AMD RX 5700-XT vs Nvidia RTX 3070: Five Must-Know Facts
- Both the RX 5700-XT and RTX 3070 use the latest DDR6 graphics memory
- The RX 5700-XT and RTX 3070 are fully compatible with PCI-e 4.0 for high bandwidth
- They both come standard with high-definition HDMI 2.1 ports
- Both GPUs are capable of upsampling for improving gaming performance
- The RX 5700-XT and RTX 3070 both come in a dual-slot form-factor style design
Will Nvidia Beat AMD Yet Again?
With the price of graphics cards starting to stabilize after recent turmoil over the past year or so, many gamers are finally realizing their dreams of upgrading to a better GPU. There’s really no better time to get a new graphics card, especially if you have had your eyes set on some of the higher-end offerings by AMD or Nvidia.
In today’s article, we’re diving into two mid-tier gaming graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia: the AMD RX 5700-XT vs Nvidia RTX 3070. We’re going to discuss what makes each one special, some of their pros and cons, features, benefits, and which one is really better than the other.
Even though these two graphics cards may look similar on the surface, the differences under the hood are what really matter. We’re going to break down each GPU with side-by-side comparisons to show you the real story. If you’re thinking about getting a new graphics card, which one should you buy: the AMD RX 5700-XT or the Nvidia RTX 3070?
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AMD RX 5700-XT vs Nvidia RTX 3070: Side-By-Side Comparison
One of the easiest ways to get an idea of how two graphics cards stack up against each other is to compare the specs. Both the AMD RX 5700-XT and the Nvidia RTX 3070 have some pretty impressive specs considering their price point. Have a look at the table below to see for yourself.
| AMD RX 5700-XT | Nvidia RTX 3070 | |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics Processor: | Navi 10 | GA104 |
| Shader Cores: | 2560 | 5888 |
| TMUs: | 160 | 184 |
| ROPs: | 64 | 96 |
| VRAM Type: | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| VRAM Capacity: | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Bus Width: | 256 bit | 256 bit |
| GPU Clock: | 1605 MHz | 1500 MHz |
| Boost Clock: | 1905 MHz | 1725 MHz |
| Memory Clock: | 1750 MHz | 1750 MHz |
| Texture Fill Rate: | 304.8 GTexel/s | 317.4 GTexel/s |
| Pixel Rate: | 121.9 GPixel/s | 165.6 GPixel/s |
- Ampere RTX (second generation) architecture powered
- Enhanced Tensor and RT cores, new multiprocessors specifically for streaming, as well as G6 memory, allows you to enjoy even games with very high graphical requirements.
- Includes 8GB GDDR 6 memory
- Features 1695MHz boosted clock speed
- PCI Express 4.0
The Nvidia RTX 3070 seems to beat the AMD RX 5700-XT in almost every way, with higher core counts, texture mapping units (TMUs), and more render output pipeline (ROPs). Both graphics cards have similar Vram capacities and types, but the RX 5700-XT beats the RTX 3070 when it comes to clock speeds.
AMD RX 5700-XT vs Nvidia RTX 3070: What’s the Difference?
To get an idea of which graphics card is better, we’ll take a look at some of their biggest differences. The RX 5700-XT was released by AMD on July 7, 2019, as a replacement for the previous generation RX Vega 56 series GPUs. Overall, it was a massive improvement in every way. The new generation of AMD graphics cards provided 30% higher average frame rates in the most popular games and was an overall huge upgrade over the older models.
The RTX 3070 on the other hand, is a much newer graphics card. With a release date of September 1, 2020, the RTX 3070 is over a year newer than the RX 5700-XT. Nvidia also brought a lot of upgrades over the previous generation of GPUs: the RTX 2070 series cards which came out two years prior.
With such a long window of time between the older generation and the new RTX 3070, there are bound to be some serious improvements, and Nvidia did not let us down. Benchmarks show that the RTX 3070 is effectively 44% faster than the previous generation’s RTX 2070 graphics cards. With improvements like this, it’s no wonder that the RTX 3070 is an extremely popular GPU.
When the RX 5700-XT first launched, it had an MSRP of just $399. When compared with the $499 MSRP of the Nvidia RTX 3070, this seems like a great deal, but the higher price tag on the Nvidia card means you also get access to more features and higher performance.
Nvidia has always been the leader when it comes to releasing cutting-edge technology, and the RTX 3070 is a perfect example of this. The RTX 3070 is superior in almost every aspect. From the advanced ray-tracing capabilities to the AI-powered DLSS upscaling technology, Nvidia knows how to make an amazingly powerful GPU.
AMD has always been known for making budget components. But the true costs of their GPUs come to light when you compare the performance. Both the AMD RX 5700-XT and the Nvidia RTX 3070 are designed to be mid-tier gaming graphics cards, and the price reflects that. Although not cheap, they won’t break the bank. It is just a matter of picking which card is the best value. A lower price does not always mean a better deal. Nvidia has shown us this time and time again by releasing more powerful GPUs than AMD for a small premium.
AMD RX 5700-XT vs Nvidia RTX 3070: Power Consumption and Size
- Ampere RTX (second generation) architecture powered
- Enhanced Tensor and RT cores, new multiprocessors specifically for streaming, as well as G6 memory, allows you to enjoy even games with very high graphical requirements.
- Includes 8GB GDDR 6 memory
- Features 1695MHz boosted clock speed
- PCI Express 4.0
AMD’s newer cards are known for being vastly more energy-efficient than their Nvidia counterparts. This is not the case when comparing the RX 5700-XT and RTX 3070. In fact, this is one of the rare instances when the Nvidia GPU is actually the more energy-efficient choice, though not by much.
With a TDP rating of 225 watts, the RX 5700-XT comes in slightly more power-hungry than the RTX 3070, which has a TDP of just 220 watts. Both graphics cards will run fine if you have at least a 550-watt power supply. But you’ll want to make sure that you have the right power connectors, as they each have different requirements. The AMD RX 5700-XT requires one 6-pin and one 8-pin power connector whereas the Nvidia RTX 3070 simply calls for two 6-pin connectors to get power.
Despite being mid-tier graphics cards, both the AMD RX 5700-XT and the Nvidia RTX 3070 are still very large in size, rivaling the dimensions of the much more powerful RTX 3080 series GPUs. This is to be expected since the cooling systems take up most of the space. Even less powerful GPUs still need to be kept cool. The massive heatsinks and cooling fans on both of the graphics cards do an excellent job of keeping their chips at stable temperatures.
If you have a large PC case, you’ll have no problem fitting either one of these cards, though you may struggle if your PC case is not very spacious. The RX 5700-XT measures a little over 10 inches, whereas the RTX 3070 comes in at around 9.5 inches.
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AMD RX 5700-XT vs Nvidia RTX 3070: Which One Is Better For Gaming?
One of the best benchmarks for determining which graphics card is better is figuring out how well each one is at playing games. Graphics cards have all sorts of uses from cryptocurrency mining to video editing. Even so, you’re probably going to use them to play your favorite games.
Although both of these GPUs can be used for gaming, we compiled benchmarks from across the web to find out which one is the real winner.
| AMD RX 5700-XT | Nvidia RTX 3070 | |
|---|---|---|
| Fortnite | 157+ FPS | 186+ FPS |
| PUBG | 127+ FPS | 180+ FPS |
| Overwatch | 138+ FPS | 205+ FPS |
| GTA V | 110+ FPS | 132+ FPS |
| CS GO | 229+ FPS | 282+ FPS |
We measured the effective frames per second on some of the most popular games out there, and the results show a clear winner in every category: the Nvidia RTX 3070. The AMD RX 5700-XT still offers us some great performance, but the RTX 3070 is on another level entirely.
With better lighting effects, much better reflection handling, and significantly faster multi-rendering, the RTX 3070 can’t be beaten, at least not by the RX 5700-XT.
Which One Should You Choose?
- Ampere RTX (second generation) architecture powered
- Enhanced Tensor and RT cores, new multiprocessors specifically for streaming, as well as G6 memory, allows you to enjoy even games with very high graphical requirements.
- Includes 8GB GDDR 6 memory
- Features 1695MHz boosted clock speed
- PCI Express 4.0
When comparing most graphics cards, it is obvious that some of them have their pros and cons. When it comes to the AMD RX 5700-XT vs Nvidia RTX 3070 however, there is simply no contest; The RTX 3070 wins hands down.
Despite being a little more expensive than the RX 5700-XT, we think the RTX 3070 is worth the added cost due to being significantly better. The gaming performance is unrivaled at this price point, and the features and benefits you get compared to the RX 5700-XT are much greater.
With superior graphics technology, a newer manufacturing process, and architecture, the RTX 3070 is definitely a better GPU, whether you are using it for gaming, streaming, or rendering.
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