NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 leads with an average benchmark score of 60,347, while the RTX 5070 Ti averages 49,957. That is a gap of roughly 10,390 points, or about 20.8% in favor of the 4090.

Q: How do the two cards compare in raw graphics workloads like 3DMark Steel Nomad?

A: The RTX 4090 scores 9,223 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 39.7% higher than the RTX 5070 Ti's 6,604. This is the largest single-benchmark advantage recorded for the 4090.

Q: In what test does the RTX 5070 Ti beat the RTX 4090?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti wins only in Passmark G2D (2D graphics): it scores 1,332 versus 1,299 for the RTX 4090, a 2.5% edge. That is its sole victory out of ten head-to-head tests.

Q: What is the difference in their Passmark GPU compute scores?

A: The RTX 4090 scores 26,613 in Passmark GPU compute, which is 31.7% ahead of the RTX 5070 Ti's 20,203. This indicates a substantial lead in general-purpose compute workloads.

Q: How do their memory subsystems differ in capacity and bandwidth?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5070 Ti has 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. The 4090 offers roughly 12.7% more bandwidth despite using the older memory type.

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

A: The RTX 4090 packs 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, while the RTX 5070 Ti has 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. The 4090's die is about 61% larger by area.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip, while the RTX 5070 Ti uses the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB203 chip. Both are fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC, but the chip designs diverge sharply. The AD102 die measures 609 mm² and holds 76,300 million transistors, giving a density of 125.3 million transistors per mm². The GB203 die is smaller at 378 mm² with 45,600 million transistors, yielding a slightly lower density of 120.6 million per mm². The 4090's larger, more densely packed die provides the physical foundation for its higher core counts.

The shading unit count tells a similar story. The RTX 4090 has 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. The RTX 5070 Ti has 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. That is roughly 83% more shading units and 83% more TMUs on the 4090, while its ROP count is 83% higher as well. The 4090 also carries 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores versus 70 RT cores and 280 tensor cores on the 5070 Ti.

Clock speeds differ in a nuanced way. The RTX 5070 Ti has a higher base clock at 2295 MHz versus 2235 MHz, but the RTX 4090 boosts higher at 2520 MHz versus 2452 MHz. The 5070 Ti's memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), while the 4090's memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective), but the 4090's wider 384-bit bus compensates with higher total bandwidth.

The memory architecture is a key generational shift. The RTX 4090 uses 24 GB of GDDR6X with a 384-bit interface and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. The RTX 5070 Ti uses 16 GB of GDDR7 with a 256-bit interface and 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. The newer GDDR7 memory is faster per pin, but the 4090's wider bus still delivers more aggregate bandwidth. The 5070 Ti does support PCIe 5.0 x16, while the 4090 is limited to PCIe 4.0 x16, which may matter for data-transfer-heavy workloads.

Power and physical design differ considerably. The RTX 4090 has a 450 W TDP and requires a triple-slot cooler with a suggested 850 W PSU. The RTX 5070 Ti has a 300 W TDP, a dual-slot cooler, and a suggested 700 W PSU. Both use a single 16-pin power connector. The cards are the same length (304 mm) and height (137 mm), but the 4090 is 61 mm wide versus 48 mm for the 5070 Ti, making it a thicker card.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The head-to-head data shows a decisive overall victory for the RTX 4090, which wins 9 of 10 recorded tests. The most dramatic difference appears in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the 4090 scores 9,223 against 6,604 for the 5070 Ti, a 39.7% advantage. This test, which targets modern DX12 rendering, highlights the 4090's raw shading and ray tracing muscle.

In compute-heavy workloads, the 4090 extends its lead further. The Passmark GPU compute test shows the 4090 at 26,613 versus 20,203, a 31.7% margin. This suggests the 4090's larger tensor core count and higher FP32 throughput (82.58 TFLOPS versus 43.94 TFLOPS) translate directly into better general-purpose compute performance.

Geekbench results follow the same pattern. In OpenCL, the 4090 scores 255,416 versus 212,363 for the 5070 Ti, a 20.3% lead. In Vulkan, the 4090 scores 271,631 versus 225,122, a 20.7% margin. These cross-API benchmarks confirm that the 4090's advantage is not limited to a single rendering API.

The Passmark suite shows consistent but smaller wins for the 4090 across different DirectX versions. In DirectX 12, the 4090 scores 150 versus 127, an 18.1% lead. In DirectX 10, it scores 224 versus 192, a 16.7% margin. DirectX 11 shows a tighter 8.7% gap (326 versus 300), and DirectX 9 shows a 13.1% lead (397 versus 351). The 4090 also wins the Passmark G3D test with 38,194 versus 32,974, a 15.8% advantage.

The only exception is Passmark G2D, where the 5070 Ti edges ahead with 1,332 versus 1,299, a 2.5% margin. This is a 2D rasterization test, not representative of modern gaming or compute loads, but it does show the 5070 Ti is not universally slower.

The percentile rankings contextualize these results. The RTX 4090 sits in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, while the RTX 5070 Ti sits in the 86th. Both are high-end cards, but the 4090 is clearly positioned higher in the overall distribution.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RTX 4090 outperforms the RTX 5070 Ti in nearly every measurable workload. The 4090 wins 9 of 10 head-to-head tests, with margins ranging from 8.7% in DirectX 11 to 39.7% in 3DMark Steel Nomad. Its average benchmark score of 60,347 is 20.8% higher than the 5070 Ti's 49,957, and it holds a 15.8% lead in Passmark G3D, a broad gaming-oriented metric.

The 5070 Ti's single win in Passmark G2D, a 2D test, does little to offset the 4090's dominance in 3D, compute, and API-specific tests. For users prioritizing raw performance, the 4090 is the clear choice based on recorded data. Its higher shading unit count, larger memory pool, and greater bandwidth all contribute to its consistent lead.

However, the 5070 Ti is not without merits. It has a lower TDP (300 W versus 450 W), a thinner dual-slot design, and PCIe 5.0 support. It also uses newer GDDR7 memory, which could offer efficiency advantages not captured in these raw performance tests. For users with power or space constraints, the 5070 Ti may be the more practical option, even if it is slower on paper.

The 4090's end-of-life production status and the 5070 Ti's active status also matter. The 4090 is a mature product with a proven track record, but it is no longer in production. The 5070 Ti is current and likely to receive ongoing driver optimization. For those buying today, the 5070 Ti represents the newer platform, while the 4090 represents the higher-performance ceiling.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category. The RTX 4090 uses the AD102 chip on Ada Lovelace, while the RTX 5070 Ti uses GB203 on Blackwell 2.0. The 4090 has 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die; the 5070 Ti has 45,600 million on a 378 mm² die. Transistor density is slightly higher on the 4090 at 125.3M per mm² versus 120.6M per mm².

Core counts diverge sharply: the 4090 has 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, while the 5070 Ti has 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. Ray tracing cores number 128 on the 4090 versus 70 on the 5070 Ti, and tensor cores number 512 versus 280. The 4090's pixel rate is 443.5 GPixel/s versus 235.4 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 1,290.2 GTexel/s versus 686.6 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 82.58 TFLOPS versus 43.94 TFLOPS, and FP16 is identical at 1:1 ratios.

Memory differs in size, type, and bus width: 24 GB GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth versus 16 GB GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth. Base clocks are 2235 MHz versus 2295 MHz, but boost clocks are 2520 MHz versus 2452 MHz.

Power and cooling: the 4090 has a 450 W TDP with a triple-slot cooler and suggested 850 W PSU; the 5070 Ti has a 300 W TDP with a dual-slot cooler and suggested 700 W PSU. Both use a single 16-pin connector. The 4090 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the 5070 Ti uses PCIe 5.0 x16. Display outputs differ: the 4090 offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the 5070 Ti offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b. Dimensions are the same length and height, but the 4090 is 61 mm wide versus 48 mm.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 wins in all 3D rendering workloads, compute tasks, and API-specific tests. Its 39.7% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad makes it the stronger choice for DX12 gaming and ray-traced content. The 31.7% advantage in Passmark GPU compute positions it as the better option for GPU-accelerated compute, machine learning inference, and other non-graphics workloads. Its 20.3% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and 20.7% lead in Vulkan show broad API coverage. For users running DirectX 9, 10, 11, or 12 titles, the 4090 offers margins from 8.7% to 18.1%, making it universally faster in legacy and modern graphics APIs alike.

The RTX 5070 Ti wins only in Passmark G2D, a 2D graphics test, by 2.5%. This is a narrow victory in a workload that is rarely a bottleneck in real-world use. However, the 5070 Ti has structural advantages that may matter beyond raw scores. Its lower 300 W TDP and dual-slot design make it easier to install in smaller cases or with lower-wattage power supplies. Its PCIe 5.0 interface future-proofs data transfer for systems with PCIe 5.0 devices. Its GDDR7 memory, while narrower, is a newer generation that may offer better power efficiency per bit, though the recorded data does not capture this directly.

For users who prioritize maximum performance, the RTX 4090 is the clear winner across every relevant benchmark. For users who need a more compact, lower-power card with modern connectivity, the RTX 5070 Ti is the only option that wins on those criteria, even though it sacrifices 15.8% in Passmark G3D and 20.8% in average score. The 5070 Ti's active production status also means it is the more readily available choice today, while the 4090 is end-of-life.