Nvidia RTX 4080 vs RTX 4070 Ti: picking the lesser of two evils - Digital Trends

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Nvidia’s RTX 4080 has been retired for a while, but the RTX 4070 Ti is simply a caller release, and the circumstances astir it are rather strange. At first, the GPU elephantine called this graphics paper the “RTX 4080 12GB,” but it was a mentation with importantly worse specifications than its counterpart. After immoderate backlash, Nvidia “unlaunched” it, lone to merchandise it again a portion aboriginal — this clip nether the sanction of RTX 4070 Ti.

While the roadworthy it took to get present was unusual, the RTX 4070 Ti has present arrived, and we’ve tested some of these graphics cards ourselves. Let’s spot however they stack up against each other.

Pricing and availability

The RTX 4070 Ti graphics paper connected a pinkish background.

As mentioned, the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4070 Ti (also known arsenic the 12GB mentation of the RTX 4080) were initially announced connected the aforesaid time and some were acceptable to get connected the aforesaid date: November 16, truthful a small aboriginal than the flagship RTX 4090. However, earlier that time ever came, Nvidia pulled the plug connected the little almighty GPU, leaving the RTX 4080 to fend for itself connected its merchandise date.

While Nvidia didn’t accidental overmuch arsenic to what would hap to the paper it decided to cancel, astir manufacture sources knew that it would person to look again astatine immoderate point. The GPUs person already been made, and to scrap the full task would person been costly.

It was lone a substance of clip earlier Nvidia announced the RTX 4070 Ti during its CES 2023 keynote. The paper was past officially launched 2 days aboriginal connected January 5.

The RTX 4080 was ever priced astatine $1,200 and it retained that terms tag upon arrival. Its little almighty sibling was initially priced astatine $900, which galore radical thought was overmuch excessively high. Now, the RTX 4070 Ti comes with a database terms of $800, but seeing arsenic Nvidia isn’t making a Founders Edition mentation of the card, the world is that the GPU mightiness outgo much than that, each depending connected Nvidia’s partners, specified arsenic Asus oregon Gigabyte.

Specs

	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
Process node	TSMC 4nm	TSMC 4nm
CUDA cores	9,728	7,680
Ray tracing cores	76 3rd-gen	60 3rd-gen
Tensor cores	304 4th-gen	240 4th-gen
Base clock	2,205MHz	2,310MHz
Maximum clock	2,505MHz	2,610MHz
Memory size	16GB GDDR6X	12GB GDDR6X
Memory speed	21Gbps	21Gbps
Memory bus	256-bit	192-bit
TDP	320 watts	285 watts

The RTX 4080 and the RTX 4070 Ti were some built connected the aforesaid Ada Lovelace architecture, but arsenic you tin see, the specifications of the RTX 4070 Ti person been chopped down alternatively significantly.

We’re getting 4GB little memory, 21% less CUDA cores, Tensor cores, and ray tracing cores. The 192-bit representation autobus is besides an contented for the RTX 4070 Ti, and arsenic we’ve noted successful our reappraisal of the card, the RTX 3070 Ti really has astir 40% much bandwidth due to the fact that of this.

The CUDA halfway measurement of the RTX 4070 Ti puts it betwixt the RTX 3070 Ti and the RTX 3080. However, it sports much representation than the RTX 3070 Ti and besides utilizes Nvidia’s latest tech specified arsenic DLSS 3 and Shader Execution Reordering (SER).

As acold arsenic powerfulness depletion goes, the cards some autumn astir a akin range, which is acold down the 450W RTX 4090. However, successful reality, they seldom ever deed those numbers — Nvidia’s Ada Lovelace has turned retired to beryllium amazingly powerfulness efficient.

Performance

RTX 4070 Ti benchmarks successful 3DMark Port Royal and Time Spy.

To beryllium capable to settee the people betwixt the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4070 Ti, we’ve tally a fig of benchmarks, including synthetic and gaming tests. In bid to get a afloat glimpse astatine their performance, we’ve besides compared them to immoderate of the different best graphics cards connected the existent market.

Starting with synthetic benchmarks, close retired the doorway we’re seeing that the existent rival of the RTX 4070 Ti is not its Team Green sibling, but AMD’s RX 7900 XT. In these tests, the RTX 4070 Ti proved to beryllium astir 10% slower than the RX 7900 XT. The spread betwixt the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4070 Ti is wider. In 3DMark Time Spy, the RTX 4070 Ti was astir 15% slower.

In 3DMark’s Port Royal ray tracing test, different flaw of the RTX 4070 Ti is exposed — the GPU is not rather the ray tracing beast that you’d expect from a $900 Nvidia graphics card. It lags down the RTX 4080 with a people astir 20% lower.

Moving connected to gaming scenarios, we tested the cards astatine 4K, 1440p, and 1080p. Nvidia markets the RTX 4070 Ti arsenic a GPU for 1440p gaming, but astatine that price, it should beryllium capable to tally immoderate games astatine 4K — and it does. It was capable to deed 77.1 frames per 2nd (fps) connected average, meaning unchangeable gameplay astatine that resolution. Unfortunately, it’s besides 20% slower than the RTX 4080, which makes that people alternatively unimpressive.

While the RTX 4090 and the RTX 4080 support their undisputed spots arsenic the 2 victors successful 4K gaming, the RTX 4070 Ti is near trailing down successful a alternatively precarious position. It’s outperformed by the 2 AMD RX 7900 XT/XTX cards, and adjacent the last-gen RX 6950 XT is conscionable a hairsbreadth slower portion being cheaper.

Things are amended erstwhile we determination connected to 1440p. The RTX 4080 averaged 159.3 fps crossed our trial suite, portion the RTX 4070 Ti maintained a respectable 134.4 fps. This means astir a 15% alteration successful framework rates for the RTX 4070 Ti. However, its nonstop rival, the AMD RX 7900 XT, fared overmuch amended astatine 146.7 fps, which equals an summation of astir 8 percent.

The margins implicit the erstwhile procreation of cards are besides higher here, with the RTX 4070 Ti maintaining a stronger pb implicit the RTX 3090 and a 40% generational betterment implicit the RTX 3070 Ti.

At 1080p, some the cards bash much than well, showing that you should beryllium picking up 1 of the best 1080p GPUs alternatively — the 4080 and the 4070 Ti are simply overkill if 1080p gaming is each that you’re after. The RTX 4070 Ti averages 170.5 fps, and the RTX 4080 maintains a commanding pb with 191.7 fps. Both are miles up of their Ampere counterparts.

Ray tracing show astatine 4K for the RTX 4070 Ti.

Nvidia is the undisputed king of ray tracing, but the RTX 4070 Ti doesn’t rather unrecorded up to that name. At 4K, it falls adjacent to the AMD RX 7900 XTX, which is astonishing due to the fact that AMD usually doesn’t enactment up overmuch of a combat wherever ray tracing is concerned. Compared to the RTX 4080, it lone maintained 34.3 fps versus the 43.5 provided by its amended sibling.

The ray tracing crippled surely improves erstwhile we determination connected to 1440p. The RTX 4080 averages 84.3 fps, and portion the RTX 4070 Ti lone managed 68.6, it inactive maintains a tiny pb implicit each AMD GPU. It’s a smidge faster than the RTX 3090.

Will you take fund oregon performance?

Three RTX 4080 cards sitting connected a pinkish background.

It’s a pugnacious telephone betwixt the RTX 4080 and the RTX 4070 Ti, because, successful a way, we’re forced to prime the lesser of 2 evils. Don’t get maine incorrect — some of these graphics cards are solid, and they are surely among the champion that are retired close now. It’s conscionable that each comes with immoderate downsides.

The RTX 4080 is often thought to beryllium overpriced. Compared to the RTX 4090, which has a database terms of $1,600, it’s simply a worse woody — truthful overmuch truthful that its merchandise really boosted the income of the RTX 4090. It’s a large paper that offers DLSS 3 and entree to some 4K and 1440p gaming connected ultra settings, but it could basal to beryllium cheaper successful bid to warrant the information that it’s simply a batch slower than the flagship RTX 4090.

The RTX 4070 Ti, connected the different hand, is tricky due to the fact that it can’t anticipation to vie with the RTX 4080. This is wherefore Nvidia gave it a terms cut, but the prices mightiness beryllium higher erstwhile the paper hits the shelves. If it ends up adjacent the terms of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ($900), the RTX 4070 Ti volition beryllium successful an awkward presumption connected the market, 1 wherever AMD’s paper (which isn’t a large woody either — the RX 7900 XTX is amended value) is really the amended option, provided you don’t caput missing retired connected DLSS 3 and ray tracing.

With each that said, if your bosom is acceptable connected buying either the RTX 4080 oregon the RTX 4070 Ti, it’s each going to travel down to your idiosyncratic gaming needs and your budget. If you tin basal to walk a small more, determination are amended options retired determination than the RTX 4070 Ti, and the RTX 4080 mightiness beryllium 1 of them — but if you privation to instrumentality to astir $800, the RTX 4070 Ti is surely a decent GPU for 1440p gaming.