Review – Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC 16G

While many users including ourselves are expecting price adjustments for the non-SUPER RTX 40 series cards,  things didn’t go as expected as it has been confirmed that the SUPER variant models will be replacing them instead. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER which is launched at the same price as the RTX 4070 Ti but offers better performance seems like a good deal but our previous test results with the MSRP models aren’t as desirable as what we have seen on the RTX 4070 SUPER.

This time, we’ll be taking a quick look at the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC 16G, an OC model from Gigabyte that offers a higher GPU boost clock which directly translates to better performance. We have tested it against the RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4080 for a quick performance gauge – let’s see what kind of performance we can expect from the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC.

Specifications

Overview

The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC ships in almost identical packaging as the non-SUPER variant, with the same accessories such as the GPU retention bracket, user’s guide, and the 2 x PCIe 8-pin to 16-pin 12VHPWR adapter.

In terms of design, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC 16G appears nearly identical to its non-super counterpart at first glance. However, it’s noteworthy that the GPU is built on the AD103 architecture, akin to the one utilized in the RTX 4080. Despite Gigabyte employing a 2-slot bracket at the back, the card is effectively a 3-slot card due to its substantial cooler. This is a common characteristic among all RTX 40 series graphics cards released so far.

As NVIDIA is enforcing the 12VHPWR header on its newer graphics cards, you will need to use either the 2x PCIe 8-pin to 12VHPWR adapter included in the package or a new power supply that comes with a dedicated 12VHPWR cable.

According to the official specifications, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has a rated Total Graphics Power (TGP) of 285W, and NVIDIA suggests a minimum 700W power supply for it. Specs-wise, it is the same as the RTX 4070 Ti but Gigabyte recommends a 750W power supply for the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC.

Now, regarding the display output choices, we observe the standard configuration of 3 x DisplayPort and 1 x HDMI port, a common setup on graphics cards designed for gamers in the current market.

Test System Setup

We utilized the following hardware to assess the performance of the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, drawing comparisons with two other cards—the RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4080. This aims to provide a clearer understanding of the card’s positioning. In our games benchmark test, we chose several AAA titles to run at their maximum settings, employing the specified setup in an ambient temperature of 28°C.

Games Benchmark – Raster Performance

In terms of raster performance, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER by NVIDIA is designed for optimal performance in 1440p gaming, similar to the RTX 4070 SUPER. However, it demonstrates significant power, enabling it to effectively run several AAA titles at a 4k resolution with a frame rate exceeding 60fps. Notably, it manages this feat except for more demanding titles such as Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077.

When scaling down to 1440p, improved performance on the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC becomes evident, closely trailing the 4080, particularly noticeable in games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Horizon Zero Dawn, F1 22, and Metro Exodus. However, across other titles, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER performs better than the RTX 4070 Ti most of the time but similarly for more demanding titles like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077.

As for 1080p resolution, all cards tested perform just as expected and honestly, I don’t see myself gaming at this resolution if the graphics card is more than capable enough for this resolution. Overall, we can see an average of 15% better performance on the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC over the RTX 4070 Ti.

Games Benchmark – Ray Tracing Performance

Moving on to ray tracing performance, we again excluded DLSS 3 from this test so we can better evaluate the base ray tracing performance of the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER against the other cards without the advantage from frame generation.

At a 4k resolution, the majority of tested titles achieve playable frame rates of 60fps or higher; however, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER encounters challenges with demanding titles such as Alan Wake 2, Cyberpunk 2077, and Metro Exodus. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC performs better than the RTX 4070 Ti in the majority of the tests, much better than what we’ve observed on the MSRP model. However, rather than delivering the anticipated ‘close to an RTX 4080’ level of performance that many had expected, it’s still not quite there yet.

Similar results can be seen on both 1440p and 1080p resolutions, where the results we’re seeing on the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC look much more reasonable than what we saw on the MSRP model a few weeks ago. The performance increment here is very similar to what we saw in the raster benchmark results, which is about 15%.

Thermals & Power Draw

Now addressing the power draw and thermals, the GPU load temperature is somewhat reasonable, peaking only at 70°C during heavy loads. Memory junction and GPU hotspot are surprisingly low as well, which peaked only at 74°C and 84.8°C respectively.

We did notice something rather interesting while testing this, as the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER does seem to be drawing more power when we’re using a 12VHPWR connector that can deliver up to 450W. The max power draw peaked at 342W according to PCAT even though it has a rated TGP of 285W but we didn’t notice any significant performance improvement after doing another series of tests. For most gaming situations with heavier AAA titles like Alan Wake 2, and Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll be seeing about 280W+- power draw on average.

Final Thoughts

Performance-wise, the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC 16G is still a very decent card that is capable of 4K gaming even though it’s not quite the ‘very close to an RTX 4080’ that some hoped for. It is about 15% better than the RTX 4070 Ti in gaming according to our test results but that 16GB worth of memory can be seen underutilized almost all of the time if you only game at 1440p resolution or lower.

As for the cooling performance, we’re seeing a slightly higher overall load temperature across the board compared to the non-SUPER variant but it’s understandable because of the 15% extra performance and this also shows that the cooler is working as intended. If you’re seriously thinking about getting an RTX 4070 Ti SUPER for your next upgrade and want to get one that runs cool and quiet, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC 16G is one of the options to consider.

All in all, the Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC 16G delivers the performance that an RTX 4070 Ti SUPER should perform, which is great. The slight concern now is that the price for the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC 16G is set at RM 4709, which costs RM 219 more than the MSRP model which is priced at RM 4490. Now, a higher price is much expected for OC models like the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC 16G, but is it worth paying that extra RM 219 for the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER Gaming OC over the cheaper MSRP model? Well, I’d say yes but only if you’re coming from something older than the RTX 30 series or RX 6000 series.