The Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070, which officially launched today, March 5, 2025, is positioned as a high-mid range graphics card, targeting gamers who seek powerful performance without breaking the bank. With a suggested retail price of $549, it is directly competing with AMD's newly announced Radeon RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT, which retail at $550 and $599, respectively.
Powered by the Blackwell architecture, the RTX 5070 is the first model in the RTX 50 series to feature less than 16GB of video memory, coming equipped with 12GB of GDDR7 RAM. This reduction raises some eyebrows, considering it has 4GB less VRAM than the RTX 5070 Ti and matches the amount found on the RTX 4070 Super and RTX 4070 Ti. With nearly 3,000 fewer CUDA cores and a narrower 192-bit memory bus, some users may find themselves questioning the competitive edge of the RTX 5070, particularly against both AMD’s new offerings which boast 16GB of video memory.
The announcement of the RTX 5070 stirred excitement at its reveal during the CES 2025 keynote, where Nvidia touted the performance of the new card as comparable to the higher-end RTX 4090, which was priced at $1599 at the time. This hype was balanced against the backdrop of Nvidia's historical pricing and stock issues. Now, the natural question looming over the RTX 5070's launch is whether it can deliver on its performance promises without succumbing to the pitfalls of extensive demand and limited supply.
On the specifications front, the RTX 5070 leverages the new GB205 core, manufactured using TSMC's 4N process. It features 48 streaming multiprocessors, 6144 CUDA cores, and 192 Tensor cores, alongside 48 RT cores, all contributing to its competitive edge. The architecture is complemented by 28Gbps memory speed and 672GB/s memory bandwidth, with Total Graphics Power (TGP) indicated at 250W, which aligns well with mid-range cards.
Reviewers who tested the RTX 5070 have noted its varied performance across different gaming benchmarks. While it demonstrates capabilities outperforming the RTX 3070—offering up to 81% more performance compared to its predecessor—it has shown mixed results when compared to the RTX 4070 Super. For example, TechPowerUp found the RTX 5070 to provide about 22% performance gains over the RTX 4070 at 1440p and 25% at 4K, though this lags behind the expected generational performance leap many enthusiasts look for.
Using benchmark tools like 3DMark, the RTX 5070 outperformed its predecessor and placed fairly close to the RTX 4070 Super, with scores indicating strong promise. Specifically, it scored higher than the RTX 3090, RX 7900 GRE, and RTX 3080, underscoring its role as an appealing upgrade for those still using older graphics cards. Its gaming performance suggests it is most effective at 1440p resolution, which is quickly becoming the new standard for high-performance gaming.
Game performance, when assessed through extensive testing, often reveals the RTX 5070 trailing the more powerful RTX 5070 Ti by about 24%. It holds its own against the RX 7900 GRE and RTX 4070 at lower resolutions, yet at higher resolutions, it clearly faces challenges from heavier workloads — the architecture needs to leverage its advantages effectively.
NVIDIA's new Multi Frame Generation (MFG) feature is positioned as one of the most significant upgrades for this new series. This technology allows the RTX 50 series hardware to insert additional frames between rendered frames, which some reviewers highlighted as significant for maintaining smooth gameplay. For example, tests showed impressive results like achieving upwards of 154FPS on quality settings with MFG, showcasing the advantages of AI-enhanced performance.
Overall, reviewers have noted the RTX 5070 does display some exceptional capabilities with DLSS 4 enhancements—pushing frame rates significantly higher than older models. Still, the conversation about its value remains heavily tied to market dynamics. The current pricing situation reveals many previous generation cards have continued to hold significant value, leading some analysts to suggest waiting for potential price shifts once AMD’s new lineups hit market shelves.
Unquestionably, the initial days of the RTX 5070 will be marked by high demand, and as benchmarks continue to flood the internet, both the consumer and competitive landscapes look set to shift dramatically. Nvidia's ability to navigate these waters will be telling as AMD's response is imminent on the horizon. While the RTX 5070 presents itself as the least expensive option to access Nvidia's latest graphics technology, consumers should proceed with cautious optimism, waiting to see how it stands against its counterparts as more benchmarks are released.