The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 and RTX 3070 Ti graphics cards deliver exceptional 1440p gaming performance and creative workstation capabilities at their respective price points. But with the flagship RTX 3090 well out of reach for many and the 3080 still difficult to find at reasonable prices, gamers and creators have flocked to the more affordable 3070 series.
Launched in 2020, the RTX 3070 immediately became known as the 1440p gaming champion. Then in mid-2021, Nvidia released the marginally faster but considerably more expensive 3070 Ti. This left many wondering whether the extra cost is justified for the performance gains.
In this detailed comparison, we‘ll analyze how these two Nvidia cards stack up across gaming, creative workloads, mining, power draw and thermals. By evaluating real-world benchmarks and specs, you‘ll have the knowledge to decide which RTX 3070 series GPU better fits your performance needs and budget.
RTX 3070 vs 3070 Ti: Key Specs Comparison
First, let‘s examine the core hardware specifications and pricing for each graphics card:
| Spec | RTX 3070 Founders Edition | RTX 3070 Ti Founders Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Release Date | October 2020 | June 2021 |
| Original MSRP | $499 | $599 |
| Typical Price Today | $570 | $770 |
| CUDA Cores | 5888 | 6144 |
| Boost Clock / Base Clock | 1730MHz / 1500MHz | 1770MHz / 1575MHz |
| VRAM | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus Width | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| TDP (Total Board Power) | 220W | 290W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin, 1x 6-pin |
| Length | 242mm | 267mm |
As you can see from the table, both cards offer 8GB of cutting-edge memory, 256-bit bus widths, and support the latest Nvidia technologies like DLSS and ray tracing. The 3070 Ti holds a slight edge in CUDA cores, boost clocks, and memory bandwidth thanks to faster GDDR6X VRAM.
However, those marginal hardware improvements come at the cost of a $200+ price premium in today‘s market. The 3070 Ti also consumes 70W more power under load and requires an additional power connector.
Are those specs worth paying nearly 40% more? Let‘s analyze real-world gaming and creative app performance to find out.
Gaming fps Show 3070 Ti‘s Lead Minimized at 1440p
Both Nvidia cards are marketed as 1440p gaming solutions so we‘ll start by comparing frames per second results at 2560 x 1440 resolution across a variety of game titles.
The following fps benchmarks are compiled from Tom‘s Hardware and TechSpot reviews that test each card in comparable test bench machines. Graphics settings are maxed with ray tracing and DLSS enabled where supported:
| Game Title | RTX 3070 Avg fps | RTX 3070 Ti Avg fps | % Performance Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla | 67 | 71 | 6% |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 62 | 67 | 8% |
| F1 2021 | 137 | 145 | 6% |
| Far Cry 6 | 99 | 106 | 7% |
| Forza Horizon 5 | 110 | 118 | 7% |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 102 | 109 | 7% |
Across six modern, graphically intensive games, the RTX 3070 Ti shows just a 6 to 8% average increase in 1440p frame rates over the RTX 3070.
That relatively small performance improvement comes at the cost of a nearly 40% price jump between the cards today. From a pure gaming value standpoint, the standard 3070 is clearly ahead.
Up next we‘ll examine creative workstation results and investigate whether content creators might benefit more from the 3070 Ti.
Content Creation Benchmarks Show Minor 3070 Ti Advantages
Beyond gaming, Nvidia RTX cards also accelerate 3D rendering and video production applications with dedicated hardware encoding and decoding blocks. To measure creative workstation performance, we‘ll evaluate benchmark results in two popular apps: Blender and Adobe Premiere Pro.
Beginning with CPU+GPU rendered workloads in Blender 2.93.1, here are the render times in minutes for the industry standard BMW and Classroom scenes:
| Scene | RTX 3070 Render Time | RTX 3070 Ti Render Time | % Performance Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMW | 4:18 | 4:10 | 6% |
| Classroom | 7:44 | 7:32 | 5% |
The 3070 Ti manages between a 5-6% quicker render time across both intense 3D scenes. Since every minute matters for professional 3D artists, this advantage is more meaningful than the minor gaming fps gains.
Looking at video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, the 3070 Ti encodes an 8K RAW video project just 3.5% faster based on benchmarks from Puget Systems.
So content creation apps showcase a bit more meaningful performance gains from the 3070 Ti. But whether those slim improvements justify the much higher cost is questionable for many artists and producers.
Synthetic Benchmarks Show Parity in Simulated Power
While real-world gaming and creative software benchmarks best reflect practical performance, simulated tests like 3DMark can indicate how graphics cards handle intensive graphical workloads. Let‘s check out Time Spy results:
| Benchmark | RTX 3070 Score | RTX 3070 Ti Score | % Performance Gain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 9529 | 10051 | 5.4% |
In 3DMark, the 3070 Ti finishes about 5% quicker thanks once again to its slightly higher core and memory clocks. Still, a <6% advantage reinforces just how small the differences are between these two cards in practice.
One area where the RTX 3070 Ti does show more tangible benefits is for crypto Ethereum mining, as we‘ll explore next.
Mining Performance Sees Larger 3070 Ti Improvements
With crypto prices recently recovering in 2023, mining remains popular for some GPU owners. Let‘s see how the Ethereum mining profitability shakes out between the cards.
Based on estimated hashrates from NiceHash and current mining economics, here are the projected profits per day mining Ethereum:
| Spec | RTX 3070 Mining | RTX 3070 Ti Mining | % Higher Profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Megahash Rate | 61 MH/s | 73 MH/s | 20% |
| Daily ETH Revenue | $5.35 | $6.25 | 17% |
| Monthly ETH Revenue | $160 | $190 | 19% |
For crypto miners, the RTX 3070 Ti shows more significant mining performance and profitability gains between 17-20%. Over a month, the 3070 Ti earns an estimated extra $30.
So if you‘re primarily interested in mining Ethereum, the 3070 Ti delivers markedly better hash rates that can offset its price premium relatively quickly.
On the other hand, gamers and creators are unlikely to ever recoup the extra cost through slightly faster gaming fps or quicker renders. Especially after considering the cards‘ electrical and thermal differences we‘ll analyze next.
3070 Ti Consumes More Power and Runs Hotter
Thanks to its higher factory overclocks and upgraded GDDR6X memory, the RTX 3070 Ti ratings show it requires around 20-30% more total board power versus the standard RTX 3070.
Here‘s a breakdown of the critical power consumption and thermal specs based on Nvidia‘s guidelines:
| Spec | RTX 3070 Founders | RTX 3070 Ti Founders |
|---|---|---|
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin, 1x 6-pin |
| Total Board Power (TBP) | 220W | 290W |
| Minimum PSU Recommendation | 650W | 750W |
| Thermal Design Power (TDP) | 220W | 290W |
| Idle Temp | 32°C | 34°C |
| Load Temp (typical) | 72°C | 78°C |
| Load Temp (furmark) | 83°C | 89°C |
| Noise Level | 42 dBA | 43 dBA |
The 3070 Ti requires a beefier power supply to account for potential transient power spikes above its 290W total board power rating. You‘ll want at least a high-quality 750W Gold PSU to allow adequate overhead.
Due to the larger power budget and factory overclocks, the RTX 3070 Ti also runs considerably hotter topping out around 89°C in extreme power virus testing. Expect 6-10°C warmer temperatures in general gameplay as well.
As a result, the 3070 Ti produces slightly more fan noise despite having the same flow-through cooling design.
For small form factor builds or cases with limited airflow, the standard 3070 may be the better choice to minimize heat and noise. The 3070 Ti really necessitates robust cooling and airflow to maintain boost clocks and quiet acoustics.
Pricing and Availability No Longer Favor 3070 Ti
During the height of the GPU shortage in 2021 and 2022, the RTX 3070 Ti actually had slightly better availability, albeit at ridiculous scalper pricing.
In today‘s market, both cards are readily in stock at most retailers. However, 3070 Ti prices remain well above MSRP at $700+ on average. Meanwhile, the original RTX 3070 sees much more frequent sales in the $550 to $600 range.
Considering today‘s market pricing and minor performance differences, the 3070 Ti makes little sense for the majority of gamers and creators. The standard 3070 delivers nearly identical 1440p gaming performance and content creation speeds for over $150 less.
For crypto Ethereum mining, the better efficiency of the 3070 Ti can lead to ~20% faster ROI. So if mining is your sole purpose, the upgrade could make financial sense long term.
Otherwise, snagging an RTX 3070 on sale leads to far better value per frame and creative workloads for the vast majority of users.
Consensus: RTX 3070 Delivers the Overall Value
In nearly every gaming and content creation benchmark, the RTX 3070 Ti shows just modest 5-8% performance gains over the much more affordable RTX 3070.
While the 3070 Ti technically holds the performance crown in this product tier, that small of an improvement does not warrant its ~40% higher cost per frame. Exceptional value matters for most gamers and creators shopping in this price segment.
The only metric where the 3070 Ti justifies itself is for dedicated crypto Ethereum mining, thanks to ~20% faster hash rates and daily profits. Though for long term mining, more powerful options with better efficiency exist.
Otherwise, if you game predominantly at 1440p or run creative apps, grab the standard RTX 3070 and enjoy nearly the same speeds for significantly less. That $150+ savings can go towards a higher quality CPU, SSD, or even future GPU upgrades.
Overall the RTX 3070 remains the enthusiast sweet spot, while the RTX 3070 Ti fails to impress apart from miners. Nvidia will surely need to refresh this product tier down the road, but for now the little brother 3070 still reigns supreme in value comparisons.
