NVIDIA continues to expand the GeForce RTX 50 line with graphics processors based on the Blackwell architecture. The first results of independent testing of a new model in the series – the GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB – have just been published. The video card with a recommended price tag of $549 is potentially an attractive option for rather demanding users who, however, do not agree to spend too much on updating their PC. Today, we present reviews of the reference model, as well as modifications with the declared MSRP. The latter are frankly few, so we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the key indicators that our colleagues from the TechPoweUp resource have already managed to obtain during experiments with the GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
The GeForce RTX 5070 uses the GB205-300 GPU in a configuration with 6144 compute units, 192 texture units, and 80 rasterizers. There are also 192 tensor cores and 48 RT units. The GPU base frequency is set at 2325 MHz with an average boost of up to 2512 MHz.
The video card received a 192-bit bus and is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR 7 memory with an effective frequency of 28,000 MHz (1750 MHz). The total memory bandwidth is 672 GB/s. So, the memory subsystem configuration has the same configuration as its predecessor, the GeForce RTX 4070, but the RAM of the new product has increased by 33% (672 vs. 504 GB/s).
GeForce RTX 5070 Performance
According to testing results, the gaming performance of the new model is 20–25% higher than that of its predecessor, the GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB. The GeForce RTX 5070's performance is mostly close to the fps that the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER and even the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti are capable of providing.
So, as we can see, the GeForce RTX 5070 usually offers a bigger performance boost than the older models (RTX 5080/5070 Ti), which are usually only 10–15% ahead of their predecessors. If we evaluate the position of the GeForce RTX 5070 within the new line, then it is 20–28% inferior to the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti 16 GB. As the resolution increases, the difference usually increases.
In ray tracing modes, the GeForce RTX 5070 also keeps pace with the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER/4070 Ti. The difference with the RTX 5070 Ti here is also 20–28%, but it is important to note that such a "delta" is typical for 1080p/1440p modes. But when it comes to 4K with high-quality rays, 12 GB of memory is clearly not enough, so the RTX 5070 Ti demonstrates 55% higher performance. However, the lack of 12 GB for such conditions did not come as a surprise. We observed a similar situation with solutions of previous generations. For the most part, such cases are well amenable to "treatment" using DLSS. In addition, like all RTX 50 series models, the GeForce RTX 5070 graphics cards of course support DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation (MFG) technology, which can reproduce up to four additional frames.
Of course, it was the capabilities of the GeForce RTX 5070 with MFG technology activated that NVIDIA had in mind when, during the presentation, it was said that its performance was similar to that of the flagship of the previous series - the GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB. Indeed, multiple generations provide a "second wind", radically increasing the number of frames/s.
DLSS 4 with MFG is capable of radically increasing the number of fps, although of course the issues of high-quality technology support in specific projects and delay compensation remain relevant.
GeForce RTX 5070 Power Consumption
As for the power consumption level, the GeForce RTX 5070 has a TGP of 250 W. During testing of the reference model, the video card consumed up to 229 W under gaming load and about 254 W in ray tracing modes.
The predecessor in both cases required ~200 W. Obviously, the new product requires more energy, however, taking into account the increase in performance, the energy efficiency indicators will be close.
Overclocking GeForce RTX 5070
It looks like the GeForce RTX 5070 will have pretty good potential for additional overclocking.
Reviewers managed to increase the GPU frequency by 400+ MHz, while the memory chips easily reached 2125 MHz (34,000 MHz) instead of 1750 MHz (28,000 MHz), facing further limitation at the driver level.
After additional acceleration, the performance of the GeForce RTX 5070 increased by a respectable 13%. In such a case, one can expect that the forced video card will reach the level of even the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER 16 GB. Of course, in cases where 12 GB of memory will be enough.
In general, the GeForce RTX 5070 looks like a good update. Of course, it is unlikely to interest owners of video cards of a similar class from the previous line, but for updating RTX 20/30, and especially older models, it can be quite an interesting option. As for the recommended price of $549, it is mostly a declarative level. Probably, the actual values will be significantly higher, which we can already observe in the case of older models of the new line. We hope that the imminent announcement of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 16 GB will accelerate the fight against the already "planned shortage" and help stabilize the cost of new video cards.