The GPU (graphics processing unit) market has seen intense competition in recent years between arch-rivals AMD and Nvidia. AMD made waves in mid-2019 with the launch of their RDNA-based RX 5700 series graphics cards, delivering a massive generational performance leap over their previous GCN offerings. Fast forward to late 2020, and Nvidia struck back with their Ampere-powered GeForce RTX 3000 cards, led by the incredible value RTX 3070.
But how do these two mid-range gaming champions – AMD‘s RX 5700-XT and Nvidia‘s RTX 3070 – directly compare on technical specs and real-world gaming performance? Which GPU should you choose to power your next high-fps gaming rig? This expert breakdown has you covered…
Overview and Background
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT: Released July 2019, $399 launch price
- RDNA architecture (1st generation)
- Flagship of original RX 5700 series
- Direct replacement for RX Vega 56/64
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070: Released October 2020, $499 launch price
- Ampere architecture
- Replaces the RTX 2070 Super
- Second most powerful 3000 series GPU behind RTX 3080/3090
Head to Head Comparison
| Spec | RX 5700-XT | RTX 3070 |
|---|---|---|
| Launch Date | July 2019 | October 2020 |
| Architecture | RDNA 1 | Ampere |
| Manufacturing Process | 7nm | 8nm |
| CUDA/Stream Cores | 2560 | 5888 |
| GPU Clock Speed | 1605MHz (1905Mhz Boost) | 1500Mhz (1725Mhz Boost) |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 448GB/s | 448GB/s |
| Power Consumption | 225W | 220W |
| Dimensions | 271 x 112 mm | 242 x 112 mm |
| Launch Price | $399 | $499 |
Performance and Gaming Benchmarks
Thanks to a vastly superior core count and architectural design, the RTX 3070 comfortably beats the RX 5700-XT across 1080p, 1440p and 4K gaming benchmarks:
1080p Gaming
- Assassins Creed: RTX 3070 66% faster
- Battlefield V: RTX 3070 43% faster
- Call of Duty: RTX 3070 36% faster
1440p Gaming
- Control w/RTX: RTX 3070 80% faster
- Cyberpunk 2077: RTX 3070 48% faster
- Watch Dogs Legion: RTX 3070 39% faster
4K Gaming
- Horizon Zero Dawn: RTX 3070 35% faster
- Red Dead Redemption 2: RTX 3070 26% faster
- Borderlands 3: RTX 3070 22% faster
Much of this incredible lead comes thanks to Nvidia‘s DLSS and ray tracing support on the Ampere-based RTX 3070. These advanced graphics features boost frame rates significantly across modern games. AMD still lacks any response to these technologies.
Price to Performance Ratio
Given its huge performance gains over the RX 5700-XT, the RTX 3070 is the clear price/performance winner. Gamers wanting smooth high frame rates for 1440p or 4K gaming should pick the RTX 3070 if it fits in their $500 budget. At just $100 more than the RX 5700-XT‘s original $399 MSRP, it represents excellent value.
However, the RX 5700-XT can still hit very playable frame rates at 1080p, and may be found at lower prices making it attractive for high-refresh 1080p setups on a budget. The RTX 3070 is overkill if not utilizing its power at higher resolutions.
Conclusion
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 beats AMD‘s best RDNA 1 card – the RX 5700-XT – across the board in specifications, features, and real-world gaming benchmarks. It enjoys huge performance benefits from the Ampere architecture including significantly more cores plus advanced support for ray tracing and DLSS upscaling.
For high-fps 1080p gaming the RX 5700-XT remains a capable option. But most PC gamers seeking buttery smooth 1440p or 60+ fps 4K gaming should choose the RTX 3070 as their next GPU upgrade. The 30-80% performance delta in its favor makes the extra $100 over the RX 5700-XT‘s original MSRP worthwhile, delivering outstanding value.
