Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 : Review |Test |CUP | Specs |Config

The power consumption drops significantly with the performance

The significantly reduced execution units mean that the power requirement of the GeForce RTX 3070 with a TDP of only 220 watts is significantly lower. This allows custom designs with two 8-pin power plugs or even just one. Nvidia still wants to keep the clock speeds high, because the base clock is 1,500 MHz and the average turbo of 1,730 MHz is slightly higher than in the two other models.

In terms of memory, the GeForce RTX 3070 also falls significantly behind the two large variants. There are only eight 32-bit wide memory controllers that result in a 256-bit memory interface. This also automatically reduces the memory expansion to 8 GB – 16 GB would be technically possible as an alternative, but a corresponding model has apparently been deleted. In addition, the GeForce RTX 3070 no longer relies on extremely high-clocked GDDR6X, but on classic GDDR6 memory. Its clock rate is 7,000 MHz, resulting in a data throughput of 14 Gbps.

This means that the GeForce RTX 3070 has 41 percent less memory bandwidth available than the GeForce RTX 3080, while the theoretical computing power is only 32 percent less.

Details on the ampere architecture can be found in the technology article

If you want to find out more details about the technology of the GeForce RTX 3070, you should take a look at the technology article on the GeForce RTX 3000. In addition to the GeForce RTX 3070, this also covers the GeForce RTX 3080 and the flagship GeForce RTX 3090 in great detail.

New offerings in the GeForce ecosystem

Nvidia has not only upgraded Ampere’s technology, the ecosystem has also been equipped with new features. This includes broadcast, which uses the tensor cores of the Turing and Ampere GPUs to facilitate and improve (game) streaming to the Internet. Broadcast, for example, offers AI-supported noise suppression that was previously known as RTX Voice. In addition, there is the option of removing the background of the webcam feed and replacing it with an alternative image or just a blurring effect – a green screen without a green screen via AI, so to speak. Broadcast is primarily aimed at streaming games, but normal video streaming, for example at conferences, should also benefit from the feature. Also new to the ecosystem is Nvidia Reflex (test), which is supposed to lower latencies in esports titles via SDK and to make them measurable for the first time with the Reflex Latency Analyzer on new G-Sync displays at 360 Hz. Reflex is compatible with all GPUs from Maxwell onwards.

Die Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition im Detail

Nvidia is also sending its own Founders Editions into the race for the GeForce RTX 3070, which changes hands from 499 euros (RRP). It is currently unclear how the availability will be. Nvidia will sell the Founders Edition in Germany both in its own shop and through partner shops.

The GeForce RTX 3070 FE is based on the look and feel of the two larger models and thus once again gives a first-class impression, even if the weight is significantly lower. The GeForce RTX 3070 FE is a lot more compact with a length of not quite 25 cm and a height of 11 cm. The GeForce RTX 3070 FE takes its own, very classic approach to the cooler.

With a classic cooling concept

The GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition also uses two axial fans with a diameter of 85 mm that are as large as the GeForce RTX 3080 FE. But in this case they are both classically placed on the front and side by side. The fan on the left blows the cool air against the PCB and tries to get it out of the housing as well as possible through the slot cover. The one on the right uses the PCB, which is much shorter than the cooler, and blows air through the cooling fins once without a PCB causing turbulence and counter pressure. The new fan stop at low temperatures is also part of the game. The GeForce RTX 3070 FE therefore also works silently on the Windows desktop.

With a new 12-pin power connector

The GeForce RTX 3070 FE is configured with a power limit of 220 watts, which can be manually increased to a maximum of 240 watts. The new 12-pin power connector is again used as the power connection, with Nvidia including an adapter to a simple 8-pin connector from the Founders Edition. As a result, Nvidia is working to the limit of the specifications and sometimes a little beyond that. More details on this in the section on power consumption.

Because the PCB is significantly shorter than the cooler and Nvidia works without an extension, the 12-pin power plug is almost centrally located between the two fans and – unlike the GeForce RTX 3080 FE – parallel to the PCB. When the adapter is used, it is not only clearly visible from the card, but also quickly hits the housing door. Something else is beautiful.

The clock rates of the GeForce RTX 3070 Founders Edition, like the TDP, adhere to Nvidia’s reference specifications. The base clock is thus 1,500 MHz and the average turbo is 1,730 MHz. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory works at 7,000 MHz. Monitors can be connected to three DisplayPort 1.4 interfaces with DSC or to an HDMI 2.1 output.