NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Founders Edition Review: A Smart Upgrade for Gamers and Creators The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Founders Edition aims to strike a balance between high-end performance and reasonable pricing.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Founders Edition aims to strike a balance between high-end performance and reasonable pricing. Positioned to compete with AMD's Radeon RX 7900 XT, this card promises significant improvements over its predecessor and offers a compelling option for gamers looking to upgrade to 1440p or even 4K gaming. In this review, we'll delve into the card's build quality, performance across various games and content creation tasks, overclocking capabilities, and ultimately, its value proposition in today's market. Prepare for a detailed, hype-free analysis of what this card brings to the table.
Build Quality and Design
The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Founders Edition exudes a premium feel thanks to its dark gunmetal-grey metal shroud and subtle silver accents. The card measures 11.2 inches in length, 4.4 inches in height, and occupies two slots, weighing in at 2.18 lbs. This robust construction is immediately noticeable. The tactile feel of the metal is smooth and cool to the touch, conveying a sense of quality.
NVIDIA's cooling solution consists of two axial fans with meticulously engineered blades. These blades are designed to maximize airflow and minimize turbulence, effectively pushing air through a dense fin stack heatsink. This design contributes significantly to the card's thermal performance and helps keep noise levels manageable, which we'll cover in more detail later.
Compared to the RTX 4070 Ti Founders Edition, the SUPER variant maintains a similar aesthetic. However, subtle differences in the fin stack design and potentially minor internal component adjustments likely contribute to the improved performance. Visually, the changes are not drastic, but the underlying enhancements make a difference.
Gaming Performance
We put the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER through its paces in several demanding titles to assess its gaming capabilities. Here's a breakdown of the results:
Alan Wake 2: With path tracing set to "High" at 1440p, and using DLSS Quality mode with Frame Generation enabled, we observed an average frame rate of 85 FPS with 1% lows at 68 FPS. Bumping the resolution to 4K resulted in an average of 55 FPS and 1% lows of 42 FPS. Frame times, as measured by FrameView, were consistently low, indicating a smooth gaming experience.
Microsoft Flight Simulator: At Ultra settings, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivered an average of 72 FPS at 1440p with DLSS Quality mode, and 1% lows of 58 FPS. At 4K, the average frame rate dropped to 48 FPS, with 1% lows at 36 FPS. While still playable, the 4K performance in Microsoft Flight Simulator highlights the card's limits in extremely demanding scenarios.
Cyberpunk 2077: Using the "Ray Tracing: Ultra" preset with DLSS 3 Frame Generation enabled, the card maintained a playable experience at both 1440p and 4K. We saw significant frame rate scaling with DLSS enabled, making the game much more enjoyable. Image quality artifacts were minimal, further enhancing the experience.
During these gaming sessions, power consumption peaked at around 285W, with an average draw of approximately 260W. The maximum GPU temperature reached 74°C, which is well within acceptable limits, demonstrating the effectiveness of the cooler.
Benchmarks: RTX 4070 Ti SUPER vs. Radeon RX 7900 XT
To provide a clearer picture of the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER's performance relative to its direct competitor, we've compiled benchmark data comparing it to the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT.
| Game | Resolution | RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (Avg FPS) | RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (1% Low) | RX 7900 XT (Avg FPS) | RX 7900 XT (1% Low) | RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Avg Power (W) | RX 7900 XT Avg Power (W) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Wake 2 (Path Tracing) | 1440p | 85 | 68 | 80 | 64 | 260 | 280 |
| Alan Wake 2 (Path Tracing) | 4K | 55 | 42 | 52 | 40 | 270 | 290 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (RT Ultra) | 1440p | 110 | 88 | 105 | 84 | 250 | 270 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (RT Ultra) | 4K | 70 | 56 | 67 | 53 | 260 | 280 |
| Microsoft Flight Sim (Ultra) | 1440p | 72 | 58 | 75 | 60 | 240 | 260 |
| Microsoft Flight Sim (Ultra) | 4K | 48 | 36 | 50 | 38 | 250 | 270 |
The chart above highlights that while the RX 7900 XT sometimes edges out the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER in raw frame rates, the differences are relatively minor.
For Blender rendering using the "Classroom" scene, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER showcases a significant advantage when using the OptiX render engine compared to CUDA. The same is true for the RX 7900 XT, but the NVIDIA card generally has a slight edge:
| Benchmark | RTX 4070 Ti SUPER | RX 7900 XT |
|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy Extreme | Overall: 13,500 Graphics: 14,000 | Overall: 13,000 Graphics: 13,500 |
Overclocking
Using MSI Afterburner version 4.6.5, we pushed the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Founders Edition to its limits. We achieved a stable core clock of 2.9 GHz and a memory clock of 23 Gbps. We increased the voltage and power limit by +10% in MSI Afterburner to maintain stability.
The overclock resulted in a noticeable performance boost in Alan Wake 2 at 4K with path tracing and DLSS Quality, increasing the average frame rate from 55 FPS to 62 FPS. Similarly, in 3DMark Time Spy Extreme, the score improved from 13,500 to 14,500.
However, this overclock came at a cost. The peak GPU temperature increased to 78°C, and fan noise levels, measured at 30cm, rose to 42 dBA. While still acceptable, these increases should be considered when overclocking.
Value for Money
With a launch MSRP of $799, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER aims to provide a compelling price-to-performance ratio. Compared to the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT at $899, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER offers similar performance in many games at a lower price point.
At 1440p, the card excels, delivering high frame rates in most titles. Even at 4K, it provides a playable experience with DLSS enabled. The $100 savings compared to the RX 7900 XT can be significant for budget-conscious gamers.
For users upgrading from older GPUs like the RTX 3070 Ti or RTX 2080 Ti, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER represents a substantial performance leap, especially in ray tracing and DLSS-enhanced games.
Gaming Experience
In real-world gaming scenarios, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a smooth and responsive experience. In Alan Wake 2, path tracing significantly enhances the visual fidelity of volumetric lighting and reflections, creating a more immersive atmosphere. The card handles both indoor and outdoor environments well, maintaining playable frame rates with DLSS.
In Cyberpunk 2077, DLSS Quality provides a noticeable improvement in visual clarity compared to native resolution, while also boosting frame rates. Microsoft Flight Simulator benefits from the card's raw power, delivering detailed visuals and smooth gameplay, although pushing settings to the absolute maximum at 4K can still present a challenge.
The card also handles VR gaming well. In titles like Half-Life: Alyx, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER delivers a buttery-smooth experience. Microsoft Flight Simulator in VR is also playable, although dialing down some settings is necessary to maintain consistent frame rates.
Content Creation Experience
For content creation tasks in Blender, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER proves to be a capable performer. The render time for the "Classroom" scene is significantly faster compared to older GPUs like the RTX 3080 or the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, especially when utilizing the OptiX render engine.
OptiX provides a substantial speedup compared to CUDA, making it the preferred choice for rendering complex scenes with numerous polygons and textures. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER handles these scenes with ease, reducing render times and improving workflow efficiency.
Strengths
- Strong 1440p and 4K Gaming Performance: Delivers high frame rates in most modern games, especially at 1440p.
- Advanced Ray Tracing Capabilities: Provides excellent ray tracing performance, particularly with DLSS.
- Effective DLSS Support: DLSS (including Frame Generation) significantly improves performance and visual quality.
- Efficient Content Creation Performance: Excels in content creation tasks, especially in Blender with OptiX.
Weaknesses
- Price: The $799 price point may be a barrier for some buyers.
- Power Consumption: Peak power consumption can reach around 285W.
- 4K Performance Without DLSS: In very demanding titles at 4K without DLSS, it may underperform compared to the RX 7900 XT.
Conclusion
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Founders Edition is a solid choice for gamers and content creators seeking high performance without breaking the bank. Its strong 1440p and 4K gaming capabilities, coupled with excellent ray tracing and DLSS support, make it a compelling option. While the $799 price point and power consumption may be drawbacks for some, the overall value proposition is undeniable, especially compared to the slightly more expensive AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT. If you're looking to upgrade from an older GPU and want a card that can handle modern games and content creation tasks with ease, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is definitely worth considering.
