ASUS Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 TUF review - Introduction

ASUS TUF Gaming RTX 4070 OC edition
Outstanding Cooling and Performance; Worth the Extra Cost?

In our review, we delve into the ASUS TUF Gaming OC GeForce RTX 4070, featuring a proper cooling solution and being factory-optimized for peak performance. With an enhanced TGP, elevated clock speeds, and dual BIOS, this ASUS variant demands a $150 premium over the Founder's Edition. Can it meet the expectations and validate its higher price? Outfitted with 12 GB of graphics memory and an advanced triple-fan cooling system, the GPU achieves a 4~5% performance increase compared to the Founder's Edition and maintains an impressively quiet operation. The graphics card is engineered with a semi-passive cooling strategy, engaging its three fans to dissipate heat as the GPU temperature climbs. ASUS has fortified the card and incorporated a support bracket to prevent sagging. NVIDIA has unveiled the GeForce RTX 4070 graphics card, set to launch on April 13th. At a retail price of $599, the RTX 4070 is a more affordable option for gamers seeking high-end performance than its predecessor, the RTX 4070 Ti, which was initially priced at $899.The GeForce RTX 4070 boasts impressive features such as ray tracing, DLSS, and AI-powered assists, making it an attractive choice for gamers who demand optimal performance. With 5888 CUDA/Shader cores and 12GB of 21Gbps GDDR6X memory across a 192-bit wide memory interface, the RTX 4070 delivers a maximum bandwidth of 504GB/s. It also includes 46 RT cores, 184 Tensor cores, 184 TMUs, and possibly 64 ROPs, using the same AD104 silicon as the RTX 4070 Ti, with 46 out of 60 streaming multiprocessors being enabled. The RTX 4070 provides a more affordable upgrade solution for gamers who want a high-end graphics card without competing with the cheapest RTX 4070 Ti. 

GeForce	RTX 4070 Ti	RTX 4070	RTX 3070 Ti	RTX 3070
GPU	AD104-400	AD104-250	GA104-400	GA104-30X
Sgader Cores	7680	5888	6144	5888
Base Clock	2310 MHz	1920 MHz	1575 MHz	1500 MHz
Boost Clock	2610 MHz	2475 MHz	1770 MHz	1725 MHz
FP32 Compute	40 TFLOPS	29 TFLOPS	22 TFLOPS	20 TFLOPS
Memory	12 GB G6X	12 GB G6X	8 GB G6X	8 GB G6
Memory Bus	192-bit	192-bit	256-bit	256-bit
Memory Speed	21 Gbps	21 Gbps	19 Gbps	14 Gbps
Memory Bandwidth	504 GB/s	504 GB/s	608 GB/s	448 GB/s
TDP	285W	200W	290W	220W
Interface	PCIe Gen4 x16	PCIe Gen4 x16	PCIe Gen4 x16	PCIe Gen4 x16
MSRP	799 USD	599 USD	599 USD	499 USD
Release Date	January 5, 2023	April 13, 2023	June 10, 2021	May 8, 2021

Enhanced Design and Features

ASUS has introduced their latest addition to the TUF series graphics cards, featuring a semi-passive cooling system designed to regulate temperatures efficiently. Upon reaching a certain warmth threshold, the GPU is cooled by three fans working together. To prevent sagging, the card's structure has been significantly reinforced. Users can choose between two BIOS settings: Performance and Quiet mode. There is only a 5% difference in the performance of these modes compared to the founder edition; temperature and noise levels vary due to changes in fan speed. Our acoustic tests measured the noise level at a mere 32-33 dBa in Quiet mode, which is pretty awesome. ASUS has also increased the power consumption limit (TGP 200~205) and the turbo frequency, resulting in a clock speed of 2550 MHz. Consequently, this high-performance card has an effective memory speed of 21 Gbps. Boasting 5888 shader cores, the ADA104 GPU propels the GeForce RTX 4070, generating exceptional rasterized visuals at 29 FP32 Shader-TFLOPS. The card includes 184 Fourth Generation Tensor Cores for AI processing and DLSS, alongside 46 Third Generation Ada RT Cores for advanced ray-tracing technology. As part of Nvidia's RTX 40 Series, the GeForce RTX 4070 is equipped with Ada features such as Shader Execution Reordering (SER), next-generation RT core engines, and DLSS 3.This graphics card delivers impressive performance in the 2560x1440 resolution range, making it an excellent option for those who value a sleek yet sophisticated design. Compared to the founder's edition model, this card offers a performance boost of approximately 4-5% at an additional cost of roughly $100-150. The graphics card boasts a power consumption limit and turbo frequency enhancement, with a clock speed of 2550 MHz. While this may not be the fastest on the market, the increased total graphics power (TGP) contributes to its speed. When tweaked, the card reaches a 3.0 GHz clock speed. Furthermore, the memory operates efficiently at 21 Gbps. Let's dive into a comprehensive review of the ASUS TUF series graphics card.