

Much like the RTX 3080, Nvidia has dropped the USB-C VirtualLink port found on the RTX 2080, which never saw any real adoption for VR. The RTX 3070 also includes a single HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports. Still, I would highly recommend picking up a direct 12-pin connector from your PSU manufacturer instead of using the ugly adapter. Since the RTX 3070 only needs a single 8-pin power connector, it makes the adapter a little less wieldy than the one found on the RTX 3080. Nvidia has included its own adapter inside the box.

And just like the RTX 3080, Nvidia is using its new 12-pin single power connector, as opposed to the separate 6- and 8-pin or twin 8-pin connectors on prior cards. The hardware design on the RTX 3070 is very similar, allowing Nvidia to use a dense PCB that’s a lot smaller to improve airflow throughout the card. While the RTX 3070 doesn’t benefit from the same push-pull system found on the RTX 3080, it does pick up some of the other hardware improvements found on the flagship. ĭuring my testing, I rarely heard the fans spin up, even with the card hitting temperatures of 75 degrees Celsius. The dual-axial fans work in tandem to keep the card cool, with the right fan pushing air all the way through the card’s shroud to the opposite side, while the left directly cools the GPU cores with air that can exhaust out the rear of your chassis. Nvidia made some big changes to the cooling on the Founder’s Edition RTX 3080, but it’s maintained a traditional dual-fan setup with the RTX 3070. 650W power supply requirement and extra power draw.If you’re considering the move to 1440p, the RTX 3070 is the more budget-friendly option if you want to futureproof along the way. I’ve spent the past week testing out the RTX 3070 at both 1440p and 4K ahead of its October 29th debut, and it’s fair to say this card will give you a lot of headroom for games coming in 2021 and beyond so long as you’re playing at 1440p or below.
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The vast majority of PC gamers are still using 1080p displays, and the RTX 3070 offers up an upgrade path to 1440p without the steep cost of an RTX 3080 and the extra power draw. This combination of performance and price puts the RTX 3070 in the ideal sweet spot for 1440p gaming. Like all of Nvidia’s RTX cards before it, the RTX 3070 can also take advantage of ray tracing and Nvidia’s AI-powered DLSS technology to boost frame rates and still maintain great image quality. While Nvidia’s flagship card was designed to push 4K, the $4 is $200 less expensive and still promises big performance gains over the previous-generation RTX 2080 and even the RTX 2080 Ti.

Last month, Nvidia’s RTX 3080 ushered in the next generation of 4K gaming with an impressive leap in performance over the 2080 model it replaced.
