The Nvidia RTX 4070 Super is the first of the new line-up coming from team green. In brief, it’s a card that’s been quite a boost in the CUDA core department while keeping the MSRP the same. For this reason, it effectively replaces the original model from well over a year ago for better value for money. It may not be as exciting as the changes made with its sibling, the RTX 4070 Ti, however, there’s a lot to praise for what this GPU can do in 2024. As we go through our Nvidia RTX 4070 Super review, we’ll see exactly why.
It’s a smart move on Nvidia’s part considering that the original launch of the mid-range Ada line-up wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. We’ll get into that a little later when we talk about price and more general value for money further down the page. Does the RTX 4070 Super address all these issues? Can it be considered one of the best graphics cards on the market? Let’s get into the details.
Nvidia RTX 4070 Super review – price
The Nvidia RTX 4070 Super is available with a starting MSRP of $599 / £579 for the Founders Edition model with rates varying for partner variants. Our review unit is the ASUS TUF RTX 4070 Super OC Edition for $689.99 / £670 from retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Newegg. If you’re after the best value for money then we recommend considering an alternative to this model closer to the respective MSRP.
Price is always going to be a deciding factor when investing in a GPU so it’s important to compare this latest model against the original. The RTX 4070 Super is priced identically to the first RTX 4070 from late 2022. However, that’s only one side of the story, because the release of this new card has meant price drops on the first iteration. That’s a fair jump from the rates of the previous 70-class card, the RTX 3070, which debuted at $499 / £469 of £100 / £90.
- GPU: AD104
- CUDA cores: 7,168
- VRAM: 12GB GDDR6X
- Bandwidth: 504 GB/s
- Memory bus width: 192-bit
- Boost clock speed: 2595 MHz
The RTX 4070 Super finally justifies the ‘4070’ MSRP. If you’re after a card to handle 1440p without issue, then this is the top pick.
- 20% more CUDA cores
- Better value for money than original card
- Strong performance in 1440p and 4K
- Some partner cards get expensive
- Still uses 16-pin adapter
Nvidia RTX 4070 Super review – key specs
Much like with the original, the RTX 4070 Super is built upon the AD104 die and features 12GB GDDR6X VRAM. However, where things differ is in the CUDA core department. That’s because this new release features 20% more cores with a hearty 7,168 CUDA cores compared to the non-Super’s 5,888. There’s also a bump up to 224 TMUs and 80 ROPs. For more about how it compares to the first version, check out RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 4070.
There’s a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s and a base clock of 1,980 MHz with a boost clock of up to 2,475 MHz, which is 21 Gbps effective for Nvidia’s Founders Edition model. Our review unit, the ASUS TUF RTX 4070 Super OC Edition, features a boost clock of 2,565 MHz (a 3% increase) with an OC mode pushing to 2595 MHz (a 4.8% improvement). Whether or not that’s worth the extra $90 / £90 will ultimately come down to how much performance you need.
What will also depend on your version is the physical size. The Founders Edition model is a dual-slot GPU measuring in 10.5 x 4.4 x 1.7 inches (LxWxH). Our review unit is a bit bigger than this, as a triple slot GPU coming in at 11.8 x 5.4 x 2.4 inches (LxWxH). We recommend closely considering one of the best cases for RTX 4070 Super if you’re thinking of going for a larger variant. All versions need a 16-pin power connector which shouldn’t be too surprising.
Nvidia RTX 4070 Super key design
Our ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4070 Super OC Edition features a significantly larger heatsink and a triple fan setup for enhanced cooling capabilities. The company claims thermal improvements of up to 21% more airflow than the previous generation with the Axial-tech fans. This version also has an aluminium backplate brace against the PCB so it should slot into your case without worry. It did for us. There’s 3x DisplayPort 1.4a ports and a single HDMI 2.1a port so you should be covered, too.
The ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4070 Super OC Edition looks great and the triple fans should ensure strong cooling at the cost of a higher MSRP and taking up more space. I’m particularly fond of the angular design which looks militaristic and rugged, true to the name sake of being tough. If you’re in the market for a card that will last and be able to be pushed further than others, this could be it.
Nvidia RTX 4070 Super gaming benchmarks
In the testing conducted by BGFG’s Sebastian Kozlowski, we can see that the RTX 4070 Super performs well in many demanding modern games in not only 1440p, but also in 4K as well. Generally speaking, this new card holds up significantly better than its predecessor and we can see its leading performance in the likes of Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora as evidence.
Both games were steamrolled by the RTX 4070 Super in 1080p with 150fps and 117fps respectively. This is equally strong when doubling up to 1440p with 119fps and 80fps. Average framerates are more than playable in 4K with 74fps and 60fps, too. These two games are fairly demanding, having been launched last year, and this card had no issues in flexing.
The same can be said with The Finals which the RTX 4070 Super powered through in 1080p, 1440p, and 4K with averages of 256fps, 150fps, and 73fps respectively. Enabling ray tracing doesn’t see a big hit either, as the card outputs 241fps, 124fps, and 61fps, too. This GPU tears through Doom Eternal as well, with averages of 397fps in 1080p, 288fps in 1440p, and 174fps in 4K on ‘Ultra Nightmare’ setting. This is a card that excels in 1440p but does decently in 4K, too.
Nvidia RTX 4070 Super synthetic benchmarks
The RTX 4070 Super also performs well in the synthetic testing with strong figures in 3D Mark, Cinebench r24, and Blender 4.0. More specifically, the card made short work of Fire Strike Ultra with 12,166 points, Time Spy Extreme with 10,072 points, and Port Royal (which focuses on ray tracing) with 13,011 points, a strong lead over the base RTX 4070.
Similar can be said with Blender 4.0 with strong numbers in Monster, Junkshop, and Classroom with rates of 3242.5, 2531, and 1624.1 points respectively. Clearly, the added 20% more CUDA cores means the 12GB GDDR6X VRAM can be pushed significantly harder than the original.
Nvidia RTX 4070 Super encoding benchmarks
Encoding is where the Nvidia RTX 4070 Super does fine with what it has under the hood. In HandBrake, the Tears of Steel 4K render averaged 154fps with a total rendering time of 1 minute and 57 seconds, about matching what the base RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 Ti Super can do. The GPU benchmark in Cinebench r24 is respectable, too, with a figure of 19,257.
Is the RTX 4070 Super worth it?
The RTX 4070 Super is a powerful mid-range graphics card that packs in more under the hood than the original without raising the price. If you’re after a leading 1440p GPU but also want to check out 4K without an eyewatering MSRP, then it’s a card you should consider in 2024.
For more on the card, we have a full RTX 4070 Super hub, and we’re also comparing the GPU to the previous-generation flagship with our RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 3090 feature, and the RTX 4070 Super vs RX 7800 XT feature as well. Buying a graphics card can be an investment that could last you several years, so it’s important to make the right choice. We’re ensuring that PC Guide is the best place for hardware coverage.
Copy by Aleksha McLoughlin ; Testing by Sebastian Kozlowski
