NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Max-Q vs NVIDIA N1X 48SM Comparison

FAQ

Q: What are the core specifications of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Max-Q?

A: The RTX 4070 Max-Q uses the AD106 chip on the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It has 4,608 shading units, 144 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 36 RT cores, and 144 tensor cores. The memory configuration is 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. Base clock is 735 MHz, boost clock is 1230 MHz, and memory runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective speed.

Q: What are the core specifications of the NVIDIA N1X 48SM?

A: The N1X 48SM uses the GB20B chip on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture, also built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It has 6,144 shading units, 384 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 48 RT cores, and 192 tensor cores. Memory is 128 GB LPDDR5X on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. Base clock is 741 MHz, boost clock is 2346 MHz, and memory runs at 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective speed. Die size is 382 mm².

Q: Which GPU has a higher FP32 compute throughput?

A: The N1X 48SM delivers 28.83 TFLOPS FP32, which is significantly higher than the RTX 4070 Max-Q's 11.34 TFLOPS. The N1X 48SM also matches this 28.83 TFLOPS figure for FP16, while the RTX 4070 Max-Q delivers 11.34 TFLOPS FP16 with a 1:1 ratio.

Q: How do the texture rates compare between the two?

A: The N1X 48SM has a texture rate of 900.9 GTexel/s, while the RTX 4070 Max-Q achieves 177.1 GTexel/s. This is a substantial difference, driven by the N1X 48SM's higher TMU count of 384 versus 144, combined with its higher boost clock.

Q: What are the API support differences?

A: The RTX 4070 Max-Q supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1X 48SM lists N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan, meaning no API support is recorded in the database for this part.

Q: What is the production status and release timeline for each?

A: Both are marked as Active in production. The RTX 4070 Max-Q has a release date of 2023-01-02, while the N1X 48SM has a release date of 2026-05-31. The RTX 4070 Max-Q lists its predecessor as GeForce 30 Mobile and successor as GeForce 50 Mobile, while the N1X 48SM has no predecessor or successor recorded.

The Verdict

The data shows two very different parts. The RTX 4070 Max-Q is a conventional mobile GPU with a 35 W TDP, designed for thin-and-light laptops. It uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with a complete API stack including DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 11.34 TFLOPS FP32 performance.

The N1X 48SM is a Blackwell 2.0 IGP (integrated graphics processor) with dramatically higher raw compute. It delivers 28.83 TFLOPS FP32, more than double the RTX 4070 Max-Q. It also has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory, which is 16 times the capacity of the RTX 4070 Max-Q. The boost clock is 2346 MHz versus 1230 MHz, and the texture rate is 900.9 GTexel/s versus 177.1 GTexel/s.

However, the N1X 48SM records N/A for DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan. This means the database has no API compatibility data for this part, which is a significant caveat for any application or game that relies on those APIs. The RTX 4070 Max-Q, by contrast, has full API support.

The choice depends on what the workload requires. For general-purpose compute with massive memory capacity and high raw throughput, the N1X 48SM is the stronger part on paper. For software compatibility with established graphics APIs, the RTX 4070 Max-Q is the safer option based on the recorded data.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no head-to-head benchmark entries for these two GPUs. There are no recorded wins for either part in the head-to-head section, with winsA and winsB both at 0. Both parts also have an empty benchmarks array and an avgBenchmarkScore of 0. The percentileVsAllGpus for both is 50, placing them at the median of all GPUs in the database despite their very different specifications.

Because no benchmark scores exist, the comparison must rely entirely on the specification data. The FP32 compute difference is the most striking: the N1X 48SM delivers 28.83 TFLOPS, which is approximately 2.54 times the RTX 4070 Max-Q's 11.34 TFLOPS. The texture rate difference is even larger, with the N1X 48SM at 900.9 GTexel/s versus 177.1 GTexel/s, a factor of about 5.09.

Pixel rate also favors the N1X 48SM at 112.6 GPixel/s versus 59.04 GPixel/s for the RTX 4070 Max-Q. Memory bandwidth is closer: 273.2 GB/s for the N1X 48SM versus 256.0 GB/s for the RTX 4070 Max-Q, a modest 6.7% advantage. The RTX 4070 Max-Q has no recorded wins in any benchmark category, and the N1X 48SM likewise has no recorded wins.

Specification Differences

The two parts differ across nearly every specification field. The RTX 4070 Max-Q has 4,608 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The N1X 48SM has 6,144 shading units, 384 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. RT core count is 36 for the RTX 4070 Max-Q and 48 for the N1X 48SM. Tensor cores are 144 versus 192.

Memory capacity is 8 GB GDDR6 for the RTX 4070 Max-Q, while the N1X 48SM has 128 GB LPDDR5X. Bus width is 128-bit versus 256-bit. Bandwidth is 256.0 GB/s versus 273.2 GB/s. Memory clock is 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective for the RTX 4070 Max-Q, and 1067 MHz with 8.5 Gbps effective for the N1X 48SM.

Base clocks are close at 735 MHz versus 741 MHz, but boost clocks differ substantially: 1230 MHz for the RTX 4070 Max-Q and 2346 MHz for the N1X 48SM. The TDP for the RTX 4070 Max-Q is recorded at 35 W, while the N1X 48SM's TDP is unknown.

The bus interface differs: PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RTX 4070 Max-Q, PCIe 5.0 x16 for the N1X 48SM. Display outputs also differ, with the RTX 4070 Max-Q listed as "Portable Device Dependent" and the N1X 48SM having 1x HDMI. Both use IGP slot width and have no power connectors.

The RTX 4070 Max-Q has a transistor count of 22,900 million on a 188 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 121.8M / mm². The N1X 48SM has an unknown transistor count but a die size of 382 mm², with no transistor density recorded.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 4070 Max-Q uses the AD106 chip based on Ada Lovelace architecture, part of the GeForce 40 Mobile generation. The N1X 48SM uses the GB20B chip based on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, part of the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the design philosophies diverge sharply.

The RTX 4070 Max-Q is a discrete mobile GPU with a full graphics API stack: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Its 35 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface indicate a power-conscious design for portable devices. The 128-bit memory bus and 8 GB GDDR6 capacity are typical for a mainstream mobile part.

The N1X 48SM is an integrated graphics processor with a 256-bit memory bus and 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory. This memory configuration suggests a unified memory architecture where the GPU shares the system memory pool. The 382 mm² die size is notably large for an IGP, and the PCIe 5.0 x16 interface indicates a high-bandwidth connection to the host system.

The N1X 48SM has no recorded API support for DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan, all listed as N/A. This is a fundamental architectural difference from the RTX 4070 Max-Q, which supports all three. The N1X 48SM's compute resources are substantially larger, with more shading units, TMUs, RT cores, and tensor cores, but the lack of API compatibility data limits its applicability for traditional graphics workloads.

The RTX 4070 Max-Q has a predecessor in GeForce 30 Mobile and a successor in GeForce 50 Mobile, showing its place in a product line. The N1X 48SM has no predecessor or successor recorded, which may indicate a standalone design or a product family not yet documented in the database.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4070 Max-Q wins in software compatibility. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it suitable for games and applications that rely on these established APIs. The N1X 48SM records N/A for all three APIs, so the database shows no compatibility for standard graphics workloads on that part.

The RTX 4070 Max-Q also has a lower and known power envelope at 35 W TDP, which is advantageous for portable devices where thermal and power constraints are strict. The N1X 48SM's TDP is unknown, so power efficiency cannot be assessed from the recorded data.

The N1X 48SM wins in raw compute throughput. Its 28.83 TFLOPS FP32 is more than double the RTX 4070 Max-Q's 11.34 TFLOPS. The texture rate of 900.9 GTexel/s versus 177.1 GTexel/s indicates a significant advantage in texture-heavy workloads. The pixel rate of 112.6 GPixel/s versus 59.04 GPixel/s also favors the N1X 48SM.

The N1X 48SM wins in memory capacity with 128 GB versus 8 GB, a 16-fold difference. This makes it suitable for workloads that require large datasets in memory, such as big model inference or large-scale data processing. The memory bandwidth is also higher at 273.2 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s, though the difference is modest.

The N1X 48SM has a higher boost clock at 2346 MHz versus 1230 MHz, and its bus interface is PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x8, offering more host bandwidth. The RT core count is 48 versus 36, and tensor cores are 192 versus 144, both favoring the N1X 48SM for ray tracing and AI workloads, assuming the API support exists to utilize them.

For gaming and conventional graphics applications, the RTX 4070 Max-Q is the only part with recorded API support. For compute-heavy tasks that do not require DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan, the N1X 48SM offers substantially higher throughput and memory capacity. The absence of benchmark data for both parts means these conclusions rest on specification analysis alone.