Looking to drop some serious cash on a new GPU, but not sure which model from RTX 2070.
The RTX 3080 is clearly the more powerful of the two cards, with 8704 CUDA Cores, 10GB of GDDR6X memory, 1.71 GHz boost clock, and 320-bit memory bus. Plus, there’s HDMI 2.1 as well as a new thermal design to help cool the system in a more quiet and efficient manner. It includes a 12-pin connector, and the overall unit is sized at 285 x 112mm with a two-slot design. All of this will be available with the RTX 3080 for $699, when it launches on September 17.
Conversely, the RTX 3070 is more of a budget Nvidia GPU series choice, considering the 3080 and the 3090's pricing. It won't offer as much power as the 3080, or its much higher-priced sibling, but it's still very much worth selecting for a bump in graphical fidelity and processing power to ready any setup for some of the newer titles coming out this fall.
GeForce RTX 3080 & 3070 Performance Differences
If you're still unsure of what to expect from the GPUs, think of them in comparison to what's already on the market. For instance, the RTX 3080 is comparable at present to the RTX 2080 Ti and the 2080 GPU, though the 3080 will be twice as fast as the RTX 2080, according to Nvidia. It can also render 4K at 60 frames per second consistently, if that's something that matters.
Jumping from the RTX 3070 to the RTX 3080 doesn't represent as significant of a shift in quality as the jump from RTX 3080 to RTX 3090, and there isn't that much of a change in price. The 3070 is an ideal GPU for both 1440p and 4K gaming, however, and it's reliable for just about any title thrown at it. In short, both cards are fully capable of running just about any game on the market.
The Perfect GPU Depends On The Use Case
Deciding on which GPU really depends on what it is going to be used for. For example, an enthusiast looking to get the best bang for their buck or a hardcore gamer looking to up their PC's performance. Those looking for the very best card in this price range for 4K gaming will want to opt for the RTX 3080. It won't break the bank, it offers double the performance of the current RTX 2080, and it'll be more than capable of providing a great gaming experience for quite a while to come, at least until the next crop of Nvidia cards hit the market.
For those that don't need the best card you can find under $1000, the RTX 2070 is an excellent option for saving cash and getting the most out of games, either in 1440p or 4K. It also offers a higher level of performance than the current RTX 2080 Ti for a song. It may not have all the bells and whistles its two GPU "siblings" provide, but it's still very capable of holding its own. This would be a great choice for those just getting into PC gaming or looking for a decent a much older card.
Adding to the incentive to buy, Nvidia has confirmed that, for a limited time, any RTX 30 series purchase will come with a copy of Watch Dogs: Legion, as well as a one-year subscription to the GeForce Now cloud-gaming service. For those in a hurry to get their hands on a new GPU, the release dates might also prove a final deciding factor. While the RTX 3080 is set for a September 17 release, Nvidia's RTX 3070 won't be available until October.