We are only days away until the 29th of October, and the RTX 3070 will soon launch and hit the shelves, but one question everyone’s asking is, should you get it on launch day? Of course, you’re free to get it out of the desire for the latest technology, but from a more practical point of view, what are the things you need to consider before purchasing, and is it worth it? To answer these questions, let’s explore what we already know.
Benchmarks Just Leaked, And Here’s What We Know
On a positive note, benchmarks of the RTX 3070 were recently leaked, which gives a solid base to compare with all the current GPUs available in the RTX 3000 series lineup. And going off of numbers alone, to say that things are looking very good and bright, is a big understatement of the RTX 3070’s performance.
#1 Beats Out The RTX 2080Ti
For starters, Nvidia’s claim that the RTX 3070 will give similar performance to the RTX 2080Ti at a much more affordable price point appears to have been beaten. In the leaked Ashes of the Singularity benchmarks, you can immediately see both scores going head to head, with some settings favoring the RTX 3070 by 1 or 2 frames per second.
However, please take these leaked benchmarks with a grain of salt because Ashes of the Singularity is a more CPU intensive benchmark as opposed to graphics output. So, it might not be the best method of seeing the full drawn-out potential of both GPUs. Still, any benchmark is good, and in this case, Nvidia seems to have kept their promise.
#2 Strong Price To Performance
Just as Caspher services would emphasize the importance of practicality, there is a strong liking towards the RTX 3070 for the price to performance it offers. When we compare the initial price launch of the RTX 2080Ti at $1200, the RTX 3070 comes at less than half of that price for a similar performance at $500.
As a result, getting an RTX 3070 opens the gates to higher-resolution gaming, visualization, and content creation for the general consumers. Upwards of 1440p and 4K graphics will not only be limited to higher-end graphics cards, and everyone will get a more affordable GPU that can pack a punch.
But, Here’s Why You Might Want To Think Otherwise
However, just because the RTX 3070 sounds good on paper doesn’t immediately translate into an excellent purchase. And, once you consider all things, there are aspects of the RTX 3070 that can encourage you to reconsider and think otherwise.
#1 GDDR6 Memory, Not GDDR6X
First up, one thing you need to remember about the RTX 3070 is that it comes equipped with the standard GDDR6 memory and not GDDR6X. And, yes, it might seem like nitpicking, but the jump between GDDR6 to GDDR6X is very much noticeable. While you won’t feel it as much in recent titles, you also need to consider future-proofing and how applications grow more demanding over time.
So, if you can afford to wait for a super/refreshed variant that utilizes GDDR6X, you might want to consider holding off just a tad bit longer before making that purchase. We promise you the extra oomph out of an added letter “X” will be worth the wait.
#2 Availability Problems
Secondly, if there’s anything the 3080 and 3090 launches have taught us is that Nvidia is experiencing some availability problems, and we might see that repeat with the RTX 3070 launch. So regardless of whether you want one or not, being able to get your hands on one will take a lot of effort on your part.
Another thing to consider is the risk of succumbing to scalpers and bots again, and if Nvidia fails to see this problem fixed, we might get another hot take of outrageous prices for RTX 3070s popping up everywhere on eBay. But, if you’re determined to watch as they go live or wait in line at the storefront, we wish you good luck.
#3 Better Options
Lastly, despite the performance uplift and great price point for the RTX 3070, Nvidia just outdid themselves, and there are far better options available among the RTX 3000 series cards. Take, for example, the RTX 3080; for only $200 more, you’re getting more VRAM, faster clock speeds, GDDR6X memory, and nearly double the performance of previous flagship cards at 4K resolution.
So, if you can afford to squeeze out $200 more and wait a bit more for supplies to restock, then you might want to go the next leg up with the RTX 3080.
Verdict: We Need To Wait For Real-world Benchmarks
Overall, while we might think that the RTX 3070 is a good buy, we can’t say for certain unless we see some hard evidence and real-world benchmarks. So, our final verdict still goes to the waiting game and seeing things out until they’re fully optimized.