RTX 3090 Ti Vs RTX 3070 Ti: Should You Upgrade? [Benchmarks]

We all know that the RTX 3090 Ti is the most powerful graphics card that the RTX 30-series has to offer, but how much worse is something more affordable? In the RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 3070 Ti comparison, we aim to answer that question to ensure you’re not overspending on your next GPU.

Key Takeaways

• The RTX 3090 Ti dominated over the RTX 3070 Ti with over 60% more performance than the latter on average, according to our tests at the 4k resolution.
• The power draw of the RTX 3090 Ti was 60% higher than its competition, increasing this card’s cost of ownership.
• If you decide to buy used, the RTX 3070 Ti is under half the price of the RTX 3090 Ti.

RTX 3090 Ti Vs RTX 3070 Ti

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Lithography: Unsurprisingly, these graphics cards utilizing the same architecture also use the same 8nm processing nodes.
2. TDP: The RTX 3090 Ti has one of the highest TDPs of any consumer GPU at 450 watts, which makes the 290-watt TDP of the RTX 3070 Ti look like nothing. 
3. VRAM: The RTX 3090 Ti also dwarves the RTX 3070 Ti in terms of video memory with a VRAM buffer of 24GB. On the other hand, the RTX 3070 Ti has a worryingly small VRAM size of just 8GB. Some new games list this amount as their minimum requirement, so the RTX 3070 Ti might be at risk of obsolescence after just one GPU generation.
4. Bus Width: The RTX 3090 Ti has a wide 384-bit memory bus, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti also loses in this metric, supporting a 256-bit memory bus.
5. Clock Speeds: The RTX 3070 Ti surprisingly has a higher base clock at 1575MHz than the 3090 Ti at 1560MHz. The RTX 3070 Ti, however, still loses in terms of boost clock at 1770MHz versus the 1860MHz boost of the RTX 3090 Ti.

Also Read: RTX 4060 Vs RTX 3070 Ti

Benchmarks

It is evident that the RTX 3090 Ti is more powerful from the spec sheet, but to gauge the full performance of both these cards, we have to take this fight to our test bench, the specs of which are mentioned below:

• OS – Windows 10 Pro
• CPU – Core i9-12900K
• MOBO – MSI MPG Z690 Force
• RAM – 32Gb RAM DDR5 5200Mhz
• CPU Cooler – be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
• GPU – GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8GB
• GPU – GeForce RTX 3090 Ti 24GB
• SSD – 2xSAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2 2280 1TB
• Power Supply – CORSAIR RM850i 850W

These tests were conducted on the 4k resolution to ensure both graphics cards had enough room to stretch their legs.

Hitman 3

• Starting with a well-optimized game without ray tracing and DLSS, Hitman 3 showed how much horsepower the best 30 series card has over the mid-range. The RTX 3090 Ti had an average framerate of 113 FPS, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti was over 50% slower, with 74 FPS on average.
• 1% lows had a similar difference between the two graphics cards, with the RTX 3090 Ti sustaining a minimum framerate of 91 FPS, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti had a sub-sixty framerate of 58 FPS, once again losing by over 55%.
• Both cards use the same architecture, but the higher-tier GPU has more of that hardware packed into it, resulting in a 54% higher power consumption at 442 watts compared to the 287 watts used up by the RTX 3070 Ti.
• Temperatures were higher on the RTX 3090 Ti, which peaked higher at around 71°C compared to the RTX 3070 Ti, which peaked at around 68°C.

Similar Guide: RTX 2070 Vs RTX 3070 Ti: Which One To Get In 2023?

God Of War

• Moving to a more demanding title, God of War ran smoothly at an average of 92 FPS on the RTX 3090 Ti, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti had a 60% slower performance of 57 FPS, both without the aid of DLSS.
• 1% lows were around 50% slower on the RTX 3070 Ti than its brother, getting around 53 FPS on minimum, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had a performance of around 80 FPS.
• Once again, the power draw of the more powerful card scaled linearly, with its improvement in framerate taking about 60% more performance at 439 watts versus the 276 watts that the RTX 3070 Ti drew.
• Higher performance from the RTX 3090 Ti scaled to higher temperatures, getting a higher peak temperature of around 70°C versus the 67°C that the RTX 3070 Ti managed.

Also Check: RX 6700 XT Vs RTX 3070 Ti [Gaming Benchmarks 2023]

Forza Horizon 5

• This game gave a 55% performance lead to the RTX 3090 T, which averaged around 115 FPS, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti had an average framerate of around 74 FPS. Remember that this game was running utilizing ray tracing set to the High-quality setting.
• 1% lows for the RTX 3070 Ti were once again slightly below 60 frames at 59 FPS, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti had lows of around 82 FPS. The difference here was lower than we’ve seen before at about 38% in favor of the RTX 3090 Ti.
• The power draw was 74% higher on the high-end card at 433 watts, whereas the midrange GPU only drew 278 watts from the wall.
• Temperatures were much cooler on the RTX 3070 Ti in this test at a peak of 63°C, whereas the RTX 3090 Ti reached a temperature of 70°C.

Also Read: RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 3070 Ti: Benchmarks & Comparison

Red Dead Redemption 2

• With no DLSS, the RTX 3090 Ti managed to get an average framerate of 84 FPS on Red Dead Redemption 2 utilizing the highest quality presets. In contrast, the RTX 3070 Ti struggled with an average framerate of around 54 FPS. This maths out to an advantage of 55% for the RTX 3090 Ti.
• The difference in performance between the two cards shrunk to 47% when we measured 1% lows. The RTX 3090 Ti maintained 68 FPS, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti had around 46 FPS as its minimum.
• The RTX 3090 Ti drew 53% more power than its little brother in this game by taking 428 watts from the wall, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti got by using only 279 watts.
• The RTX 3090 Ti had a peak temperature of 69°C, considerably hotter than the 66°C that the RTX 3070 Ti had to work with.

Similar Comparison: RTX 2070 SUPER Vs RTX 3070 Ti

Cyberpunk 2077

• Using medium-to-high settings, DLSS quality, and medium ray tracing on Cyberpunk 2077 gave the RTX 3090 Ti an average framerate of 51 FPS, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti had an even more disappointing 30 FPS average. This difference gave the RTX 3090 Ti a 70% lead over its little brother.
• The 1% lows also gave disappointing results, with the RTX 3090 Ti being playable with an FPS of 32 FPS, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti maintained sub-cinematic lows of 23 FPS. The difference here was around 39%.
• The power draw was over 50% greater on the RTX 3090 Ti than on the RTX 3070 Ti. The former drew 423 watts of power, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti used 276 watts.
• The RTX 3090 Ti peaked at 69°C in Cyberpunk 2077, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti was relatively cool at a peak of 65°C.

Also Read: RTX 4070 Vs RTX 3070 Ti

Dying Light 2

• With the aid of Quality DLSS, Ultra RT proved to be a challenge for the RTX 3070 Ti, averaging only 33 FPS int 2. The RTX 3090 Ti was relatively much more playable at a framerate of 62 FPS. The lead of the RTX 3090 Ti grew to over 87% in this game.
• Lows were also terrible on the lower-tier card, maintaining a stuttery 18 FPS. The RTX 3090 Ti, however, was much more playable with a minimum of 41 FPS, providing over two times the performance of the RTX 3070 Ti.
• The higher performance of the RTX 3090 Ti did not come without a cost; it used up over 70% more power than its little brother at 429 watts, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti took back 252 watts of power.
• Temperatures remained high on the RTX 3090 Ti at 69°C, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti had a cooler temperature of 63°C.

Also Read: RTX 4070 Ti Vs RTX 3070 Ti

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

• Finally, testing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on both cards yielded better results, giving the RTX 3090 Ti a 77 FPS framerate average, whereas the RTX 3070 was 60% slower with 48 FPS on average.
• 1% lows were as expected on both cards. The RTX 3090 Ti got a minimum of 59 FPS, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti maintained 38 FPS.
• The RTX 3090 Ti consumed 60% more power than the RTX 3070 Ti in our benchmark of the Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, consuming 439 watts, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti used only 275 watts of power.
• Temperatures did not budge till the very end. The RTX 3090 Ti had a peak temperature of 71°C, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti peaked at around 68°C.

Similar Comparison: RX 6800 XT Vs RTX 3070 Ti

Overall Gaming Performance

Now that we’ve gathered information on the game-to-game performance of both cards, this part of the RTX 3090 Ti vs RTX 3070 Ti comparison will take a step back to see the average performance of these GPUs.

Framerate

• The RTX 3090 Ti had an average framerate of 84 FPS in our testing at 4k with various levels of DLSS and RT, while the RTX 3070 Ti had an average of around 52 FPS. This gave the RTX 3090 Ti an overall 60% lead in averages.
• 1% lows were ahead by 53% on the more expensive card at around 65 FPS, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti had lows of around 42 FPS.
• In our testing, we used DLSS very rarely, and RT was used somewhat liberally, so depending on the settings you play your games at, you can expect more performance from both of these cards.

Also Check: RTX 3060 Ti Vs. RTX 3070 Ti

Power

• The RTX 3090 Ti averaged a power draw of 433 watts in our testing at 4k, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti consumed around 60% less power than its big brother, taking around 270 watts on average.
• Both cards had an equivalent performance per watt of 0.19 frames/watt, so it’s safe to say the performance of these cards varies linearly to their difference in power.

Similar Guide: RTX 3070 Ti vs RTX 2080 Ti

Temperatures

• The RTX 3090 Ti had an average peak temperature of around 70°C in our intensive testing at 4k, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti had a peak temperature of around 66°C.
• The temperatures of these cards depend very heavily on the manufacturer of your specific unit, the airflow to your PC, and the room temperature. You might experience different results on the cards you purchase.

Also Read: RTX 3090 Ti Vs RX 7900 XT

Price And Availability

• The RTX 3090 Ti launched for an MSRP of $1999, but it can be had on the used market for around $850 when writing this article.
• The RTX 3070 Ti can be had for less than half the price of the RTX 3090 Ti used at around $335 on a used retailer like eBay.
• These cards should be available at any sizeable computer parts store of your choosing and any e-commerce site with a section for computer hardware.

Also Check: RTX 3090 Ti Vs RX 7900 XTX

RTX 3070 Ti Vs RTX 3090 Ti: Which One Should You Go For?

Now that we’ve explored these cards’ intricacies, we have enough information to guide you to the right card for your gaming needs. The merits and demerits of these cards are listed below:

• The RTX 3090 Ti performs significantly better than the RTX 3070 Ti. Some games are completely unplayable on the latter, which the RTX 3090 Ti can run without a hitch. If 4k gaming is at the forefront of your needs, the RTX 3090 Ti is an excellent card.
• Despite the relatively low performance of the RTX 3070 Ti to the 3090 Ti, it still held up okay in our testing. You can technically game on it if you lower your quality settings to 4k or game at a lower resolution, like 1440p.
• The RTX 3070 Ti has about 60% better performance per dollar than the RTX 3090 Ti, making it a great deal for 4k medium or 1440p ultra gaming.
• The RTX 3090 Ti has a much larger power draw than its brother, making a power supply upgrade mandatory if you come from a couple-year-old gaming PC. This higher power draw will add price to your upgrade cost and your power bill, further cementing the RTX 3070 Ti a much better deal than the 3090 Ti.
• Both cards support ray tracing, but the RTX 3070 Ti is not powerful enough to use this feature while keeping an enjoyable framerate, at least not in 4k. The RTX 3090 Ti can accomplish this by using some DLSS upscaling, whereas the RTX 3070 Ti would still be uncomfortable with these settings in most games.

Similar Guide: RTX 3090 Ti Vs RTX 4070 Ti: Which Is Better? [Benchmarks]

Pros And Cons

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