At CES 2025, NVIDIA made some bold claims about the 50-series lineup, particularly the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Founder’s Edition GPU. We have examined the full lineup up to this point and, for the most part, have been impressed. Now, we are finally able to take a closer look at the mainstream entry and see if it lives up to the hype. While NVIDIA claimed that this card would deliver “RTX 4090 performance for $549,“ the reality is considerably more nuanced, revealing both the strengths and limitations of this mid-range offering in a very competitive market.
While we are a bit late with this review—the shipping gods were not our friends—we finally have it in the CGMagazine offices and can see how this GPU fares compared to other cards on the market.
But before diving into the specs, I have to say once again I love the look of the 50-series GPUs. NVIDIA has outdone itself across the lineup, including the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. Following the same design language as its more expensive siblings, this dual-slot card features NVIDIA’s now-familiar combination of dimpled heatsinks and dual fans but in a significantly more compact form factor.
It is smaller than the RTX 5080 and most RTX 5070 Ti models, making it perfect for smaller computers without compromising on looks. The industrial design, with its intricate metal construction, gives it a premium feel that makes it stand out among graphics cards at this price—especially ones that manage to look this slick all around.
| RTX 5090 | RTX 5080 | RTX 5070 Ti | RTX 5070 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUDA cores | 21760 | 10752 | 8960 | 6144 |
| Boost clock (GHz) | 2.41 | 2.62 | 2.45 | 2.51 |
| Base clock (GHz) | 2.01 | 2.3 | 2.30 | 2.16 |
| Tensor core TOPS | 3352 | 1801 | 1406 | 988 |
| Ray tracing core TFLOPS | 318 | 171 | 133 | 94 |
| Memory | 32 GB GDDR7 | 16 GB GDDR7 | 16 GB GDDR7 | 12 GB GDDR7 |
| Memory bus width | 512-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit |
| Total Graphics Power (watts) | 575 | 360 | 300 | 250 |
| Required system power (PSU wattage) | 1000 | 850 | 750 | 650 |
| Power connector | 1x 600 W PCIe Gen 5 OR 4x PCIe 8-pin adapter | 1x 450 W PCIe Gen 5 OR 3x PCIe 8-pin adapter | 1x 300 W PCIe Gen 5 OR 2x PCIe 8-pin adapter | 1x 300 W PCIe Gen 5 OR 2x PCIe 8-pin adapter |
| Price | $1,999 | $999 | $749 | $549 |
| Release date | Jan 30, 2025 | Jan 30, 2025 | Feb 2025 | Feb 2025 |
Under the hood, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Founder’s Edition utilizes the GB205 GPU die, built on the same TSMC 4N process as the previous Ada Lovelace generation. The chip features 6,144 CUDA cores, 80 ROPs, and runs at a base clock of 2,325 MHz, with boost clocks reaching 2,512 MHz under ideal conditions. Notably, Blackwell is NVIDIA’s first consumer range to feature GDDR7 memory, with 12 GB connected via a 192-bit memory bus for a total bandwidth of 672 GB/s—a significant improvement over the RTX 4070’s 504 GB/s.
The Blackwell range is also the first high-end consumer graphics card lineup to support PCI-Express 5.0, offering increased bandwidth to the GPU, and this holds true with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 as well. While the real-world benefits are currently minimal, it provides some future-proofing for the years ahead. The card uses the new 12V-2×6 connector and includes a braided nylon adapter for compatibility with existing power supplies, requiring a modest 650-watt PSU to function properly.
With the specs out of the way, it’s time to slot the GPU into our test system and see if it can live up to the hype. As with our previous 50-series reviews, we conducted our testing using two identical systems. Both systems run an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D on an ASUS ROG Crosshair Hero motherboard, paired with 32 GB of DDR5 G.Skill RAM running at EXPO 6000. For storage, the systems are equipped with a PCI Gen 4 SK Hynix 2 TB M.2 SSD. One system is powered by an NZXT 1,200W PSU, while the other uses a be quiet! 1,200W PSU. Cooling is handled by an NZXT Kraken AIO in one system and a Corsair Titan AIO in the other.
| Synthetic Benchmarks | RTX 5090 | RTX 5080 | RTX 5070 TI | RTX 5070 | RTX 4080 | RTX 4070 TI | RTX 4070 Super |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3D Mark Time Spy | 47148 | 31770 | 27897 | 22230 | 28418 | 22732 | 20628 |
| 3D Mark DLSS | 81.36 | 48.17 | 42.17 | 30.44 | 39.26 | 30.31 | 28 |
| 3D Mark DLSS + FG | 434.79 | 316.58 | 256.47 | 117.12 | 149.24 | 117.95 | 108.78 |
| 3D Mark Port Royal | 35780 | 21889 | 19190 | 14102 | 17885 | 14184 | 13000 |
| V-Ray (RTX) | 15076 | 9236 | 7961 | 6459 | 7519 | 5596 | 5477 |
| Procyon Video GPU Editing | 65694 | 61896 | 59810 | 55130 | 52868 | 45828 | 45922 |
| Procyon PHI 3.5 | 6050 | 4643 | 4366 | 3902 | 4285 | 2879 | 3708 |
| Procyon MISTRAL 7B | 6674 | 4798 | 4542 | 3903 | 3957 | 2859 | 3475 |
| Procyon LLAMA 3.1 | 6492 | 4588 | 4330 | 3443 | 3693 | 2783 | 3033 |
| Procyon LLAMA 2 | 7002 | 4698 | 2079 | 2246 | 3912 | 1487 | 2088 |
Starting with our synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5070 delivers reasonable mid-range performance. It achieved a solid 22,230 3DMark Time Spy score, putting it ahead of the RTX 4070 Super while coming close to the 22,732 score of the RTX 4070 Ti. Looking at the 3DMark DLSS test, the RTX 5070 managed to deliver a 117.12 FPS score with multi-frame generation, allowing it to match what we observed with the 4070 Ti.
The Procyon AI benchmarks demonstrated solid performance against the latest Radeon RX 9070 range. However, with only 12 GB of RAM, the RTX 5070 may have limited utility for AI workflows, which are highly dependent on VRAM. On the synthetic side of things, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers what was expected: a solid mid-range GPU. It won’t blow away the competition, but it delivers in ways that matter, and the overall performance means creators should get a solid experience depending on their specific needs. When it comes to gaming, this is where DLSS 4 comes into the picture, and things get interesting.
| 1080P Benchmark | RTX 4070 Super | RTX 5070 TI | RTX 5070 | RTX 4080 | RTX 4070 TI | RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 176.00 | 234.00 | 185.00 | 218.00 | 188.00 | 200.00 |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider + Frame Generation | 210.00 | 304.00 | 254.00 | 266.00 | 243.00 | – |
| Returnal | 100.00 | 176.00 | 154.00 | 181.00 | 156.00 | 199.00 |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | 187.00 | 207.00 | 183.00 | 224.00 | 197.00 | 209.00 |
| Watch Dogs Legion | 124.00 | 166.00 | 143.00 | 147.00 | 157.00 | 112.00 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra) | 146.12 | 180.24 | 156.06 | 200.88 | 153.18 | 194.58 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 RT | 71.52 | 91.62 | 69.76 | 99.06 | 70.03 | 65.53 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 RT + Frame Generation | 192.30 | 467.73 | 329.48 | 172.50 | 246.30 | 100.78 |
| F1 24 (Ultra Preset) | 173.00 | 222.00 | 171.00 | 220.00 | 186.00 | 172.00 |
| F1 24 + Frame Generation | 249.00 | 298.00 | 241.00 | 308.00 | 263.00 | 318.00 |
| Metro Exodus (Extreme) | 90.63 | 114.26 | 88.60 | 90.77 | 99.33 | 136.04 |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 61.00 | 78.00 | 63.00 | 79.00 | 64.00 | 25.00 |
| Black Myth: Wukong + Frame Generation | 89.00 | 119.00 | 93.00 | 117.00 | 95.00 | 49.00 |
Jumping into the game testing, it quickly becomes clear that the RTX 5070 excels where it’s designed to: delivering high-performance 1440p gaming. Across a range of modern titles, it consistently produces smooth frame rates with settings maxed out.
“In Cyberpunk 2077, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Founder’s Edition delivers a very playable 102.61 FPS average at 1440p with ultra settings…”
In games like F1 24, the card achieves approximately 182 FPS at 1440p, placing it right between the RTX 4070 Ti and 4070 Ti Super. This represents about a 22 percent improvement over the standard RTX 4070 and a much more substantial 55-58 percent gain over the RTX 3070, making it an attractive upgrade for those still running 30-series cards and craving smoother gaming experiences.
In Cyberpunk 2077, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Founder’s Edition delivers a very playable 102.61 FPS average at 1440p with ultra settings, maintaining a consistent frame rate that never dips below 80 FPS. Other demanding titles like Black Myth: Wukong manage 44 FPS on cinematic without DLSS, while Returnal runs at a 117 FPS average on Epic settings.
| 1440P Benchmark | RTX 4070 Super | RTX 5070 TI | RTX 5070 | RTX 4080 | RTX 4070 TI | RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 120.00 | 160.00 | 124.00 | 159.00 | 129.00 | 144.00 |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider + Frame Generation | 163.00 | 262.00 | 214.00 | 238.00 | 209.00 | – |
| Returnal | 60.00 | 138.00 | 117.00 | 141.00 | 119.00 | 155.00 |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | 143.00 | 169.00 | 141.00 | 178.00 | 157.00 | 170.00 |
| Watch Dogs Legion | 97.00 | 132.00 | 110.00 | 128.00 | 120.00 | 79.00 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra) | 88.28 | 123.98 | 102.61 | 123.88 | 95.24 | 133.44 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 RT | 44.44 | 59.53 | 43.10 | 61.23 | 48.77 | 55.00 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 RT + Frame Generation | 145.23 | 310.92 | 242.82 | 135.72 | 177.39 | 83.45 |
| F1 24 (Ultra Preset) | 135.00 | 182.00 | 138.00 | 183.00 | 149.00 | 124.00 |
| F1 24 + Frame Generation | 187.00 | 241.00 | 186.00 | 241.00 | 202.00 | 219.00 |
| Metro Exodus (Extreme) | 67.35 | 80.95 | 65.84 | 141.84 | 69.32 | 104.41 |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 42.00 | 80.00 | 44.00 | 57.00 | 46.00 | 25.00 |
| Black Myth: Wukong + Frame Generation | 66.00 | 90.00 | 69.00 | 89.00 | 70.00 | 50.00 |
Apart from Black Myth: Wukong—a notoriously harsh game even for the best GPUs available—these are solid numbers that allow for smooth gameplay at high refresh rates on 1440p displays without requiring upscaling in most cases.
Pushing things into 4K territory, we start to see the limits of the RTX 5070—at least without DLSS enabled. Black Myth: Wukong runs at a painfully slow 23 FPS average, Shadow of the Tomb Raider at 63 FPS, and Cyberpunk 2077 at 46.92 FPS with ultra settings. These numbers are playable but fall well short of what hardcore enthusiasts might expect for high-refresh 4K gaming. This becomes even more apparent when enabling ray tracing in titles like Cyberpunk 2077, where we only saw an unplayable 10.67 FPS average.
| 4K Benchmark | RTX 4070 Super | RTX 5070 TI | RTX 5070 | RTX 4080 | RTX 5070 TI | RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 62.00 | 85.00 | 63.00 | 85.00 | 67.00 | 80.00 |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider + Frame Generation | 97.00 | 172.00 | 134.00 | 168.00 | 136.00 | – |
| Returnal | 57.00 | 86.00 | 70.00 | 85.00 | 68.00 | 95.00 |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | 84.00 | 112.00 | 86.00 | 108.00 | 91.00 | 108.00 |
| Watch Dogs Legion | 59.00 | 85.00 | 66.00 | 81.00 | 70.00 | 43.00 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 (Ultra) | 37.87 | 58.93 | 46.92 | 56.00 | 40.96 | 63.56 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 RT | 19.43 | 29.49 | 10.67 | 29.90 | 20.60 | 20.08 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 RT + Frame Generation | 94.63 | 214.39 | 159.37 | 79.25 | 103.23 | 59.12 |
| F1 24 (Ultra Preset) | 85.00 | 117.00 | 88.00 | 120.00 | 94.00 | 67.00 |
| F1 24 + Frame Generation | 103.00 | 144.00 | 109.00 | 147.00 | 113.00 | 112.00 |
| Metro Exodus (Extreme) | 36.84 | 47.49 | 36.46 | 52.18 | 39.78 | 61.62 |
| Black Myth: Wukong | 23.00 | 31.00 | 23.00 | 31.00 | 30.00 | 8.00 |
| Black Myth: Wukong + Frame Generation | 37.00 | 53.00 | 39.00 | 52.00 | 40.00 | 16.00 |
The biggest issue when diving into 4K AAA gaming is the card’s 12 GB VRAM buffer. While it’s adequate for 1440p gaming—even in 2025—it can become a bottleneck in some newer 4K games, especially those with ray tracing. This limited VRAM is also a concern for future-proofing, as it raises questions about the card’s ability to handle the latest games in the years to come. This is especially noticeable when compared to AMD’s cards—particularly the latest RX 9070 XT—which offers more memory at an easier-to-justify price point.
This brings me to DLSS 4 and the new Multi-Frame Generation technology, which claims the RTX 5070 can deliver RTX 4090-level performance. This claim deserves careful examination. Multi-Frame Generation is an evolution of NVIDIA’s Frame Generation technology, now capable of generating up to three additional frames for every rendered frame—potentially quadrupling frame rates in supported titles.
On paper, it’s an impressive concept, and honestly, it has delivered well for past RTX 50-series cards. However, it does have some limitations and is not the silver bullet we all hope it could be. While it can significantly boost performance, it can also lead to distortions, visual issues, and other problems. Still, if all you want to do is play the latest games at 4K, it can certainly achieve that.
In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p with ray tracing enabled, DLSS 4 can indeed push the RTX 5070 to a solid 242.82 average FPS, significantly outperforming the RTX 4090’s native ray tracing output of 100.15 FPS. Even with DLSS turned on with the RTX 4090, the resulting 251.34 FPS is only slightly ahead of the much cheaper RTX 5070’s 242.82 FPS. However, this comparison is not entirely fair. While the RTX 5070 can come close in specific scenarios, it’s almost like comparing apples to oranges. It feels misleading to directly compare the two without considering the underlying differences in raw performance and capabilities.
“In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p with ray tracing enabled, DLSS 4 can indeed push the RTX 5070 to a solid 242.82 average FPS, significantly outperforming the RTX 4090’s native ray tracing output of 100.15 FPS.”
Even when pushing to 4K, running Cyberpunk 2077 with ray tracing turned on and DLSS Multi-Frame Generation activated, the RTX 5070 hits 159.37 FPS compared to the RTX 4090’s 169.00 FPS. However, the RTX 5070’s latency is almost double that of the 4090.
While it does deliver solid frame rates, I would hesitate to recommend the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 for 4K gaming, as it is inherently limited by its specs—even when incorporating Multi-Frame Generation. It’s great to be able to play all games with settings cranked, but it’s not the best experience overall. While DLSS is undeniably impressive technology, it’s not a catch-all solution for every game.
That said, when used appropriately at 1440p, Multi-Frame Generation remains an impressive technology that can significantly enhance gaming experiences by enabling higher frame rates in supported titles. The technology works best when the base frame rate is already reasonably high, allowing for smooth gameplay with acceptable latency.
One good thing about the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Founder’s Edition GPU is how well it works for creative tasks. Apps like Blender, AI image generation, and DaVinci Resolve with AI effects are a piece of cake for it — in some cases, it can even match the capabilities of the RTX 3090. This makes it a great option for content creators on a budget, but the 12GB VRAM limitation does limit its usefulness for more memory-intensive workloads compared to the RTX 3090’s 24GB buffer.
“One good thing about the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Founder’s Edition GPU is how well it works for creative tasks.”
The DLSS capabilities and NVIDIA’s tensor cores are great for applications that use AI acceleration. NVIDIA has a big lead over AMD in this area, which makes the RTX 5070 a good choice for people who use their computers for gaming and creative work.
At $550, the RTX 5070 is a tough sell. It’s $50 cheaper than the launch price of the RTX 4070 Super it effectively replaces, which is a positive move. However, the real-world value depends on the actual retail price and availability, which has been an issue throughout the RTX 50-series launch so far.
If you’re upgrading from an RTX 20-series or GTX 10-series card, the RTX 5070 represents a significant improvement that might be worth the investment. If you’re coming from an RTX 30-series card, you’ll still see better performance—particularly with ray tracing and DLSS 4 with Multi-Frame Generation.
However, the value equation shifts considerably when you factor in AMD’s latest GPUs. For many workflows, the RX 9070 matches the RTX 5070 Ti in performance at the same price. If the RX 9070 XT delivers performance on par with the RTX 5070 Ti for just $50 more, it becomes increasingly difficult to justify choosing the NVIDIA card. While AMD still lacks a direct answer to DLSS—particularly on the Multi-Frame Generation side—their raw power and improved ray tracing capabilities are making them far more competitive, especially in the mid-range segment.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Founder’s Edition is a capable graphics card that delivers solid 1440p gaming performance and acceptable 4K results when paired with DLSS. Its compact design, efficiency, and support for next-generation technologies like GDDR7 memory and PCIe 5.0 are commendable features. For gamers upgrading from older hardware—particularly those with RTX 20-series or GTX cards—it represents a substantial improvement in capabilities.
That being said, the card is significantly undermined by NVIDIA’s own marketing claims, which set unrealistic expectations about its performance compared to the last-generation king, the RTX 4090. The 12 GB VRAM buffer raises concerns about future-proofing, especially as 4K AAA gaming becomes increasingly memory-hungry.
For those who value NVIDIA’s mature ecosystem, superior ray tracing, and DLSS capabilities, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Founder’s Edition is a reasonable choice at its MSRP—provided you can find one at that price. For everyone else, the better option may be to wait for AMD’s GPUs to restock. While you might miss out on some NVIDIA features, you could end up with a better-valued card overall.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is good but not the revolutionary product NVIDIA’s marketing suggested. It’s a solid choice for mid-range builders seeking an upgrade, but it doesn’t quite live up to the hype of being a game-changer, as promised by NVIDIA.
