RTX 4070 Super Vs RTX 4070: Is The Super Upgrade Worth It?

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Uzair Qureshi

At Tech4Gamers, I proudly wear the title of Comparisons Specialist. Focused on CPUs and GPUs, I bring forth a wealth of hands-on experience and a keen eye for detail to provide our audience with the latest insights and analyses.

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Pros & Cons

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Shading Units: The RTX 4070 Super brings 21% more Cuda cores than the vanilla RTX 4070, which brings much more power on tap. This advantage is distributed in the RT cores and Tensor Cores as well.
2. L2 Cache: The L2 Cache of the RTX 4070 Super is also improved over the RTX 4070, with the former having 48MB while the latter had 36MB.
3. TDP: The RTX 4070 Super requires more power to drive its more plentiful Cuda cores, which is why it has a TDP of 220 watts instead of the 200-watt TDP of the regular RTX 4070.

Editor`s Note

The increment in Cuda Cores of the RTX 4070 Super over the RTX 4070 lines up with the 21% better performance the former card has in the FP32 test. 3DMark Time Spy also shows the RTX 4070 Super to be around 20% more performant than the RTX 4070.

– Uzair Qureshi

The Super moniker has made its return with Nvidia’s RTX 40 series of cards, bringing performance bumps across the board to all its cards. How do these Super cards hold up to their vanilla counterparts? Keep reading the RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 4070 comparison to find out!

Gaming Benchmarks – 1440p

To get a full understanding of day-to-day life with these cards, you should be aware of both the architecture and gaming performance of the RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 4070. In the following section, we will test both these cards atop a controlled test bench, the specifications of which are written below:

Test Bench

• OS: Windows 11
• CPU: Ryzen 7 7800X3D
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X670 Aorus Master AM5
• RAM: XPG Lancer RGB 32GB 7200MT/s DDR5
• CPU Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 – AIO Water Cooler
• PSU: ENERMAX REVOLUTION D.F. X 1050W

Cyberpunk 2077

• In initial tests, the RTX 4070 Super outperformed the RTX 4070 by 21% in Cyberpunk 2077, averaging 73 FPS versus 60 FPS. Test settings included mostly high settings, DLSS set to quality, and RT set to Ultra.
•  The 1% lows were rather close between the two cards, with the RTX 4070 Super at around 53 FPS while the RTX 4070 was only a few frames shy at around 48 FPS.

 Alan Wake II

• In Alan Wake II, using the High preset, DLSS set to Quality, and RT on Low, the RTX 4070 Super achieved an average framerate of 49 FPS, while the RTX 4070 lagged behind by approximately 17% at 42 FPS. 
• The RTX 4070 Super had minimums of around 42 FPS, about 10.5% higher than the RTX 4070’s minimums of around 38 FPS.

Forza Horizon 5

• In Forza Horizon 5, both cards were tested with no DLSS, RT set to high, and the Extreme graphics preset. The RTX 4070 Super led by approximately 18.5% with an average framerate of 160 FPS, while the RTX 4070 achieved around 135 FPS.
• The 1% lows of these cards were around 19% apart in this game, with the RTX 4070 Super dipping to around 131 FPS in graphically demanding portions of the game, whereas the RTX 4070 non-Super had lows closer to 110 FPS.

Starfield

• With no DLSS and the Ultra preset, the RTX 4070 Super had an average framerate of 72 FPS in Starfield. However, the RTX 4070 managed an average framerate of only 63 FPS, leading to a loss for the card by around 14%.
• The 1% lows were almost identical between our two prospects in this game. The RTX 4070 Super had an average framerate of 51 FPS, while the RTX 4070 capped out at 49 FPS.

 Red Dead Redemption 2

• At the Ultra preset with no DLSS, the RTX 4070 Super had an average framerate of 117 FPS, about 19% higher than the RTX 4070’s average of 97 FPS in the world of RDR2.
• As for the 1% lows, the RTX 4070 took a 14% loss with a minimum framerate of around 79 FPS, while the RTX 4070 Super was noticeably smoother at 90 FPS.

The Last Of Us Part 1

• At Ultra settings, both cards approached their VRAM limit but delivered good overall performance. The RTX 4070 Super averaged 89 FPS, while the RTX 4070 was approximately 17% less smooth at around 76 FPS.
• The 1% lows were once again similar between the two cards, with the RTX 4070 Super pushing 62 FPS, while the RTX 4070 was around 9% behind with an average framerate of 57 FPS.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

• MS Flight Sim 2020 had an average framerate of 88 FPS on the RTX 4070 Super at the Ultra quality preset, while the RTX 4070 had an average framerate of 77 FPS. This difference added up to around 14%.
• The lows of the RTX 4070 Super matched the average framerate of the non-Super at around 77 FPS, while the later card had minimums of around 67 FPS, 15% lower than the Super variant.

Avatar Frontiers Of Pandora

• At Ultra quality with DLSS, the RTX 4070 Super averaged 96 FPS, surpassing the RTX 4070’s 81 FPS by around 18.5%. Notably, the game incorporates Ray Tracing in all settings, enhancing the significance of the performance difference.
• The RTX 4070 Super had lows of 64 FPS in this game, while the RTX 4070 stayed back by around 20% with minimums of around 53 FPS.

Hogwarts Legacy

• With no upscaling using the Ultra settings, the RTX 4070 Super had an average framerate of 55 FPS in this game, while the RTX 4070 had an average of 49 FPS, differentiating these two graphics cards by a difference of around 12%.
• As for the lows, the RTX 4070 fell below the forty frames with minimums of around 39 FPS, while the RTX 4070 Super managed to stay 13% ahead with lows of around 44 FPS.

Remnant 2

• With all the settings cranked to Ultra and no upscaling, Remnant 2 hovered around 79 FPS on the RTX 4070 Super, while the RTX 4070 had a framerate of around 69 FPS, approximately 14.5% below that of its bigger brother.
• Finally, the 1% lows of the RTX 4070 Super hovered around 55 FPS, while the RTX 4070 had lows of 49 FPS, giving the RTX 4070 Super a lead of around 12%.

Overall Gaming Performance

In 1440p testing, the RTX 4070 Super outperformed the RTX 4070 by 17% in average framerate, surpassing expectations. The 1% lows showed a 13.5% difference, with the RTX 4070 Super achieving 67 FPS compared to the RTX 4070’s 59 FPS on average. Nvidia’s improvements make the RTX 4070 Super the winner in this segment.

Power Consumption

The power of the RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 4070 differs by around 15.5%, which is an acceptable number given that the performance difference is much higher. For most people, a 20-watt higher power consumption should not be an issue, even if you have a smaller power supply, as both cards have excellent power efficiency.

Price And Availability

The RTX 4070 Super has been released with the same MSRP as the RTX 4070 had at launch. While researching the price of these cards, we found a lot of models that were priced substantially above the MSRP of each card, but there were a few models, like the Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Super, which was at MSRP at the time of writing this comparison. 

What We Recommend

RTX 4070 Super: The RTX 4070 Super is undoubtedly the card that Nvidia should have launched instead of the RTX 4070. With only a $50 price difference between the two, the RTX 4070 is the obvious choice, granted you can find it at MSRP. Its slightly cramped VRAM buffer is all that is holding it back, a flaw that the RTX 4070 also shares.

RTX 4070: The non-Super variant of the RTX 4070 was one of the most hated launches by Nvidia in recent years, and its slight decrease in price does not make it any more palatable. By and large, there is no reason to get this card over the newer one.

Our harshness at the RTX 4070 isn’t rooted in its performance but rather in its value proposition, an aspect where the RTX 4070 Super has shown significant improvement over its predecessor. With noteworthy enhancements of up to 20% in certain games, it becomes challenging to make a compelling case for the standard RTX 4070.

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Uzair Qureshi

[Comparisons Specialist]

I’m a passionate computer hardware expert specializing in CPUs and GPUs. With a lifelong curiosity for hardware and extensive hands-on experience, I provide valuable insights, practical advice, and in-depth analysis on these components. Engaging with the hardware community, I exchange knowledge and stay at the forefront of technological advancements.

Get In Touch: uzair@tech4gamers.com