What might be the more sensible choice of graphics card in the RTX 40 series lineup, we take a look back and give you the Gigabyte Eagle RTX 4070 review. Sitting in the middle of the Ada generation, it tries to balance the performance and price to make it somewhat more appealing and it might just achieve that.

The RTX 4070 was released in April of 2023, a few months after the initial release of the generation and even the RTX 4070 Ti came before it, changing up the expected three product releases. Nvidia did wait a bit to bring it out and maybe it knew the hype and demand of the RTX 30 series might have died down along with all the crypto mining craze.

But the new gen does have some cool features, including better efficiency and performance as expected. But even the likes of AI creeping in with DLSS 3 are limited to the generation that makes upscaling even more seamless. So what does it have to offer in general, and what is the Gigabyte solution like to make it one of the best GPUs?

GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 Eagle OC

Core clock speed

1920 MHz base, 2505 MHz boost

CUDA cores

5,888

Memory

12GB GDDR6X

Dimensions

261 x 126 x 50mm

PSU required

650W

TBP

200W

How We Review

Pricing

Now in general, the 40 series might be a bit out of reach for a lot of people. It reached new heights as the consumer RTX 4090 got to $1,600 but even went higher as demand soared for it, even now as AI takes over it’s a good choice compared to enterprise solutions. But that’s the extreme.

The RTX 4070 launch price came to a much more sensible level. With a $599 cost, it certainly seems more reasonable, but it still feels high for a 70-model card. However, it can achieve a lot for it. Sitting in between the 4060 Ti 16GB at $499, and the 4070 Ti at $799 it could be a good level for even 4k performance.

If you compare the competition though, the more recent RX 7800 XT is around the same level and has an MSRP of $499 like the 60 Ti. But that’s not the only thing that matters, it does make it one of the best candidates for the GPU you need.

Design

Tech Specs

Core clock speed

1920 MHz base, 2505 MHz boost

CUDA cores

5,888

Memory

12GB GDDR6X

Dimensions

261 x 126 x 50mm

PSU required

650W

TBP

200W

Memory clock

21 Gbps

Memory bus

192-bit

Card bus

PCIe 4.0 x16

Output

1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DP 1.4a

Power connectors

1x 8-pin

Pros

Slim and small for the power available with it
Well designed for cooling and simplicity
Single 8-pin power connector
Strong performance and features

Cons

Still more expensive than last-gen
VRAM configuration and 4k performance

The Gigabyte Eagle comes with a simple sleek design, helped out by the fact that the GPU just has a TGP of 200W. That means it doesn’t need a ridiculous cooling solution much like the RTX 4090 size dominated by a 450W spec.

Much like explained in the Gigabyte Eagle RTX 4080 review, the card provides a strong cooling solution. The Windforce system makes sure that the performance of the card is not affected. With a direct contact design for its four heat pipes, it more efficiently directs the heat away to the heatsinks.

Spreading out allows it to dissipate the heat away more effectively. With a metal plate on the back and cut out for flow through it allows for the heat to radiate and flow through with less impedance. As for the side, there is also mostly just a heatsink without blockages to get it all out. For the fans on the card, it’s kept cool by three 80mm alternate spinning fans. Reducing turbulence and sending all that fresh air through to keep temperatures down.

For IO you get the standard three DisplayPort 1.4 and one HDMI 2.1a port for a range of connectivity to your displays. As for the design, Gigabyte keeps it slim if still on the longer side. Providing power for smaller systems and keeping it down to just two slots. With just a few cuts and limited RGB, it keeps things clean to not be too in your face and get the job done.

RTX 4070 performance

Now for what truly matters when deciding if it’s the right GPU for you, the performance is what matters. Sitting in the middle of the lineup, you can expect the 4070 to achieve 1440p gaming with a breeze. Although it might not quite achieve 4k at the highest level, it will likely get something out of it. Along with being able to use upscaling or some setting adjustments to push it further as well.

Our test setup consisted of the following:

RTX 4070 gaming benchmarks

As expected the RTX 4070 has no issues at the lower resolutions. With CS2 being the first run, we see it achieve a 313 FPS average at 1080p, 214 at 1440p, and 103 at 4k. Source 2 provides great looks but still a fast FPS for your advantage.

Cyberpunk 2077 is next and Nvidia does give an advantage to all the features you can use but also optimization for it. As pure rasterization still provides a 108, 74, and 27 FPS average in the game. With the game’s punishing graphics it does provide a great look at what is possible.

Doom Eternal on the other hand is a bit more relaxed, in it the 4070 achieves a 357 FPS average at 1080p, 260 at 1440p, and 144 at 4k. Assassin’s Creed Mirage up next gives a strong 106 FPS at 1080p, 74 at 1440p, and 60 at 4k. Rainbow Six Siege on the other hand provides hundreds of FPS at all resolutions. In our tests, it averaged 411 at 1080p, 249 at 1440p, and 122 at 4k.

The Finals provide another high performance even on the high settings. Running 207 aat 1080p, 126 at 1440p, and 57 at 4k. Whilst Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 1080p achieves 208FPS, 1440p gets 136, and 4k just 76. But that is just the basics, so what if you want a bit better lighting?

RTX 4070 ray tracing benchmarks

Starting off with the big and tough contender when it comes to graphics and the latest technologies, Cyberpunk. With ultra graphics and ray tracing, there is a lot of cut down in averages but still, surprisingly strong, you might just need to adjust some settings. As at 1080p it averages 74FPS, 56 at 1440p, and 16 at 4k.

Doom Eternal is a bit less punishing with its implementation. As at 1080p, it averages 256 FPS, 174 at 1440p, and 105 at 4k. The Finals also see little effect from the implementation, as 1080p averages 196FPS, 124 at 1440p, and 61 at 4k. SOTTR also runs quite well with a 141, 93, and 50 FPS average. F1 23 is the last of the lot and in HD averages 105 FPS, 2k gets you 70, and 4k is down to 39 average.

If you’re after some more work-related benchmarks then you can head to the RTX 4070 PCGuide review.

Is the RTX 4070 worth it?

The RTX 4070 is definitely a strong contender for the best GPU for 1440p gaming. With its great efficiency, strong performance and features it certainly deserves a good note. Although it doesn’t hit the 4k mark fully, it can do with some tinkering and help. Allowing it to be quite flexible for the model.

However, as with most of the general 40 series pricing, it still is rather high. Coming in close to what the 3080 used to be, makes it rather harder to recommend, but certainly compared to the other options in the lineup, it is the better choice. Although now with the RTX 4070 Super release at the same price, it may provide a much better value in its place with an expected higher performance.

As for the Gigabyte Eagle, it provides a great solution all around. With excellent cooling performance, a simple design, and a smaller form factor, it does make it a great choice for your upgrade or build.

The Gigabyte card provides a great solution for the GPU. With a simplified look without many extras or RGB, it is a good choice for a more clean setup. It keeps things cool and compact which ensures your performance stays there without too much extra.

As for the RTX 4070, it is a much better value in the lineup that gives you a great overall performance at 1440p. It is close to that 4k mark but doesn’t quite reach it, plus the VRAM capacity does only reach 12GB and we might expect a bit more at this level.

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