Nvidia RTX 4070 leak is an eye-opener, but let’s not dismiss this GPU yet
Nvidia’s RTX 4070 graphics card has been flying low under the radar of late, with all attention focused on the 4070 Ti which is supposedly about to launch, but now we’ve seen leaked specs for the lower-tier model.
Sadly, it’s not great news on the face of it, as according to leaker Kopite7kimi – a regular presence on Twitter when it comes to GPU spillage – the RTX 4070 will be considerably cut-down compared to the RTX 4070 Ti.
Some updates of RTX 4070: PG141-SKU336/337AD104-250-A15888FP3212G 21Gbps GDDR6X36M L2250WDecember 9, 2022
At least, not when it comes to CUDA cores. Because the RTX 4070 is purported to run with 5,888 cores. This is a fair dip from the AD104 GPU on which the 4070 cards were based, which is 7,680 Cores (the configuration the rumor machine believes the 4070T will boast).
Also, don’t forget that this figure for the RTX 4070 matches the RTX 3070 which has 5,888 cores – though remember, architectural advances and other specs (like clock speeds) means a 4070 configured as this leak reckons will still be a good deal faster (there’s no chance Nvidia would have it otherwise, of course).
The better news is that while past speculation pointed to an RTX 4070 with 10GB of VRAM – a prospect that prompted a lot of bitterness in GPU-related online discussions, for sure – this leak pins a 12GB loadout on the 4070. It also allegedly has an 192-bit memory bus. This is a good thing considering that smaller bandwidths have been, um, discussed in the past.
Analysis: Pricing will be crucial, whether it is weaker or stronger.
What we’ve also heard in the past is that Nvidia has been having difficulty in trying to determine where to pitch the RTX 4070, and whether to push out a weaker or stronger offering in this mid-range category (or upper-mid-range, we suppose).
The theory advanced by Moore’s Law is Dead a couple of months back is that Team Green was waiting to see how powerful RDNA 3 cards are before deciding on a final spec, and indeed, that wait may continue – although there’s a pretty firm indication that AMD is squarely targeting the RTX 4080 with its flagship RX 7900 XTX.
Nvidia may now feel confident enough to choose a slightly weaker RTX4070 with fewer CUDA cores than the 4070 Ti. It’s a leap, for sure, and we shouldn’t get carried away here, but this rumor does suggest Nvidia isn’t going all out to make the RTX 4070 a graphics card that comes that close to the Ti variant.
Even if true, the specs this RTX4070 runs with, 12GB RAM and a 192 bit bus, match the specs of the 4070 Ti (leaked specs). Although cores are slashed very severely, the performance jury is still out on this card. And also there’s the possibility that a somewhat lesser-performing graphics card could be in line for a much cheaper price tag than the RTX 4070 Ti, so could end up a good relative value proposition.
Given Nvidia’s current form, though, we find competitive pricing an unlikely prospect, what with all those RTX 3000 cards still to sell through. This rumor has sparked a lot of pessimism about the RTX4070. We understand why. But the key to success will be price/performance and how much Nvidia charges for whatever powerful GPU it is. Sadly, we’re leaning towards the pessimist’s point of view here, and aren’t holding our breath for a good result on that score.
The only thing that could change this is if the pricing of the RTX4070 Ti is good, following a price cut on the RTX4080, which is rumored as a possibility. In that case, maybe the RTX 4070 could have a relatively palatable price tag…
This is a good place to watch. The other obvious question is: How long will there be between 4070 Ti and 4770? The base RTX 4070 is rumored to launch in January. Given how under the radar it’s been, that perhaps seems unlikely, and previously rumored release dates of the likes of March 2023 might be more on the money for the RTX 4070 (again, particularly if Nvidia needs to make more time to sell through remaining RTX 3000 stock).
Via VideoCardz (opens in a new tab)
