If you are looking for a powerful graphics card for serious gaming on a relatively low budget, then RTX 3070 is one of the best cards out there in the market. RTX 3070 is currently the best affordable RTX 30 series card and is positioned below the RTX 3080 and the mighty RTX 3090. RTX 3070 is an excellent card for 1440p gaming and a very capable card for 4K gaming. It is slightly faster or as fast as the RTX 2080 Ti and around 30% to 40% faster than the RTX 2070 SUPER, which the RTX 3070 replaces. RTX 3070 offers excellent performance for the price and is a super value card for gamers. The graphics card is also very power efficient compared to the RTX 2080 Ti.
GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Turing GPU architecture on the 8nm manufacturing process from Samsung. It comes with 5888 CUDA Cores, 46 RT Cores, 184 Tensor Cores, and 8GB GDDR6 memory having a 256-bit interface. RTX 3070 supports Real-Time Ray Tracing and DLSS 2.0 (Deep Learning Super Sampling and uses second-generation RT Cores and third-generation Tensor cores that offer better performance compared to previous-generation RT and Tensor Cores. RTX 3070 supports PCIe 4.0 and HDMI 2.1, which the RTX 20 series cards lack. It supports major APIs that include DirectX 12 ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.2.
The power consumption of the card is on the lower side, considering its performance. The rated power consumption for the Founders Edition RTX 3070 is 220W, and it requires a 650W PSU for its working. There are various custom RTX 3070 models available from different manufacturers, and it can get confusing to choose the best RTX 3070 card for your specific requirements. So, to help you out on this, here I am going to list the best RTX 3070 cards from different AIB manufacturers based on important parameters.
Fastest or Most Overclocked RTX 3070
ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 ROG Strix OC
[High OC, Dual BIOS, 5 Display Output, Great Cooler, Stylish]
The most overclocked and probably the fastest RTX 3070 card you can get is the ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 ROG STRIX OC. It should be noted that the specific model of this card on its official website is ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3070 O8G Gaming. The card comes with a default GPU Boost Clock speed of 1905 MHz, which is 10% more than the reference RTX 3070 card. You can increase the Boost Clock to 1935 MHz using the Asus GPU Tweak II software in OC mode. The card comes with the same cooler present in the ROG Strix OC RTX 3080 and RTX3090 models. The cooler is huge as it comes with a massive heatsink with a mirror finish smooth base for GPU & VRAM and has seven copper heatpipes. The heatsink is cooled by three Axial-tech fans where the middle fan spins in the opposite direction to reduce air turbulence for delivering smoother airflow and cooling performance. The card employs semi-passive cooling technology where the fans remain off during low GPU or when the GPU temperature is under 55°C. When the GPU temperature increases and crosses this threshold value, the fans automatically start to keep the temperature under check. The Dual BIOS switch on this card allows you to choose between performance mode or quiet mode based on your requirements.
The card has a 2.9-slot design, and a metal backplate and reinforced metal frame prevent the card from sagging and provide structural integrity. The metal backplate is vented to cool down some of the VRM components attached to the card’s backside. To further increase the robustness, the card uses a GPU bracket and a stainless steel I/O bracket. The card’s shroud looks very stylish and has metal accents over it, giving it a more elegant look. The RGB lighting on the card is mainly seen on the side, and it also makes its way through the fan blades. The RGB lighting and effects can be synced and controlled using the Asus Aura Sync RGB software.
There are two 4-pin PWM headers (Fan Connect II) present on the card to connect chassis fans to be synchronized with CPU or GPU temperature. Using the ASUS GPU Tweak II utility, you can tweak critical parameters like GPU core clocks, memory frequency, and voltage settings, with the option to monitor everything in real-time through a customizable on-screen display. The card has an increased power limit of 280W to 350W and uses two 8-pin PCIe connectors. The card offers five display outputs that consist of two HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports. Overall, the best RTX 3070 card you can get, but it does come at a higher price than other aftermarket RTX 3070 cards in the market.
| ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 ROG Strix OC Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 5888 |
| GPU Clock | 1935 MHz Boost (OC Mode) |
| Memory Clock | 14 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 256-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | 8-pin x 2 |
| Output Ports | HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4a x 3 |
Buy ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 ROG Strix OC
Best Compact RTX 3070
ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC
[Dual Slot, Relatively Compact Size, Metal Wraparound Backplate, Great Value]
If you are looking for a compact RTX 3070 card for your small form factor build or case, then ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC is the best you can get. It is a dual-fan dual-slot card that is 232mm long and can fit in most smaller cases. The card uses the Zotac IceStorm 2.0 cooling system that comprises an aluminum fin-stack array heatsink with five copper heatpipes and a smooth copper base. The two 11-blade fans on this card can increase airflow by up to 10% compared to the previous generation design fans. The Active Fan Control feature allows you to adjust fan speed using the Zotac FireStorm Utility individually. This utility also allows you to tweak various GPU, Memory, Power Limit, and other advanced settings and monitor various important card parameters in real-time. The FREEZE Fan Stop feature on this card provides semi-passive cooling and stops the fan from spinning during low GPU loads for completely silent operation, and it also reduces fan wear and tear.
The card uses a Metal Wraparound Backplate that provides rigidity and protects the sides of the card. The metal backplate also helps in the cooling of the card. The card sports white LED lighting that looks very elegant and not too flashy like the RGB lighting. It is an OC edition card that has got GPU Boost Clock of 1755 MHz, which is only 25 MHz more than the reference. The card has a rated power consumption figure of 220W and requires two 8-pin PCIe connectors from the PSU. The recommended power supply for this card is 650W. Display connectivity options include one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports.
Note: A non-overclocked variant of this card is also available that is priced at the base MSRP while other features and specifications remain the same. Another relatively compact card in size having a length of 232mm is the MSI GeForce RTX 3070 VENTUS 2X OC but it is not a true dual-slot card as the heatsink shroud protrudes a little bit more than dual-slot height.
Read also: Best SFF graphics cards for small form factor or compact Builds
| ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 5888 |
| GPU Clock | 1755 MHz Boost |
| Memory Clock | 14 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 256-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | 8-pin x 2 |
| Output Ports | HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4a x 3 |
Buy ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 3070 Twin Edge OC
Best Silent RTX 3070
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 GAMING X TRIO
[Very Quiet, Offers Good Value, Good Factory Overclocking]
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 GAMING X TRIO is one of the best RTX 3070 cards and is very silent in operation. It is an OC edition card that has got GPU Boost Clock of 1830 MHz, which is 100 MHz more than the reference. The card uses the TRI FROZR 2 Thermal cooling system, which is carried as it is from the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 GAMING X TRIO. The cooler uses a large fin array aluminum heatsink and six copper heatpipes that make direct contact with the GPU. The massive heatsink is cooled down by three TORX 4.0 fans with pairs of fan blades bound together with an outer ring design for focused airflow into the heatsink. The fans are very quiet in operation, even when the GPU load is maximum. On the heatsink, deflectors are provided that guide the air to the areas where it is needed for maximum cooling. Also, the wave-curved 2.0 fin edges disrupt unwanted airflow harmonics resulting in reduced noise. The Zero Frozr technology on this card provides semi-passive cooling and stops the fans from spinning when the GPU temperature is low. The fans start automatically during gaming or when the temperature crosses the threshold value for the GPU. The card also runs very cool under full GPU load and is one of the coolest running custom RTX 3070 cards.
The card uses a Graphene backplate (carbon+plastic material) to cool some of the components located on the backside. An anti-bending metal plate is integrated on the card’s PCB that prevents the card from sagging and provides structural integrity. Also, a GPU support bracket is bundled with the card for providing additional support to the card. It is a 2.7-slot card and is pretty long, having a length of 323mm. The card sports RGB lighting, which can be seen on the shroud and the backplate. It supports RGB Mystic Light Sync to sync lighting with other MSI’s RGB supported components. Using MSI’s exclusive Dragon Center software, you can tweak and optimize the graphics card parameters and monitor them in real-time. The card’s power consumption is at 240W and requires two 8-pin PCIe connectors from the PSU for power. Display connectivity options include one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports.
| MSI GeForce RTX 3070 GAMING X TRIO Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 5888 |
| GPU Clock | 1830 MHz Boost |
| Memory Clock | 14 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 256-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | 8-pin x 2 |
| Output Ports | HDMI 2.1 x 1, DisplayPort 1.4a x 3 |
Buy MSI GeForce RTX 3070 GAMING X TRIO
Coolest & Best Overall RTX 3070
ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 TUF Gaming OC
[Robust Build, Dual BIOS, 5 Display Output, Cool & Silent, Offers Great Value]
If you are looking for an RTX 3070 card that shines in all the departments, it is the ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 TUF Gaming OC. It is one of the coolest running RTX 3070 cards and also runs very quiet. The card is strongly built and has an all-aluminum shroud and a metal backplate. It is an overclocked edition card that has got GPU Boost Clock of 1815 MHz in default mode and 1845 MHz in the OC Mode (can be enabled using the Asus GPU Tweak II Software). For cooling, the card comes with a large aluminum fin array heatsink with five copper heatpipes and a smooth and polished base that makes superior contact with the GPU. The heatsink is cooled down by three Axial-Tech fans having dual ball bearings for providing consistent performance and reliability. The middle fan spins in the opposite direction to reduce air turbulence and smoothen out airflow for delivering better cooling performance. The card employs semi-passive cooling technology, where the fans stop whenever the GPU temperature remains below 55 degrees Celsius. The card also has dual BIOS, and you can switch between Performance and Quiet BIOS mode via a physical switch located on the side of the card.
It is a 2.7 slot card and is 300mm in length. The metal backplate is vented to allow hot air to pass through and increases air circulation for better airflow dynamics. The card has stainless steel I/O bracket and uses high-quality components that include chokes, MOSFETs, capacitors, etc. to ensure high reliability. The RGB lighting can be noticed on the top side of the metal shroud, and it can be customized using the Asus software. The card requires two 8-pin PCIe connectors for power, and the recommended PSU is 750W. Display Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.1 ports and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports. You can use the ASUS GPU Tweak II utility to tweak the critical parameters of the graphics card including GPU core clocks, memory frequency, fan speed, and voltage settings, with the option to monitor everything in real-time through a customizable on-screen display (OSD).
| ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 TUF Gaming OC Specifications | |
| CUDA Cores | 5888 |
| GPU Clock | 1845 MHz Boost (OC Mode) |
| Memory Clock | 14 Gbps |
| Memory Size | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 256-bit |
| Bus Interface | PCI Express 4.0 |
| DirectX | 12 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 |
| PCI-E Power Connector | 8-pin x 2 |
| Output Ports | HDMI 2.1 x 2, DisplayPort 1.4a x 3 |
Buy ASUS GeForce RTX 3070 TUF Gaming OC
Other RTX 3070 Cards
Below are some other good RTX 3070 cards that you might want to look at.
- Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Eagle 8G
- Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming OC 8G
- EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 XC3 BLACK GAMING
- ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming Graphics Card
Final Words
GeForce RTX 3070 is undoubtedly one of the best graphics cards that offer outstanding performance for the price. It can run all the latest AAA games at maximum graphics settings at 1440p resolution and is very much capable of 4K gaming. It is as fast or even slightly better than RTX 2080 Ti and costs almost less than half of what RTX 2080 Ti does. The card is also very power efficient given its performance and is available from different AIB manufacturers, each having its various models. If you have any doubts about choosing the right RTX 3070 card for your specific needs or requirements or have any questions regarding it, you can ask me your queries in the comment section below.
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