NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Mobile vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile is the clear overall winner against the RTX 4070 Mobile, taking 7 of 9 head-to-head benchmarks and posting a 9.1% higher average benchmark score (29,928 vs 27,435). However, the data does not show a complete sweep: the older RTX 4070 Mobile retains narrow victories in legacy DirectX 9 workloads and GPU compute, proving that architectural maturity still matters in specific scenarios.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RTX 5070 Mobile dominates modern API workloads with double-digit leads. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 122,238 against 109,197 for the RTX 4070 Mobile, an 11.9% advantage. The Vulkan gap is smaller but still decisive: 116,960 vs 108,367, a 7.9% win. These are the two most representative general-purpose compute tests in the data, and the 5070 wins both convincingly.

DirectX results follow a similar pattern. The RTX 5070 Mobile leads in DX10 (129 vs 116, +11.2%), DX11 (192 vs 179, +7.3%), and DX12 (93 vs 85, +9.4%). The DX12 margin is particularly notable because it reflects the newest graphics API where Blackwell 2.0's feature set should shine. The 5070 also wins PassMark G3D (20,355 vs 19,587, +3.9%), the aggregate 3D gaming score, though by a more modest margin than the API-specific tests suggest.

The 2D performance gap is the largest of any benchmark. PassMark G2D shows 896 for the RTX 5070 Mobile versus 763 for the RTX 4070 Mobile, a 17.4% blowout. This is not a gaming metric, but it indicates faster desktop composition, video playback, and general interface responsiveness — meaningful for laptop users who spend more time in productivity apps than games.

The RTX 4070 Mobile wins exactly two tests. PassMark DirectX 9 favors it 223 to 214, a 4% lead. PassMark GPU Compute also goes its way: 8,399 vs 8,279, a 1.4% margin. Neither win is large, but the compute result is interesting because it contradicts the Geekbench OpenCL outcome. The RTX 5070 Mobile's overall average score of 29,928 places it at the 75th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4070 Mobile sits at the 73rd percentile with a 27,435 average. The 5070's nearest rival is the RTX 3070 Ti at 29,945 (-0.1%), making it statistically indistinguishable from that desktop-class card. The 4070 Mobile's closest competitor is the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT at 27,425 (0.0% delta), a dead heat.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are manufactured on TSMC's 5 nm process, but they represent two distinct generations. The RTX 5070 Mobile uses the GB206 chip with Blackwell 2.0 architecture, while the RTX 4070 Mobile uses the AD106 chip with Ada Lovelace. The transistor counts are close — 21,900 million for the 5070 versus 22,900 million for the 4070 — and the die sizes are nearly identical at 181 mm² and 188 mm² respectively. The transistor density is effectively the same: 121.0M/mm² for the 5070, 121.8M/mm² for the 4070.

Core configurations are identical on paper. Both have 4,608 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, 48 ROPs, 36 ray tracing cores, and 144 tensor cores. The architectural improvements in Blackwell 2.0 must therefore come from IPC efficiency and scheduling rather than raw hardware counts. Clock speeds tell a different story: the RTX 4070 Mobile runs at a 1395 MHz base and 1695 MHz boost, while the RTX 5070 Mobile operates at just 907 MHz base and 1425 MHz boost. Despite the lower clocks, the 5070 wins most benchmarks, confirming that Blackwell 2.0 delivers more work per clock cycle.

Memory is a major differentiator. The RTX 5070 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR7 at 24 Gbps effective, yielding 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4070 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR6 at 16 Gbps effective, producing only 256.0 GB/s. That is a 50% bandwidth advantage for the 5070, which directly explains its stronger performance in memory-sensitive DirectX 12 and 2D workloads. Both use a 128-bit bus, so the bandwidth gain comes entirely from the faster memory technology.

The power envelope is dramatically different. The RTX 5070 Mobile is rated at 50 W TDP, while the RTX 4070 Mobile draws 115 W. The 5070 achieves higher benchmark scores while consuming less than half the power — a generational efficiency leap. The bus interface also changes: the 5070 uses PCIe 5.0 x16, while the 4070 uses PCIe 4.0 x8. This doubles the available bandwidth to the CPU, which matters for data transfer in compute workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5070 Mobile is the clear choice for modern gaming and general-purpose performance. It wins every DirectX 10, 11, and 12 test, plus both Geekbench compute tests and the aggregate G3D score. Gamers running current titles that use DX12 will see a 9.4% advantage. Users who run Vulkan-based games or applications gain 7.9%. The 17.4% lead in G2D makes it the better option for Windows desktop responsiveness, video streaming, and office productivity. Its 50 W TDP also makes it suitable for thinner, lighter laptops where thermals are constrained.

The RTX 4070 Mobile retains two specific niches. Its 4% win in DirectX 9 means legacy games from the early 2000s or games locked to DX9 APIs will run slightly better on the older card. The 1.4% lead in PassMark GPU Compute suggests that certain compute workloads — possibly those optimized for Ada Lovelace's specific instruction scheduling — still favor the 4070. The 4070's higher boost clock of 1695 MHz likely contributes to these wins, as legacy and compute tasks may not benefit from Blackwell's new features and instead rely on raw clock speed.

For users upgrading from an RTX 30-series laptop, the 5070 is the obvious path forward. Its average score of 29,928 places it near the desktop RTX 3070 Ti (29,945, -0.1%), while the 4070 Mobile's 27,435 average aligns with the RX 6700 XT (27,425, 0.0%). The 5070 also has a higher percentile ranking (75th vs 73rd), meaning it outperforms a larger share of the GPU market.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster overall?

A: The RTX 5070 Mobile wins 7 of 9 head-to-head benchmarks and has a higher average benchmark score of 29,928 versus 27,435 for the RTX 4070 Mobile, a 9.1% advantage.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5070 Mobile in gaming workloads?

A: In PassMark G3D, the 5070 scores 20,355 versus 19,587, a 3.9% lead. In DX12 specifically, the lead is 9.4% (93 vs 85). DX11 shows a 7.3% advantage (192 vs 179).

Q: Does the RTX 4070 Mobile win any benchmarks?

A: Yes, it wins PassMark DirectX 9 (223 vs 214, +4%) and PassMark GPU Compute (8,399 vs 8,279, +1.4%).

Q: Why does the RTX 5070 Mobile have lower clock speeds but higher performance?

A: The 5070 runs at 907 MHz base and 1425 MHz boost, while the 4070 runs at 1395 MHz and 1695 MHz. The 5070's Blackwell 2.0 architecture delivers more instructions per clock, plus it has 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth versus 256.0 GB/s.

Q: What memory technology does each GPU use?

A: The RTX 5070 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR7 at 24 Gbps effective. The RTX 4070 Mobile uses 8 GB of GDDR6 at 16 Gbps effective. Both have a 128-bit bus.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The RTX 5070 Mobile has a 50 W TDP, while the RTX 4070 Mobile has a 115 W TDP. The 5070 achieves higher scores while using less than half the power.

Specification Differences

| Specification | RTX 5070 Mobile | RTX 4070 Mobile |

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

| Architecture | Blackwell 2.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Chip | GB206 | AD106 |

| Transistors | 21,900 million | 22,900 million |

| Die Size | 181 mm² | 188 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 121.0M / mm² | 121.8M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 907 MHz | 1395 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1425 MHz | 1695 MHz |

| Memory Type | GDDR7 | GDDR6 |

| Memory Clock | 1500 MHz / 24 Gbps effective | 2000 MHz / 16 Gbps effective |

| Memory Bandwidth | 384.0 GB/s | 256.0 GB/s |

| Pixel Rate | 68.40 GPixel/s | 81.36 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 205.2 GTexel/s | 244.1 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 13.13 TFLOPS | 15.62 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 13.13 TFLOPS | 15.62 TFLOPS |

| TDP | 50 W | 115 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 5.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| Release Date | 2025-04-14 | 2023-01-02 |

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: choose the RTX 5070 Mobile for almost every use case. It wins 7 of 9 benchmarks, delivers a 9.1% higher average score, and does so at 50 W TDP versus 115 W. The 384.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is a decisive advantage over 256.0 GB/s, and the PCIe 5.0 x16 interface doubles the bus throughput versus PCIe 4.0 x8. The 5070's 75th percentile ranking versus the 4070's 73rd confirms it sits in a higher performance tier.

The only scenarios where the RTX 4070 Mobile makes sense are niche. Gamers who primarily play DirectX 9 titles will see a 4% improvement. Users running specific compute workloads that happen to favor Ada Lovelace's higher boost clock (1695 MHz vs 1425 MHz) may prefer the 4070, and it also offers higher raw FP32 throughput at 15.62 TFLOPS versus 13.13 TFLOPS. However, these advantages are narrow and do not offset the 5070's wins in every modern API.

For laptop buyers, the RTX 5070 Mobile is the superior choice on every meaningful metric: performance, efficiency, bandwidth, and platform connectivity. The RTX 4070 Mobile is not obsolete — its DirectX 9 and compute wins prove it still has utility — but it is clearly the slower, less efficient card in this pairing. The 5070's combination of Blackwell 2.0 efficiency and GDDR7 memory makes it the definitive pick for anyone buying a new gaming or workstation laptop.