What's Best for 1440p Gaming?
On 13th April 2023, Nvidia introduced the GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card best suited for 1440p gaming—although you can still max it to 4K. With its specifications, the GeForce RTX 4070 can be closely compared to the GeForce RTX 3080.
But which one is better for 1440p gaming? Is it worth upgrading from the Nvidia RTX 3080 to RTX 4070?
RTX 3080 vs. RTX 4070: Specs
The Nvidia RTX 3080 is available with 10GB or 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM. The 10GB RTX 3080 has a 320-bit memory bus, while the 12GB RTX 3080 comes with a larger 384-bit memory bus, which gives it a performance boost. Both the 10GB RTX 3080 and 12GB RTX 3080 GPU can push your gaming resolution to 4k at an average of 60 fps.
On the other hand, Nvidia RTX 4070 comes with 12GB GDDR6X VRAM and a 192-bit memory bus built on the newer Ada Lovelace architecture and uses a smaller and more efficient manufacturing process, too. So although the Nvidia RTX 4070 memory bus is smaller than the previous generation, it can still put up similar performance figures while requiring less power. Similar to the RTX 3080, the RTX 4070 offers smooth gaming at 4K resolution with ray tracing. However, Nvidia is marketing the RTX 4070 as a 1440p gaming graphics card.
Here is a comparison table showing the specs differences between Nvidia RTX 3080 and Nvidia RTX 4070.
| Specifications | RTX 3080 | RTX 4070 |
| Series | GeForce RTX 30-Series | GeForce RTX 40-Series |
| Architecture | Ampere | Ada Lovelace |
| VRAM | 10GB GDDR6X 12GB GDDR6X | 12GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 320-bit (10GB VRAM) 384-bit (12GB VRAM) | 192-bit |
| Base Clock | 1.44 GHz (10GB VRAM) 1.26 GHz (12GB VRAM) | 1.92 GHz |
| Boost Clock | 1.71 GHz | 2.48 GHz |
| Memory Bandwith | 760.3 GB/s (10GB VRAM) 912.4 GB/s (12GB VRAM) | 504.2 GB/s |
| Transistors | 28.3 billion | 35.8 billion |
| Maximum Resolution and Refresh Rate | 4K at 60 Hz (HDMI) 8K at 60 Hz (digital resolution) | 4k at 240 Hz with DSC 8k at 60 Hz with DSC |
| Required System Power | 750W | 650W |
| Total Graphics Power | 320W (10GB VRAM) 350W (12GB VRAM) | 200W |
RTX 3080 vs. RTX 4070: Price Differences
With a starting price of $599, the Nvidia RTX 4070 Founders Edition is the cheapest graphics card in Nvidia's RTX 40-Series. Its closest companion, the Nvidia RTX 4070 Ti, which features 12GB VRAM with slightly better performance, is priced at $799.
Interestingly, the Nvidia RTX 4070 is $100 cheaper than the Nvidia RTX 3080. Even so, the Nvidia RTX 3080 is cheaper than the Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti, which starts at $1,119, or the RTX 3090, with a $1,499 price tag.
Is the RTX 3080 or RTX 4070 Better for 1440p Gaming?
On paper, the RTX 3080 and RTX 4070 have almost identical specifications, but which performs better for 1440p gaming? According to Nvidia, the RTX 4070 utilizes the third generation of DLSS 3, which makes it 1.4 times faster compared to the RTX 3080. Here is more you need to know if you want to use DLSS 3 on your existing hardware.
However, the RTX 3080 performs slightly better than the RTX 4070 in a benchmark test for 1440p gaming. Of course, it depends on which games you're playing, but in most cases, the differences are negligible for most gamers to notice. In fact, the RTX 4070 performs better than the RTX 3080 in games like Forza Horizon 5 and Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p resolution.
Beyond that, the RTX 3080 consistently delivers higher margins than the RTX 4070 at 4K. The biggest advantage the RTX 4070 has over the RTX 3080 is DLSS 3 and better ray-tracing technology. Despite that, you can expect similar performance if you're using the RTX 3080 or RTX 4070 for 1440p gaming at the highest frame rate.
Should You Upgrade From RTX 3080 to RTX 4070?
Since the RTX 3080 graphics card has slightly better performance if you put it next to the RTX 4070, it doesn't necessarily make sense to upgrade. Furthermore, I wouldn't even call it an upgrade considering the RTX 4070 is cheaper than the RTX 3080.
However, you should consider the RTX 4070 for more advanced ray tracing and DLSS 3. The RTX 4070 graphics card is also smaller and more power efficient than the RTX 3080. More succinctly, the RTX 4070 delivers almost similar performance compared to the RTX 3080, despite consuming 120 watts less power—this is an improvement that is consistent with Nvidia's 40-Series GPUs.
Also, if you're using the RTX 3070 for 1440p gaming, the RTX 4070 offers a significant improvement.
The RTX 4070 Is a Cheaper RTX 3080 Alternative
Even though the Nvidia RTX 4070 is built on fourth-generation Tensor cores and Ada Lovelace architecture, it doesn't outmatch the RTX 3080. In retrospect, the Nvidia RTX 4070 is identical to the RTX 3080, but it's smaller and cheaper. The Nvidia RTX 4070 is like the RTX 3080 in every other way except in name only, and a few specifications that don't make a big difference.
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