Why the RTX 3070 is not worth buying in 2023

The RTX 3070 was launched as a mid-range 1440p gaming card back in 2020, and is the spiritual successor to the popular 2070 Super. At a similar launch price, the Ampere-based 70-class GPU is much faster.

While prices have come down dramatically since mid-2022, some Nvidia cards are still above MSRP, and the 3070 is one of them. The cheapest models on Newegg cost around $560.

However, apart from the pricing factor, gamers will have to consider a few more factors before finalizing the 1440p gaming GPU for their new rig. Let's analyze the card, including its competitors and Ti variant, and find out whether it's worth the money.

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Exploring RTX 3070's price and how it's sales are dying in 2023

Before delving into the performance and value proposition of the 3070, let's dissect the on-paper specifications.

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Specs

The RTX 3070 is a high-end video card. The GPU is decked out with a full-fledged GA104 graphics processor, 3rd-generation Tensor cores, 2nd-generation RT cores, and 7th-generation CUDA cores.

In comparison, the 3070 Ti packs slightly bumped-up specifications and increased clock speeds. The mid-tier refresh card also comes with faster memory.

	AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT	Nvidia RTX 3070	Nvidia RTX 3070 Ti
Graphics processor	Navi 22	GA104	GA104
Shading units	2,560	5,888	6,144
TMUs	160	184	192
ROPs	64	96	96
Compute units (CUs)	40	N/A	N/A
Tensor cores	N/A	184	192
RT cores	40	46	48
Memory size	12 GB	8 GB	8 GB
Memory type	18 Gbps GDDR6	14 Gbps GDDR6	19 Gbps GDDR6X
Base clock	2,150 MHz	1,500 MHz	1,575 MHz
Boost clock	2,600 MHz	1,725 MHz	1,770 MHz
TDP	250 W	220 W	290 W
Launch MSRP	$549	$499	$599
Current price	$429-480	$479-569	$599-649

A direct side-by-side comparison with the RX 6750 XT is impractical because the GPU is based on a different architecture. However, the card comes with 12 GB of video memory, which makes it more future-proof than Nvidia's equivalent.

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Benchmarks

Both the Nvidia and AMD cards are quite powerful and can run all modern AAA games without major performance hiccups. However, there are certain factors in which they differ.

Based on the spec sheet given above, it is evident that the RTX 3070 is more power-efficient than both the RX 6750 XT and the 3070 Ti. However, in practice, the AMD RX 6700 XT and the RX 6750 XT provide more efficiency than the 70-class offerings from Nvidia.

The mid-cycle refresh, the 6750 XT, peaks out at 192-200 W of power delivery in most video games, with the original 1440p gaming option drawing 20 W less. This, coupled with the price difference, will create significant savings in the long run.

In addition, the much cheaper 6750 XT achieves almost 99% of the performance that the 3070 can push out. The card also has more VRAM, which will allow gamers to load more detailed textures.

Some games, like Far Cry 6's HD texture pack, require more than 8 GB of video memory today. The number of such titles will only increase in the upcoming months.

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Pricing

The RX 6750 XT is much cheaper than the RTX 3070. Gamers can buy a well-built card of the former from a reputed third-party manufacturer for about $100 cheaper than the 3070 products. The Ti variant of the latter is even costlier.

Thus, the AMD GPU triumphs in terms of its value proposition. This makes it a no-brainer over the RTX 3070 and the 3070 Ti from Nvidia.

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Overall, all of the cards mentioned above are solid options to consider for gaming in 2023. The Nvidia GPUs lose to AMD only on minor grounds.

Team Green has multiple strongholds like ray-tracing performance, stable drivers, and much better productivity performance. Thus, gamers can opt for the Nvidia card if these are their priorities.