Nvidia RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 3080 Ti: Which is the better gaming graphics card?

Modified Jun 26, 2024 09:13 GMT

The Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 4070 Super have been discounted to similar prices lately (Image via Nvidia)

The Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti has recently been discounted to become a considerable alternative to the new RTX 4070 Super. The graphics card was launched as a high-end 4K gaming monster, second only to the RTX 3090 back in the day, and cost a hefty $1,199 upon launch in summer 2021. Since then, the 40 series alternatives have taken its crown, leading the new lucrative prices.

However, Nvidia has discontinued the GPU completely. You can only score one of these last-generation cards for around $600 in the used market. With some caution, you can end up with a well-maintained GPU, which can be a superb alternative to even the latest 70-class Ada Lovelace video cards.

This raises the question — should you buy the last-gen RTX 3080 Ti or stick to the latest from Team Green. There are multiple factors to consider and the answer will vary based on what you need from your PC. Let's go over them and try to find out the best choice in mid-2024.

Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and solely reflect the opinions of the writer

The RTX 4070 Super and RTX 3080 Ti are superb for 1440p and 4K gaming

The new RTX 4070 Super is built for 1440p gaming (Image via Nvidia)

For starters, the RTX 3080 Ti and 4070 Super are based on different architectures. With the new Ada Lovelace GPUs, Nvidia has focused on improved ray tracing performance and better efficiencies. You also get DLSS 3 with frame generation, a feature missing on the 3080 Ti. It delivers much higher framerate gains thanks to fancy AI technologies.

All of this enables the new RTX 40 series GPUs to deliver better performance in a cheaper and more power-efficient form factor. It is one of the major differences between the two generations. Let's delve into their on-paper specs to check out what they bring to the table.

Specs comparison

A quick look at the specs of the new RTX 4070 Super and the RTX 3080 Ti reveals the differences between the two generations. While the 3080 Ti is based on the flagship GA102 graphics processor and is packed with 10,240 CUDA cores, the newer 4070 Super uses a cut-down AD104 GPU with 7,168 cores. However, each individual core of the newer GPU is more powerful than its Ampere counterpart, thanks to gen-on-gen improvements.

Besides, the RTX 4070 Super is a 220W card, while the 3080 Ti is a 350W three-slot brick. This makes the GPU a better fit for both mid-range and high-end systems.

Here are more differences between the cards and the older RTX 4070:

	Nvidia RTX 4070	Nvidia RTX 4070 Super	Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti
Graphics processor	AD104	AD104	GA102
CUDA cores	5,888	7,168	10,240
Tensor cores	184	224	320
RT cores	46	56	80
Memory size	12 GB	12 GB	12 GB
Memory type	192-bit GDDR6X	192-bit GDDR6X	384-bit GDDR6X
Max. boost clock	2,475 MHz	2,475 MHz	1,665 MHz
TDP	200W	225W	350W
Price	$549	$599	$570-620 (on eBay)

Also, check out a comparison between the RTX 3070 and AMD RX 7700 XT.

Performance comparison

The Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti is a stacked GPU that continues to deliver to this day (Image via Nvidia)

Performance is the deal breaker for most gamers out there. Most players are willing to neglect the larger physical sizes and power requirements if the graphics card can push out higher framerates in most video games. However, that doesn't seem to be the case with the RTX 3080 Ti.

The graphics card mostly suffered defeat when compared to the new RTX 4070 Super. The delta between the FPS metrics in most titles is rather small: less than 10%. However, in rasterization-heavy titles like Forza Horizon 5, the 4070 Super registered a 19% lead over the older 3080 Ti.

Below is a detailed list of the benchmarks of the graphics cards. The data has been sourced from the YouTube channel Testing Games.

	Nvidia RTX 4070 Super	Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti
Starfield	76	71 (-6.5%)
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty	77	78 (+1.2%)
Microsoft Flight Simulator	96	92 (-4.17%)
Alan Wake 2	71	66 (-7.04%)
Red Dead Redemption 2	79	78 (-1.2%)
Forza Horizon 5	126	102 (-19%)
Hogwarts Legacy	65	67 (+3.07%)
The Last of Us Part I	78	72 (-7.69%)

The RTX 4070 Super emerges as the better card in this comparison. The graphics card has a slight performance lead over the older 3080 Ti, is more power efficient, occupies a smaller footprint in a gaming system, and, most importantly, is a newer product. Moreover, you get faster 12 GB VRAM with the card, which will help future-proof your system.

This means you will get longer driver support and access to technologies like DLSS 3 with frame generation that boosts FPS in more demanding titles.

Check out our other GPU comparisons:

Edited by Rachel Syiemlieh