MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G Review

TweakTown's Rating: 92%

The Bottom Line

The entry-level MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G delivers exceptional 1440p performance, on par with the GeForce RTX 3080, in a no-frills two-slot design that manages to stay cool and quiet.

Pros

• + RTX 3080-like performance using 38% less power
• + Two-slot design that's quiet and cool
• + Uncompromised 1440p gaming
• + DLSS 3 is a game changer

Cons

• - Raw 4K performance is a little behind where it should be
• - 16GB of VRAM would have been the icing on the cake
• - No frills plastic build means reinforced backplate isn't metal

Should you buy it?

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Introduction

The GeForce RTX 4070 has arrived, presenting the most affordable entry in the GeForce RTX 40 Series lineup to date, and the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus Series falls within the MSRP price of USD 599, making it an attractive option. And if you're looking to jump to the GeForce RTX 40 Series, you'll be pleased to note that the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X delivers fantastic 1440p gaming performance in a two-slot build with just a single 8-pin power connector.

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This is not only a first for the GeForce RTX 40 Series, but it's indicative of the incredible efficiency gains brought to the table with the Ada Lovelace generation. With a total power rating of 200W, you're looking at a very modest power draw for an x70 class GPU and one that delivers RTX 3080-like performance, plus the added benefit of DLSS 3 Frame Generation technology and creator-focused advances like AV1 video encoding.

When you put these features together with the impressive efficiency of the RTX 4070, you can see why it is an exciting addition to the GeForce RTX 40 Series lineup. It might become the most popular, too, especially with models like the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus Series sticking close to the MSRP set by NVIDIA.

As an "entry-level" GeForce RTX 4070, you might wonder what sets the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G apart from more premium models hitting the market. Outside of things like the overall build being plastic (but still quite capable when it comes to cooling), there's no out-of-the-box overclocking or a thermal design meant for tinkering. This isn't bad because, as you'll see, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G's performance is roughly on par with the Founders Edition model.

You can still fire up MSI Afterburner as the RTX 4070, even in MSRP form, has headroom to boost clock speeds.

MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti VENTUS 3X 12G OC

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The Ada Lovelace Generation

Below is a summary of the GeForce RTX 40 Series technology, applicable to all models.

There was a time when outright visual quality was the main driver for determining how advanced real-time rendering, especially in games, had progressed. There was also a time when pure grunt in raw hardware power determined how good a game could technically look and how fast it ran. We're now at a point where visual quality and performance go hand-in-hand, with raw power only being a part of the equation.

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The GeForce RTX 40 Series, the Ada Lovelace generation, is a lineup of GPUs built on a cutting-edge process node while leveraging and evolving all of the advances in AI and hardware-based ray-tracing that NVIDIA helped become mainstream with the GeForce RTX 30 Series.

Named after mathematician Ada Lovelace, considered the world's first computer programmer, the GeForce RTX 40 Series is built on TSMC 4N process technology - a giant leap forward over the Samsung 8nm process used in the GeForce RTX 30 Series Ampere generation. From a pure numbers perspective, the full NVIDIA Ada GPU features 76.3 billion transistors, up to 18,432 CUDA Cores (70% more than the previous gen), and delivers clock speeds over 2.5 GHz while maintaining the same power requirements of the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti.

Ada also introduces the latest generation of RT and Tensor Cores, with the latter introducing brand-new hardware responsible for the next iteration of AI rendering - DLSS 3. NVIDIA's DLSS or Deep Learning Super Sampling is one of the reasons why raw power is no longer the be-all-end-all; it's an AI-based form of upscaling that can provide a sizable boost to in-game performance without sacrificing visual fidelity. In fact, in some cases, it can improve upon native rendering.

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For this reason alone, DLSS and other forms of algorithm-based upscaling have become some of the most talked about bits of technology in the PC gaming space.

Free frames, enough said.

DLSS 3 combines DLSS Super Resolution (DLSS 2) with NVIDIA Reflex to reduce system latency and the brand-new hardware-accelerated Frame Generation technology. Three bits of rendering tech = DLSS 3. And it's exclusive to the GeForce RTX 40 Series.

And it's here where NVIDIA is looking to do what it has done for real-time graphics upscaling to the idea of frame-interpolation - or what they call Motion Plus in the TV world. Which, to be fair, is not a fair comparison on account of tech like Motion Plus being - well - terrible. But the fundamental idea is the same, albeit using specialized AI hardware in the GeForce RTX 40 Series graphics cards to generate and create entire frames.

So far, the results, although not without flaws, are impressive - with dramatic improvements to overall performance (in the frame-per-second stakes) seen in games like Cyberpunk 2077, F1 22, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered, and more.

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As seen with DLSS 3, the Ada generation is much more than "smaller = more," with NVIDIA introducing back-end technology in the form of Shader Execution Reordering - which effectively ensures render tasks happen more efficiently and without running into bottlenecks. This means a leap forward in the real-time rendering of hardware-intensive ray-tracing effects.

The Ada generation also levels up NVIDIA's already formidable content creation chops with the arrival of AV1 encoding for better video quality for streamers without sacrificing anything in the way of performance or more bandwidth.

Specs and Test System

Specifications

Here we can see how the specs and hardware stack up for the GeForce RTX 4070 compared to the previous generation's GeForce RTX 3070 and the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti.

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Interestingly, the GeForce RTX 4070 bucks the trend we've seen with the GeForce RTX 40 Series so far in that it's not a case of more and more. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the Ampere generation's equivalent GPU, and it features the same number of CUDA Cores, RT Cores, and overall Tensor Cores as the new RTX 4070. A cause for alarm? Not really, as the synthetic and in-game benchmarks paint the generational leap picture you'd expect.

Clock speeds differ, with the Boost Clock speed of the RTX 4070, 2475 MHz, representing a 43% increase over the RTX 3070's 1725 MHz. Likewise, the increase in memory to 12GB of GDDR6X is a 50% increase in overall capacity, even though the memory interface has been stripped back to a 192-bit bus.

Compared to the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti, which was released in January - and was initially meant to be the GeForce RTX 4080 12GB - the RTX 4070's baseline stats are roughly cut back by around 23%. That said, the 200W power rating is approximately 30% less than the RTX 4070 Ti's 285W and less than the RTX 3070's. The GeForce RTX 4070 is efficient and then some, which makes the performance numbers below even more impressive.

It's also worth noting that the above specs do not capture all the hardware that makes up the GeForce RTX 4070, as it also includes the new AI Optical Acceleration technology not present in the GeForce RTX 30 Series. And this is what makes DLSS 3 possible - and the RTX 4070's performance (especially in 1440p) to punch well above its weight class. The GeForce RTX 4070 significantly increases L2 Cache Size compared to the RTX 3070, with 36.8 MB.

• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
• Model: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G
• Interface: PCI Express 4.0
• CUDA Cores: 5888
• Tensor Cores: 184 (4th Generation)
• RT Cores: 46 (3rd Generation)
• Clocks: Base Clock: 1920 MHz, Boost Clock: 2475 MHz
• Memory: 12GB GDDR6X
• Memory Speed: 21 Gbps
• Memory Interface: 192-bit
• Total Memory Bandwidth: 504 GB/s
• Display Connections: 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x HDMI 2.1 x 1
• Power Connectors: 1 x PCIe 8-pin cable
• Recommended PSU: 650W
• What's in the Box: MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G, Quick Install Guide

Kosta's Test System

• Motherboard: MSI MPG X670E Carbon Wi-Fi
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X
• Cooler: Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Liquid CPU Cooler
• RAM: 64GB (2x32GB) Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 DRAM 5200MHz
• SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus-G M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 4TB, Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus Plus M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 8TB
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 850W
• Case: Thermaltake Core P3 Tempered Glass Snow
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64-bit

Physical Design and Cooling

The MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G represents the entry-level RTX 4070 model from MSI, which is what the Ventus lineup is about. For the RTX 4070, the result is impressive, even though the overall build is plastic, including the reinforced backplate. As per the naming, the Ventus features a triple-fan design using MSI's TORX FAN 4.0 technology, with fans working in pairs to increase airflow and pressure.

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What immediately jumps out at you with the physical design and build of the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G, outside of the fact that you're getting that rarity in the powerful GPU space - a two-slot design, is the overall weight. This GPU is light, weighing roughly 810 grams, so you don't need to worry about sagging when it comes to how it will sit in most traditional cases. And with a length of around 300mm, you're looking at one of the smallest and lightest designs for a triple-fan GPU.

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Although the fans and backplate are all plastic, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G does feature a copper baseplate and square-shaped heat pipe design to improve cooling. The reinforced backplate has also been designed with open spaces for extra ventilation. Although we didn't pull it apart, MSI also told us that the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G features plenty of thermal padding.

Ultimately, you've got stock settings similar to the Founders Edition model from NVIDIA with cooling that delivers the same impressive temperatures with fan speeds of around 40%. The design might look barebones, it doesn't feature any RGB lighting, but it's lightweight, clean, and stylish. Connection-wise, you've got three DisplayPort 1.4 ports on the back, alongside a single HDMI 2.1 port, which is standard for the GeForce RTX 40 Series.

Benchmarks - 15 Game Averages

The Games and Tests

In 2023 PC gaming is a complicated and varied space, from indie games to major blockbuster releases and titles that push hardware and technology to their limit with the adoption of effects like real-time ray-tracing.

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This is all a way of saying that the 15 in-game benchmarks we've chosen (and run at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K) represent a wide range of styles, not only in terms of genres, like first-person shooters and racing games but also in the API technology (DirectX 11, 12) and cutting-edge features like ray tracing and upscaling technology.

Where possible, results include DLSS and FSR 2, as both technologies are the sorts of things, especially in 4K, which you'd turn on. Six of the 15 game benchmarks also feature ray tracing, so this is a great way to see the additional benefit of NVIDIA's DLSS and Frame Generation technology. Also, each title is set to ultra-equivalent quality settings to push GPU hardware and minimize CPU bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

Also, it's just fun to max out a game's visual settings and see the results. Here's the breakdown of games, graphics settings, and what's being tested.

And with 15 games, a special shoutout goes to Sabrent for providing us with the storage to ensure we can keep everything installed - and then some - with both the Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus-G M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 4TB and Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus Plus M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD 8TB offering exceptional performance, capacity, and reliability.

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We can keep all our benchmark software installed while also installing every new game release that comes our way.

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Ultra High-quality settings, with the in-game benchmark tool used.
• Borderlands 3: Ultra quality settings, with the in-game benchmark tool used.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II: Ultra quality setting, in-game multiplayer benchmark tool used.
• Cyberpunk 2077: Ultra quality setting, in-game benchmark tool used. AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS results are included.
• Cyberpunk 2077 (RT): Ray tracing Ultra quality setting, in-game benchmark tool used. AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS results are included.
• DOOM Eternal (RT): Ultra Nightmare quality setting with ray-tracing enabled, the opening of Mars Core campaign level used to benchmark.
• F1 22 (RT): Ultra High-quality setting with ray tracing, one lap of the Bahrain track benchmarked. AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS results are included.
• Forza Horizon 5 (RT): Extreme quality setting with ray tracing enabled, in-game benchmark tool used. AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS results are included.
• Hitman (RT): Ultra-quality settings with ray-tracing, Dubai scene benchmarked. AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS results are included.
• Horizon Zero Dawn: Ultimate quality setting, in-game benchmark used.
• Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (RT): Ultra quality setting with ray tracing enabled, the in-game benchmark tool used.
• Rainbow Six Extraction: Ultra quality settings and in-game benchmark tool used.
• Red Dead Redemption 2: Maximum quality settings, with in-game benchmark tool used. AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS results are included.
• The Division 2: Ultra quality settings with in-game benchmark tool used.
• Total War: Warhammer III: Ultra-quality settings with the in-game Battle Benchmark tool used.

15 Game Average FPS - 1080p Results

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Even though you wouldn't consider the GeForce RTX 4070 GPU a card designed for 1080p performance, the results are still excellent for this widely used resolution. Across 15 games tested, many featuring ray tracing and other high-end visual effects, the average frame rate of 152 frames-per-second bests the formidable GeForce RTX 3080.

Compared to the GeForce RTX 3070, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G presents a 30% increase in overall 1080p game performance -an impressive generational leap forward when you factor in that the RTX 4070 does so by also using less power. Of course, there is still some CPU bottleneck action at this resolution, but with average frame rates and high 1% lows, the RTX 4070 is a beast for those that game on a high refresh-rate 1080p display.

Compared to the Founders Edition, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G delivers slightly lower results, but the margin is negligible.

15 Game Average FPS - 1440p Results

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1440p is the current sweet spot resolution, the fastest growing PC gaming display segment, because you get the best of all worlds: image quality and crispness, response times, and performance. With the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G hitting an average frame rate of 111 frames-per-second here, this triple-digit performance is impressive-a 30% improvement over the GeForce RTX 3070 and a result similar to the GeForce RTX 3080's 112 frames-per-second average.

This is where we see a clear picture of the 200W GeForce RTX 4070. Performance that is on par with the 320W beast from the Ampere generation. On top of this, you have the added benefit of DLSS 3 and Frame Generation - more on this in a bit - but really, the results here point to the RTX 4070 being a brilliant GPU for 1440p gaming without compromise. From competitive titles to those with ray tracing, it's all possible here.

The 1440p results show that the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G is a noticeable step down from the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. The latter is a more capable Ada offering, delivering a 20% increase in 1440p performance compared to the RTX 4070.

15 Game Average FPS - 4K Results

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The MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G 4K results, although impressive in how they still align closely (albeit slightly below) the GeForce RTX 3080, see a significant drop compared to the 1440p results. The 45% decrease from an average of 111 to 61 frames-per-second indicates how demanding native 4K rendering is on a GPU. Thankfully DLSS 2 picks the slack, as seen in the individual games results below, so the RTX 4070 is as much of a 4K card as the RTX 3080 is.

The 25% increase in raw 4K performance over the GeForce RTX 3070 shows that the RTX 4070 is the sort of GPU you'd pair with an Ultrawide 21:9 display to deliver greater than 60 frames-per-second performance even in the most demanding titles - with the aid of DLSS where need be.

Benchmarks - 3DMark FireStrike

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3DMark FireStrike is a DirectX 11 test that has been around for many years and covers quite a large portion of games released over the past decade - at least in terms of the API and graphics technologies used. The three tests cover the resolutions - 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Looking at the 1440p FireStrike Extreme test, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G delivers a result 26.9% higher than the previous gen's RTX 3070, 15.8% higher than the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, and a result 21.2% lower than the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti.

The three 3DMark FireStrike benchmarks also solidify the overall benchmark results for the GeForce RTX 4070, painting a picture of a smaller and more efficient GeForce RTX 3080, with 4K being the only resolution where it falls behind by around 9%.

Benchmarks - 3DMark TimeSpy and Port Royal

With 3DMark TimeSpy being DirectX 12-based, it's a more relevant synthetic benchmark for modern games. The GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition performs on par with the GeForce RTX 3080 in the standard 1440p benchmark and the 4K-based TimeSpy Extreme. The 1440p score is 28% higher than the previous generation's GeForce RTX 3070, with the 4K score being 25% higher.

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3DMark Port Royal is a synthetic ray-tracing benchmark. The MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G results show that the Ada generation presents a significant leap forward for real-time ray tracing. You're looking at an overall score increase of 34% compared to the RTX 3070, which once again puts the ray-tracing performance in the realm of the GeForce RTX 3080 with considerably less power usage.

For 1440p, with DLSS, the GeForce RTX 4070 can render Cyberpunk 2077 using the DLSS Quality setting at an average of 69 frames per second. This result edges out AMD's flagship Radeon RX 7900 XTX using the FSR 2 Quality Mode - which is remarkable for a 200W card. And a reminder that NVIDIA is still a generation ahead of the competition regarding ray tracing.

Benchmarks - 1080p Gaming

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Benchmarks - 1440p Gaming

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Benchmarks - 4K Gaming

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Benchmarks Summary, Ray-Tracing Performance, and DLSS 3

When looking at all 15 games, with varying results, the overall picture is pretty straightforward - the GeForce RTX 4070 delivers RTX 3080-like performance using considerably less power, with 1080p and 1400p gaming results being the standout, especially in modern titles. With the RTX 3070, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II in 1440p is only 10% slower than the GeForce RTX 3090 - which is still a beast of a GPU. With ray-tracing enabled, it bests the RTX 3090 in Forza Horizon 5 in 1080p and 1440p.

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The GeForce RTX 4070 consistently falls behind the GeForce RTX 3080 when it comes to 4K gaming, but the drop-off isn't drastic and usually only a few frames-per-second or a small percentage. Total War: Warhammer III seems to be one of the only outliers, with the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G being 13% slower than the RTX 3080 in 4K. However, that benchmark needs a GPU like the GeForce RTX 3090 to hit 60 frames-per-second with Ultra settings.

What the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G has that the GeForce RTX 3080 doesn't is the ability to enable DLSS 3 and game-changing Frame Generation.

For 1440p gaming, the results are eye-opening. For Cybeprunk 2077, using the Ultra ray-tracing setting, the triple-digit frame-rate result with DLSS 3 represents a 2.8X increase over native 1440p rendering. And this is using the DLSS Quality settings to maintain excellent visual quality. The similarly ray-tracing intensive Hitman in 1440p offers up a 2.3X increase in performance with DLSS 3 versus native rendering. For F1 22 in 1440p, you're looking at a 2.0X increase, with Forza Horizon 5 offering a more modest 1.3X increase.

DLSS 3 is still a relatively new technology, but it's beginning to appear in many more titles. Its adoption rate is high enough to make it a killer feature for the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G and its 1440p capabilities.

Temperature and Power Efficiency

You've probably heard that the Ada Lovelace generation and GeForce RTX 40 Series lineup has incredible power efficiency compared to the previous Ampere generation and AMD's RDNA 3 flagship cards. The GeForce RTX 4070 takes this to a new level regarding improved performance and doing more with less.

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The 1440p power usage across the 15 games benchmarked above is the most power-efficient card included in our testing lineup. It provides a generational leap over the GeForce RTX 3070 and uses roughly 10% less power. With in-game performance on par with the GeForce RTX 3080, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G manages this using an incredible 38% less power in 1440p.

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As the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G uses the more traditional single 8-pin power connector to deliver its 200W, interestingly, on average, it uses more power than the Founders Edition model from NVIDIA. For 1080p gaming, the average power usage is 6% higher than the GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition, and for 1440p gaming, the average power usage is 5% higher. Similar benchmark results indicate more efficient power delivery via the new 16-pin power connector.

Not only is it a power-efficient 1440p-capable GPU, but the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G is quiet and cool, with temperatures under full load staying below 65 degrees. During 1440p gaming, this was closer to the 61-degree mark on average, slightly higher than the Founders Edition model. Still, fan speeds consistently remain around 40%, so the overall noise is lower than expected. With the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G, you've got an efficient and fantastic two-slot GPU.

There's enough headroom to slightly overclock the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G to deliver a few extra frames per second without worrying about stability issues.

Final Thoughts

As an MSRP entry from MSI for the new GeForce RTX 4070, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus Series is impressive. The build might be all plastic and lack some of the high-end thermals seen in more premium GPU models, but the cooling is more than capable, and it manages to pack all of the impressive RTX 4070 performance we saw with the Founders Edition in a small two-slot design. And the added benefit of the more affordable build is an overall weight that sits at around 810 grams, so there's no need to worry about adding a brace or additional support.

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At its core, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G gets all of the benefits of the new Ada Lovelace architecture, which builds on all of the AI and productivity-based gains of the previous Ampere generation-from the introduction of AV1 encoding for streamers and content creators through to DLSS 3 and Frame Generation delivering the sort of results in 1440p that should not be possible on an x70-based card.

The USD 599 price aligns it with the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, but the result is GeForce RTX 3080-like performance using around 38% less power in 1440p. An impressive generational leap over the GeForce RTX 3070 and a card that will undoubtedly be highly sought after for new mid-range builds. On average, the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G used slightly more power than the GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition, even though its no-frills build lacks RGB lighting, more advanced fans, and cooling.

Still, we can't help but think that if the GeForce RTX 4070 and the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G managed to squeeze all of its performance and Ada Lovelace features into a USD 499 price point, it might just be the "must have" GPU of this generation. At least so far. Still, the efficiency here is next level, and the MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ventus 3X 12G is an excellent addition to the GeForce RTX 4070 lineup and will be one of the most affordable variants available.