NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile share the same AD104 chip and Ada Lovelace architecture, yet they are engineered for entirely different environments. The RTX 4070 SUPER is a desktop graphics card with a 220 W TDP, while the RTX 4080 Mobile is an integrated graphics processor for laptops with a 110 W TDP. This fundamental difference in power envelope drives a significant performance gap. The benchmark data shows the RTX 4070 SUPER winning all nine head-to-head comparisons, with the largest margin being a 52.9% lead in compute workloads. However, the RTX 4080 Mobile is not without merit, offering a higher shading unit count and a more recent production status. This analysis will explore the architectural nuances, benchmark results, and use-case scenarios to determine which GPU is the right choice for different types of users.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER has a significantly higher average benchmark score of 43,223 compared to the RTX 4080 Mobile's 38,135. This represents a substantial overall performance advantage for the desktop card.

Q: How much faster is the RTX 4070 SUPER in the Geekbench Vulkan test?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER scores 205,624 in Geekbench Vulkan, which is 41% higher than the RTX 4080 Mobile's score of 145,807. This is one of the largest performance deltas between the two cards.

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

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s using GDDR6X memory, while the RTX 4080 Mobile has a lower bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s using GDDR6 memory. Both cards have a 192-bit bus width and 12 GB of memory.

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock speed?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has a much higher boost clock of 2475 MHz compared to the RTX 4080 Mobile's 1665 MHz. This clock speed advantage is a primary driver of the desktop card's superior performance.

Q: How do the two cards compare regarding their production status?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER is marked as "End-of-life," while the RTX 4080 Mobile is listed as "Active" in production. This suggests the mobile GPU is currently a more available product for laptop manufacturers.

Q: In which benchmark does the RTX 4070 SUPER show its largest lead?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER shows its largest lead in the Passmark GPU Compute test, scoring 17,108 against the RTX 4080 Mobile's 11,191. This is a 52.9% performance advantage for the desktop card.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same AD104 chip using TSMC's 5 nm process node, with the same 35,800 million transistors and a die size of 294 mm². The transistor density is also identical at 121.8M / mm². They share the same Ada Lovelace architecture and support the same APIs, including DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The fundamental architectural difference lies in their implementation targets: the RTX 4070 SUPER is a dual-slot desktop card, while the RTX 4080 Mobile is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) for portable devices.

The core configurations differ despite the same chip. The RTX 4080 Mobile actually has more shading units (7424) than the RTX 4070 SUPER (7168), along with more texture mapping units (232 vs 224) and more ray tracing cores (58 vs 56). It also has more tensor cores (232 vs 224). This suggests the mobile chip has a more fully enabled silicon, but its performance is constrained by much lower clock speeds. The RTX 4070 SUPER has a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, while the RTX 4080 Mobile operates at a base clock of 1290 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz.

The power and cooling solutions are starkly different. The RTX 4070 SUPER has a TDP of 220 W and requires a 1x 16-pin power connector with a suggested 550 W PSU. The RTX 4080 Mobile has a TDP of just 110 W and uses no power connectors, as it is designed to be soldered onto a laptop motherboard. The memory subsystems also differ: the RTX 4070 SUPER uses 12 GB of GDDR6X at 21 Gbps effective, while the RTX 4080 Mobile uses 12 GB of GDDR6 at 18 Gbps effective. This results in a bandwidth advantage for the desktop card (504.2 GB/s vs 432.0 GB/s).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The data shows a clean sweep for the RTX 4070 SUPER across all nine benchmark tests. The most decisive victory comes in the Passmark GPU Compute test, where the RTX 4070 SUPER scores 17,108 against the RTX 4080 Mobile's 11,191, a 52.9% lead. This suggests the desktop card's higher clocks and memory bandwidth provide a massive advantage in general-purpose compute tasks. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, the RTX 4070 SUPER scores 205,624, which is 41% higher than the mobile card's 145,807, indicating a strong lead in modern graphics APIs.

The gap narrows somewhat in other tests but remains substantial. In Passmark G3D, the RTX 4070 SUPER scores 29,995 versus 24,926 for the mobile card, a 20.3% difference. The same 20.3% delta appears in Passmark DirectX 9, with scores of 344 and 286 respectively. In Passmark DirectX 12, the RTX 4070 SUPER leads by 14.6% (110 vs 96), while in DirectX 11 it leads by 11.9% (273 vs 244). The smallest margins are seen in Passmark DirectX 10 (6.4% lead) and Geekbench OpenCL (8.3% lead), where the RTX 4070 SUPER scores 167 vs 157 and 172,795 vs 159,575 respectively.

The Passmark G2D test shows a 27.4% advantage for the RTX 4070 SUPER, with scores of 1,184 versus 929. This indicates that even in 2D workloads, the desktop card's higher clocks and dedicated design provide a noticeable benefit. The overall pattern is clear: the RTX 4070 SUPER's clock speed advantage (boost of 2475 MHz vs 1665 MHz) and higher memory bandwidth (504.2 GB/s vs 432.0 GB/s) allow it to outperform the mobile chip despite the latter having more cores.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across several key specification categories. The most obvious differences are in their physical design and power requirements. The RTX 4070 SUPER is a dual-slot desktop card measuring 267 mm in length, 112 mm in height, and 42 mm in width, while the RTX 4080 Mobile has no listed dimensions and is an integrated processor. The desktop card has a TDP of 220 W and requires a 1x 16-pin power connector, while the mobile chip has a TDP of 110 W and uses no power connectors.

Clock speeds show a significant divergence. The RTX 4070 SUPER has a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz, while the RTX 4080 Mobile has a base clock of 1290 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz. The memory clocks also differ: the desktop card runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) with GDDR6X, while the mobile card runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) with GDDR6. This leads to a bandwidth difference of 504.2 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s.

The compute units show a subtle inversion. The RTX 4080 Mobile has more shading units (7424 vs 7168), more TMUs (232 vs 224), more RT cores (58 vs 56), and more tensor cores (232 vs 224). However, the RTX 4070 SUPER achieves higher pixel and texture rates due to its clocks: 198.0 GPixel/s vs 133.2 GPixel/s and 554.4 GTexel/s vs 386.3 GTexel/s. The FP32 and FP16 performance also favors the desktop card, with 35.48 TFLOPS versus 24.72 TFLOPS for both precisions.

Other differences include the production status (End-of-life for the RTX 4070 SUPER, Active for the RTX 4080 Mobile), release dates (2024-01-16 vs 2023-01-02), and display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a for the desktop card, versus "Portable Device Dependent" for the mobile chip). The RTX 4070 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, while the RTX 4080 Mobile has no listed MSRP.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4070 SUPER wins in every benchmark category where both cards were tested. Its most significant victories are in compute and modern API workloads. The 52.9% lead in Passmark GPU Compute makes it the clear choice for GPU-accelerated tasks like rendering, scientific simulations, and machine learning inference. The 41% lead in Geekbench Vulkan suggests it is also better suited for modern games that leverage Vulkan's low-overhead features. The 20.3% advantage in Passmark G3D and DirectX 9 indicates strong performance across a wide range of gaming scenarios.

The RTX 4080 Mobile does not win any benchmark, but its value lies in its form factor and efficiency. With a 110 W TDP, it is designed for laptops where power consumption and heat dissipation are critical constraints. Its higher core count (7424 shading units vs 7168) suggests that if it were given more power and cooling headroom, it could potentially close the gap. The mobile card also has the advantage of being an active production part, meaning it is currently available for new laptop designs, whereas the RTX 4070 SUPER is end-of-life.

For users building a desktop system, the RTX 4070 SUPER is the obvious performance winner. Its superior clock speeds and memory bandwidth translate into tangible gains across all tested workloads. For users seeking a gaming laptop, the RTX 4080 Mobile offers a strong balance of performance and power efficiency, but the data clearly shows it is a step below the desktop card in raw performance.

The Verdict

The benchmark data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the faster GPU in every measurable way. It wins all nine head-to-head comparisons, with leads ranging from 6.4% in Passmark DirectX 10 to 52.9% in Passmark GPU Compute. Its average benchmark score of 43,223 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4080 Mobile's 38,135 score places it in the 81st percentile. The desktop card's nearest rivals include the RTX 4090 Mobile, which scores 43,667 and is only 1% ahead, whereas the RTX 4080 Mobile's rivals include the RTX 5080 Mobile at 38,349 and the RTX 4070 at 37,648.

For desktop users, the choice is clear: the RTX 4070 SUPER offers superior performance in all scenarios, from legacy DirectX 9 titles to modern Vulkan workloads and compute-heavy applications. Its higher TDP allows it to maintain much higher clock speeds, and its GDDR6X memory provides a bandwidth advantage that the mobile chip cannot match. The fact that it is end-of-life may be a consideration for availability, but its performance credentials are solid.

For laptop users, the RTX 4080 Mobile is a capable option, but the data shows it is not in the same performance tier as the desktop RTX 4070 SUPER. Its higher core count is interesting from an architectural perspective, but it is hamstrung by clock speeds that are 33% lower at boost. The mobile card's active production status and lower power consumption make it a practical choice for portable gaming, but users should not expect desktop-level performance. The verdict is straightforward: choose the RTX 4070 SUPER for maximum performance in a desktop, and the RTX 4080 Mobile only if portability is the primary requirement.