Zotac RTX 4070 Amp Airo review: Beefy, beautiful, and inaudible

Price When Reviewed

$699

Best Prices Today: GeForce RTX 4070 Amp Airo

One of the issues we love about Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition graphics card is its diminutive dimension. Finally, after an RTX 40-series rollout solely composed of monstrous triple-slot beasts, a conventional two-slot design arrives! But what if you’d like the intense cooling and ample extras a much bigger graphics card supplies? Enter the Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Amp Airo.

Ostensibly a $699 providing (although we’re seeing it going for $669 in some locations RTX 4070s are sold), Zotac delivers much more heavy metallic within the 2.5-slot Amp Airo, enhanced by engaging RGB lighting you received’t discover within the Founders Edition. It additionally comes with a slight manufacturing facility overclock. The tweaks assist Zotac’s 4070 flagship run cooler, quieter, sooner, and flashier than Nvidia’s homegrown mannequin. Is it sufficient to justify the worth improve?

Let’s dig in.

Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 Amp Airo specs and options

At its core, the Zotac Amp Airo revolves across the similar “GA104” GPU all RTX 4070s are constructed upon (which itself is a cut-down model of the GA102 die discovered within the $800 GeForce RTX 4070 Ti). Check out our original RTX 4070 review for the total particulars.

In a nutshell, Nvidia’s RTX 4070 GPU delivers extremely environment friendly, ultra-fast 1440p gaming and best-in-class ray tracing efficiency, bolstered by DLSS 3 Frame Generation and GeForce’s arsenal of unbelievable software program options (like RTX Video Super Resolution and Nvidia Reflex). It mercifully comes with 12GB of quick GDDR6X reminiscence, an enchancment over the RTX 3070’s 8GB of primary GDDR6, however Nvidia outfitted it with a slim 192-bit reminiscence bus that limits its future potential at 4K decision. Essentially, the RTX 4070 is a fully killer 1440p graphics card however don’t purchase it should you’re trying to play at 4K long-term.

Keith May/IDG

Zotac modified a number of issues up, nevertheless—particularly, making use of a manufacturing facility overclock. The RTX 4070 Amp Airo is rated for two,535MHz enhance clock speeds, in comparison with the Founders Edition’s 2,475MHz. That jolt, together with the flashy RGB lights, bump the rated energy consumption to 215 watts, up from the Founders Edition’s 200W. It makes use of the identical 16-pin 12VHPWR connector as Nvidia’s card, nevertheless, which connects to twin 8-pin energy cables by way of an included adapter.

But the actual cause to contemplate shopping for this specific graphics card is for its kitted-out customized cooling design. The Zotac Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Amp Airo gives a superb tackle the GeForce RTX 4070. While it could be on the higher finish of the RTX 4070 pricing phase, the Amp Airo actually has the development to again up the rise.

Keith May/IDG

Coming in at 2.5 slots, it’s as huge and daring as pricier RTX 40-series graphics playing cards, however due to the a lot decrease energy the 4070 operates at, this beefy beast runs ice chilly and whisper quiet. The triple followers on the Icestorm 2.0 cooler permit Zotac’s Amp Airo to succeed in core clocks of round 2,750MHz below gaming masses whereas sustaining a sub-65C temperature. Better but, we couldn’t seize the Amp Airo’s noise ranges as a result of the Arctic Cooling Liquid Freezer 2 420mm cooler utilized in our testing rig made extra noise than the graphics card.

Seriously. It’s that quiet.

While the cardboard is very large for this efficiency phase, it nonetheless has a glossy design that isn’t too garish, and Zotac had the foresight to toss a tasteful GPU help stand within the field. Thankfully, the cardboard is constructed rock strong, so sag ought to be minimal anyway—that means the help bracket received’t must work too laborious to maintain the GPU good and stage. Still, we admire Zotac including it.

Keith May/IDG

And this can be a card that may need to be proven off. When the RTX 4070 Amp Airo is powered on, the aspect of the cardboard illuminates in a surprisingly tasteful array of colours. By default, it’ll take you for a journey on rainbow street, however the RGB lighting could be configured with Zotac’s FireStorm Utility should you want. Note, nevertheless, that this model of the Amp Airo lacks the twin BIOS change discovered on pricier fashions.

With that out of the way in which, let’s get to the benchmarks!

Our check system

Keith May examined the Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 Amp Airo on his testing system, which runs utilizing the identical core parts as Brad’s fundamental PCWorld GPU testing rig. You can see Keith clarify the parts in his rig in video form here, whereas this link particulars what’s inside the primary GPU rig. Keith supplied numbers for the Zotac card; the comparability knowledge was pulled from our just-updated database of GPUs utilizing the primary check rig.

Keith May/IDG

Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 Amp Airo efficiency benchmarks

Since we already understand how the usual RTX 4070 performs, we carried out a number of assessments to see how the Zotac RTX 4070 Amp Airo performs, utilizing the usual testing strategies outlined intimately within the second hyperlink above. We additionally included ray tracing and DLSS benchmarks after the usual rasterization assessments.

We’ll let these benchmarks converse for themselves, merely setting the stage with some preliminary commentary. The Zotac Amp Airo’s gentle manufacturing facility overclock and outrageous cooling resolution helps it run about 5 % sooner on common than the RTX 4070 Founders Edition, although that jumps to 11 % in Total War: Troy. Differences in reminiscence timings between the 2 check rigs could account for a few of that, nevertheless, however anticipate the Zotac to run barely sooner than the Founders Edition general.

Again: This is a good, extremely environment friendly 1440p graphics card with top-notch ray tracing and DLSS.

Keith May/IDG

Keith May/IDG

Keith May/IDG

Keith May/IDG

Keith May/IDG

Keith May/IDG

Keith May/IDG

Keith May/IDG

Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 Amp Airo energy and thermals

We check energy draw by looping the F1 22 benchmark at 4K for about 20 minutes after we’ve benchmarked every thing else (to heat up the GPU) and noting the best studying on our Watts Up Pro meter, which measures the ability consumption of our total check system. The preliminary a part of the race, the place all competing automobiles are onscreen concurrently, tends to be essentially the most demanding portion. 

This isn’t a worst-case check; this can be a GPU-bound sport working at a GPU-bound decision to gauge efficiency when the graphics card is sweating laborious. If you’re taking part in a sport that additionally hammers the CPU, you would see greater general system energy attracts. Consider your self warned.

Keith May/IDG

As you’ll be able to see, the RTX 4070 and Zotac’s Amp Airo completely sips energy whereas delivering knockout 1440p efficiency. Props to Nvidia for the effectivity it achieved with this GPU.

When it involves cooling, the Amp Airo stayed under 65 levels Celsius always. That’s deeply spectacular, nevertheless it’s price noting that the Founders Edition topped out at 67 levels, so damned-good temperatures are a calling card for the 4070. Where Zotac provides its particular sauce is within the noise ranges: We couldn’t even attempt to seize these as a result of the CPU cooler in our testing rig was louder than the Amp Airo’s followers. For all intents and functions, this card is just about silent—one thing the Founders Edition can’t declare.

Should you purchase the Zotac RTX 4070 Amp Airo?

If you’re on the lookout for a extremely environment friendly 1440p graphics card backed by a bevy of recent options, like DLSS 3 Frame Generation and best-in-class ray tracing, the RTX 4070 is price contemplating. It’s not a slam dunk suggestion given its excessive worth, and you need to look elsewhere for 4K gaming. We delve deeper into that breakdown in our original RTX 4070 review.

But if you’d like a 4070 particularly, is the Zotac RTX 4070 Amp Airo price shopping for? It is dependent upon your needs.

Further studying: GeForce RTX 4070 vs. RTX 3080 vs. Radeon RX 6800 XT: Which GPU should you buy?

Keith May/IDG

Nvidia’s RTX 4070 Founders Edition delivers basically the identical efficiency and energy effectivity in a smaller two-slot design. Go that route should you’re constructing a small form-factor PC. If you’re rocking one thing extra giant and in cost, the beefier Zotac Amp Airo is price contemplating. Its heft not solely helps it carry out a wee bit sooner than the Founders Edition, however all that heavy metallic additionally retains this beast working ice-cold and totally silent even when below essentially the most strenuous gaming masses. Silent working is a large quality-of-life improve that may’t be understated. And scorching rattling, its rainbow LEDs look good.

The drawback is that the RTX 4070 is already priced uncomfortably excessive for our tastes. Adding additional prices on high solely exacerbates that. That stated, you’ll all the time pay a worth premium for a slickly designed, well-engineered customized card just like the Zotac Amp Airo. We’re seeing it go for anyplace from $669 to $699 relying on the place you store. If the whisper-quiet noise ranges, barely sooner efficiency, eye-catching RGB lights, and frigid temperatures are worthwhile to you, go for it—although we’d recommend going with one of many decrease priced retailers should you can.