NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 and the GeForce RTX 4070 are separated by a full generational leap, and benchmark data shows the newer card pulling ahead across every single test in the comparison set. While the RTX 4070 remains a solid performer, the RTX 5070’s wins range from marginal to decisive, making it the clear performance leader in this head-to-head.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic gap appears in the demanding 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RTX 5070 scores 5077 against the RTX 4070’s 3854. That is a 31.7% advantage, the largest delta recorded in the entire benchmark suite. This result indicates that the RTX 5070 handles modern, graphics-intensive workloads with significantly more headroom, a pattern that carries over into legacy API tests.

DirectX 10 performance shows a similar story, with the RTX 5070 posting 180 points versus 139 for the RTX 4070, a 29.5% lead. This suggests the newer architecture is not just optimized for state-of-the-art titles; it also improves performance in older DirectX-based applications. The DirectX 11 test reinforces this trend, with the RTX 5070 scoring 277 compared to 244, a 13.5% advantage.

The gap narrows considerably in other areas. In the Geekbench OpenCL compute test, the RTX 5070 scores 172660, an 11.5% improvement over the RTX 4070’s 154858. The Geekbench Vulkan result is much closer, with the RTX 5070 at 178923 versus 174152, a modest 2.7% edge. This indicates that while the RTX 5070 is generally faster, its advantage is not uniform across all compute APIs.

PassMark results show a mixed bag of margins. The G3D score favors the RTX 5070 by 8.2%, with 29137 points against 26927. The GPU Compute test shows a 7.2% lead for the RTX 5070, scoring 15787 versus 14720. The 2D graphics test (G2D) has the RTX 5070 ahead by 12.1%, with 1305 points to 1164. The smallest wins come from DirectX 12 and DirectX 9, where the RTX 5070 leads by just 4.9% (108 vs 103) and ties at 320 points, respectively. The tie in the DirectX 9 test is notable; it is the only benchmark where the two cards produce identical scores. Overall, the RTX 5070 wins all 10 head-to-head benchmarks, with zero wins for the RTX 4070.

Where Each One Wins

Given that the RTX 5070 dominates the head-to-head results, the use-case split is heavily skewed toward the newer card. The RTX 5070 is the definitive choice for high-fidelity gaming and 3D rendering, as evidenced by its substantial 31.7% lead in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. This benchmark is a proxy for modern game engines, so users targeting high frame rates at high settings will see a clear benefit. The card’s 29.5% lead in DirectX 10 and 13.5% lead in DirectX 11 further cement its status as a versatile performer across a wide range of game titles, not just the latest releases.

For compute-heavy tasks like content creation or scientific workloads, the RTX 5070 still wins, but the margin is less overwhelming. Its 11.5% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL and 7.2% lead in PassMark GPU Compute indicate that it is faster, but the RTX 4070 remains competitive in pure parallel processing scenarios. The Vulkan result, with only a 2.7% gap, suggests that the two cards are nearly equivalent in Vulkan-based applications, making the RTX 4070 a viable option for users whose primary workload relies on that API.

The RTX 4070’s only real claim to a "win" is in scenarios where the benchmark scores are tied or nearly tied. The DirectX 9 tie at 320 points means that for legacy software using that API, there is no performance difference. Similarly, the DirectX 12 result, with a 4.9% delta, is close enough that the RTX 4070 could be considered adequate for users who do not demand the absolute maximum frame rates. However, the data makes it clear that there is no workload category where the RTX 4070 outperforms the RTX 5070.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on different architectures, which explains much of the performance gap. The RTX 5070 uses the GB205 chip based on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, while the RTX 4070 uses the AD104 chip based on Ada Lovelace. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the transistor counts differ significantly. The RTX 5070 packs 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 118.3M / mm². The RTX 4070 has more transistors overall at 35,800 million, but on a larger 294 mm² die, giving a slightly higher density of 121.8M / mm². This means the RTX 4070 is a larger, more complex chip, yet the RTX 5070 manages to deliver higher performance, indicating a more efficient architecture.

Core counts also favor the RTX 5070. It features 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, compared to the RTX 4070’s 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 5070 also has more ray tracing cores (48 vs 46) and tensor cores (192 vs 184). These higher counts translate directly to higher theoretical throughput: the RTX 5070 achieves 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 compute versus 29.15 TFLOPS for the RTX 4070. Pixel and texture rates follow suit, with the RTX 5070 hitting 201.0 GPixel/s and 482.3 GTexel/s, compared to 158.4 GPixel/s and 455.4 GTexel/s for the RTX 4070.

Memory is another major differentiator. Both cards have 12 GB of VRAM on a 192-bit bus, but the RTX 5070 uses faster GDDR7 memory running at 28 Gbps effective, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4070 uses GDDR6X at 21 Gbps effective, yielding 504.2 GB/s. This 33% bandwidth advantage for the RTX 5070 is crucial for high-resolution textures and data-intensive workloads. Clock speeds also differ, with the RTX 5070 boosting to 2512 MHz versus 2475 MHz for the RTX 4070, though the base clock is significantly higher on the RTX 5070 at 2325 MHz versus 1920 MHz.

Other specification differences include the bus interface, where the RTX 5070 uses PCIe 5.0 x16 versus PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RTX 4070. The RTX 5070 also supports DisplayPort 2.1b outputs, while the RTX 4070 has DisplayPort 1.4a. The RTX 5070 has a higher TDP of 250 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W, compared to 200 W and 550 W for the RTX 4070, reflecting its higher performance ceiling. The RTX 5070 is also slightly larger, measuring 245 mm in length versus 240 mm for the RTX 4070.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the superior card in nearly every measurable way. It wins all 10 head-to-head benchmarks, with the largest advantage being a 31.7% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its higher core counts, faster memory, and more efficient Blackwell architecture give it a decisive edge in modern gaming and compute tasks. The RTX 5070 also holds a higher percentile rank among all GPUs, sitting at the 82nd percentile versus the RTX 4070’s 81st, and its average benchmark score of 40377 is well ahead of the RTX 4070’s 37648. The nearest rival to the RTX 5070 is the AMD Radeon Pro 580, with a delta of just 0.1%, while the RTX 4070’s closest competitor is the NVIDIA Tesla P4, also at a 0.1% delta.

Users should choose the RTX 5070 if they prioritize maximum performance in DirectX 12 games, high-bandwidth workloads, or want the latest display outputs and PCIe 5.0 support. It is the clear pick for enthusiasts building a new system. The RTX 4070, however, is not without merit. Its lower TDP of 200 W means it draws less power, and its end-of-life status may make it available at a lower launch MSRP of 599 USD compared to the RTX 5070’s 549 USD. For users on a strict power budget or those who primarily run Vulkan or DirectX 9 applications where the performance delta is minimal, the RTX 4070 remains a capable choice. Otherwise, the RTX 5070 is the definitive winner.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the RTX 5070 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The RTX 5070 scores 5077, which is 31.7% higher than the RTX 4070’s 3854.

Q: Is there any benchmark where the RTX 4070 wins?

A: No. The RTX 5070 wins all 10 head-to-head benchmarks. In the DirectX 9 test, both cards tie at a score of 320.

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

A: The RTX 5070 has a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s using GDDR7 memory, while the RTX 4070 has 504.2 GB/s using GDDR6X memory.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RTX 5070 has 6144 shading units, compared to 5888 on the RTX 4070.

Q: What is the TDP of each card?

A: The RTX 5070 has a TDP of 250 W, while the RTX 4070 has a TDP of 200 W.

Q: Do both cards support the same version of DirectX?

A: Yes, both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2). They also both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.