NVIDIA‘s RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 graphics cards deliver superb performance for gaming and creative workloads. But with the RTX 2070 costing around $150 more, is it worth the extra money?
In this expert guide, we‘ll compare the RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 head-to-head across key areas like CUDA cores, memory, resolution, frame rates, and more. You‘ll have all the information you need to decide which RTX card best fits your budget and needs.
RTX 2060 vs 2070: Key Specs and Pricing
First, a high-level overview of key specs and pricing:
| Specification | RTX 2060 | RTX 2070 |
| CUDA Cores | 1920 | 2304 |
| Boost Clock | 1680 MHz | 1620 MHz |
| Memory | 6GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 336 GB/s | 448 GB/s |
| Average Price | $349 | $500 |
As you can see, the RTX 2070 features a decent specifications bump over the 2060 – about 400 more CUDA cores, 2GB extra VRAM, and more memory bandwidth. But you‘ll pay around a 45% premium for the upgrade.
Below we‘ll analyze if that premium is worth it depending on your intended usage.
Performance Comparison
The most important factor is real-world performance. Do the RTX 2070‘s upgraded specs actually translate to noticeably better gaming and workload performance?
Frame Rates and Game Settings
For gaming, frame rates are key. Here‘s how the cards compare running modern games at different resolutions:
| 1080p/High Settings | 1440p/High Settings | 4K/Medium Settings | |
| RTX 2060 | 100-144 FPS | 60-90 FPS | 30-50 FPS |
| RTX 2070 | 130-170 FPS | 80-115 FPS | 45-70 FPS |
At 1080p, both cards deliver very high frame rates. But the RTX 2070 is able to maintain 25-45% higher FPS depending on the game title.
The gap widens as you move up to 1440p and 4K. The RTX 2070 consistently outputs around 30% faster performance. This translates to noticeably smoother, more fluid gameplay.
For maximum settings at 1440p or medium settings at 4K, the extra horsepower of the RTX 2070 definitely makes a difference.
Workload Performance
For creative and productivity workloads like video editing, 3D modeling, and data science, more CUDA cores and memory bandwidth accelerate task completion times.
In benchmarks, the RTX 2070 is 15-20% faster at rendering, encoding, and processing thanks to its upgraded specs. So if you‘ll be using your GPU for content creation in addition to gaming, the 2070 provides a nice boost.
Memory Comparison
RAM is often overlooked but plays a critical role in real-world performance. Let‘s see how the 6GB vs 8GB configs impact gaming and applications.
Gaming Memory Needs
For gaming at 1080p, the RTX 2060‘s 6GB GDDR6 memory is plenty – even for the latest AAA titles. There‘s no major performance difference versus the 2070‘s 8GB VRAM.
But as you move up to 1440p and 4K gaming, having more breathing room with 8GB starts to make an impact. Some games may limit texture quality or world detail on the 6GB 2060.
So while 6GB is sufficient today, the RTX 2070‘s extra 2GB provides some future-proofing as games become more demanding. Think of it as an insurance policy against VRAM limitations down the road.
Creative Workloads Memory Requirements
For video production, 3D rendering, AI training and other content creation applications, available VRAM plays a major role during complex tasks.
Having 50% more memory with the RTX 2070 (8GB vs 6GB) allows you to load larger assets, textures, and datasets without slowdowns. In pro creative software like Blender, After Effects and Premiere Pro, the 2070‘s extra memory tangibly accelerates completion times.
If you‘ll use your GPU for professional design/dev work, the 8GB RTX 2070 gives you welcome headroom versus the 6GB 2060.
Resolution and Image Quality Comparison
The numbers tell one story, but what‘s the actual gaming experience like on these cards at different resolutions? Let‘s dive in.
1080p Gaming
At 1080p, both the RTX 2060 and RTX 2070 deliver incredibly fluid, high FPS gameplay even at max settings. Visually, images appear crisp and clear on both. It‘s a great experience on either card.
That said, the 2070 does run 25-45 FPS faster depending on the title. So competitive gamers who prioritize hitting 144+ FPS will notice the difference.
1440p Gaming
When gaming at 1440p, the RTX 2070 starts to visually pull ahead. Thanks to its faster pixel fill rates and texture mapping capabilities, images render noticeably sharper with finer detail.
The higher FPS also translates to buttery smooth motion, important for fast-paced shooters and racers. Overall, the 2070 provides a superior 1440p gaming experience with faster, crisper visuals.
4K Gaming
At 4K, the performance gap widens even further visually. The stronger ROP performance and higher clocks of the RTX 2070 output sharper, more detailed scenes at buttery frame rates.
Meanwhile, the RTX 2060 lacks the horsepower to run demanding titles past 30 FPS at 4K, resulting in some choppy motion.
For the best 4K gaming experience, the 2070‘s faster speeds and upgraded memory deliver tangible improvements in fluidity and image quality over the 2060.
Summary – Who Should Choose Each Card?
So in the battle of RTX 2060 vs RTX 2070, who comes out on top? Here is a quick summary with recommendations:
Budget 1080p Gamers:
- For gaming at 1920 x 1080, get the RTX 2060. It runs modern titles at 100+ FPS with gorgeous visuals. The 6GB VRAM easily handles today‘s games. And $349 is great value.
Mid-Range 1440p + 4K Gamers:
- If gaming at higher 2560 x 1440 or 3840 x 2160 resolutions, get the RTX 2070. The faster speeds, extra memory and better efficiency pay off with a noticeably smoother, crisper experience at higher graphical settings. It‘s the ultimate 1440p / 4K gaming card under $500.
Content Creators + Game Streamers:
- For video production, 3D modeling, game streaming and other creative workloads, the RTX 2070 is easily worth the extra cost. The additional 2GB VRAM, bandwidth and CUDA cores accelerate render times, FPS, effects, and more. A great prosumer card.
In the end, while the RTX 2060 delivers excellent 1080p performance at a reasonable price, the RTX 2070 provides meaningful real-world speed, quality and future-proofing improvements for just 45% more cost.
If your budget allows, it‘s absolutely worth upgrading from the 2060 to the 2070 for higher resolution gaming, creative projects and future demanding titles.
I hope this detailed comparison helped illustrate the precise differences between these two capable cards! Let me know if you have any other questions.
