ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Review - Still a 1440p Dream, But the RTX 5070 is Close

TweakTown's Rating: 94%

The Bottom Line

As we head into 2025, the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is still a powerful 1440p gaming GPU that can handle the most demanding ray-traced PC titles. The SFF-Ready ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition is an excellent variant that runs cool and quiet and sports a minimal look.

Pros

• Still a great 1440p gaming GPU
• Excellent mid-range ray-tracing performance
• Full Ray Tracing is possible thanks to DLSS 3
• ASUS's new SFF-Ready design is quiet and cool
• Super efficient Ada architecture

Cons

• GeForce RTX 5070 is close, really close
• 16GB of VRAM would have been nice

Should you buy it?

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Introduction

NVIDIA released its 'SUPER' variants of several GeForce RTX 40 Series GPUs in January 2024, with the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER standing out as the best of the bunch in terms of what it offered compared to the non-SUPER GeForce RTX 4070. Exceptional 1440p performance that managed to outpace the previous-gen flagship - the GeForce RTX 3090 - while using considerably less power during action-packed gaming sessions. After going hands-on with and reviewing multiple RTX 4070 SUPER models, it was clear that its overall performance and value made it a mid-range winner, thanks in part to NVIDIA's excellent suite of RTX technologies like DLSS and Frame Generation.

A quick look at the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition

A few months ago, ASUS introduced a new range of 'Prime' products, which included GPUs like the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition reviewed here, alongside cases, motherboards, and PSUs. One of the design pillars of ASUS's Prime GPUs is that they conform to NVIDIA's new SFF-Ready Program, which means the cards can easily slot into compact small form factor builds. Even with three Axial-tech fans, the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition is compact, lightweight, and perfect for SFF systems.

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It's not the smallest GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER on the market, but it's up there regarding thermal performance - which is extremely important when slotting a GPU inside a compact case. Of course, it won't have any issues fitting into a standard mid-tower chassis, either.

At this point, there's no mystery surrounding where the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER fits into the PC gaming landscape. It's one of the most efficient and powerful 1440p gaming cards on the market, and according to the latest Steam Hardware Survey data, it's a popular choice for PC gaming as we close out 2024. And with the GeForce RTX 5070 expected to arrive relatively soon, we focused this review on some of the most visually impressive and hardware-intensive PC games. With Full Ray Tracing, Ultra settings, DLSS, and 1440p - we'll find out if the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition is still an excellent choice for high-fidelity, high-refresh-rate PC gaming.

Best Deals: ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 Super OC Edition Graphics Card

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	$839.99 USD	$1379.97 USD	$799.99 USD	Buy
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	$839.99 USD	$1379.97 USD	$799.99 USD	Buy
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The Ada Lovelace Generation

Below is a summary of GeForce RTX 40 Series technology.

Visual fidelity and performance go hand-in-hand when it comes to PC gaming. It isn't simply a matter of a game looking good; when you're playing a PC game, it also needs to be buttery-smooth. Back in the day, this combination of performance and visuals was about how much GPU and silicon you had under the hood. With the GeForce RTX 40 Series, NVIDIA's Ada Lovelace generation evolved the company's history of embracing AI and hardware-accelerated ray-tracing to push visual fidelity and ensure that visual fidelity and performance go hand-in-hand.

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The GeForce RTX 40 Series is a lineup of GPUs built on a cutting-edge process node while leveraging and evolving all of the AI and hardware-based ray-tracing advances 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 generation), and delivers clock speeds over 2.5 GHz while maintaining similar power requirements as 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 and DLSS 3.5.

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. It can even improve image quality compared to native rendering. The brand-new DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction dramatically improves ray-tracing image quality with groundbreaking AI denoiser technology. DLSS 3 Frame Generation uses the power of AI to generate new frames and dramatically improve performance.

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For this reason, DLSS and other algorithm-based upscaling and frame generation have become some of the most talked about bits of technology in the PC gaming space. Take Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, or Indiana Jones and the Great Circle's Path Tracing (aka Full Ray Tracing) mode with DLSS 3.5, NVIDIA Reflex, and Frame Generation. Seven of eight pixels are AI-generated, meaning path tracing is impossible without these technologies. In the case of the GeForce RTX 40 Series, the addition of DLSS 3 and Frame Generation has proven to be a true game changer.

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.

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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. There are generative AI advances, with TensorRT-LLM for Windows accelerating and leading the way to AI computing in the era of the "AI PC."

The Ada generation also levels up NVIDIA's already formidable content creation chops with the arrival of AV1 encoding, which provides better video quality for streamers without sacrificing performance or bandwidth. AV1 encoding is 40% more efficient than traditional H.264, and NVIDIA works with platforms like Twitch to bring the technology to all streamers. Of course, video conferencing can also dramatically improve in the age of working from home.

Specs and Test System

Specifications

The GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER lives up to its name by taking the hardware that makes up the RTX 4070 and applying an RPG-like +20% buff to its CUDA Core, RT Core, and Tensor Core count. Throw in a slight boost to clock speeds and a modest increase to the max power draw, leading to a card that is, on average, 13-15% faster when gaming. With the GeForce RTX 4070 already being one of the best 40 Series cards regarding value for money, the RTX 4070 SUPER offers enough extra performance to make it a worthwhile upgrade.

The 12GB of GDDR6X memory and 48MB of L2 Cache are still great for 1440p gaming, helping improve 1% low FPS performance alongside increasing overall averages. As noted in our review of the first batch of RTX 4070 SUPER cards in January 2024, it would have been nice to see the VRAM capacity increase to 16GB. In 2024, playing the most intense PC games, 12GB is acceptable.

The ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition also offers a slight increase in Boost Clock speed, which can lead to better performance compared to reference models like NVIDIA's Founders Edition.

Kosta's Test System

Physical Design and Cooling

The ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition is designed for NVIDIA's SFF-Ready Program, which helps simplify the process of choosing a GPU for a small form-factor build or PC. Its design also exemplifies the ASUS Prime ecosystem, which is all about the classic black-and-white colorway, sleek, almost sci-fi flourishes, and minimal RGB lighting. It's also one of ASUS's more affordable brands for components and hardware, but still built for mainstream gaming builds with the same level of quality and thermal performance you'd expect from an ASUS GPU.

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After putting the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition through its paces, it felt like a more compact alternative to ASUS's popular - but chunky - TUF Gaming series. With a more compact 2.5-slot thickness, you still have three Axial-tech Fans that enhance airflow and turn off when temperatures drop below 50 degrees Celsius. There's also a Dual BIOS mode to switch between two cooling options - Quiet and Performance. Quiet keeps the same settings but with a less aggressive fan curve for a quieter GPU, with Performance being all about maintaining low temperatures. This is an excellent addition to a GPU that can slot into a compact case that might not have the best passive airflow.

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It's a great option, too, for those who don't want any RGB on their GPU and are looking for something that feels like a GPU from the past while still looking fresh and modern. Personally, I think that the physical design blends the best parts of ASUS's 'Dual' and 'TUF Gaming' series to present a best-of-both-worlds option. With the arrival of the GeForce RTX 50 Series on the cards for 2025, we'd love to see ASUS continue releasing more Prime GPUs for GPUs like the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and RTX 5070.

Benchmarking 2024's Most Demanding PC Games

The Games and Tests

Looking back at how the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER performed as 2024 kicks off, there was no doubt that it was a true 1440p performer and a notable improvement over the baseline RTX 4070. Compared to AMD's Radeon RX 7800XT, being around 10-12% faster also helped make the RTX 4070 line-up the most powerful in its pricing bracket. Especially when ray-tracing is concerned, an area where NVIDIA is still a step or two ahead. In the past year, some of the biggest PC game releases have leaned into ray tracing in a big way, putting a lot of pressure on companies like AMD to catch up.

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PC gamins in 2024 are also implementing cutting-edge Path Tracing or Full Ray Tracing, which is only possible thanks to technologies like DLSS and Frame Generation. This is why the benchmarks in this review are focused on the most visually advanced games of 2024. We want to see if the GeForce RTX 4090 is still as impressive today as it was a couple of years ago and whether there's a real need for a GeForce RTX 5090. There are also games without ray-tracing, like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and one of the most popular co-op action games of the year, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II. There's even some racing, with F1 24 - which does feature quite a bit of ray-tracing.

Here's the breakdown of games, graphics settings, and what's being tested.

Benchmarks - Full Ray Tracing and Path Tracing

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Benchmarks Summary - Full Ray Tracing Performance

Path Tracing or Full Ray Tracing replaces most or all lighting in a game, including shadows and reflections, with realistic ray tracing. Incredibly demanding on a GPU, it's only become a reality thanks to DLSS Super Resolution upscaling and DLSS 3 Frame Generation, where AI helps improve image quality and performance to turn an impressive tech demo slideshow into something playable. However, it's still the realm of high-end GPUs like the GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER and GeForce RTX 4090, which is why we've tested path tracing in Alan Wake 2, Black Myth: Wukong, and Star Wars: Outlaws using the 'Medium' Full Ray Tracing preset. Where the GeForce RTX 4070 struggles, the GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER can present these games in 1440p with some of the most advanced visuals ever seen with a very playable 80+ FPS performance.

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In Star Wars: Outlaws, DLSS 3.5 Ray Reconstruction improves the image quality compared to native rendering - which is a testament to AI technology becoming increasingly more important to PC gaming. Looking at Cyberpunk 2077 and the recently released Dragon Age: The Veilguard, two more ray-tracing showcases, the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition delivers triple-digit 1440p performance with DLSS 3. 140 FPS in Dragon Age is especially impressive as BioWare's latest RPG not only pushed the visual fidelity of its games forward but is also one of the best-optimized PC games of 2024.

Ultimately, these benchmarks show that the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition is a capable 1440p ray-tracing GPU. Although some settings might need to be tweaked here and there, and maximum RT settings are not recommended, the result is still the same - immersion taken to the next level.

Benchmarks - High Refresh Rate 4K Gaming

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Benchmarks Summary - High Refresh Rate 1440p Gaming

With the recent release of Sony's mid-generation console refresh, the PlayStation 5 Pro, there has been chatter about it being the equivalent of a modern-day high-end gaming PC. It's an impressive console. However, the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition runs Horizon Forbidden West at 1440p 120 FPS with graphic details pushed beyond what's found on the game's PS5 and PS5 Pro versions. Although it doesn't feature ray tracing, it supports Frame Generation, so performance jumps to 170 FPS in one of the best-looking games on PC.

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In 2024, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and F1 24 presented new annual installments in long-running franchises that we and other outlets have benchmarked for years. Black Ops 6 is the best-looking Call of Duty to date, with F1 24's revamped 'Ultra' quality preset adding even more ray-traced lighting options to the in-race action. Even so, the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition runs F1 24 at 100 FPS without any DLSS or Frame Generation, showcasing its raw performance chops. Another big 2024 release, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II, renders hundreds of enemies on screen to deliver true action spectacle, and the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER sees its impressive native 1440p performance of 95 FPS skyrocket to a smoother 174 FPS with DLSS and Frame Generation.

Temperature and Power Efficiency

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NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 40 Series, the Ada Lovelace generation, is one of the most efficient in years. AMD's mid-range competitor, the Radeon RX 7800 XT, uses around 30% more power while falling short of matching the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER's performance. With low idle power usage and fans that turn off when you're not gaming, the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is quiet and efficient, even with its out-of-the-box overclocking. Also, compared to the GeForce RTX 4070, the SUPER variant only uses around 10% more power.

Thermal performance is also excellent, with the triple fans keeping temperatures down without spinning at crazy speeds. This is why ASUS includes a Dual BIOS option: Even in Performance mode for overclocking and running a more aggressive fan curve, the temperatures are kept in check, and fan speeds never become annoying or overpowering to the point where you can no longer hear what's happening in-game.

Final Thoughts

After testing some of 2024's best-looking and most demanding PC games, it's clear that the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition is still an excellent 1440p option for those looking to tap into high-end ray-tracing while maintaining a fast frame rate. From Black Myth: Wukong to Cyberpunk 2077 to Alan Wake 2 and non-RT hits like Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, you've got some of the most visually impressive games running with graphics that were unheard of not that long ago.

However, with NVIDIA and AMD set to unveil new mid-range GPUs in January, you might wonder if now's a good time to pick up a new graphics card. Playing wait-and-see is always a good approach, and at the very least, there's a good chance GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER pricing will come down ahead of the GeForce RTX 5070's arrival. With GPU prices trending upward and the GeForce RTX 5070's performance still a mystery, the RTX 4070 SUPER is still a superb 1440p gaming option.

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Ultimately, it's worth remembering that even with a new generation of GPUs, that doesn't mean the previous generation immediately becomes obsolete. The GeForce RTX 3080 is still a great card, and the GeForce RTX 3060 is still a popular mainstream option for budget builds - the only thing that has changed is how much you should spend for that level of performance. And when it comes to RTX 4070 SUPER cards, the ASUS Prime GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER OC Edition variant is worth considering. It's compact, SFF-Ready, and offers easy overclocking and customization thanks to the ASUS GPU Tweak III software.