Nvidia RTX 5070: A 1440p Champion With 4K Aspirations?
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition has arrived, priced at $550, and it presents an interesting proposition. Resembling a scaled-down version of its more powerful siblings, the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090, this card promises to deliver next-generation performance without breaking the bank. But does it truly live up to the hype, especially when tackling the demanding world of 4K gaming?
The initial impression is one of compromise. The RTX 5070 is significantly smaller and, according to early benchmarks, offers roughly a third of the performance of the top-tier RTX 5090. This immediately raises concerns about its ability to handle graphically intensive games at 4K resolution with consistently smooth framerates. The answer, as the review suggests, is a qualified "sometimes."
Nvidia also faces stiff competition from AMD, which has recently unveiled its Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT, priced at $550 and $600, respectively. If AMD can overcome potential production bottlenecks and meet demand, these cards could pose a serious threat to Nvidia’s market share, particularly given the persistent stock shortages plaguing Nvidia’s latest GPUs.
While a full comparison with AMD’s offerings is forthcoming, this review focuses solely on the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, examining its strengths, weaknesses, and overall value proposition.
Currently, the RTX 5070 appears to be positioned as the ideal card for maxing out games at 1440p resolution. For gamers seeking a true 4K experience, however, the review suggests that the RTX 5070 Ti remains the minimum requirement. Unfortunately, finding an RTX 5070 Ti at its suggested MSRP of $750 seems like a pipe dream. Market realities have pushed prices significantly higher, with some retailers and manufacturers like MSI and Asus adding a substantial premium on top of the base price. The pervasive "out of stock" notices further complicate matters.
Adding fuel to the fire, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s bold claim that the RTX 5070 can rival the RTX 4090 in performance has been met with skepticism. The review categorically refutes this assertion, highlighting the RTX 5070’s inability to consistently achieve the 60 FPS threshold required for optimal multi-frame generation in demanding titles. Without a stable 60 FPS base, the promise of smooth, artifact-free gameplay remains elusive.
Despite these shortcomings, the RTX 5070 isn’t without its merits. It excels at 1440p gaming and can hold its own in certain 4K scenarios, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious gamers, provided the price remains at or close to the MSRP.
The review draws a clear distinction between the RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti. The RTX 5070 Ti is positioned as a "mostly 4K, sometimes 1440p" card, while the RTX 5070 reverses this paradigm, prioritizing 1440p performance over uncompromising 4K gaming. For gamers with high-end monitors or those seeking to play on their 4K TVs, the RTX 5070 may fall short of expectations.
However, the review acknowledges the thrill of witnessing high frame rates, such as 180 FPS in Alan Wake II at 1440p with high ray tracing settings enabled, thanks to the power of multi-frame generation. But it emphasizes that this isn’t a pure generational leap in performance; it’s largely driven by AI-assisted frame interpolation.
Gamers prioritizing pristine, rendered frames and uncompromised 4K gaming should look elsewhere. But budget-minded gamers who can find the RTX 5070 at or near its MSRP may find it to be a worthwhile investment. While the actual gaming experience may not quite live up to Jensen Huang’s enthusiastic pronouncements, the RTX 5070 offers a compelling blend of performance and affordability.
Beyond performance, the design of the Founders Edition cards has undoubtedly contributed to the hype surrounding Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs. Their striking yet subtle aesthetic, adorned with the "GeForce RTX" logo, has captured the attention of gamers. However, securing a Founders Edition card over a variant from another AIB manufacturer may prove challenging.
The RTX 5070 Founders Edition shares the same design language as the RTX 5080 and 5090, albeit in a more compact 9-inch by 4-inch form factor. The 2-slot design aligns well with the width of a standard motherboard, such as the MSI z890-P WiFi, making it suitable for smaller PC towers. The card is notably heavy, requiring careful handling during installation to prevent damage to the PCIe slot.
One notable omission on the RTX 5070 FE is the lack of zone lighting. The review expresses a sense of missing the illuminated "X" within the case, a visual reminder of the significant investment in the GPU. The RTX 5070 requires a 650W PSU, the same as the RTX 4070.
The review promises a more detailed comparison with AMD’s latest mid-range GPUs once the embargo lifts. In the meantime, it places the RTX 5070 within the broader context of Nvidia’s GPU lineup. With no announcements regarding the RTX 5050 or RTX 5060, the RTX 5070 currently serves as the entry point to the 50-series. In this role, it manages to hold its own against the RTX 4070 Ti from 2023, but falls short of the 2024 RTX 4070 Ti Super.
Testing was conducted on an Origin PC Neuron 3500X equipped with an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K CPU, an iCUE H150i Elite Capellix XT liquid cooler, and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM. Synthetic benchmark results revealed that the RTX 5070 scored approximately 400 points lower than the RTX 4070 Ti Super in 3DMark Steel Nomad and 350 points lower in 3DMark Speed Way. The $200 price difference between the two cards is significant, yet close enough to illustrate the generational improvement.
Compared to its more powerful sibling, the RTX 5070 Ti, the RTX 5070 exhibits a noticeable drop in performance. In 3DMark Steel Nomad, the RTX 5070 scored 5031 compared to the RTX 5070 Ti’s 6644. The RTX 5070 also scored approximately 2,000 points lower in 3DMark Speed Way and 5,000 points lower in 3DMark Port Royal. At half the price of the RTX 5080, the RTX 5070 scores approximately 3,000 points lower in 3DMark benchmarks. In AI benchmarks, the Geekbench AI quantified scores showed that the RTX 5070 scored 1,792 less than the RTX 5070 Ti.
The most crucial aspect of the review lies in its analysis of in-game performance, which reveals a more nuanced picture. If the RTX 5070 Ti barely manages to achieve 60 FPS at maximum settings in Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS set to balanced, then the RTX 5070 falls below 50 FPS. Nvidia recommends that players maintain 60 FPS to maximize the effectiveness of AI-generated frames. Reducing the resolution to 1440p can bring framerates closer to 57 FPS, even with path tracing enabled, placing the elusive 60 FPS within reach, provided the resolution is lowered.
This compromise may be acceptable for some gamers. The RTX 4070 Ti achieved similar framerates at the same 4K settings. In Black Myth: Wukong benchmarks, the RTX 5070 hit 63 FPS with DLSS on balanced settings at 4K. Without DLSS, it was closer to 40 FPS. The RTX 5070 Ti averages 10 FPS higher under the same conditions. For gamers utilizing multi-frame generation, the extra 10 FPS may be less significant, as 4x frame generation can easily push framerates well above 100 FPS.
While the RTX 5070 Ti can achieve 117 FPS at 4K in Horizon Zero Dawn: Remastered, the RTX 5070 trails closely behind at 90 FPS in benchmarks. However, in more demanding titles like Alan Wake II, achieving a balance between visual fidelity and performance proves challenging. Even with ray tracing disabled, maintaining 60 FPS at very high settings requires sacrificing resolution and downscaling to 1440p.
In games like Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, ray tracing settings significantly enhance the visual experience, making it a key consideration for many players. At 4K with very high settings and ray tracing set to high, the RTX 5070 averaged around 45 to 55 FPS. This title exhibits significant performance fluctuations, resulting in noticeable drops in framerate.
Ultimately, the RTX 5070 is appropriately priced for its target audience: gamers who primarily play at resolutions below 4K. The review cites an example of playing Avowed at 1440p on an older RTX 3070, achieving above 60 FPS on high settings. The RTX 5070 could surpass this performance at 4K, and with multi-frame generation, framerates can easily exceed 100 FPS.
The reviewer acknowledges the potential appeal of upgrading to the RTX 5070, even given its position at the higher end of their personal budget. However, the numerous caveats and compromises surrounding the RTX 5070’s performance make it difficult to categorize its target audience. Gamers content with 1440p resolution are likely already satisfied with their existing GPUs, whether from the previous generation or even earlier.
For those committed to gaming at 4K resolution, the review recommends seeking out an RTX 5070 Ti at its MSRP of $750. However, given the current market conditions, this may prove unrealistic. The review concludes by highlighting AMD’s new graphics cards, particularly the Radeon RX 9070 XT, priced at $100 more than the RTX 5070, as a potential alternative.
If the RTX 5090 is considered overkill, then the RTX 5080 emerges as the optimal choice for uncompromising 4K gaming. The RTX 5070 Ti should have been the accessible 4K GPU for a wider audience, but its inflated prices make it unattainable for many. If gamers are aware of the titles they intend to play on the RTX 5070, the card may be worth the investment, provided it can be acquired for its base price of $550. If not, the review suggests waiting for a better deal.
