Nvidia RTX 4070 vs AMD RX 7800 XT: Which is better in 2024?

The Nvidia RTX 4070 and AMD RX 7800 XT target the same mid-premium price segment. Now that the Team Green GPU is cheaper, the difference between the two graphics cards is just $50. Both GPUs target high framerate gaming at 1440p and pack quite some power for playing at 4K as well. However, there are some differences between the two that you must keep in mind while buying a GPU for around $500.

In this article, we will compare the two graphics cards in detail, including what they have to offer, their performance in the latest games, and their value proposition.

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Both Nvidia RTX 4070 and AMD RX 7800 XT are decent cards for gaming

The Nvidia RTX 4070 is a powerful GPU for 1440p gaming (Image via Nvidia)

Before delving into the comparison, it's worth noting that both the RTX 4070 and the 7800 XT are some of the latest graphics cards in the market. They pack enough power to play the latest games without compromises. This comparison only highlights the little differences between them to help you get the best bang for the buck. That said, the bottom line is that you won't be disappointed with the performance either.

Also, check out a comparison between the RX 7800 XT and RTX 3070 Ti.

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Specs comparison

The Nvidia RTX 4070 and the RX 7800 XT are based on different architectures: Ada and RDNA 3, respectively. They are quite different in how they work. Thus, the on-paper specs of the GPUs aren't representative of how they differ in terms of real-world performance.

Nonetheless, the RX 7800 XT is based on the slightly cut-down Navi 32 graphics processor, while the RTX 4070 uses the significantly smaller AD104. This makes sense, however, given how efficient Ada is as an architecture.

The biggest difference between the two, however, is their graphics memory buffer. While the RTX 4070 bundles 12 GB of 192-bit GDDR6X, the 7800 XT features a larger 16 GB of 256-bit GDDR6 interface. Although it is slightly slower, the larger VRAM size of the 7800 XT ensures it has a much larger overall bandwidth. 16 GB helps future-proof the GPU and can play all modern games without hiccups.

Below is a comparison between the on-paper specs of the two graphics cards:

	AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT	Nvidia RTX 4070
Graphics processor	Navi 32	AD104
Shading units/CUDA cores	3840	5888
TMUs	240	184
ROPs	96	64
Compute Units	60	N/A
Tensor cores	N/A	184
RT cores	60	46
Base clock	1295 MHz	1920 MHz
Boost clock	2430 MHz	2475 MHz
Memory size	16 GB GDDR6	12 GB GDDR6X
TDP	263W	200W
Price	$499	$549

The Ada Lovelace architecture is much more efficient, as mentioned before. This translates to a much lower power limit at just 200W. The 7800 XT is rated at a much higher 263W.

Also, check out a comparison between RTX 4070 and RTX 3080.

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Performance comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT is a superb competitor to the 4070 (Image via AMD)

Although the AMD RX 7800 XT and the 4070 are priced similarly, the Team Red offering is a tier above. By its name, it competes against the RTX 4080. It is, however, much slower than the $1,200 card.

Compared to the 4070, the 7800 XT has a slight edge at 1440p. It beats the Nvidia GPU almost consistently in terms of rasterization performance. However, when ray tracing is turned on, this trend completely reverses. AMD graphics cards have been bundling much worse ray tracing performance metrics for quite some time now, as we also noted in our 7800 XT review.

Below is a list of framerates observed in various video games at 1440p:

	AMD RX 7800 XT	Nvidia RTX 4070
Spider-Man: Miles Morales	99	96
Spider-Man: Miles Morales with RT	50	56
Cyberpunk 2077Spider-Man: Miles Morales	79	59
Cyberpunk 2077 with RT	27	35
The Last of Us Part 1	77	72
Hogwarts Legacy with RT	33	53
Forza Horizon 5	131	127

Both GPUs can run even the most demanding games at high frame rates. However, the RTX 4070 wins by a huge margin in the ray tracing contest. Given how increasingly popular this tech is getting and the visual improvements you get, the 4070 wins the recommendation.

Moreover, the Nvidia GPU is now cheaper at $549. You might be able to pick it up for slightly less in sales and promotions. This makes it only slightly more expensive than the $500 RX 7800 XT.