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wonderings

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Nov 19, 2021
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I am thinking of upgrading my GPU. I currently have an RTX 2070. I am looking at a 4070 and have noticed there are 2 basic hardware versions, a 12gig model and a 16gig model. There is an around a $350 CDN difference between the two. Is there a noticeable improvement going with a 16 gig version? Not a super high end game, the most taxing game I probably play is Star Citizen. I play some other games off and on, Red Dead, GTA V, CyberPunks and random games through Ubisoft Premium so to replace with Xbox cloud. Assassins Creed, Batman, etc.
 
What resolution are you playing at? 1440p? 4k? 1440p you could get by on 12gb but some of the newer games out are definitely pushing the tram limits these days. the two variants you speak of is the 4070 super vs 4070 ti super. The ti model is faster as well on top of the extra vram, it is a decent upgrade overall.
 
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What resolution are you playing at? 1440p? 4k? 1440p you could get by on 12gb but some of the newer games out are definitely pushing the tram limits these days. the two variants you speak of is the 4070 super vs 4070 ti super. The ti model is faster as well on top of the extra vram, it is a decent upgrade overall.
Not actually sure what resolution it is playing at, I generally just leave settings wherever they are when I load a new game. Monitor is 4K. So I am not a hardcore gamer, would just like to upgrade and get a little boost, especially with Star Citizen. I am assuming either variants of the 4070 is going to be a decent upgrade from the 2070?
 


From what I’m seeing in YT video comments, including about low GPU usage, the game has quite a ways to go regarding optimization.
oh the game is glitchy for sure, but I love the realism of it all and simply flying around on my ship as the sun crests over the horizon, it looks pretty great and would love to be able to handle it better. I am not expecting butter smooth, but a nice upgrade from the 2070 I am using now.
 
If you’re after the best visuals, being able to take advantage of the higher resolution is a big deal. I would go with the 4070 ti personally
 
Usual rule of thumb is buy the most GPU and VRAM you can afford but you can always dial down resolution and graphics quality if needed.

Only the 4070 TI Super has 16GB VRAM while the 4070 Ti, 4070 Super and 4070 only have 12GB.

Don't have readily access to Canadian prices but base on US prices the 4070 Super wins with best performance per dollar and performance per watt recurring cost.

$800 16GB 4070 Ti Super, Starfield 97.0fps @ 1080p, 304W gaming power consumption
$600 12GB 4070 Super, Starfield 86.6fps @ 1080p, 218W gaming power consumption

4070 Ti Super is only 12% faster but initial cost is 33% more and recurring gaming power consumption 39% higher.

Starfield GPU performance comparison
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4080-super-founders-edition/28.html

GPU gaming power consumption comparison
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4080-super-founders-edition/41.html
 
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Usual rule of thumb is buy the most GPU and VRAM you can afford but you can always dial down resolution and graphics quality if needed.

Only the 4070 TI Super has 16GB VRAM while the 4070 Ti, 4070 Super and 4070 only have 12GB.

Don't have readily access to Canadian prices but base on US prices the 4070 Super wins with best performance per dollar and performance per watt recurring cost.

$800 16GB 4070 Ti Super, Starfield 97.0fps @ 1080p, 304W gaming power consumption
$600 12GB 4070 Super, Starfield 86.6fps @ 1080p, 218W gaming power consumption

4070 Ti Super is only 12% faster but initial cost is 33% more and recurring gaming power consumption 39% higher.

Starfield GPU performance comparison
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4080-super-founders-edition/28.html

GPU gaming power consumption comparison
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4080-super-founders-edition/41.html
It’s about 15% faster in 4K and he has a 4K monitor. The higher the res, the bigger the gap will be with the extra vram. And games are only getting more demanding, look at the specs for the new flight simulator and monster hunter wilds coming out soon.

Again it comes down to what you can afford and how long you want it to last. I tend to keep my pc’s for several years so I go for top shelf components so I’m not spending my money again in a couple years just to play the next title without having to turn everything down and have it look like crap.
 
Another thing is to consider is that is your pc have one of the latest CPU's installed? Increasing the gpu performance my not be cost effective if your bottle neck is the CPU. There are sites online to test your viability of your rig for games. I go to PC benchmark, put in your info of your rig and compare it to programs...as you scroll down, it will show you weakpoints and gives you a answer to you next purchase needs.

 
Will the card be just for game playing, or content creation? More Vram the better for content creation. Higher the resolution of your gaming, the more vram you'll need.

Tbh, you risk painting yourself into a corner by limiting the vram, if you can afford the 16GB model, get that, if just for the future.
 
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Depends also for how long will you use this gpu. If you are not planning to upgrade again soon, then it would be safer to just get a 16GB model.
I have a 4070 12GB that I got in 2023 and my next card will need to have a minimum of 16GB VRAM, otherwise it doesn't really feel like an upgrade. Games will only get more demanding and there are games already using more than 12GB depending on the settings.
 
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