Nvidia's RTX 5070 was intended to rival the 4090, but initial benchmarks suggest otherwise.

      Nvidia

      When Nvidia revealed the RTX 50-series, it stated that the RTX 5070 would deliver performance comparable to the previous generation's flagship at a significantly lower price. Since the announcement, gamers have been eagerly anticipating its performance, and we have just received our first indication. An early benchmark suggests that the RTX 5070 is unlikely to surpass the RTX 4090, which continues to be one of the top graphics cards available.

      These benchmarks, initially noted by VideoCardz, appeared on Geekbench earlier today. We have two tests to explore, one for Vulkan and another for OpenCL. While these benchmarks may not be the best indicators of a graphics card's gaming performance, they do provide some insight into how the RTX 5070 measures up.

      The GPU achieved scores of 188,712 in Vulkan and 187,414 in OpenCL. It was tested alongside an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and 32GB of RAM, though the RAM was operating at a notably low MT/s, indicating there might have been some discrepancies in Geekbench or with the system itself.

      Comparing these figures to the recently launched RTX 5070 Ti reveals a significant gap, with the 5070 being up to 20% slower. This outcome isn’t unexpected, considering the GPU is expected to start at $550. However, we must also factor in issues regarding availability and inflated pricing. I wouldn’t be shocked if this card is priced at $750 or more in the initial weeks; after all, I saw the RTX 5070 Ti priced as high as $1,900 last week, and it is mostly sold out this week.

      Aside from being slower than the RTX 5070 Ti, the RTX 5070 appears to provide a reasonable generational improvement. These benchmarks place it in between the RTX 4070 and the RTX 4070 Ti, which seems fair, but it is still a long way from the RTX 4090-level performance that Nvidia hinted at during its CES 2025 presentation.

      Of course, that level of performance may still be achievable with DLSS 4. While the initial announcement sounded enticing, many gamers quickly realized that the RTX 5070 is unlikely to match the RTX 4090 in terms of "real" frame rates. Instead, leveraging Nvidia’s Multi-Frame Generation technology may elevate the GPU's performance, potentially surpassing the $1,600 RTX 4090. These preliminary benchmarks suggest that Nvidia's claims are likely heavily reliant on DLSS 4.

      We won’t have to wait long to see the RTX 5070 in action. The card is scheduled for launch on March 5, and reviewers will certainly seek to confirm whether the RTX 5070 can truly outperform the RTX 4090.

      Monica is a computing writer at Digital Trends, focusing on PC hardware. Since joining the team in 2021, Monica has written…

      AMD’s RX 9070 XT might be affordable, but that may not suffice

      More than a month after CES 2025's initial announcement (if it can even be designated as such), we still lack substantial details about AMD's RDNA 4 series. While the cards are expected to launch in March, their specifications remain unclear. However, an even larger mystery yet to be revealed is the pricing.

      Following a tumultuous lead-up to the RX 9000 series launch, pricing is critical for AMD to get right. Recent leaks suggest that AMD plans to set prices "very aggressively," which could bode well—but it may still not be sufficient to compete with some of the top graphics cards available.

      A cautious approach to pricing

      Nvidia might never surpass the RTX 4090

      The RTX 4090 could be the finest graphics card Nvidia has ever produced, and we may never witness another flagship reach the same heights.

      There’s no denying the RTX 4090's exceptional power, but its status as the ultimate flagship stems from more than just raw performance. The upcoming RTX 5090 is already reported to be faster, and I have no doubt Nvidia will continue to release high-end GPUs that come with hefty price tags in the future. Nevertheless, the RTX 4090 stands as a monumental achievement for Team Green and represents a pivotal moment for graphics cards in general.

      A flagship like no other

      Nvidia might diverge from tradition with the RTX 5060

      While Nvidia has already positioned the RTX 5090 as among the top graphics cards available, many PC gamers are looking forward to the company’s more budget-friendly options. A new rumor suggests that Nvidia's RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti will replace the 16-pin power connector used in previous generations with a standard 8-pin power connector.

      This rumor originated from Brother Pan Talks Computers, a Chinese media outlet that VideoCardz indicates has connections to Zotac. Nvidia has not yet announced the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti, but