wins both recorded head-to-head tests by a massive margin, yet the TITAN Z holds a higher percentile ranking against all GPUs, which creates a fascinating split between raw compute potential and modern API efficiency.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3070 Mobile is the clear winner in every direct benchmark comparison recorded in the database. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 92,939 versus the TITAN Z's 25,465, a difference of 72.6 percent. In Geekbench Vulkan, the RTX 3070 Mobile scores 86,768 versus 22,006, a 74.6 percent advantage. There are no benchmark categories in the recorded data where the TITAN Z comes out ahead.

The TITAN Z's strength lies in its historical positioning rather than its direct benchmark wins. It holds a 69th percentile ranking among all GPUs, which places it above the RTX 3070 Mobile's 65th percentile. Its average benchmark score of 23,736 also exceeds the RTX 3070 Mobile's 20,534 average. This means the TITAN Z sits alongside the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile (23,628 average, 0.5 percent difference) and AMD Radeon RX 9070 (23,877 average, -0.6 percent difference) in overall database ranking, while the RTX 3070 Mobile competes with the Intel Arc B570 (20,556 average, -0.1 percent difference) and Intel Arc A750 (20,582 average, -0.2 percent difference).

For a modern user, the RTX 3070 Mobile is the practical choice because it delivers far higher scores in the two compute APIs that matter today. The TITAN Z's higher percentile ranking appears to stem from its broader benchmark history, but in the direct comparisons available, it does not win a single test.

Architecture Differences

The TITAN Z uses the GK110B chip based on Kepler architecture, built on a 28 nm process at TSMC. It packs 7,080 million transistors into a 561 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 12.6 million per square millimeter. The RTX 3070 Mobile uses the GA104 chip based on Ampere architecture, built on an 8 nm process at Samsung. It contains 17,400 million transistors in a 392 mm² die, achieving a density of 44.4 million per square millimeter. The Ampere chip crams more than twice the transistors into a smaller area.

The RTX 3070 Mobile brings modern feature hardware that the Kepler part lacks entirely. It has 40 ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores, while the TITAN Z has none of either. The RTX 3070 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the TITAN Z is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.175. Both support OpenGL 4.6.

The memory subsystems differ completely. The TITAN Z uses 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384 bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3070 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3070 Mobile achieves higher bandwidth through faster memory, 14 Gbps effective versus 7 Gbps effective, despite a narrower bus.

The physical design tells the story of two different product categories. The TITAN Z is a triple-slot desktop card measuring 267 mm long, 111 mm high, and 62 mm wide, with 2x 8-pin power connectors and a 375 W TDP. The RTX 3070 Mobile is a portable device with no slot width, no dimensions, no power connectors listed, and a 115 W TDP. The TITAN Z requires a 750 W suggested PSU, while the mobile part has no PSU requirement listed.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The Geekbench OpenCL test shows the clearest performance gap. The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 92,939 against the TITAN Z's 25,465. This is a 72.6 percent advantage for the mobile part, and it demonstrates how far GPU compute performance has come. The TITAN Z's 5.046 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth simply cannot compete with the RTX 3070 Mobile's 15.97 TFLOPS of FP32 and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story. The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 86,768 versus 22,006 for the TITAN Z, a 74.6 percent difference. Vulkan is a modern low-level API, and the RTX 3070 Mobile's support for Vulkan 1.4 gives it a substantial advantage over the TITAN Z's Vulkan 1.2.175. The RTX 3070 Mobile's 40 ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores also contribute to its stronger performance in modern graphics workloads.

The TITAN Z does have some theoretical advantages in raw specifications. It has 240 texture mapping units versus 160 for the RTX 3070 Mobile, and a 384 bit memory bus versus 256 bit. However, these advantages do not translate into benchmark wins. The RTX 3070 Mobile compensates with 5,120 shading units versus 2,880, 80 ROPs versus 48, and significantly higher clock speeds: 1,110 MHz base and 1,560 MHz boost versus 705 MHz base and 876 MHz boost.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ in nearly every recorded specification. The TITAN Z is a Kepler architecture chip from the GeForce 700 generation, while the RTX 3070 Mobile is Ampere from the GeForce 30 Mobile generation. The TITAN Z uses a 28 nm TSMC process, the RTX 3070 Mobile uses an 8 nm Samsung process. The TITAN Z has 7,080 million transistors on a 561 mm² die, the RTX 3070 Mobile has 17,400 million on 392 mm². Transistor density is 12.6M per square millimeter versus 44.4M.

Clock speeds favor the mobile part: 705 MHz base and 876 MHz boost for the TITAN Z, 1,110 MHz base and 1,560 MHz boost for the RTX 3070 Mobile. Memory differs in size (6 GB versus 8 GB), type (GDDR5 versus GDDR6), bus width (384 bit versus 256 bit), and effective speed (7 Gbps versus 14 Gbps). The RTX 3070 Mobile has higher bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s versus 336.0 GB/s.

Compute resources favor the RTX 3070 Mobile in shading units (5,120 versus 2,880), ROPs (80 versus 48), and FP32 throughput (15.97 TFLOPS versus 5.046 TFLOPS). The TITAN Z has more TMUs (240 versus 160). The RTX 3070 Mobile has 40 RT cores and 160 tensor cores, the TITAN Z has none. The RTX 3070 Mobile also supports FP16 at 15.97 TFLOPS (1:1), while the TITAN Z has no listed FP16 capability.

The TITAN Z has a 375 W TDP and requires a 750 W PSU with 2x 8-pin connectors. The RTX 3070 Mobile has a 115 W TDP with no power connectors listed. The TITAN Z is a triple-slot card with dimensions of 267 mm by 111 mm by 62 mm. The RTX 3070 Mobile has no physical dimensions listed. The TITAN Z uses PCIe 3.0 x16, the RTX 3070 Mobile uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the TITAN Z has 2x DVI, 1x HDMI 1.4a, and 1x DisplayPort 1.2, while the RTX 3070 Mobile's outputs are listed as portable device dependent. The TITAN Z has a launch MSRP of 2,999 USD, while the RTX 3070 Mobile has no launch MSRP listed. The TITAN Z was released on 2014-05-27, the RTX 3070 Mobile on 2021-01-11.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The TITAN Z has an average benchmark score of 23,736, which is higher than the RTX 3070 Mobile's 20,534. The TITAN Z also ranks in the 69th percentile among all GPUs compared to the RTX 3070 Mobile's 65th percentile.

Q: How large is the performance gap in the Geekbench OpenCL test?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 92,939 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to the TITAN Z's 25,465. This gives the RTX 3070 Mobile a 72.6 percent advantage in that test.

Q: Does the TITAN Z have ray tracing or tensor cores?

A: No, the TITAN Z has no ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 3070 Mobile has 40 ray tracing cores and 160 tensor cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference between the two?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile has 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth from 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus. The TITAN Z has 336.0 GB/s from 6 GB of GDDR5 on a 384 bit bus.

Q: Which GPU has the higher transistor density?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile has a transistor density of 44.4 million per square millimeter, substantially higher than the TITAN Z's 12.6 million per square millimeter.

Q: Which GPU supports newer DirectX features?

A: The RTX 3070 Mobile supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4. The TITAN Z is limited to DirectX 12 (11_1) and Vulkan 1.2.175.

The Verdict

The data points to the RTX 3070 Mobile as the superior choice for anyone running modern compute workloads. It wins both recorded head-to-head benchmarks by more than 72 percent, has over three times the FP32 throughput at 15.97 TFLOPS versus 5.046 TFLOPS, and supports current APIs including DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. It also uses significantly less power at 115 W versus 375 W, making it far more practical for portable systems.

The TITAN Z is a historical artifact that still holds a respectable position in the database rankings. Its 69th percentile and 23,736 average score place it alongside the RTX 3080 Mobile and RX 9070 in overall performance classification. However, its age shows in the direct comparisons: Kepler architecture, no ray tracing, no tensor cores, GDDR5 memory, and a 28 nm process all contribute to its 72.6 to 74.6 percent deficit in modern benchmarks.

Users should choose based on their actual workload. For modern gaming and compute, the RTX 3070 Mobile is the only rational pick from this data. For those tracking historical GPU performance or comparing legacy hardware, the TITAN Z's higher percentile ranking and average score make it an interesting reference point, but not a competitive option against the Ampere part.