NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in the database's head-to-head benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 wins all 10 recorded head-to-head tests against the RTX 4070 Ti. The largest margin is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the RTX 4090 scores 9223 versus 5024, a delta of 83.6%. The smallest margin is in Passmark G2D, with a delta of 8.3% (1299 versus 1200).

Q: How do their average benchmark scores compare?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347, while the RTX 4070 Ti averages 44795. This places the RTX 4090 in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, compared to the 84th percentile for the RTX 4070 Ti.

Q: What are the closest rivals for each card according to the database?

A: The RTX 4090's nearest rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which has an average score of 60326, essentially matching the RTX 4090 with a 0% delta. The RTX 4070 Ti's nearest rival is the NVIDIA RTX 5090 Mobile at 45152, just 0.8% behind, followed by the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT at 1.3% behind.

Q: Do both cards use the same memory type and connection interface?

A: Yes, both use GDDR6X memory and a PCIe 4.0 x16 bus interface. They also share the same display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a) and identical API support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for each card as listed in the database?

A: The RTX 4090 carries a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD. The RTX 4070 Ti has a launch MSRP of 799 USD.

Q: Which card has the higher transistor count and larger die size?

A: The RTX 4090 packs 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, built at TSMC's 5 nm node. The RTX 4070 Ti uses the AD104 chip with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, also on TSMC 5 nm. The RTX 4090's transistor density is 125.3M per mm², versus 121.8M per mm² for the RTX 4070 Ti.

Architecture Differences

Both cards belong to the Ada Lovelace architecture from NVIDIA's GeForce 40-series, yet they diverge sharply at the silicon level. The RTX 4090 is built on the AD102 chip, a massive implementation designed to be the flagship of the generation. The RTX 4070 Ti uses AD104, a smaller AD102 derivative engineered for a lower tier of the same family. This is a tale of two extremes within the same architectural generation, where shading units number 16384 on the RTX 4090 versus 7680 on the RTX 4070 Ti, and tensor cores scale from 512 on the RTX 4090 down to 240 on the RTX 4070 Ti. The RTX 4090's ray tracing cores total 128, while the RTX 4070 Ti has 60.

The memory subsystem also highlights a clear hierarchy. The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4070 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s. This essentially halves the memory bandwidth of the smaller card. Texture units follow the same pattern: 512 TMUs on the RTX 4090 versus 240 on the RTX 4070 Ti, and ROPs at 176 versus 80. The database shows both cards share the same memory clock of 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective, but the bus width difference is the deciding factor in bandwidth.

Clock speeds present an interesting inversion. The RTX 4070 Ti has a higher base clock at 2310 MHz and a higher boost clock at 2610 MHz, compared to the RTX 4090's 2235 MHz base and 2520 MHz boost. Despite this, the RTX 4090's raw compute advantages dominate. The pixel rate of the RTX 4090 is 443.5 GPixel/s versus 208.8 GPixel/s for the RTX 4070 Ti, and texture rate is 1,290.2 GTexel/s versus 626.4 GTexel/s. FP32 compute is 82.58 TFLOPS on the RTX 4090, more than double the 40.09 TFLOPS of the RTX 4070 Ti. Both cards maintain a 1:1 ratio for FP16, meaning the same numbers apply for half-precision work.

Physical characteristics differ as well as power requirements separate the two further. The RTX 4090 is a triple-slot card with a length of 304 mm and a width of 61 mm thickness, demanding a 450 W TDP and an 850 W suggested PSU. The RTX 4070 Ti is a dual-slot card at 285 mm long, 42 mm thick, rated for 285 W TDP and a 600 W suggested PSU. Both use a single 16-pin power connector. The RTX 4090 is a larger and more power-hungry card across every measurable field in the database.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data overwhelmingly favors the RTX 4090 in every single one of the 10 head-to-head tests, though the margins vary widely across different workload types. Starting with 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 4090 delivers 9223 points against the RTX 4070 Ti's 5024 points, a massive 83.6% advantage. This is the largest delta observed in the entire set and signals a clear lead in modern DX12 gaming workloads. The RTX 4090 wins by 44.3% in Geekbench OpenCL (255416 versus 176953) and by 44.7% in Passmark GPU Compute (26613 versus 18396), showing a strong lead in general-purpose compute tasks.

Vulkan performance sees the gap narrow somewhat, but the RTX 4090 still leads by 27% (271631 versus 213808). In Passmark's suite, margins are more modest but consistently positive for the RTX 4090. Passmark G3D shows a 20.8% lead (38194 versus 31624), while Passmark DirectX 12 reveals a 29.3% advantage (150 versus 116). The legacy DirectX 9 test has the smallest gaming-related delta at 12.8% (397 versus 352), and DirectX 10 shows a 19.8% lead (224 versus 187). DirectX 11 comes in at 13.2% (326 versus 288), indicating that the RTX 4090's advantage is less pronounced in older API paths.

The smallest delta of all is in Passmark G2D at 8.3% (1299 versus 1200), a test that measures 2D graphics operations rather than 3D rendering. This suggests that for certain non-3D tasks, the gap between the two cards is much narrower, but still favors the RTX 4090. Across all tests, the RTX 4090's dominance is consistent, with no single test flipping the result in favor of the RTX 4070 Ti. The data indicates that the RTX 4090 is not just faster in peak scenarios but maintains a lead across a spectrum of both modern and legacy workloads.

Specification Differences

The two cards diverge on nearly every core specification in the database. The chip differs: AD102 on the RTX 4090, AD104 on the RTX 4070 Ti. Process node and foundry are identical at 5 nm TSMC, but transistor count and die size vary significantly: 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die for the RTX 4090, versus 35,800 million on 294 mm² for the RTX 4070 Ti. Transistor density is slightly higher on the RTX 4090 at 125.3M per mm² versus 121.8M per mm².

Clock speeds go the other way: the RTX 4070 Ti has a higher base clock (2310 MHz versus 2235 MHz) and a higher boost clock (2610 MHz versus 2520 MHz). Memory size is 24 GB versus 12 GB, bus width is 384 bit versus 192 bit, and bandwidth is 1.01 TB/s versus 504.2 GB/s. Memory clock is the same at 1313 MHz / 21 Gbps effective. Shading units are 16384 versus 7680, TMUs 512 versus 240, ROPs 176 versus 80, RT cores 128 versus 60, and tensor cores 512 versus 240.

Pixel rate is 443.5 GPixel/s versus 208.8 GPixel/s, texture rate is 1,290.2 GTexel/s versus 626.4 GTexel/s, and FP32/FP16 compute is 82.58 TFLOPS versus 40.09 TFLOPS. TDP is 450 W versus 285 W. The RTX 4090 is triple-slot, the RTX 4070 Ti is dual-slot. Suggested PSU is 850 W versus 600 W. Dimensions differ: 304 mm length, 137 mm height, 61 mm width versus 285 mm, 112 mm, 42 mm. Release dates differ: 2022-09-19 for the RTX 4090 and 2023-01-02 for the RTX 4070 Ti. Both are end-of-life and share the same bus interface, display outputs, and API support.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture: the RTX 4090 is the superior performer across every benchmark recorded, with an average score of 60347 versus 44795 for the RTX 4070 Ti. The RTX 4090 sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 4070 Ti sits in the 84th. Every single head-to-head test, from 3DMark Steel Nomad to legacy DirectX 9, goes to the RTX 4090, with deltas ranging from 8.3% to 83.6%. The RTX 4090's nearest rival in the database is the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60326, nearly identical in average score, suggesting the RTX 4090 is a top-tier card even among its closest competitors. The RTX 4070 Ti, meanwhile, sits among mobile GPUs like the RTX 5090 Mobile (45152) and workstation cards like the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT (45384), indicating a different performance class.

There is no recorded scenario where the RTX 4070 Ti beats the RTX 4090 in the database. The RTX 4090 wins 10 out of 10 head-to-head tests. For users who require the absolute maximum compute and gaming performance, the RTX 4090 is the clear choice based on the data. The RTX 4070 Ti, while slower, still holds a respectable 84th percentile ranking and offers a lower power draw at 285 W versus 450 W, a smaller physical footprint, and a lower launch MSRP of 799 USD versus 1,599 USD. The data does not include any tests where the lower power or price of the RTX 4070 Ti translates into a performance advantage; it simply offers a less demanding alternative in the same architecture.

The verdict, strictly from the recorded numbers, is that the RTX 4090 is the dominant card in this comparison. The RTX 4070 Ti is a capable Ada Lovelace GPU that trades away roughly half the compute resources and memory bandwidth for a smaller die, lower power, and a more compact design, but it cannot match the RTX 4090 in any measured workload.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 wins in every single recorded benchmark category, so its list of advantages is exhaustive. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it leads by 83.6%, indicating a decisive edge in modern DX12 gaming workloads. In Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan, it leads by 44.3% and 27% respectively, showing strong performance in cross-platform compute and rendering APIs.

Passmark GPU Compute sees a 44.7% lead for the RTX 4090, further solidifying its position in compute-heavy tasks. In Passmark's gaming tests, the RTX 4090 leads by 20.8% in G3D, 29.3% in DirectX 12, 19.8% in DirectX 10, 13.2% in DirectX 11, and 12.8% in DirectX 9. These numbers suggest that the RTX 4090's advantage grows with newer, more demanding APIs, while older APIs narrow the gap but never close it. The RTX 4090 also wins Passmark G2D by 8.3%, meaning even 2D desktop operations are slightly faster on the larger card.

The RTX 4070 Ti has no recorded wins in any head-to-head test. However, its profile suggests where it might be preferred based on non-performance factors. It has a lower TDP of 285 W versus 450 W, a smaller die at 294 mm², and a dual-slot design compared to the RTX 4090's triple-slot footprint. The RTX 4070 Ti also carries a launch MSRP of 799 USD, but the database does not provide any performance metric where this translates to a win. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA RTX 5090 Mobile at 45152, show that it competes in a lower performance tier. Users who prioritize the RTX 4070 Ti would do so for its lower power requirements and physical size, not for any benchmark victory, as the recorded data shows the RTX 4090 winning all 10 head-to-head tests.