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GeForce RTX 4070 GPU Review: It Hits the Bull’s-Eye of the Middle

From high 1080p gaming to low 4K, as well as for midrange graphics and video production, Nvidia’s RTX 4070 graphics card has got it covered.

Nvidia’s latest throwdown in the GPU arena, the GeForce RTX 4070 seems like the most well-rounded meat-and-potatoes gaming card choice you can get — at least for the moment. It’s a first-rate option for upgrading to high-speed, highest quality 1080p through entry 4K gaming, hitting all of 1440p in between. Covering that much ground means you should be safe for a few years until you’re ready to upgrade again. It’s good for 4K video editing, most streaming and entry-level pro and AI-assisted graphics. The size and power requirements make it a good fit for midsize systems. And starting at $600, it’s the least expensive way to hit all those targets.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition

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Like

  • Well-rounded performance for the money
  • Only takes two slots

Don’t Like

  • Needs adapter or PCIe 5 power connectors

The step-up RTX 4070 Ti outperforms it, sometimes by quite a bit, thanks to its faster GPU clock and more cores across the board, which makes the 4070 Ti a tempting competitor for the same gaming performance classes as the RTX 4070. But it’s at least $200 more (although who knows what the 4070’s price range will settle at once the third-party boards start to ship on April 13), recommends a class higher of power supply and takes up more space. Though the 4070 Ti only needs a half-slot more width, that means it will block an entire second slot on many motherboards, and it might not even fit in some smaller systems.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition

Memory 12GB GDDR6X
Memory bandwidth (GBps) 504.2
Memory clock (GHz) 11
GPU clock (GHz, base/boost) 1.92/2.475
Memory data rate/Interface 21Gbps/192 bits
RT cores 46
CUDA Cores 5888
Texture mapping units 184
Streaming multiprocessors 46
Tensor Cores 184
Process 4nm
TGP/min PSU (watts) 200/650
Max thermal (degrees) 194F/90C
Bus PCIe 4.0×16
Size 2 slots
Launch price $600
Ship date April 12, 2023

AMD’s RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX also outperform the RTX 4070, but they’re even more expensive than the RTX 4070 Ti and can’t keep up with the RTX 4070 for ray tracing. They’re also 2.5 slots thick like the 4070 Ti. And though it sounds tempting to opt for a last-generation GeForce model, they aren’t really cheaper unless you drop below an RTX 3070. But at that point you’ve also dropped down to a different performance class.

A close up of the RTX 4070's power connectorA close up of the RTX 4070's power connector

The RTX 4070 FE’s power connector.

Lori Grunin/CNET

One reason to go for an RTX 40-series class card over an older generation is the jump from DLSS 2 to DLSS 3, Nvidia’s performance optimization technology, that the newer Ada architecture made over Ampere. DLSS 3 delivers significant gains over its predecessor. The downside is that there aren’t a lot of DLSS 3-supporting games out yet — only about 50, which isn’t much out of the universe of thousands of games. But it does bump DLSS 2 performance over the RTX 30-series as well.

It was a bit odd that Nvidia didn’t release a home-grown Founders Edition of the 4070 Ti, but it returned to tradition with the 4070; the Founders Editions are notable for having guaranteed as-launched prices, though they also tend to sell out fast for that reason.

There’s little novel about the RTX 4070 FE’s design relative to the rest of the line. The one notable distinction is the power connector, which like the others needs either the bundled adapter or PCIe 5.0 PSU cables/adapters, but only uses a single 12-pin connection (rather than two).  

The RTX 4070 FE facing forward, back side facing you, angled up to your right showing the connectors and rear vent, on a wood surfaceThe RTX 4070 FE facing forward, back side facing you, angled up to your right showing the connectors and rear vent, on a wood surface

Like its siblings, the RTX 4070 FE has three DisplayPort 1.4 connections and one HDMI 2.1.

Lori Grunin/CNET

Companies release the highest priced, highest performing model, wait a little while to see how many people snap it up, then release a slightly cheaper, slightly less powerful model, rinse and repeat. And none do it more consistently than Nvidia. That makes offering informed buying advice harder than necessary: We know that slower, cheaper GPU models are coming, but not how much slower or how much cheaper. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a 4060 Ti in our future that makes an incremental drop that’s worth the performance sacrifice for the price savings, the way the RTX 4070 did subsequent to my review of the RTX 4070 Ti. But for the moment, the GeForce RTX 4070 seems to strike the best balance of performance for the money, and one that should keep you happy for a few years.

Relative performance of other GPUs

Shadow of the Tomb Raider gaming test (1440p)

RTX 4070

163

RTX 3080 Ti

167

RX 7900 XT

182

RTX 4070 Ti

195

RTX 4070 (DLSS 2, Quality)

198

RX 7900 XTX

209

RTX 4080

220

RTX 4090

235

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

3DMark Time Spy graphics test

RTX 4070

18,013

RX 7900 XTX

19,760

RTX 4070 Ti

22,731

RX 7900 XT

24,814

RTX 4080

28,275

RX 7900 XTX

29,413

RTX 4090

35,467

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Fire Strike Ultra

RTX 4070

10,413

RTX 3080 Ti

12,635

RTX 4070 Ti

13,707

RX 7900 XT

16,879

RTX 4080

17,619

RX 7900 XTX

19,760

RTX 4090

24,407

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Guardians of the Galaxy (1440p at maximum quality with ray tracing)

RX 7900 XT

83

RTX 4070

89

RX 7900 XTX

93

RTX 3080 Ti

102

RTX 4070 Ti

109

RTX 4080

136

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

Procyon Video

RX 7900 XT

8,259

RTX 4070

8,383

RTX 4070 Ti

8,479

RX 7900 XTX

8,494

RTX 3080 Ti

8,792

RTX 4080

9,250

RTX 4090

9,678

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

SpecViewPerf 2020 SolidWorks (4K)

RTX 4070

154.28

RX 7900 XT

165.46

RX 7900 XTX

184.8

RTX 4070 Ti

189.64

RTX 3080 Ti

191.52

RTX 4080

233.84

RTX 4090

304.66

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

3DMark Speed Way (DX12 Ultimate)

RTX 4070

4,479

RX 7900 XT

4,534

RTX 4070 Ti

5,429

RX 7900 XTX

5,891

RTX 4080

7,168

RTX 4090

9,813

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark DXR (DirectX Ray Tracing)

RX 7900 XT

42.06

RX 7900 XTX

49.16

RTX 4070

51.82

RTX 3080 Ti

54.96

RTX 4070 Ti

67.95

RTX 4080

85.01

RTX 4090

136.05

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance (FPS)

Test PC configuration

Custom PC Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (22H2); 3.2GHz Intel Core i9-12900K; 32GB DDR5-4800; 2x Corsair MP600 Pro SSD; Corsair HX1200 80 Plus Platinum PSU, MSI MPG Z690 Force Wi-Fi motherboard, Corsair 4000D Airflow midtower case

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, May 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 18.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.


Today’s NYT Mini Crossword offers up two golf-computer clues, which sound confusing, but are pretty easy once you give them some thought. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Golf shot that’s also a piece of computer hardware
Answer: CHIP

5A clue: Golf shot that’s also a piece of computer hardware
Answer: DRIVE

6A clue: Screenwriter Sorkin
Answer: AARON

7A clue: Nonreactive, chemically
Answer: INERT

8A clue: «Bye-bye!»
Answer: SEEYA

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Origami bird
Answer: CRANE

2D clue: Person added to the staff
Answer: HIREE

3D clue: Material used to plate the skin of the Parthenon Athena and the statue of Zeus at Olympia
Answer: IVORY

4D clue: Five: Prefix
Answer: PENTA

5D clue: Speaker’s platform
Answer: DAIS

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 18, #237

Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 237, for May 18.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.


The blue group in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle played on my Gen X heart. If you know your classic video games, you’re golden here. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.  

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Not lose.

Green group hint: A baseball out.

Blue group hint: Glass Joe.

Purple group hint:  Think Chicago.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Win

Green group: Strike out

Blue group: Classic sports video games

Purple group: Associated with Michael Jordan.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is win. The four answers are dub, triumph, victory and W.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is strike out. The four answers are fan, K, ring up and whiff.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is classic sports video games. The four answers are NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, Punch-Out and Tecmo Bowl.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is associated with Michael Jordan. The four answers are 23, 6 rings, His Airness and Last Dance.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for May 18, #707

Hints and answers for Connections for May 18, #707.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.


Today’s Connections puzzle is a mix of difficult and easy. The purple category does what most purple categories do, and makes you really break down how you think about the words. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group, to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: School days.

Green group hint: About there!

Blue group hint: Sure, let’s go.

Purple group hint: The Scarlett Letter.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Tasks for a student.

Green group: Encouraging responses in a guessing game.

Blue group: Up for anything.

Purple group: What «A» might mean.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is tasks for a student. The four answers are assignment, drill, exercise and lesson.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is encouraging responses in a guessing game. The four answers are almost, close, not quite and warm.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is up for anything. The four answers are easy, flexible, game and open.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is what «A» might mean. The four answers are area, athletic, excellent and one.

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