Nvidia RTX 5070 Review – The Most Underwhelming GPU of the Generation?
Introduction
The Nvidia RTX 5070 enters the market as the next step in Nvidia’s midrange 5000 series, following the RTX 4070 Super and sitting below the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080. Nvidia claims substantial improvements over previous generations, particularly through DLSS 4 and enhanced GenAI performance. However, upon deeper testing, the RTX 5070 offers little reason to upgrade unless you specifically want DLSS 4. Lets take a deeper look and run it through our testing bed.
For those hoping for better raw performance, power efficiency, or major rasterization gains, this card falls short. With stock concerns and inflated launch prices already surfacing, the RTX 5070 feels more like a filler card than a true generational leap. That said, it’s not without merit, and we’ll go through everything this GPU does well—and why you might want to skip it for a better deal elsewhere.
Design and Aesthetics
The RTX 5070 maintains Nvidia’s traditional Founders Edition look, featuring the dual-fan axial flow-through design used on the previous RTX 4000 series. Most AIB models follow similar cooling approaches, with triple-fan variants from ASUS, MSI, and Gigabyte.
The card remains a dual-slot design, making it a good fit for smaller PC builds, and power requirements aren’t excessive—though it still draws 36% more power than the RTX 4070 Super, which is questionable given the minor performance gains. The card looks great as does the rest of the Founder’s Editions of the 5000 series, so there is no surprise here that we enjoy the design.
Performance
The RTX 5070 was positioned as an upgrade over the RTX 4070 Super, but in real-world testing, that gap is disappointingly small. Across a range of benchmarks, including UL’s 3DMark Steel Nomad, Port Royal, and Speed Way, the RTX 5070 only outperformed the RTX 4070 Super by 9.3% on average—a tiny jump for a full generational step.
We tested game benchmarks at 4K, 1440p, and 1080p, and here’s how the RTX 5070 stacks up:
4K Gaming (3840×2160)
| 3840×2160 Benchmarks | RTX 5090 | RTX 5080 | RTX 5070 Ti | RTX 5070 | RTX 4080 SUPER | RTX 4080 | RTX 3070 | RTX 3080 | RTX 4060 8GB | RTX 4060 Ti 8GB | XFX RX 7700 XT QICK 319 | AMD RADEON RX 7800 XT | RTX 4070 | RTX 4070 SUPER | RTX 4071 Ti | RTX 4071 Ti SUPER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Plague Tale Requiem | 101.2 | 89.6 | 75.6 | 54.1 | 80.4 | 78.3 | 24.3 | 38.6 | 28.4 | 31.8 | 42.6 | 49.9 | 47.3 | 55.6 | 60.1 | 66.4 |
| Alan Wake 2 Ultra | 103 | 58.3 | 54.9 | 43.9 | 59.1 | 57.8 | 24.8 | 39.8 | 20.4 | 25.2 | 29.7 | 40.1 | 38.6 | 42.4 | 46.3 | 51.6 |
| Alan Wake 2 Ultra + DLSS 4, x4 Frame Gen | 222.4 | 138.9 | 115.4 | 103.1 | ||||||||||||
| Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra | 102.6 | 72.21 | 58.8 | 52.2 | 59.4 | 58.6 | 29.8 | 43.4 | 21.3 | 25.4 | 32.8 | 42.1 | 29.3 | 38.5 | 45.7 | 53.5 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra + DLSS 2 Quality | 162.1 | 150.8 | 77.3 | 69.6 | 146.9 | 143.1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | 81 | 102.2 | 103 | 128.6 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra + DLSS 4, 4x, Quality + RT | 241.5 | 224.89 | 171.5 | 132.6 | ||||||||||||
| Resident Evil 4 Ultra | 135.2 | 97.6 | 77.8 | 53.9 | 81.2 | 80.3 | 41.5 | 54.3 | 27.6 | 32.8 | 48.4 | 59.8 | 49.6 | 57.2 | 62.4 | 68.3 |
| F1 2023 | 215.8 | 157.3 | 142.7 | 106.4 | 149.6 | 147.8 | 70.2 | 102.6 | – | – | – | 108.1 | 85.9 | 100.1 | 114.5 | 126.9 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 150.3 | 79.8 | 72.3 | 67.3 | 74.2 | 73.1 | 35.6 | 52.8 | 24.5 | 33.7 | 43.9 | 55.4 | 45.2 | 54.9 | 58 | 64.2 |
| DOOM Eternal | 223.4 | 191.6 | 174.9 | 144.7 | 180.4 | 179.8 | – | 110.9 | – | – | – | 115.7 | 116.8 | 133.4 | 146.2 | 154.7 |
| The Last of Us Part. 1 | 87.6 | 70.5 | 60.2 | 42.9 | 62.8 | 57.1 | – | 34.1 | – | – | – | 43.7 | 36.5 | 40.7 | 39.9 | 53.6 |
| Hogwarts Legacy, Ultra | 90.2 | 71.1 | 57.1 | 48.3 | 62.4 | 61.7 | – | 38.1 | – | – | – | 41.8 | 32 | 36.8 | 47.4 | 50.8 |
| Hogwarts Legacy, Ultra + DLSS 4, x4 Frame gen | 492.5 | 241.7 | 220.7 | 127.6 |
- Significant DLSS 4 uplift, making demanding games playable with frame generation.
- Raw rasterization lags behind expectations, sometimes only 10-15% ahead of the RTX 4070 Super.
- RTX 5080/4080-class GPUs still dominate in pure performance.
- Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra (no DLSS): RTX 5070 only 9.3% ahead of the 4070 Super.
- DLSS 4 helps in selecting titles, but this is an artificial performance gain.
Verdict: If you’re gaming at 4K, the RTX 5080 or even a discounted RTX 4080 is a much smarter choice.
1440p Gaming (2560×1440)
| 1440p Benchmarks | RTX 5090 | RTX 5080 | RTX 5070 Ti | RTX 5070 | RTX 4080 SUPER | RTX 4080 | RTX 4071 Ti SUPER | RTX 3070 | RTX 3080 | RTX 4060 8GB | RTX 4060 Ti 8GB | XFX RX 7700 XT QICK 319 | AMD RADEON RX 7800 XT | RTX 4070 | RTX 4070 SUPER | RTX 4071 Ti |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Wake 2 | 122.9 | 100.2 | 87.6 | 80.6 | 92.8 | 91.6 | 84.9 | 49.8 | 66.6 | 40.8 | 47.9 | 60.3 | 72.4 | 64.4 | 74.1 | 78.7 |
| Alan Wake 2 Ultra + DLSS 4, x4 Frame Gen | 375.1 | 191.7 | 184.2 | 162.8 | ||||||||||||
| Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra | 186.38 | 148.61 | 128.8 | 117.7 | 125.8 | 124.6 | 118 | 48.2 | 63 | 52.5 | 67.8 | 79.2 | 90.4 | 66.7 | 80.5 | 89.5 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 + DLSS 2 Quality | 205.6 | 147.3 | 159.1 | 140.11 | 143.8 | 143.1 | 128.6 | 68.5 | 89 | 72.4 | 78.6 | N/A | N/A | 81 | 102.2 | 103 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra + DLSS 4, 4x, Quality + RT | 388.2 | 327.98 | 276.2 | 204.1 | ||||||||||||
| Resident Evil 4 Ultra | 295.4 | 162.3 | 142.1 | 118.7 | 150.6 | 147.3 | 139.7 | 76.8 | 97 | 74.2 | 60.44 | 139.8 | 164.8 | 101 | 105.3 | 131 |
| Resident Evil 4 Ultra + RT | 244 | 142.6 | 123.3 | 102.9 | 128.3 | 127.6 | 121.4 | 72.9 | 92 | 70.8 | 58.3 | N/A | N/A | 94 | 94.8 | 116 |
| A Plague Tale Requiem | 195.6 | 161.3 | 135.8 | 112.4 | 140.2 | 137.1 | 115.4 | 70.2 | 87.6 | 59.4 | 65.3 | 77.1 | 90.2 | 85.6 | 103.5 | 107.8 |
| F1 2023 | 305.6 | 262.4 | 242.5 | 209.3 | 257.3 | 253.4 | 224.9 | 143.8 | 182.6 | – | – | – | 195.7 | 166.4 | 193.7 | 210.8 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 161.9 | 127.2 | 115.6 | 90.7 | 111.2 | 110.9 | 94.6 | 55.1 | 74.6 | 49.8 | 54.3 | 68.7 | 83.5 | 71.8 | 82.7 | 87.6 |
| DOOM Eternal | 328.1 | 272.9 | 249.1 | 219.5 | 264.9 | 264.5 | 230.7 | – | 169.9 | – | – | – | 187.1 | 178.4 | 204.8 | 226.5 |
| The Last of Us Part. 1 | 124.8 | 107.6 | 95.6 | 85.8 | 98.9 | 98.5 | 88.7 | – | 67.8 | – | – | – | 75.9 | 76.2 | 79.4 | 80.3 |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 147.8 | 117.3 | 105.2 | 90.6 | 110.9 | 110.1 | 95.4 | – | 73.8 | – | – | – | 80.3 | 67.2 | 80.6 | 89.8 |
| Hogwarts Legacy, Ultra + DLSS 4, x4 Frame gen | 504.6 | 262.3 | 249.7 | 190.7 |
- Best use case for the RTX 5070, but only around 12-15% ahead of the RTX 4070 Super.
- DLSS 4 does improve frame rates, but native performance isn’t a big jump.
- Rasterization improvement is minor, making it a tough sell over a discounted RTX 4070 Super.
Verdict: If you’re playing at 1440p, the RTX 5070 is fine, but not worth upgrading from an RTX 4070 Super unless you get it near MSRP. If you are on an older generation like a 3070 this is a nice leap and a worthy upgrade.
1080p Gaming (1920×1080)
| 1080p Benchamrks | RTX 5090 | RTX 5080 | RTX 5070 Ti | RTX 5070 | RTX 4080 SUPER | RTX 4080 | RTX 3070 | RTX 3080 | RTX 4060 8GB | RTX 4060 Ti 8GB | XFX RX 7700 XT QICK 319 | AMD RADEON RX 7800 XT | RTX 4070 | RTX 4070 Super | RTX 4071 Ti | RTX 4071 Ti SUPER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alan Wake 2 | 165.7 | 136.8 | 121.8 | 102.8 | 131.3 | 126.1 | 65.6 | 88.2 | 54.6 | 61.2 | 86.8 | 94.3 | 81.5 | 98.6 | 100.4 | 118.2 |
| Alan Wake 2 Ultra + DLSS 4, x4 Frame Gen | 514.2 | 361.4 | 320.2 | 285.6 | ||||||||||||
| Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra | 205.3 | 174.4 | 159.8 | 145.9 | 173.8 | 172.1 | 49 | 125.4 | 89.8 | 95.4 | 114.6 | 129.2 | 118.6 | 142.6 | 153.6 | 165.4 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 Ultra + DLSS 4, 4x, Quality + RT | 414.3 | 379.31 | 300.3 | 262.8 | ||||||||||||
| Resident Evil 4 Ultra | 273.2 | 200.1 | 178.1 | 147.4 | 186.5 | 181 | 77 | 115.6 | 85.3 | 90.3 | 116.2 | 141.9 | 123.2 | 143.3 | 153.2 | 175.6 |
| A Plague Tale Requiem | 305.6 | 208.7 | 177.6 | 149.8 | 194.6 | 189.5 | 89.2 | 122.4 | 88.7 | 93.2 | 107.2 | 120.8 | 121.7 | 140.6 | 153.7 | 169.7 |
| F1 2023 | 352.7 | 262.9 | 235.2 | 193.6 | 259.2 | 254.6 | 142.6 | 183.6 | – | – | – | 194.3 | 190.8 | 193.3 | 210.6 | 227.9 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 198.7 | 157.8 | 128.6 | 111.3 | 133.6 | 132.9 | 66.9 | 85.9 | 60.6 | 65.3 | 86.9 | 99.7 | 88 | 100.3 | 107.4 | 113.2 |
| DOOM Eternal | 377.4 | 320.6 | 299.7 | 258.7 | 312.2 | 311.8 | – | 207.9 | – | – | – | 223.4 | 211.8 | 250.3 | 269.7 | 280.4 |
| The Last of Us Part. 1 | 162.4 | 136.2 | 122.1 | 106.9 | 129.3 | 125.3 | – | 86.5 | – | – | – | 99.7 | 90.1 | 106.4 | 108.6 | 120.8 |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 190.2 | 167.4 | 144.2 | 122.4 | 153 | 151.6 | – | 104.6 | – | – | – | 105.4 | 99.7 | 117.8 | 128.1 | 130.5 |
| Hogwarts Legacy, Ultra + DLSS 4, x4 Frame gen | 491.8 | 307 | 280.5 | 234.7 |
- Massive FPS, but overkill for most titles. A perfect 1080p card for most competitive titles if this is your main gaming love.
- Diminishing returns over the RTX 4070 Super.
- No real advantage unless you’re using DLSS 4 in specific games gen over gen. Massive leap over the previous 30 and 20 series cards.
Verdict: This card is far too expensive for 1080p gaming if you cannot find it at MSRP, and cheaper alternatives like the RTX 4060 Ti or RX 7700 XT make more sense. This is a good upgrade and buy at MSRP, but only at or near MSRP of $549.
JPR LABs testing
Ah, the battle of the GPUs! As you might expect, the RTX 5070 strides ahead of the venerable RTX 4070 Super. Yet, let’s tip our hats to the 4070 Super—it put up a fantastic fight! In a trio of benchmarks across various resolutions, the RTX 5070 only managed to edge it out by a modest 9.3%. How’s that for a tight race?
Figure 1. 3Dmark Stell Nomad test results
Steel Nomad tests AIBs running at 4K resolution and utilizing DirectX 12 and Vulkan APIs. It incorporates advanced graphics effects, including:
- Volumetric skies
- Procedural grass
- Volume illumination
3DMark Steel Nomad is the newest benchmark from UL, expanding on the foundation established by its predecessor, 3DMark Time Spy.
Figure 2. 3Dmark’s Port Royal benchmark results
3DMark Port Royal is a benchmark that tests real-time ray tracing, specifically designed for gamers. It uses DirectX ray tracing to improve visuals such as shadows and reflections. The benchmark also includes tests for various technologies, including:
- Intel XeSS
- Nvidia DLSS
- DirectX Raytracing
UL also provides a 3DMark DirectX Raytracing Feature test, which evaluates the performance of dedicated hardware by rendering the entire scene in a single pass using ray tracing.
Figure 3. Speedway benchmark results
We also utilized 3DMark Speed Way, a UL benchmark designed to assess the performance of gaming PCs running Windows 10 or 11. This benchmark emphasizes ray-tracing capabilities and highlights features of DirectX 12 Ultimate, such as:
- Mesh shaders
- Real-time ray-traced reflections
The RTX 4070 does not officially support DLSS 4, so we compared its DLSS3 results to the RTX5070 using UL’s 3Dmark DLSS 3 Feature test.
Figure 4. DLSS 3 comparison
The chart really showcases how well the 4070 Super stacks up against the RTX 5070—it even outpaces it in several instances!
Driven by curiosity, we then decided to put the two AIBs through the paces with the DLSS 4 test.
UL’s 3DMark Feature test zooms in with laser focus, evaluating specific techniques, functions, or capabilities, giving us a clear picture of what each GPU can really do.
Figure 5. DLSS 4 benchmark results
Once again, the RTX 4070 Super held its own against the newer RTX 5070, even though it isn’t fully compatible with DLSS 4. This should be a real boost for 4070 Super owners, considering the jump to games that support the new DLSS 4.0.
Basemark’s ray tracing benchmark, GPUScore: Breaking Limit, offers a comprehensive test designed to measure the prowess of all ray tracing-capable devices. Quite the tool for seeing just how far these GPUs can push the boundaries!
Figure 6. GPU Breaking limit—Basemark’s ray tracing stress test
Blender, a widely used 3D modeling and rendering software, includes three ray-tracing benchmarks.
The Blender ray-tracing tests evaluate three key aspects:
- Rendering speed
- Computational power
- Memory bandwidth
These benchmarks assess the performance of a computer’s GPU in rendering 3D scenes using ray-tracing technology.
Figure 7. Blender is one of the most popular rendering programs available
The test results are expressed in elapsed time; lower is better.
Game benchmark tests
We tested a few games after running the synthetic benchmarks, focusing exclusively on those with built-in benchmarks. This approach is essential because it’s nearly impossible to replicate the same gameplay sequence in titles heavily reliant on AI, procedural, and fractal generation.
One such game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider by Eidos-Montréal, was updated on September 28, 2022. This update introduced support for the game’s built-in DX12 benchmark, which features a variety of settings to test GPU capabilities thoroughly.
Figure 8. Shadow of the Tomb Raider an all-time favorite
Chernobylite is a first-person shooter survival horror game developed by The Farm 51. Its benchmark is particularly demanding, requiring 20 minutes to complete. The Enhanced Edition incorporates advanced ray-traced reflections and lighting, utilizing Unreal Engine 4 and DirectX 12.
Figure 9. Chernobylite has the longest-running benchmark of any game—45 minutes
The game’s ray-tracing effects are highly taxing, especially at Ultra settings. Figure 10 displays the benchmark results for the Intel Arc B570 and B580 in Chernobylite across different resolutions.
Cyberpunk 2077, developed by CD Projekt Red, launched in December 2020 as a DX12-exclusive title, utilizing the proprietary Red game engine. On April 11, 2023, the game added support for Intel XeSS with its 1.62 Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode update.
Figure 10. Cyberpunk 2007 originally had great graphics and has been updated to DLSS4
While testing the RTX5070, we occasionally paused just to soak in the stunning ray-traced scenes of Shadow of the Tomb Raider—it’s truly a visual feast, and exploring its five distinct endings was an absolute blast.
In other testing news, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 hit the shelves in October 2024, brought to life by Activision and developed by the seasoned teams at Treyarch and Raven Software. This installment runs on the advanced IW 9.0 engine, a product of a collaborative effort among Infinity Ward, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games, promising cutting-edge graphics and gameplay.
Figure 11. Call of Duty has an intense and thankfully relatively short benchmark run
A comparison of the three leading games tested shows a relatively close match in fps performance at 1440 resolutions once again, which speaks to good driver design.
Figure 12. Comparison of three games run on the RTX 5070 and 4070 Super
At a resolution of 2160p, the RTX 5070 really flexed its muscles, leveraging DLSS 4 to full effect. We were so impressed that we ran the test multiple times to confirm the results!
With all the test data in hand, we performed a PMark evaluation on the two AIBs, considering both benchmark scores and game performance.
Regarding pricing and power, the RTX 5070 comes at a 25% higher price and draws 36% more power than the RTX 4070 Super. Consequently, despite its raw performance advantages, it scores lower in the PMark evaluation compared to the older RTX 4070 Super. This shows that while it’s more powerful, it’s also less efficient when considering cost and energy consumption.
Figure 13. PMark comparison in two resolutions using benchmark scores
Some folks, particularly those who aren’t too worried about their power bill, argue that gamers aren’t concerned with power consumption, thus rendering the PMark somewhat irrelevant. As Grandma wisely put it, everyone has their agenda. It seems the value of such metrics can vary greatly depending on individual priorities and circumstances.
Figure 14. PMark comparison in two resolutions using game scores
Ray Tracing & DLSS 4 – The Only Real Upgrade
The main selling point of the RTX 5070 is DLSS 4 and Nvidia’s continued push for AI-enhanced performance. Here’s what that means in practice:
- DLSS 4 provides frame boosts in supported games, but it’s not raw performance—just better frame generation.
- RT performance is slightly improved, but not enough to justify an upgrade.
- The RTX 4070 Super holds up surprisingly well, even in DLSS 3 and RT-heavy workloads.
Verdict: The RTX 5070 is only worth it if you prioritize DLSS 4, but its improvements are limited compared to existing Nvidia GPUs.
Pricing & Availability – The Real Problem
The biggest downside of the RTX 5070 is pricing and stock issues. Nvidia’s MSRP is set at $549, but as we’ve already seen, early retail prices are much higher for OC and other models. There are many cards that appear to be available at the MSRP, and we strongly recommend sticking to this price range for this class of card. Anything beyond this, the card loses value over its previous generation and competitors.
Considering the RTX 4070 Super launched at $599 and is still available at that price,
Verdict: If you can get it at MSRP ($549), it’s a fair deal, but at the current inflated prices, it’s a hard pass at anything beyond this unless you truly need an upgrade now and want DLSS 4 for the future.
Competitive Landscape – Is AMD a Better Option?
At $549, the RTX is in a great midrange spot, although it is still high for budget gamers. If the price is inflated or for 3rd party options that add a significant amount, the RTX 5070 starts losing its value, especially when compared to AMD’s GPUs:
- RX 7800 XT (~$550) – Better rasterization, more VRAM (16GB), great for 1440p/4K gaming. No DLSS 4, but has FSR.
- RX 7900 GRE (~$649) – Competes with the RTX 4070 Ti, making the RTX 5070 irrelevant if prices skyrocket to this range.
- RX 7900 XT (if discounted) and upcoming AMD launches may be interesting.
Unless ray tracing and DLSS 4 are absolute must-haves, AMD’s options are better for rasterized gaming at often lower prices.
Conclusion – A Wasted Opportunity
The RTX 5070 is a solid GPU, but it doesn’t justify its price. Nvidia expects DLSS 4 to carry the product, but that’s not enough when raw performance gains are minimal. Don’t underestimate this value, of course, as it’s a monumental uplift in the games that support it and create a significantly improved experience at this time. It is clear that generation-over-generation gains for raw performance are minimal, and the return on investment is not worthy of an immediate upgrade need for those with the 40 series. However, for gamers using a 3070 or older, this is a worthwhile upgrade
✔ Pros:
- DLSS 4 support makes demanding games playable at 4K.
- A good upgrade for RTX 3070 users (if at MSRP).
- Solid overclocking headroom.
- Export professional grade 4:2:2 video 6x faster on RTX 5070 vs. RTX 4070 with dedicated hardware accelerated 4:2:2 support (NVENC)
❌ Cons:
- Only 9.3% faster than the RTX 4070 Super.
- Uses 36% more power than the RTX 4070 Super.
- Launch prices may be inflated beyond MSRP.
- Stock issues make it a poor value compared to RTX 4070 Super or AMD options if MSRP is not available
- DLSS 4 is great, but not enough of an upgrade alone.
Final Verdict: If you can find the RTX 5070 at MSRP ($549), it’s a fine midrange card, but if prices push toward $600-700+, it makes absolutely no sense to buy it. The MSRP is a sweet spot; we hope stock is in place.
You’re also likely to be better off grabbing a discounted RTX 4070 Super, an RTX 4080, or an AMD 7900 GRE if stock is not here at launch. DLSS 4 is neat, but it’s not enough.
Skip it unless you get MSRP pricing at this time, or you are a couple of generations behind and want the latest in the class. Happy Gaming!
