How much does the Super change the RTX 4070?
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The RTX 40 series is getting an upgrade, being refreshed with a slight upgrade might make it a bit more of an appealing choice. But to know if it lives up to it, you want to have a good comparison with what’s improved. In that case, we look at what’s changed and look at the RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 4070.
Initially coming out in April of 2023, it did take some time for it to come out from the initial Ada series, it provided one of the better value options in the range of Nvidia cards. But that is now coming to an end as the RTX 4070 Super release has been confirmed and provides specs for a strong alternative, it might just be the best GPU and is coming out on January 17th to provide some changes in the selection. But what has changed and has it improved much?
Impressive build quality
Brilliant aesthetic
Inexpensive
only a dual-fan design
Small compact form factor with strong performance
Overclocked even in smaller size for higher frame rates
Comes in above the MSRP of the card
| RTX 4070 Super | RTX 4070 | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | AD104-350 | AD104-250 |
| CUDA cores | 7,168 | 5,888 |
| Base clock speed | 1.98GHz | 1.92GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2.48GHz | 2.48GHz |
| VRAM | 12GB GDDR6X | 12GB GDDR6X |
| Memory bandwidth | 504GB/s | 504GB/s |
| Memory bus | 192-bit | 192-bit |
| Memory clock | 21Gbps | 21Gbps |
| TGP | 220W | 200W |
Comparing the RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 4070 is a lot simpler considering they’re on the same architecture allowing a more direct look. One of the biggest changes of the super lot, the RTX 4070 Super specs provide an uplift over the original 70 model.
Firstly, the GPU is getting an update to the AD104-350 processor from the 250. This comes with a 1,280 CUDA core uplift, which comes with a performance upgrade just from that. But it does come at a cost, and that is the 20W uplift in the graphics power, meaning it will be running up the costs as it is put under load. There is also a small increase in the base clock speed up from 1.92GHz to 1.98. Although might provide a faster base performance it also comes with an increased wattage at idle up by 1W to 11.
Otherwise, nothing else is changing. There is no improvement in the memory setup that you might expect in the class that is being offered. It does bring down the potential of the card especially later on as the games get progressively more demanding and limit the resolutions you can play. But that might be due to the memory bus and processor combo that would require a bigger upgrade than necessary and likely an increase in the price. So instead Nvidia might be choosing to keep it on the down low without too much change that would bring the RTX 4070 too close to the RTX 4080.
Now that the review embargo has lifted, we get a look at the performance and see how the RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 4070 fair against each other. The likes of Techspot 4070 Super Review bring us a good performance level of the new card against the original. There we can see in fact how much the average framerates have increased.
At 1080p in pure rasterization on a 12-game average, the card achieves a 15% uplift over the RTX 4070. With an average of 142 FPS compared to 124. Next up is 1440p, where the difference widens even further as the RTX 4070 Super gets a 19% lead over the RTX 4070. With 4K improving whilst still a challenge for the Super as it improved over the 4070 base by 18%.
Now as the cards get an upgrade you would expect the price to go up. We’ve seen that be the case with the likes of Ti class cards that upgrade the cards but also the price. However, this time the Super is not adding anything to the price tag from the launch price of the RTX 4070. That means the RTX 4070 Super is launching with a price of $599. Of course, custom models and market prices may vary as we see with how prices vary in the market currently.
Slim and small for the power available with it
Well designed for cooling and simplicity
Single 8-pin power connector
Strong performance and features
Still more expensive than last-gen
VRAM configuration and 4k performance
Large and slim design offers great cooling and performance
A great looking card offering a sleek and strong look
Might not suite everyone and comes in above MSRP
There is no denying that the RTX 4070 Super is a better choice than the RTX 4070. With the same price tag for both, you get an improvement overall. The Super is improving the 3.1% base clock boost, along with a 21.7% increase in the CUDA core count, even if that means a 10% increase in the total graphical power. We see how that equates to a 15-19% lead over the RTX 4070 in performance from the benchmarks. So it’s kind of a no-brainer over the choice and really should have been how the original card came out to be like.
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