NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 are both Ada Lovelace parts built on the same AD104 chip, but they target entirely different physical envelopes. The 4080 Mobile is an IGP for laptops, while the 4070 is a dual-slot desktop card. Benchmark data shows they are closely matched overall, with the desktop RTX 4070 winning six of nine head-to-head tests, yet the mobile chip holds a slight edge in average score across all benchmarks. This comparison clarifies where each part excels and which workloads favor the mobile or desktop design.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 38135, which is 1.3% higher than the RTX 4070's average of 37648. The RTX 4080 Mobile also sits at the 81st percentile against all GPUs, matching the RTX 4070's percentile rank.

Q: How do the two compare in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: The RTX 4080 Mobile wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 159575, which is 3% higher than the RTX 4070's score of 154858. This is one of the three head-to-head wins for the mobile part.

Q: What is the result of the Vulkan benchmark between these two?

A: The RTX 4070 wins decisively in Geekbench Vulkan, scoring 174152 against the RTX 4080 Mobile's 145807. This represents a 16.3% advantage for the desktop card, which is the largest margin of victory in any of the head-to-head tests.

Q: Which GPU performs better in DirectX 12 and DirectX 9 legacy tests?

A: The RTX 4070 wins both. In Passmark DirectX 12, it scores 103 versus 96 for the RTX 4080 Mobile, a 6.8% lead. In DirectX 9, the RTX 4070 scores 320 against 286, giving it a 10.6% advantage.

Q: How do the memory subsystems differ between the two?

A: Both use a 192-bit bus and 12 GB of memory, but the RTX 4080 Mobile uses GDDR6 at 18 Gbps effective, yielding 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 4070 uses GDDR6X at 21 Gbps effective, providing 504.2 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Are these GPUs based on the same silicon?

A: Yes, both use the AD104 chip built on TSMC's 5 nm process, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. The transistor density is identical at 121.8M / mm² for both.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the RTX 4070 is the stronger overall performer in most individual tests, winning six of the nine head-to-head benchmarks. Its wins include substantial margins in compute and modern graphics APIs, such as a 24% lead in Passmark GPU Compute and a 16.3% lead in Geekbench Vulkan. For users prioritizing raw compute throughput, DirectX 12 performance, or legacy DirectX 9 compatibility, the desktop RTX 4070 is the clear choice.

However, the RTX 4080 Mobile is not a simple underdog. It wins the Geekbench OpenCL test by 3%, takes DirectX 10 by 12.9%, and ties in DirectX 11. Its average benchmark score is actually 1.3% higher than the RTX 4070's, despite losing more head-to-head tests. This suggests that the mobile part is more consistent across a broader range of workloads, even if it loses the specific tests that favor the desktop card's higher clocks and memory bandwidth.

The verdict depends on the use case. For a fixed desktop environment where power and cooling are unrestricted, the RTX 4070 is the better pick for most gaming and compute scenarios. For a mobile platform where the IGP form factor and 110 W TDP are mandatory, the RTX 4080 Mobile offers competitive performance that is often within a few percent of the desktop card, and it even wins in some API tests. The RTX 4070's 200 W TDP and dual-slot design make it unsuitable for such portable applications, while the RTX 4080 Mobile's "Portable Device Dependent" display outputs and no power connectors reflect its integrated nature.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most significant victory for the RTX 4080 Mobile comes in Passmark DirectX 10, where it scores 157 against the RTX 4070's 139, a 12.9% advantage. This is a clear win for the mobile chip in an older API, suggesting its architecture handles this workload more efficiently despite lower clock speeds. The RTX 4080 Mobile also wins Geekbench OpenCL with 159575 versus 154858, a 3% margin, and ties the RTX 4070 at 244 in Passmark DirectX 11.

The RTX 4070 dominates the remaining tests. Its largest win is in Passmark GPU Compute, where it scores 14720 against 11191, a 24% lead. This is a substantial gap, indicating the desktop card's higher FP32 throughput (29.15 TFLOPS versus 24.72 TFLOPS) translates directly into compute performance. The RTX 4070 also wins Geekbench Vulkan by 16.3% (174152 vs 145807), a test that likely benefits from its higher boost clock of 2475 MHz versus 1665 MHz.

In Passmark G2D, the RTX 4070 leads 1164 to 929, a 20.2% margin, reflecting better 2D graphics performance. The RTX 4070 also wins Passmark G3D with 26927 versus 24926, a 7.4% lead, and Passmark DirectX 12 with 103 versus 96, a 6.8% edge. In DirectX 9, the RTX 4070 scores 320 versus 286, a 10.6% win. Across all nine tests, the RTX 4070's wins are often by double-digit percentages, while the RTX 4080 Mobile's wins are smaller in magnitude, except for the DirectX 10 result.

Specification Differences

The RTX 4080 Mobile and RTX 4070 differ in nearly every clock and power specification. The RTX 4080 Mobile has a base clock of 1290 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, while the RTX 4070 operates at 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost. This clock difference is substantial, with the RTX 4070 boosting 810 MHz higher. Memory clocks also differ: the RTX 4080 Mobile runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the RTX 4070 runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective), giving the desktop card higher effective speed.

The power profiles are starkly different. The RTX 4080 Mobile has a TDP of 110 W and uses no power connectors, fitting its IGP slot width. The RTX 4070 has a 200 W TDP, requires a single 16-pin connector, and is a dual-slot card with a suggested PSU of 550 W. Physical dimensions also differentiate them: the RTX 4070 measures 240 mm in length, 110 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, while the RTX 4080 Mobile has no listed dimensions due to its integrated nature.

Compute unit counts vary significantly. The RTX 4080 Mobile has 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, whereas the RTX 4070 has 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The mobile part also has more RT cores (58 versus 46) and tensor cores (232 versus 184). Despite fewer cores, the RTX 4070 achieves higher pixel rate (158.4 GPixel/s versus 133.2 GPixel/s) and texture rate (455.4 GTexel/s versus 386.3 GTexel/s) due to its higher clocks. The FP32 throughput also favors the RTX 4070 at 29.15 TFLOPS versus 24.72 TFLOPS.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the same fundamental architecture: Ada Lovelace on TSMC's 5 nm process, using the AD104 chip with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. They also both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and use a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface. The core architectural features are identical, including the transistor density of 121.8M / mm².

The key architectural difference lies in their intended deployment rather than the silicon itself. The RTX 4080 Mobile is classified under "GeForce 40 Mobile" generation, with a release date of January 2023, while the RTX 4070 is part of the "GeForce 40" generation, released in April 2023. The RTX 4080 Mobile is still in active production, whereas the RTX 4070 is marked as end-of-life. The RTX 4070 has a launch MSRP of 599 USD, though this is not indicative of current market pricing.

Memory technology differs: the RTX 4080 Mobile uses GDDR6, while the RTX 4070 uses GDDR6X. Both have 12 GB capacity and a 192-bit bus, but the GDDR6X in the RTX 4070 provides higher bandwidth at 504.2 GB/s versus 432.0 GB/s. The RTX 4070 also offers specific display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), while the RTX 4080 Mobile's outputs are listed as "Portable Device Dependent." The RTX 4070's predecessor is "GeForce 30" and successor is "GeForce 50," while the RTX 4080 Mobile's predecessor is "GeForce 30 Mobile" and successor is "GeForce 50 Mobile," reflecting their separate product lines.