Is the RTX 4070 overkill for 1080p?

Playing at 1080p? We see if the RTX 4070 is worth it for you

Jack Goodall

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There are many questions on people’s minds now that the RTX 4070 is here, one of which being ‘is the RTX 4070 overkill for 1080p?‘. Well, if you’re sticking with your trusty 1080p monitor, yet want a solid GPU upgrade, the RTX 4070 may be a graphics card which grabs your interest. You can always take a look at the RTX 4070 specs if you want a closer look at what this card provides.

The mid-range of the 4000 series is here, and it aims to deliver great 1440p performance – but does that mean it’s overkill for 1080p? We’ll be answering that question and more to help you determine whether this is the card for you or not. There are a few different factors to consider before you decide if it’s overkill for you or not – so let’s waste no more time and explain the details.

Is the RTX 4070 overkill for 1080p gaming?

First and foremost, the RTX 4070 is a mid-range GPU which is designed for 1440p gaming. It can even stretch to acceptable 4K gaming is some cases, but the card is definitely built with 1440p in mind. If you’re still running on a 1080p setup, there’s no doubt that this card is going to provide you with plenty of frames in modern AAA titles. We wouldn’t say it’s majorly overkill compared to some of the high-end cards such as the 4080 or 4090 – as these cards are built for 4K and will bottleneck at lower resolutions.

If you plan to only play older or optimized titles such as Counter-Strike or Valorant, then we can definitely see the RTX 4070 being a little overkill here at 1080p. Especially if you don’t have a suitable CPU.

So, the RTX 4070 is a nice GPU at 1080p if you’re looking for consistently high frames, especially if you’re using something like an 144Hz, 240Hz, or even 360Hz monitor. If you’re not too interested in maxing out your frames, then there are several other GPUs designed for 1080p such as the RTX 3060 which will suit you better without being close to overkill, while being the cheaper option too.

If you do game at 1080p currently and look to upgrade to 1440p in the near future, then we would have to say that the RTX 4070 is ideal in this situation. So, overall, the RTX 4070 can be seen as overkill for 1080p if you’re not aiming for super-high competitive frames and have a high refresh rate monitor to make full use of it. Otherwise, it’s a great future-proof GPU for the job.

RTX 4070 for 1080p gaming

As we’ve discussed, you won’t have any problems with low framerates when gaming at 1080p with the RTX 4070. The main worry here is GPU and CPU bottlenecking, which may occur if you’re playing much older games or extremely well-optimized games. Here, the RTX 4070 may put additional stress on the CPU if it isn’t up to speed, as you could be pushing out frames reaching well into 500+ if uncapped. In cases like this, it’s easy to see why it may be overkill.

Many modern AAA games which feature advanced graphics are much more reliant on the GPU, which is great for relieving stress on the CPU. Although you may experience some bottlenecking, you’ll need plenty of frames if you plan to play competitively, especially on a monitor with a high refresh rate like 240Hz. This is why the RTX 4070 is recommended for 1440p for a more balanced setup overall. This doesn’t stop you from enjoying the RTX 4070 at 1080p however, and it’s great for ultra-smooth high FPS in GPU demanding games.

Is the RTX 4070 overkill for 1080p? FAQs