RTX 3070 Review and Benchmarks

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We’ve had a bit of time with the new RTX 3070. We thought it would be a great idea to give you the results of a few benchmarks, so you could know what kind of performance to expect if you purchase an RTX 3070. We chose several titles that have built-in benchmarks so that if you have the game, you’re able to run the benchmarks on your current system and see the difference in performance for yourself.

1. Our Bench
2. Our Recommendation
3. Benchmarks
4. Conclusion

Our Bench

We went with the Maingear Vybe, which has a Ryzen 3900X, 32GB of 3200MHz DDR4 memory, and of course, the RTX 3070!  We chose a build with a lot of headroom on the CPU and RAM to avoid any performance bottlenecks. We really wanted to show off the 3070 performance. However, as long as you have a current or one generation previous CPU, you should not see any CPU bottlenecks.

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Recommendations

The RTX 3070 is a powerful GPU that can be paired with many existing systems for an amazing boost in performance! There are a few things that you'll want to know before you choose your parts. You'll want to make sure that you have a PSU with 650 Watts or more. Make sure that your PSU has the proper power connectors for your new GPU. This will change from model to model; however, in most cases, if you have at least an 8-pin and 6-pin connector, you're covered.

We'd also recommend you pair it with a current-generation CPU, such as the AMD 5000 Series or Intel 10th Gen. While you won't see major bottlenecks with previous generation CPU (Intel 9th Gen | AMD 3000 Series), the most recent processors have made great strides in their performance that outpace previous generations greatly.

For more of our build recommendations, check out our How to Choose Parts for Your Customer PC Build article.

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Benchmarks

For our testing of the new 3070, we used the MSI RTX 3070 Ventus. As I mentioned earlier, we ran it through several in-game benchmarks. For each resolution, we ran the test multiple times. We’re showing the average result, as it would be what you could most likely expect to see typically. The MSI Ventus was a solid performer with very low cooler noise, even under a heavy load. We did not change any of the default settings for the GPU. We wanted to give you the best example of what you could expect if you have no experience with overclocking or adjusting any GPU performance settings.

We chose several recent titles and some that were a bit older to show the performance across a variety of games that you may own or consider playing. If you think of a game with a built-in benchmark that we should add to our list, let us know what you’d like to see in future discussions!

We're using MSI Afterburner benchmark utility along with the in-game benchmarks for consistent metrics across multiple titles. In all the titles below, we maxed the settings wherever possible, excluding motion blur.

Borderlands 3 is a fairly modern title with demanding graphics and all settings on Badass. Since this was the first title we benchmarked, I was thoroughly impressed with the 3070 from the start. Frametimes were 22.6ms at 4k, 13.0ms at 1440p, and 9.9ms at 1080p.

Higher refresh rates are important to me, especially in racing sims and competitive games. It's impressive to know that you can expect 124fps at 4k in F1 2020! Frametimes were 8.0ms at 4k, 5.8ms at 1440p, and 5.5ms at 1080p.

Hitman 2 was a bit of an anomaly here. We repeated the benchmark multiple times and had the same 1% Low in our testing. This could be attributed to drivers, perhaps a CPU bottleneck, or perhaps caused by IO's in-house engine. We're not certain. However, it was consistent in our benchmark results. Your results may vary. Frametimes were 20.9ms at 4k, 21.0ms at 1440p, and 21.1ms at 1080p.

Horizon Zero Dawn is the most recent release tile that we benchmarked. Its visuals and performance were impressive, especially in such an expansive benchmark with a wide perspective. If a benchmark ever made me want to play a game... this is it! Frametimes were 19.1ms at 4k, 14.0ms at 1440p, and 7.3ms at 1080p.

Civilization is a game where smooth frames matter most, in my opinion. Because of the games scrolling and panning nature, you're more likely to notice performance drops and stutters. Here the frame times and 1% lows are crucial. We were pleased to see that the 1% lows were still very playable, and even at 4k did not drop below 60fps. Frametimes were 8.9ms at 4k, 6.8ms at 1440p, and 6.5ms at 1080p.

Rainbow Six Siege is an Esports title optimized for high framerates and low frame times. Here every frame counts, and frame times are the difference between a win or a loss. The 3070 absolutely powers through with astonishing scores. Frametimes were 5.2ms at 4k, 3.2ms at 1440p, and 3.0ms at 1080p.

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Conclusion

First impressions from the RTX 3070 are great. We used the same 3070 in our 5600X Review and Benchmarks. Its performance is quite impressive, especially for its price. Its strong performance could easily be paired with a mid to high-end CPU of your choice and offer the performance you see in the benchmarks above.

If you are looking to get yourself a 3070 or any other graphics card from us, please visit our Random Selection Process and FAQ for more information!