For many years now, NVIDIA has been driving the effort to bring the latest class of graphics technology to the GPU market. And particular for the company’s product line is that the NVIDIA RTX 4090 and more recently the RTX 5070 are. In this article, we will deep compare these two GPUs from the specifications part to the price, performance, compatibility and release dates. You’ll have all the information you need but as soon as you finish this analysis you should be ready to make an informed decision.
Introduction
At the heart of it all, NVIDIA’s RTX series has long been synonymous with next level graphical performance. Every new technology generation takes us to a new epoch of gaming and professional workloads for content creation. In October 2022, the RTX 4090 became the ultimate of GPU performance with its introduction, while the RTX 5070 is due to launch in December 2024 adding refinements aimed at mainstream users.
Architecture Overview
To fully appreciate the capabilitites, one must know the architecture. Let’s dive into the design philosophies and improvements in these cards:
RTX 4090: Ada Lovelace Architecture
Ada Lovelace architecture is based on which is a more advanced architecture that features DLSS 3.0, improved ray tracing and a more efficient power delivery system. While Ada Lovelace GPUs achieve unmatched performance at a higher power drain.
RTX 5070: Blackwell Architecture
This is NVIDIA’s Blackwell architecture making its debut with the RTX 5070. This new generation architecture focuses on energy efficiency, the highest AI capabilities and best real time ray tracing performance. Blackwell improves significantly both gaming and professional workloads with optimized CUDA cores and tensor cores.
For more on NVIDIA’s advancements, visit NVIDIA’s official blog.
Specifications
We have already listed out below the detailed technical specifications of the RTX 4090 and RTX 5070:
| Feature | RTX 4090 | RTX 5070 |
| Architecture | Ada Lovelace | Blackwell |
| CUDA Cores | 16,384 | 10,240 |
| VRAM | 24GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR7 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 1,008 GB/s | 900 GB/s |
| Base Clock | 2.23 GHz | 2.5 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 2.52 GHz | 2.85 GHz |
| TDP | 450W | 300W |
| PCIe Version | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Price at Launch | $1,599 | $899 |
Performance Comparison
Gaming Performance
Although the RTX 4090 remains a ludicrous gaming powerhouse, it does not appear to be destined for a huge leap in performance. It will even give you consistent 4K gaming performance at 120 FPS or above, with ray tracing enabled, in the vast majority of games. Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2 both run at ultra settings without any problem.
In terms of gaming, though, the RTX 5070 is less impressed, managing to be a top performer at 1440p gaming and a capable 4K gaming at medium to high settings. With optimizations bringing major horsepower to the PC games like Blackwell architecture, Starfield, and Forza Motorsport 2024 run well above the 30 frame rate, and with stunning visuals available.
Ray Tracing and DLSS
Modern GPUs depend on ray tracing, along with DLSS technology. The RTX 4090 hits the RT cores base line for real time ray tracing, but the 5070s next gen cores come closer with higher efficiency and better frame pacing. On the 5070 DLSS 4.0 brings better visuals and smarter AI frame generation to lower your latency.
Synthetic Benchmarks
Raw performance can be evaluated with synthetic benchmarks controlled for the input and its characteristics. Here are some benchmarks:
- 3DMark Time Spy Extreme:
- RTX 4090: ~22,000 points.
- RTX 5070: ~19,000 points.
- Blender Rendering (BMW Scene):
- RTX 4090: 48 seconds.
- RTX 5070: 51 seconds.
For detailed benchmark comparisons, visit TechPowerUp’s benchmarks.
Pricing Analysis
A GPU’s price matters greatly when choosing one. Instead, the $1,599 4090 launched with sales targeted for enthusiasts and professionals hungry for performance. However, while the RTX 5070 has a price of $899 at launch, its price is much more appealing than the RTX 4080.
Additionally, if you prioritize price over performance (or do not necessarily require a flagship card) then the 5070 represents a substantially better price to performance than the 4090 while being within the reach of most users.
Compatibility and Power Requirements
RTX 4090
- Power Supply: Minimum 850W PSU recommended.
- Cooling: Requires advanced cooling solutions due to its 450W TDP.
- PCIe Slot: Utilizes PCIe 4.0.
RTX 5070
- Power Supply: Efficiently operates with a 650W PSU.
- Cooling: Features improved thermal management, making it ideal for compact builds.
- PCIe Slot: Fully compatible with PCIe 5.0, ensuring future-proof connectivity.
As the RTX 6170’s thermal output is less than that of the RTX 5070, and the RTX 5070 has less power consumption, they are highly suitable for embedded systems where compact form factor is required.
Features and Software Support
DLSS and AI Features
The GPUs with the DLSS technology have completely changed the way they manage the rendering process. As a result, the RTX 5070 fares better than RTX 4090’s DLSS 3.0 by hitting smoother gameplay, and sharper visuals. We have fine tuned the upscaling and frame generation to enable minimum input lag using AI.
Ray Tracing Enhancements
The RTX 5070 does great ray tracing work, but the next gen RT cores in RTX 5070 make it more efficient, better PWT. In the end, it equals fitting more realism without sacrificing frame rates.
Creative Software Performance
NVIDIA Studio supports both GPUs for content creators, such as the devices NVIDIA Studio drivers for Adobe Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Blender. The tensor cores on the 5070 are more powerful than regular cores and make it a good choice for pros who work with noise reduction and video upscaling, among other AI tasks.
Release Dates and Availability
Released in October 2022, the RTX 4090 is still a popular part which is in no way hard to get. Launched in December 2024 the RTX 5070 quickly became a popular addition. Initial stocks may, however, be limited by high demand.
For updates on stock and availability, visit NVIDIA’s store.
Use Cases
Gaming
Hardcore gamers will feel confident maxing out settings in the latest games with the RTX 4090, the ultimate card for navigating the future of 4K resolution. The RTX 5070 is targeted squarely at gamers who want a sweet spot of performance at cost, with stellar 1440p gameplay and 4K competitive play.
AI and Machine Learning
Our AI researchers and developers will appreciate the 5070’s enhanced tensor cores. It provides good performance for running inference on an AI model from training deep learning models, and it consumes less power.
Professional Workloads
In professional environment, both GPUs have proven to excel extremely well but for freelancers and small studios, 5070’s affordability and efficiency makes it a better purchase. The 5070 performs so well that apps such as CAD software, 3D modeling and video editing both require and enjoy its performance.
Future-Proofing Considerations
Its compatibility with PCIe 5.0 and its orientation towards energy efficiency, however, means it’s a future-proof choice over the GTX 1650 SUPER. Certainly, the RTX 4090 is a beast and it’s a shame they didn’t release a 50W version, however, the higher power consumption may become a limiting factor as efficiency standards evolve.
Conclusion
The RTX 4090 and RTX 5070 represent NVIDIA’s commitment to taking computer graphics to new levels. For those who want nothing but top performance, the RTX 4090 is what you want; the RTX 5070 with great value and a great all round experience. Finally, your choice will come down to your own specific needs, budget and use case.
For further reading and insights, explore Tom’s Hardware and PC Gamer.
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