The RTX 4070 has been a strong contender for the best graphics card title, but AMD’s more affordable RX 7800 XT recently challenged its position. Nvidia’s response? The RTX 4070 Super. This GPU not only reasserts Nvidia’s dominance in this price range but also raises questions about other GPUs released this generation. The RTX 4070 Super is one of three GPUs receiving the “Super” upgrade, and it’s likely to be the most impactful. With significant spec enhancements, this $600 GPU delivers impressive performance.
Specifications and Upgrades
The Nvidia logo on the RTX 4070 Super.Image: The Nvidia RTX 4070 Super Founders Edition
The RTX 4070 Super boasts a substantial spec upgrade. While still using the AD104 GPU like the RTX 4070, Nvidia significantly increased the core count by 20%, reaching 7,168 CUDA cores. This is nearly as many as the $800 RTX 4070 Ti.
Alongside the core boost, the Total Graphics Power (TGP) has been raised to 220 watts from the original 200W. This increase, combined with the Ada Lovelace architecture’s efficiency, gives the cores more power for enhanced performance.
| Feature | RTX 4070 Super | RTX 4070 |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | AD104 | AD104 |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 |
| CUDA Cores | 7,168 | 5,888 |
| Boost Clock | 2,475MHz | 2,475MHz |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6X | 12GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Speed | 21 Gbps | 21 Gbps |
| Memory Bus | 192-bit | 192-bit |
| TGP | 220W | 200W |
However, the memory interface remains unchanged, with 12GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus and 48MB of L2 cache. While VRAM limitations can occur at 4K with ray tracing, 12GB should generally suffice for the RTX 4070 Super’s target performance level. The boost clock speed also remains at 2.48GHz, similar to the base model. The question is, how does this 20% core increase translate to real-world performance?
Synthetic Benchmarks
RTX 4070 Super performance in 3DMark Time Spy.Image: 3DMark Time Spy benchmark results.
3DMark benchmarks provide a valuable baseline for the RTX 4070 Super’s performance. In Time Spy, the Super model is 17% faster than the RTX 4070, surpassing both the 12GB RTX 3080 and AMD’s RX 7800 XT. It even comes remarkably close to the RTX 4070 Ti, being only 7% slower despite a 33% lower price.
RTX 4070 Super performance in 3DMark Port Royal.Image: 3DMark Port Royal benchmark results.
The Port Royal benchmark, which utilizes DirectX 12 and ray tracing, shows even more impressive gains. The RTX 4070 Super demonstrates a 17% improvement over the base RTX 4070 and a significant 27% lead over the RX 7800 XT, nearing the RX 7900 XT and highlighting Nvidia’s continued ray tracing prowess. But how does this translate to actual gameplay?
4K Gaming Performance
Average performance of RTX 4070 Super at 4K.Image: Average 4K gaming performance across tested titles.
While not strictly a 4K card, the RTX 4070 Super achieves an average of 56.9 fps across a suite of tested games, including titles with ray tracing, without DLSS 3.5. This suggests ample power for 4K gaming with some minor adjustments.
In-game performance shows a slightly smaller lead compared to 3DMark, with the Super model about 9% faster than the RTX 4070 and 7% slower than the RTX 4070 Ti. Importantly, it holds a slight 4% advantage over the RX 7800 XT.
RTX 4070 Super performance in Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K.
Image: Cyberpunk 2077 4K benchmark results.
RTX 4070 Super performance in Resident Evil 4 at 4K.
Image: Resident Evil 4 4K benchmark results.
Some games, like Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil 4, show minimal improvement, potentially due to driver issues.
RTX 4070 Super performance in Horizon Zero Dawn at 4K.
Image: Horizon Zero Dawn 4K benchmark results.
RTX 4070 Super performance in Returnal at 4K.
Image: Returnal 4K benchmark results.
RTX 4070 Super performance in Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K.
Image: Red Dead Redemption 2 4K benchmark results.
However, the RTX 4070 Super excels in other titles. In Returnal, it achieves nearly a 20% increase over the RTX 4070, exceeding 60 fps. In Red Dead Redemption 2, it performs nearly identically to the RTX 4070 Ti, a 14% improvement over the base model. Similar performance is observed in Horizon Zero Dawn.
RTX 4070 Super performance in Forza Horizon 5 at 4K.
Image: Forza Horizon 5 4K benchmark results.
RTX 4070 Super performance in Assassin
Image: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla 4K benchmark results.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Forza Horizon 5 also showcase the RTX 4070 Super’s capabilities, with the latter even surpassing the RTX 4070 Ti. Overall, the RTX 4070 Super delivers a 10% to 15% performance boost in most games at 4K, solidifying its position against AMD and challenging the RTX 4070 Ti at a lower price point.
1440p and 1080p Gaming, Ray Tracing, and Final Verdict
At 1440p, the RTX 4070 Super truly shines, delivering an 11% improvement over the RTX 4070 and an 8% lead over the RX 7800 XT, while remaining only 5% behind the RTX 4070 Ti. Specific game performance shows similar trends as at 4K, with some titles favoring AMD and others demonstrating the RTX 4070 Super’s strength, occasionally matching or even surpassing the RTX 4070 Ti.
At 1080p, performance gains are slightly less pronounced due to CPU bottlenecks, but the RTX 4070 Super still maintains a comfortable lead over the base RTX 4070. However, for 1080p gaming, more budget-friendly GPUs might be a better choice.
In ray tracing, the RTX 4070 Super showcases Nvidia’s continued advantage. Games like Resident Evil 4 demonstrate a significant performance uplift with ray tracing enabled, placing the RTX 4070 Super comfortably ahead of the competition. Cyberpunk 2077 and Returnal also highlight the Super’s ray tracing capabilities, especially when paired with DLSS 3.5.
nvidia rtx 4070 super review re4 4k rt
Image: Resident Evil 4 4K with Ray Tracing benchmark results.
nvidia rtx 4070 super review re4 1440p rt
Image: Resident Evil 4 1440p with Ray Tracing benchmark results.
RTX 4070 Super performance in Resident Evil 4 at 1080p.
Image: Resident Evil 4 1080p with Ray Tracing benchmark results.
Benchmark of the RTX 4070 Super at 4K with DLSS 3 enabled.
Image: Cyberpunk 2077 4K with DLSS 3 benchmark results.
A benchmark of the RTX 4070 Super.
Image: Cyberpunk 2077 1440p with Ray Tracing benchmark results.
nvidia rtx 4070 super review cyberpunk rt 1080p
Image: Cyberpunk 2077 1080p with Ray Tracing benchmark results.
RTX 4070 Super performance in Returnal at 1440p.
Image: Returnal 1440p with Ray Tracing benchmark results.
nvidia rtx 4070 super review returnal 4k rt
Image: Returnal 4K with Ray Tracing benchmark results.
nvidia rtx 4070 super review returnal 1080p rt
Image: Returnal 1080p with Ray Tracing benchmark results.
The back of the Nvidia RTX 4070 Super graphics card.Image: Rear view of the Nvidia RTX 4070 Super Founders Edition.
The RTX 4070 Super successfully reasserts Nvidia’s position in the $600 price range, offering superior performance compared to AMD’s offerings and a compelling alternative to the more expensive RTX 4070 Ti. While the performance gains aren’t perfectly linear with the spec increases, the RTX 4070 Super provides a solid upgrade over the base model, making it the current best choice in its price bracket. The continued availability of the RTX 4070 at a potentially lower price might present an alternative option, but for $600, the RTX 4070 Super reigns supreme.
