I'd hate Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5070 if it didn't have DLSS 4

Price When Reviewed

$549

Best Prices Today: GeForce RTX 5070

When the RTX 5080 launched in January, it grew to become clear that the fate of Nvidia’s RTX 50-series lies in DLSS 4’s hands. The graphics card provided a naked minimal efficiency improve over its predecessor, as an alternative counting on the magic of DLSS 4’s new Multiple Frame Generation function to drive body charges ahead in supported video games.

The $550 GeForce RTX 5070 takes that to the intense.

Nvidia’s new graphics card delivers just about similar efficiency to the RTX 4070 Super, a 12 months after the 4070 Super launched. It has the identical reminiscence configuration as its predecessor. It prices simply $50 much less. The RTX 5070 is actually a 4070 Super with DLSS 4. This isn’t an improve; it’s stagnation.

We’ve spent the previous week benchmarking Nvidia’s cute lil’ RTX 5070 Founders Edition in a wide range of video games and workloads. Here’s what that you must know earlier than shopping for Nvidia’s newest GPU.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 efficiency benchmarks

Again, the RTX 5070 delivers almost similar efficiency to the 4070 Super. In some video games the RTX 5070 is a bit sooner; in some video games, surprisingly, the 4070 Super is a bit sooner; and in others they’re mainly in a useless warmth.

That’s profoundly disappointing – however simply because the RTX 5070 is an atrocious generational improve doesn’t imply it’s essentially a foul graphics card.

It sails previous the 100 frames-per-second mark in a lot of our gaming benchmarks, even with all graphics settings cranked to the utmost at 1440p decision. In our most strenuous exams – Black Myth Wukong and Cyberpunk 2077’s RT Overdrive mode with path-traced lighting – the RTX 5070 manages to hit the hallowed 60fps mark demanded by PC gaming fans. The 12GB of GDDR7 reminiscence feels skimpy for a $500+ graphics card in 2025 and should restrict efficiency in future memory-heavy video games, nonetheless.

If you have already got a gaming PC you may merely drop the RTX 5070 into, it’ll ship a vastly higher gaming expertise than the Sony PlayStation 5 Pro for $150 much less. That worth proposition goes away if that you must construct the remainder of the rig round it, nonetheless.

Built for 1440p gaming, with simply 12GB of VRAM

You might positively play plenty of video games at 4K decision with the RTX 5070, particularly in video games that assist DLSS. But don’t purchase the RTX 5070 for 4K gaming. This card is constructed for 1440p gaming.

Nvidia gave the RTX 5070 the identical reminiscence configuration because the RTX 4070 Super; 12GB of reminiscence over a 192-bit bus, although the reminiscence has been upgraded from GDDR6X to GDDR7. Here’s a quote from our RTX 4070 non-Super review in 2023 that’s simply as relevant to the RTX 5070:

“Nvidia’s decision to equip the RTX 4070 with a 192-bit bus and 12GB of memory prevent us from being able to recommend it for long-term 4K gaming, especially with memory requirements only rising in modern games.”

Nvidia failed to answer this criticism and it’s solely extra pressing two years later. Slapping simply 12GB of RAM on a $550 graphics card feels insulting – particularly since Intel’s $250 Arc B580 presents the identical capability for lower than half the worth. AMD’s challenger, the Radeon RX 9070, comes with 16GB of RAM.

Nvidia must do higher right here…however the uninspiring reminiscence configuration ought to maintain up advantageous for 1440p gaming in most situations.

DLSS 4’s Multi-Frame Gen tech will knock your socks off

I’ve stated it in every RTX 50-series review to this point, and I’ll say it once more for the RTX 5070: DLSS 4’s new Multi Frame Generation function – which inserts as much as three AI-generated frames between each two “traditional” frames, to ship body charges and visible smoothness completely hovering – is really transformative. It could make even a clunky sport like Star Wars Outlaws really feel as chic because the legendary Doom 2016, although the general expertise is a bit laborious to measure with regular instruments.

The RTX 5070 is the perfect “vehicle” for MFG in plenty of methods. Since MFG’s inserted AI frames don’t reply to your inputs, it might add latency in comparison with operating a sport on the similar body price with out MFG. If you will get a sport’s baseline efficiency to 60fps or so earlier than flipping on MFG, it typically feels advantageous (and appears beautiful) in single-player video games.

As proven above, the RTX 5070 hits 60fps at 1440p even in our most strenuous benchmarks. That means you may crank the attention sweet to the max, flip on MFG, and luxuriate in a mind-bendingly clean expertise within the 75+ video games that assist DLSS 4, no further complications or hassles required.

PCWorld video guru Adam Patrick Murray spent days enjoying greater than 20 DLSS 4 video games to get a really feel for the brand new know-how. You can see his ideas within the video above; he used an RTX 5070 Ti for testing, however the identical takeaways apply to the 5070 as properly.

There’s a cause Nvidia is betting the RTX 50-series’ fate on DLSS 4. It’s that damned good.

Related: Nvidia’s DLSS 4 is so much more than just ‘fake frames’

AMD’s Radeon rival is simply across the nook

AMD

Nvidia received’t like this tidbit, however there’s one other essential facet to know concerning the GeForce RTX 5070’s launch: AMD’s direct competitor is launching only a day later.

The RTX 5070 launches March 5, tomorrow. AMD’s $599 Radeon RX 9070 XT and $549 Radeon RX 9070 launch March 6.

Independent critiques of the Radeon 9070 collection have but to be revealed, however AMD outfitted each GPUs with 16GB of GDDR6 reminiscence and says it’s concentrating on “4K gaming at a 1440p price.” The firm additionally guarantees massive enhancements in ray tracing efficiency, and at last invested in beefed-up AI accelerators to energy FSR 4, which might be accessible in 30 video games at launch.

Given the RTX 5070’s negligible efficiency improve over the 4070 Super, sensible consumers could need to see what AMD is brewing earlier than investing $549 on Nvidia’s card. AMD companions have been transport Radeon RX 9070 inventory to retailers for months now so you may very well be capable of seize one earlier than the GPUs promote out, too.

Should you purchase the GeForce RTX 5070?

Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry

If you’re coming from an RTX 3070 – or something older or weaker – the RTX 5070 might be a tangible improve. You’ll really feel the leap ahead in efficiency, and the additional reminiscence capability. Even although the RTX 5070’s mere 12GB of reminiscence disappoints in a $500+ graphics card in 2025, the older RTX 3070 solely had 8GB, and that may really feel awfully tight at 1440p decision. The RTX 3070 already must make visible compromises to satisfy the reminiscence calls for of many trendy video games.

The RTX 5070 doesn’t, although the 12GB capability is nowhere close to as future-proof because the 16GB discovered on just about all different graphics playing cards on this value vary. The restricted capability means you received’t need this GPU for 4K gaming.

While the RTX 5070 is without doubt one of the worst generational GPU “upgrades” in reminiscence, it’s nonetheless an excellent 1440p graphics card. Performance soars over 100fps in lots of video games even with graphics settings cranked to the max, and crosses 60fps even in our most strenuous exams with ray tracing enabled. That offers the RTX 5070 sufficient firepower to flip on DLSS 4’s jaw-dropping Multi-Frame Gen tech, which unlocks new ranges of visible smoothness that should be seen to believed. It’s accessible in 75+ video games.

Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry

If you don’t plan on using DLSS 4, properly, you’re actually lacking out. It’s nice. But the RTX 5070 loses plenty of its luster when it’s not churning out AI frames. In non-DLSS video games, the RTX 4070 Super has provided similar efficiency ranges for over a 12 months now.

Bottom line? Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070 is a stagnant “upgrade” from a {hardware} standpoint, and it’s skimpy with RAM contemplating the worth. But sure, DLSS 4 software program offers the RTX 5070 superpowers in any other case unachievable – no less than within the video games that actively assist it. I’m deeply dissatisfied that Nvidia didn’t transfer the needle in efficiency or reminiscence capability, and barely nudged the worth down in return. But that is nonetheless a superb 1440p graphics card.

Given the stagnation, and provided that AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 launches only a day after the RTX 5070 however with 16GB of reminiscence, I’d strongly counsel ready for critiques of that graphics card earlier than making a purchase order. Weigh all of your choices earlier than plunking down your $550.