NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER in NVLink Benchmarked

SUPER Introduction & Cards Used

So here I am just finished re-testing all of my graphics cards under the new drivers for the GeForce RTX 2060/2070 SUPER graphics cards as well as the new Radeon RX 5700 series cards, in all of my synthetic and gaming tests at 1080p, 1440p, 4K when I think of testing SUPER in NVLink. I've been sitting at my desk for 16-20 hours a day benchmarking, testing, reading, and writing for all of this content that started with SUPER, will go into Navi in a couple of days, and then there is a mountain of content that I have in the works after that.

As I said, I'm sitting here benching and writing when the thought comes to me: 'Anthony, you have TWO new GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER cards... and they support NVLink... why are you not testing them?' It was like a slap to my face, how could I have NOT tested these bad boys in multi-GPU?! It's almost offensive to not have tested them in my lab already, so away I went - grabbed my NVLink bridge and hooked up the two RTX 2070 SUPER cards I have here already.

Back in 2000s some of you will know I worked in IT retail selling custom PCs and computer parts, and back in those days I would sometimes (and not always) recommend multi-GPU setups. It was a different time for multi-GPU back then, and things haven't gotten better -- instead, it's worse. This article isn't acting as me recommending anyone buy two RTX 2070 SUPER graphics cards and throw them in NVLink, but more of a "I have two cards here and want to show you what they can do because WHY NOT".

Just like any multi-GPU article there are caveats:

• Don't expect all games to have great scaling (especially at 1080p)
• Don't expect all games to work with multiple graphics cards
• Synthetic tests kick ass to show you the CAPABILITIES, but do not translate into real-world gaming
• 4K in the right game, makes GREAT use of two RTX 2070 SUPER cards

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Test System Specs

Our New GPU Test Rig

Welcome to the latest revision of our GPU test bed, with our system being upgraded from the Intel Core i7-7700K to the Core i7-8700K. The CPU is cooled by the Corsair H115i PRO cooler, with the 8700K overclocked to 5GHz. We've stayed with GIGABYTE for our motherboard with their awesome Z370 AORUS Gaming 7.

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We approached our friends at HyperX for a kit of their kick ass HyperX Predator DDR4-2933MHz RAM (HX429C15PB3AK4/32), with 2 x 8GB sticks for a total of 16GB DDR4-2933. The RAM stands out through every minute of our testing as it has beautiful RGB lights giving the system a slick look while benchmarking our lives away, while the Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 motherboard joins in with its own array of RGB lighting.

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Detailed Tech Specs

• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K @ 5GHz
• Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H115i PRO
• MB: Z370 AORUS Gaming 7
• RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) HyperX Predator DDR4-2933
• SSD: 1TB OCZ RD400 NVMe M.2
• SSD: 512GB OCZ RD400 NVMe M.2
• PSU: InWin 1065W PSU
• Chassis: In Win X-Frame
• OS: Windows 10 Pro x64

Additional Images

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Benchmarks - Synthetic

3DMark Fire Strike - 1080p

3DMark has been a staple benchmark for years now, all the way back to when The Matrix was released and Futuremark had bullet time inspired benchmarks. 3DMark is the perfect tool to see if your system - most important, your CPU and GPU - is performing as it should. You can search results for your GPU, to see if it falls in line with other systems based on similar hardware.

3DMark Fire Strike - 1440p

3DMark has been a staple benchmark for years now, all the way back to when The Matrix was released and Futuremark had bullet time inspired benchmarks. 3DMark is the perfect tool to see if your system - most important, your CPU and GPU - is performing as it should. You can search results for your GPU, to see if it falls in line with other systems based on similar hardware.

3DMark Fire Strike - 4K

3DMark has been a staple benchmark for years now, all the way back to when The Matrix was released and Futuremark had bullet time inspired benchmarks. 3DMark is the perfect tool to see if your system - most important, your CPU and GPU - is performing as it should. You can search results for your GPU, to see if it falls in line with other systems based on similar hardware.

3DMark TimeSpy

3DMark TimeSpy Extreme

Heaven - 1440p

Heaven is an intensive GPU benchmark that really pushes your silicon to its limits. It's another favorite of ours as it has some great scaling for multi-GPU testing, and it's great for getting your GPU to 100% for power and noise testing.

Heaven - 4K

Benchmarks - 1080p

1080p Benchmarks

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a sequel to the popular Shadow of Mordor, which was powered by the Lithtech engine. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of War at Amazon.

Rainbow Six: Siege has been a strong entry into the franchise, popular for its realistic feel and great graphics. Stable as a rock for benchmarking, right up to 3440x1440 and 4K.

Benchmarks - 1440p

1440p Benchmarks

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a sequel to the popular Shadow of Mordor, which was powered by the Lithtech engine. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of War at Amazon.

Rainbow Six: Siege has been a strong entry into the franchise, popular for its realistic feel and great graphics. Stable as a rock for benchmarking, right up to 3440x1440 and 4K.

Far Cry New Dawn was developed by Ubisoft, and is powered the Dunia Engine, an engine that has been modified over the years for Far Cry and last used in Far Cry 5. Dunia Engine itself was a modified version of CRYENGINE, scaling incredibly well on all sorts of hardware.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is one of the latest games to join our graphics card benchmark lineup, with the game built using the Foundation engine as a base, the same engine in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Eidos Montreal R&D department made lots of changes to the engine during the development of Shadow of the Tomb Raider to make it one of the best-looking games out right now.

Benchmarks - 4K

4K Benchmarks

Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a sequel to the popular Shadow of Mordor, which was powered by the Lithtech engine. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.

You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of War at Amazon.

Rainbow Six: Siege has been a strong entry into the franchise, popular for its realistic feel and great graphics. Stable as a rock for benchmarking, right up to 3440x1440 and 4K.

Far Cry New Dawn was developed by Ubisoft, and is powered the Dunia Engine, an engine that has been modified over the years for Far Cry and last used in Far Cry 5. Dunia Engine itself was a modified version of CRYENGINE, scaling incredibly well on all sorts of hardware.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider is one of the latest games to join our graphics card benchmark lineup, with the game built using the Foundation engine as a base, the same engine in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Eidos Montreal R&D department made lots of changes to the engine during the development of Shadow of the Tomb Raider to make it one of the best-looking games out right now.

Performance Thoughts

Another game I use as a staple multi-GPU benchmark is Middle-earth: Shadow of War which is relentless on GPUs and VRAM, so the RTX 2070 SUPER NVLink scoring 144FPS average at 1440p was a big surprise. The single RTX 2070 SUPER performs well at 108FPS meaning the NVLink rig is 33% better, not bad - as it beats the RTX 2080 Ti once again with its 131FPS average in SoW.

4K Performance Thoughts

In the synthetic 3DMark and Heaven benchmarks the RTX 2070 SUPER NVLink setup shines... I wish we had that type of scaling in games as it's pretty much double across the board: FireStrike Ultra (the 4K run) sees single RTX 2070 SUPER with a GPU score of 5948 while the NVLink rig pushes 11,178. Imagine that type of scaling in more games... I want that world. Still, the 4K scaling in games isn't bad in what I tested so far.

But when it comes to games like Shadow of War at 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER in NVLink really lights up with a gigantic 101FPS average compared to the single RTX 2070 SUPER and its 66FPS average, representing an increase of 53% -- that's what I'm talking about. If you want 4K 120FPS gaming you're going to need to spend the big bucks though with two RTX 2080 Ti in NVLink scoring 124FPS. Another thing: this is at Ultra, dialing down the settings will easily deliver 4K 120FPS gaming in Shadow of War on RTX 2070 SUPER NVLink.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider also enjoys a heavy uptick in performance with RTX 2070 SUPER NVLink with a huge 86% lift in performance over the single RTX 2070 SUPER. The RTX 2070 SUPER NVLink rig is also 36% faster than a stock RTX 2080 Ti which is damn impressive. Hell, the minimum FPS on the RTX 2070 SUPER NVLink setup is faster than the average FPS of the higher-end RTX 2080 Ti.

Rainbow Six Siege is another game that just scoops up that multi-GPU horsepower, I mean look at this chart. 120FPS average on RTX 2070 SUPER NVLink is a 62% increase in performance over the single card at just 74FPS at 4K. But look at the RTX 2080 Ti in NVLink... wow.

Final Thoughts

I don't think I'd recommend buying two RTX 2070 SUPER graphics cards for gaming these days unless you are aware of their issues in some games, and no multi-GPU support in many games and/or 100% scaling so that you fully benefit from buying the second graphics card. An easy thing I used to say when I used to sell these multi-GPU setups is that "you're spending 100% more money, getting 20-30% more performance isn't worth it". You can put that money into something worthwhile -- like higher-end display, an SSD (if you didn't have one) or a new CPU/motherboard.

However, I'm a simple man -- I love technology and because of my position I have multiples of the latest and greatest in graphics cards here my lab. So why not? This is just an interesting look at two RTX 2070 SUPER graphics cards and their performance and they performed quite well in my opinion, and makes me want to re-test the rest of my GTX 10 series and RTX 20 series in NVLink as well as take a look at AMD's new Radeon RX 5700 XT and RX 5700 in multi-GPU battles, something I have now asked AMD about.

As for performance, the 1440p results are about what I expected. In games like Rainbow Six Siege where the SLI scaling is decent, as well as the frame rate ceiling being much higher, the RTX 2070 SUPER cards in NVLink push a huge 233FPS versus the single RTX 2070 SUPER with 167FPS average. This means RTX 2070 SUPER in NVLink easily beats the higher-end RTX 2080 Ti and its 191FPS average, with the RTX 2070 SUPER NVLink setup 22% faster.

But when I saw Shadow of the Tomb Raider running buttery smooth on the RTX 2070 SUPER NVLink setup that's when I was excited, I mean we're talking about a gigantic 86% increase in performance over the single RTX 2070 SUPER. This is the type of scaling that would make multi-GPU worth it, if we saw 86% or higher scaling. We're at the point of 4K 120FPS gaming with two RTX 2070 SUPER graphics cards in NVLink, not bad.

Overall, it was fun testing the RTX 2070 SUPER cards in NVLink - in short, would I recommend it? Not really. If you're a speed freak, buy the RTX 2080 Ti instead. It was a fun day of testing, benching, and writing however! Now, back to my Navi testing and Radeon RX 5700 XT and RX 5700 review.