Best RTX 3070 GPU in 2024 – our top 3070 models
Deep diving major online retailers to find the best RTX 3070 AIB's on offer this 2020
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This guide is designed to help you find the best RTX 3070 graphics card as an individual component. As many will know, Nvidia’s Ampere GPU launch didn’t exactly go to plan – leaving thousands of eager buyers disappointed thanks to the lack of physical stock levels. However, the alternative was an RTX 3070 prebuilt gaming PC which you may still be interested in.
The following article will be a closer look at some of the great RTX 3070 AIBs available today. We’ll be recommending only the best RTX 3070 graphics cards on offer, prioritizing performance, cooling, and overall value for money as we go. We keep the article updated with the choices so you can find the right model for you with so many options available.
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- GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060 Gaming OC – Save $130 NOW!
- XFX Speedster MERC310 AMD Radeon RX 7900XTX Black Gaming Graphics Card – Save 8% NOW!
- ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Trinity OC – Save $100 NOW!
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- XFX Speedster SWFT319 Radeon RX 6800 Core Gaming Graphics Card – Save 13% NOW!
- Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX – Save $360 now!
- Sapphire Nitro+ AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X Gaming Graphics Card – Save $380 now!
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Best RTX 3070 GPUs
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3070
ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming
Clock Speed
1755MHz Boost Clock (OC)
VRAM
8GB GDDR6
Thermal Design
Axial-tech Triple Fan
Power Input
2 x 8-pin
Size
318mm x 140mm x 57mm
- Excellent aesthetic design
- Great cooling solution
- High boost clock speed
- On the higher end of the price spectrum
As with all card launches, ASUS has released several different SKUs for the RTX 3070. However, our favorite has to go to the ASUS ROG Strix RTX – their premium gaming brand and powerful graphics card.
Despite not having quite the same overclocking potential as the EVGA (discussed below), the ASUS excels in almost every other area. It comes equipped with sublime out-the-box cooling, characterized by efficiency and its flagship design language. In addition to the ROG’s hefty cooling solution, ASUS has also equipped it with a very hand 1755 MHz boost clock frequency that, if deemed necessary, can be overclocked further with relative ease.
As far as inputs go, the ROG Strix is one of the only cards on the market that actually offers more than one HDMI input. While this may seem a little mundane for many users, HDMI still plays a major role in today’s tech. Having the additional options allows users to utilize HDMI-limited accessories that other cards can’t.
EVGA RTX 3070 FTW3 Ultra
EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 FTW3 Ultra Gaming
Clock Speed
1815MHz Boost Clock (OC)
VRAM
8GB GDDR6
Thermal Design
EVGA iCX3 Cooling
Power Input
2 x 8-pin
Size
300mm x 136mm x 60mm
- Fantastic build quality
- EVGA iCX3 Cooling
- Adjustable ARGB LED
- Design can be a little basic for some
When it comes to high-end graphics cards, EVGA is one of the biggest names in the game. They have been designing some of the best GPUs on the market for years now, providing users with high-end build quality, excellent overclocking ability, and fantastic performance across the board.
With that, their RTX 3070 FTW3 Ultra gaming gets our runner-up award, losing narrowly to the ROG Strix in terms of raw value. Having said that, the EVGA comes with a whole host of its own pros, including massive overclocking headspace and a design that is arguably one of the best on the market.
The FTW3 Ultra gaming houses its best-binned silicon, boasting a rock-solid PCB that can be overclocked in abundance. That said, if you don’t feel quite up to the task of overclocking your brand-new GPU, this card still provides great performance right out of the box – bringing one of the highest boost clock frequencies to the table.
MSI RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio
MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio
Clock Speed
1830MHz Boost Clock (OC)
VRAM
8GB GDDR6
Thermal Design
TORX Fan 3.0 cooling
Power Inputs
2 x 8-pin
Size
323mm x 140mm x 56mm
- Stylish, gaming aesthetics
- Strong materials and build design
- High-end cooling solution
- On the expensive side
Unlike the RTX 3060 guide, which gave MSI’s Ventus 3X as our top value pick, we’ve decided to go for their flagship offering from their RTX 3070 range.
With stellar aesthetics and great out-the-box cooling, the MSI RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio really does tick a lot of the right boxes. To touch on cooling briefly, the Gaming X Trio is up there with the best RTX 3070s on the market, offering a cool and quiet operation that is hugely important with a GPU of this caliber. This is mainly thanks to the TORX fan 4.0 technology that MSI has implemented in this card. It offers better airflow over the PCB to ensure cool temps are met at the most intense of times.
Out-of-the-box boost clock frequency sees this card hit 1830MHz when under load. Whilst that isn’t the highest you’re likely to find, it’s still very good compared to last-gen’s alternative.
Zotac RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC
Zotac NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC
Clock Speed
1755MHz Boost Clock (OC)
VRAM
8GB GDDR6
Thermal Design
IceStorm 2.0 Cooling Solution
Power Input
2 x 8-pin
Size
231.9mm x 141.3mm x 41.5mm
- Very good value for money
- Smaller dual-fan design
- Efficient cooling and quiet output
- Build quality could be a little better
Zotac has released two SKUs in their RTX 3070 range, with the Twin Edge OC being our recommended choice for gamers on a budget. The Zotac comes to shelves with a subtle yet stylish aesthetic that would suit most builds. It brings nicely thought-out RGB to the table, alongside a hint of gaming style thanks to the sharp edges.
Moving onto cooling, despite only having a dual fan setup, the Zotac actually performs extremely well for the most part. Zotac has installed their IceStorm 2.0 advanced cooling in this card, helping better direct airflow over the PCB for better cooling. Like all other cards in this guide, the Zotac also brings stop/start technology to the table as well.
Whilst build quality isn’t the best in the world, Zotac has made adjustments to their 30-series GPUs, equipping them with a reinforced backplate to added rigidity. Ultimately, if you’re looking for all the perks that an RTX 3070 offers without splashing out on the premium price tag, the Zotac Twin Edge OC could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Things to consider
Choosing which graphics card is best for your new build or upgrade can be a fairly tricky task – even more so if you’re not totally up to speed with the latest GPU tech know-how. That being said, if you’ve managed to narrow down your search to the RTX 3070, you’ll be happy to know that there isn’t a great deal that separates the different AIBs in today’s market.
Obviously, there are certain factors that make each GPU AIB unique, and for those interested in those factors, we’re going to be outlining the main considerations that affect performance, cooling, and overall build quality. For a quick look at the specifications the RTX 3070 Founders Edition is as follows:
- GPU: GA104-300
- CUDA Cores: 5,888
- Tensor cores: 184
- RT cores: 46
- Base clock: 1500MHz
- Boost clock: 1725MHz
- VRAM: 8GB GDDR6
- Memory bus: 256-bit
- Memory clock and bandwidth: 14Gbps, 448GB/s
- TDP: 220W
Price
Most people’s number one consideration when it comes to buying, well, anything, is the price. Fortunately for you RTX 3070 lovers, there isn’t a massive difference between AIBs when it comes to price. For the most part, they’re all within around $75-100 of each other. Whilst that’s the case, many individuals still ask where that extra price comes from. This a valid question if you’re new to the tech game.
Price increases between AIBs can come down to a number of factors. However, most of the time it comes down to the cooler used and the overall build quality of the GPU. Furthermore, some manufacturers may add a premium to their GPUs if they offer more ports or far better user software – two factors that, for me personally, don’t really add any value to a GPU.
With competition becoming more fierce amongst GPU manufacturers, it’s no surprise that pricing between AIBs has become much tighter over the years. Fortunately, we take price extremely seriously when creating these best of guides – prioritizing value first.
Cooling
Cooling is another hugely important factor to consider when looking into any GPU purchase. Because the GPU is one of the hardest working components (if not the hardest) in your build, it tends to get extremely hot when in use. Whilst this is great for those cold winter nights, it’s not ideal for efficiency and general longevity.
For that reason, GPU manufacturers have been fine-tuning the cooling of their graphics cards for years – with modern-day GPUs coming equipped with highly advanced cooling technology. That said, we prioritize cooling when recommending GPUs, only selecting cards that offer the highest levels of thermal design.
Below are some tips on choosing a good GPU cooling solution:
- Triple fans setups are more efficient than dual fan setups
- Larger cooling solutions can create much more noise but are generally more efficient
- Blower-style cooling solutions (usually seen on Founder Edition GPUs) are much less efficient than generic dual/triple fan setups
Remember, the more heat your GPU creates, the higher the internal temperature of your PC will become – leading to other hardware components not running as efficiently.
Size
The last thing you should consider before diving into a GPU purchase is the size. The physical dimensions of a GPU have been increasing over the last decade or so, the opposite of what you’d probably expect from modern technology. However, because of this size increase, some people are struggling to fit the new GPUs into aging case chassis.
As you can see from the image above, the RTX 3070 is a fairly large card when compared to just a few generations ago. At over 300mm, you can see why the sizing should be a major consideration.
Final word
Here is our comprehensive guide to the best RTX 3070 GPUs the market has to offer. Although it started off with stock issues, the Ampere architecture still offers a great performance to this day and a good value for the best graphics cards to pick from. Although at this point you may consider the likes of the RTX 4070 Super instead.
Ultimately, the RTX 3070 is an extremely well-priced, mid-range GPU that ticks many of the right boxes. Not only does it perform 1080p and 1440p gaming to a very high standard, but it also offers great value for money as well. If you’re looking for a GPU that isn’t going to break the bank but comes with all the perks that Ampere offers, we feel the RTX 3070 should be high on your list of considerations.
Best RTX 3070
What is the best RTX 3070?
The best choice for RTX 3070 is the ASUS ROG Strix. Combining great quality and performance to get the most out of the card. Especially overclocked it can push beyond others in the order.
For other options, there are also the EVGA FTW3, MSI Gaming X Trio, and Zotac Twin Edge. Which gives some alternatives that offer different values. Such as more budget options and qualities.
Is the RTX 3070 still good?
Yes the RTX 3070 is still a great performing card. Even pushing performance at 4k, is a good mid-range card. It will get you 60 FPS at those high resolutions with a much more solid performance lower. So until the next generation comes it is still a good choice.
How much should a RTX 3070 cost?
The RTX 3070 has an MSRP of $499 USD so the Founders Edition card and lower-end AIBs should be going for around that. Whilst other custom cards might cost a bit more than that with an additional cost on top of them.
What does the 3070 compare to?
The RTX 3070 has the performance of the RTX 2080 Ti from the previous generation. Whilst in terms of AMD, it compares to the RX 6750 XT in terms of performance