NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 SE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data presents an unusual comparison scenario: the RTX 5070 has a full set of benchmark scores, while the RTX 5090 SE has no recorded benchmark entries in the database. This means direct head-to-head numerical comparisons cannot be established from the available measurements. The RTX 5070 shows an average benchmark score of 40,377 across ten tests, placing it in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 5090 SE, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 0 and sits at the 50th percentile, reflecting the absence of any recorded test data. The head-to-head benchmark array is empty, and the win counts for both cards are zero. What the data does show is the RTX 5070's individual test results: it scores 5,077 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 172,660 in Geekbench OpenCL, 178,923 in Geekbench Vulkan, and 29,137 in Passmark G3D. Its Passmark GPU Compute result is 15,787. The RTX 5090 SE has no comparable scores to place alongside these figures, so any claim of a direct performance margin would be unsupported by the database. The RTX 5070's nearest rivals in the overall average score ranking are the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40,318, a delta of 0.1 percent), the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40,063, a delta of 0.8 percent), and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40,870, a delta of -1.2 percent). These small deltas indicate that the RTX 5070 sits in a tightly clustered performance band among those workstation-oriented cards, not far from parity in either direction. The RTX 5090 SE has no nearest rivals listed, so its competitive position cannot be assessed through that field either.

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the same Blackwell 2.0 architecture, the same GeForce 50 generation, and the same 5 nm process node from TSMC. The similarities end there, as the physical and logical configurations diverge sharply. The RTX 5070 uses the GB205 chip, while the RTX 5090 SE uses the GB202 chip. The transistor counts differ by a factor of nearly three: the RTX 5070 packs 31,100 million transistors on a 263 mm² die, yielding a density of 118.3 million transistors per square millimeter. The RTX 5090 SE carries 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, with a density of 122.9 million per square millimeter. Despite the much larger die, the density increase is modest, suggesting that the GB202 scales up primarily through area rather than through a radically denser layout. Clock speeds move in the opposite direction. The RTX 5070 has a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz. The RTX 5090 SE runs a lower base clock of 1740 MHz but a boost clock of 2377 MHz, which is still below the RTX 5070's boost figure. This indicates that the smaller chip runs at higher frequencies, likely due to lower power density and thermal load. The memory subsystems are also very different. The RTX 5070 has 12 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 5090 SE doubles the capacity to 24 GB, widens the bus to 384-bit, and more than doubles bandwidth to 1.34 TB/s. Both use the same effective memory speed of 28 Gbps, so the bandwidth gap comes entirely from the wider bus. The compute resources scale even more dramatically. The RTX 5070 has 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, 80 ROPs, 48 ray tracing cores, and 192 tensor cores. The RTX 5090 SE has 14,080 shading units (about 2.3 times as many), 440 TMUs (about 2.3 times), 160 ROPs (exactly double), 110 RT cores (about 2.3 times), and 440 tensor cores (about 2.3 times). This near-uniform scaling across shading units, TMUs, RT cores, and tensor cores suggests the GB202 is essentially a scaled-up version of the same architecture rather than a redesigned one. The pixel rate tells the same story: 201.0 GPixel/s for the RTX 5070 versus 380.3 GPixel/s for the RTX 5090 SE, a 1.9 times increase. The texture rate goes from 482.3 GTexel/s to 1,045.9 GTexel/s, a 2.2 times jump. FP32 compute is 30.87 TFLOPS for the RTX 5070 and 66.94 TFLOPS for the RTX 5090 SE, a 2.2 times difference. FP16 runs at the same figures with a 1:1 ratio on both cards. Power consumption scales alongside the compute resources. The RTX 5070 has a TDP of 250 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W. The RTX 5090 SE doubles the TDP to 500 W and raises the suggested PSU to 900 W. Both use a single 16-pin power connector and both are dual-slot cards. Physical dimensions differ slightly: the RTX 5070 is 245 mm long, 115 mm tall, and 40 mm wide, while the RTX 5090 SE is 267 mm long, 111 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The RTX 5090 SE is longer but slightly shorter in height. Both cards use PCIe 5.0 x16 and have identical display outputs: one HDMI 2.1b and three DisplayPort 2.1b. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The release dates differ significantly: the RTX 5070 launched on March 3, 2025, while the RTX 5090 SE has a release date of December 31, 2025. Both are listed as Active in production status, and both list the GeForce 40 series as their predecessor and the GeForce 60 series as their successor. The launch MSRP for the RTX 5070 is 549 USD, and for the RTX 5090 SE it is 1,499 USD.

The Verdict

The data does not support a direct performance verdict between these two cards because the RTX 5090 SE has no recorded benchmark scores. What the architecture specifications do show is that the RTX 5090 SE is built to a much larger scale: more than double the shading units, TMUs, RT cores, tensor cores, and FP32 throughput, plus double the memory capacity and double the bandwidth. The RTX 5070 counters with higher clock speeds, a smaller die, and a lower power draw. For users who need the highest possible compute throughput, the RTX 5090 SE's specifications point to a clear advantage in raw processing capability, assuming the hardware behaves proportionally to its resource count. For users who prioritize power efficiency and physical footprint, the RTX 5070 has the edge, with half the TDP and a shorter card length. The RTX 5070 also has the benefit of verified benchmark data, with an average score of 40,377 and a 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs. The RTX 5090 SE's 50th percentile and zero average score reflect the absence of measurements, not a performance deficiency. The choice between the two depends entirely on whether the user's workload justifies the larger chip's resource pool. The 24 GB memory buffer of the RTX 5090 SE is four times the size of the RTX 5070's 12 GB in terms of capacity doubling, which matters for large datasets or high-resolution textures. The 1.34 TB/s bandwidth is roughly double the RTX 5070's 672.0 GB/s, which directly benefits memory-bound tasks. The RTX 5090 SE also has 110 RT cores versus 48, a 2.3 times advantage for ray tracing workloads. However, the RTX 5070's higher boost clock of 2512 MHz versus 2377 MHz could partially offset the core count disadvantage in lightly threaded or latency-sensitive scenarios, though the database provides no benchmark to quantify that effect.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher boost clock?

A: The RTX 5070 has a boost clock of 2512 MHz, while the RTX 5090 SE boosts to 2377 MHz.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The RTX 5070 has 12 GB of GDDR7 on a 192-bit bus, while the RTX 5090 SE has 24 GB of GDDR7 on a 384-bit bus.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RTX 5070 delivers 672.0 GB/s, and the RTX 5090 SE delivers 1.34 TB/s, roughly double the bandwidth.

Q: Do both cards use the same architecture?

A: Yes, both use Blackwell 2.0 architecture on a 5 nm process from TSMC, but they use different chips: GB205 for the RTX 5070 and GB202 for the RTX 5090 SE.

Q: What is the FP32 compute throughput for each?

A: The RTX 5070 has 30.87 TFLOPS, and the RTX 5090 SE has 66.94 TFLOPS.

Q: Are both cards dual-slot with the same power connector?

A: Yes, both are dual-slot cards with a single 16-pin power connector, but the RTX 5070 has a TDP of 250 W and a suggested PSU of 600 W, while the RTX 5090 SE has a TDP of 500 W and a suggested PSU of 900 W.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5070 wins on clock speed and efficiency. Its base clock of 2325 MHz and boost clock of 2512 MHz are both higher than the RTX 5090 SE's 1740 MHz base and 2377 MHz boost. Its 250 W TDP is exactly half of the RTX 5090 SE's 500 W, and its suggested PSU of 600 W is 300 W lower. Its physical footprint is shorter at 245 mm versus 267 mm, though it is slightly taller at 115 mm versus 111 mm. The RTX 5070 also has the advantage of recorded benchmark data, with scores across ten tests including 5,077 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 172,660 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 29,137 in Passmark G3D. The RTX 5090 SE wins on raw resource counts and memory capacity. Its 14,080 shading units, 440 TMUs, and 160 ROPs dwarf the RTX 5070's 6,144, 192, and 80 respectively. Its 110 RT cores and 440 tensor cores are more than double the RTX 5070's 48 and 192. Its 24 GB memory buffer is double the RTX 5070's 12 GB, and its 1.34 TB/s bandwidth is roughly double the 672.0 GB/s. Its FP32 throughput of 66.94 TFLOPS is more than double the RTX 5070's 30.87 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate of 380.3 GPixel/s is nearly double the 201.0 GPixel/s. The texture rate of 1,045.9 GTexel/s is more than double the 482.3 GTexel/s. For workloads that scale with memory capacity, bandwidth, or core counts, the RTX 5090 SE's specifications point to a substantial advantage. For workloads that are sensitive to clock speed or power draw, the RTX 5070 has the stronger profile. The RTX 5090 SE's transistor count of 92,200 million versus 31,100 million also indicates a much more complex chip, which aligns with its larger die size of 750 mm² versus 263 mm². The RTX 5070 sits in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs based on its average score of 40,377, while the RTX 5090 SE has no percentile data beyond the default 50th percentile with a zero average score. The RTX 5070's nearest rivals are all AMD workstation cards within a 2 percent delta, placing it in a specific performance tier. The RTX 5090 SE has no rival data to contextualize its position. The release dates also separate the two, with the RTX 5070 launching on March 3, 2025, and the RTX 5090 SE dated December 31, 2025. Both cards share identical display outputs and API support, so connectivity is not a differentiator. The choice between them comes down to whether the user needs the RTX 5090 SE's massive resource pool or prefers the RTX 5070's higher clocks and lower power envelope.