5700 XT vs 2070

We compare the 5700 XT and the 2070 to answer which is the best GPU for your new gaming rig.

WePC RX 5700 xt VS 2070
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The even tension Nvidia and AMD hold in the market makes it incredibly difficult for gamers to choose between competing units. A struggle perfectly illustrated by the Radeon 5700 XT and the RTX 2070. So, to bring some clarity to these turbulent times, we’re going to put these GPUs under the microscope, to see which is best for you.

AMD vs Nvidia

Nvidia was first on the scene with their 1999 GeForce 256 GPU and since then they’ve consistently refined their process, but if anyone’s got goods to challenge them, it’s AMD.

Historically speaking, AMD has undercut Nvidia by offering their GPU cards at a slightly lower price point, and it looks like they’re going to continue that thrifty crusade – which is fine by us. It means that if you’re looking at middle-market GPU options, you get far more bang for your buck choosing Radeon.

In terms of raw graphics power, Nvidia is still on top, although AMD’s latest efforts, Big Navi, is keeping them on their toes. Another feather in AMD’s cap is the fact that they’re more open-hearted when it comes to rolling out feature updates. They’re always designed for optimal performance on AMD hardware, but they’re fully compatible with Nvidia tech.

There’s only one true winner in all of this…us. Both of these companies have to constantly reinvent themselves to stay alive, and we reap the benefits.

Architecture

Nvidia’s RTX 2070 GPU is built from the ground up with their proprietary Turing microarchitecture, featuring 2304 CUDA cores in their TU106 silicon construction, a base clock speed of 1620MHz, and a boosted rate of 1815MHz. CUDA cores in Turing architecture have a compute ability of 7.5 which is really impressive, but the best thing about this Turing chip is the specialized RT and Tensor cores.

We’ll talk more about RT cores in more detail in a little while, but Tensor cores cannot wait! Known as DLSS 2.0, these things are AI neural learning networks that exist for the sole purpose of delivering earth-shattering graphics.

AMD, ever determined to carve their own path, built the 5700 XT GPU with their 1st gen patented RDNA microarchitecture, and in true AMD spirit, it’s backward compatible with their older GCN architecture. RDNA features 2560 cores split between two shader engines. The key feature of RDNA is known as Wave32. It’s a form of dataflow similar to Turing’s concurrent processing. It allows more sophisticated problem solving and sharing that ultimately translates to enhanced performance and efficiency.

Radeon cards also feature a similar mechanism to the all singing all dancing AI within the Turing architecture. It’s not quite technically AI, though. It’s called machine learning, and it’s executed via the SIMDS’ ALUs, which augment image and video proficiency.

Cooling

AMD’s Radeon 5700 XT has epic thermal capacities; we’re talking molten hot for a graphics card. You can push this GPU up to a maximum temperature of 110 °C, enabling a super impressive performance, and as a bonus, fewer cooling requirements mean quieter gaming. It is a blower card, though, so when you push it with overclocking it will get really hot.

The RTX 2070 isn’t quite as volcanic as the 5700 XT, which we’re sure some will prefer, and can only handle running temperatures between 70 and 80 °C. The RTX is an open-air GPU series which means they run very cool, but because they release excess heat into your case rather than out completely, it’s a good idea to make sure your case’s airflow is optimized.

Dimensions

A deciding factor between these two GPUs may simply come down to which of them is smaller. Well, at 4.435” (H) x 9” (L) x 2 slot (W), the RTX 2070 is the more modestly sized.

Measuring in at 5.51” (H) x 11.69” (L) x 2 slots (W), the 5700 XT isn’t too much larger than the Nvidia GPU, but every inch could be a dealbreaker depending on your current setup.

Resolution and FPS

For 1080p resolutions, there’s absolutely no doubt that the RTX 2070 is the better performing GPU. It pips the Radeon card in almost every type of game. Fortnight isn’t particularly a demanding game, visually speaking, but extra fps are definitely welcome, even if it is the 1% victory Nvidia took over AMD. Both Overwatch and GTA5 secured 4% victories for Nvidia, and PUBG brought that difference up to 8%, but it was CSGO that really saw the RTX card take off with a 14% victory.

It’s the same old story when we take things up a notch and throw these two warriors into the 1440p arena. The Nvidia card claims a 12% W with an average 104.9fps over the AMD card’s 92.5fps. The RTX 2070 continues its reign of terror in 4K, dropping average fps to 63.6fps, but winning by a 13% difference.

Ray Tracing

Not yet universal, RT is such a beautiful concept in theory and practice, that it’s certain more and more titles will support it in the future. All Nvidia RTX cards have ray tracing, but, unfortunately, Radeon 5700XT doesn’t. If you’re team AMD and you want RT, you’ll have to jump to a Radeon GPU with RDNA 2 architecture, which is anything from the 6000 XT series or above.

VRAM

We’re happy to tell you that both these GPUs have excellent 8GB GDDR6 memory configurations. We are on the brink of GDDR7, but GDDR6 is as good as it currently gets.

Verdict

Nvidia’s RTX 2070 is technically the best choice, though the difference in real-world gaming performance is minimal, but before you rush out to buy one, you should know about the 2070 Super. The aptly named Super, released just nine months after the original RTX lineup, and completely superseded the standard 2070. It offers 15% increased performance and goes for round about the same price too.

The AMD card did put up a good fight, and though it gets close at times, never really catches up with the RTX card, but as you know, there are other things to consider before making your decision. As mentioned earlier, AMD has a much more consumer-friendly ethos, which in turn leads to a strong and loyal community.