The Nvidia 12GB RTX 4080 had a tumultuous reveal. The specs weren’t fully in line with their flagship x80 series cards, and Nvidia has since backtracked the reveal. Instead, Nvidia has revealed the RTX 4070 Ti.

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Initial responses to the specs of the 12GB RTX 4080 were underwhelming, as it seemed to be on a completely different chipset than the 16GB RTX 4080. Nvidia reacted swiftly to the response and did what many are calling an “unlaunch” of GPU.

RTX 4070 Ti Specs

A Closer Look At The RTX 4070 Ti

Following the negative backlash of the RTX 4080 12GB, the RTX 4070 Ti seems to be little more than a rebranding of the previous card. Clock speeds remain the same, along with every other core feature of the GPU. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as it was previously stated the GPU would simply undergo a rebranding. The RTX 4070 Ti does have a fair bit going for it in terms of performance, however.

The suggested retail price of the RTX 4070 Ti is $799, not quite as steep as the RTX 4080 16GB or RTX 4090, but still fairly steep. The price is a relatively large jump between card generations, with the suggested retail price of $599 for the founder’s edition of the RTX 3070 Ti. The reasoning for such a large leap in pricing hasn’t been fully explained by Nvidia.

The RTX 4070 Ti performance-wise seems to be more in line with the specs of the RTX 3090 of the previous generation. Specs aren’t entirely on par, but it still is quite a leap from the previous generation’s RTX 3070 Ti. It does make one wonder where the RTX 4080 16GB sits within the hierarchy, as it is more of a midpoint between the decently specced RTX 4070 Ti and the premium RTX 4090.

RTX 4070 Ti: What Is It Used For?

The RTX 4070 Ti is geared towards high-end PC gaming performance, and as such performs quite admirably on a variety of demanding games. Ray tracing support is great, and some games like Metro Exodus look absolutely breathtaking while playing.

Being close in terms of performance to the RTX 3090 for nearly half the price of the previous flagship GPU has its benefits. This is a monster of a GPU despite the steep price tag. Compared to the prices of the RTX 4080 16GB it is fairly reasonable. Big gains have been made with the DLSS performance in the Ada generation, with marked improvements in demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077.

4K performance is great on demanding titles like Metro Exodus, Modern Warfare 2, and Cyberpunk 2077. It doesn’t have the grunt behind it required to drive something like AI development. For gaming use, it more than excels. Any potential purchasers have a future-proof card with good performance for things like VR, DLSS, and Raytracing. If you’re seeking to do machine learning, it’ll perform quite well. It isn’t built for the task like the RTX 4090.

RTX 4070 Ti: What Are the Limitations?

Performance for the RTX 4070 Ti is a marked improvement from the RTX 3070 Ti, but there are some limitations. Pricing is one major concern, as this is priced more in line with the premium GPUs of previous years. Rising GPU prices have been something that markedly climbed up since the start of the pandemic. The 4000 series of Nvidia cards only are continuing that trend.

Instead of a more reasonable mid-range GPU price in the $500-600 range, GPUs in this particular market niche are veering closer to the $800-900 range. Also of note is the memory, where Nvidia has decided to implement a 192-bit memory bus.

All in all, it seems an odd set of choices to make for the GPU. It commands a premium price point, but it isn’t fully premium in terms of feature sets. It presents a worrying precedent of cutting features and improvements but still charging premium prices for what should be top-of-the-line performance.

RTX 4070 Ti: Should You Buy It?

For those in search of a new GPU, it can be a tough sell. Prices have been rising. That isn’t even accounting for the scalpers and other internet miscreants driving the prices even higher. If you’re in the market for a new GPU, it certainly does present an attractive package. It isn’t quite as targeted by scalpers as the RTX 4080 and 4090 series of cards, although scalpers were recently hampered by Newegg’s decision to stop giving refunds on the RTX 4080. Hopefully, for those who are more budget-minded, there might be an RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 in the works.

For everyone else, it can only be recommended if you treat it as a premium flagship card in terms of pricing. There are some curious decisions in terms of pricing and feature sets. The memory pool is quite solid, but the memory bus being restricted to 192-bit is a baffling choice. DLSS and ray tracing performance are solid. However, not every game on the market is built with these technologies in mind.

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The RTX 4070 Ti is a curious card with an even more nebulous place on the market. It remains to be seen where it will sit in the current lineup after budget options are introduced. The 4000 series of GPUs have been controversial for a variety of reasons. The shaky reveal of the RTX 4080 12GB seems to have already made its mark on this GPU.

RTX 4070 Ti: Alternatives and Suggestions

The GPU market is inundated with choices. Here are a few which are comparable or analogous to the RTX 4070 Ti:

  • Nvidia RTX 3080Radeon RX 7900XTRadeon RX 6700XT

Nvidia RTX 3080

Nvidia RTX 3080 is still a highly competitive card and is priced comparably to the RTX 4070 Ti. While it doesn’t boast parity in performance, it is more than capable of maxing out the latest games. It also isn’t hampered by the memory bus, having a 320-bit bus makes it more than capable of handling anything you throw at it. While it may be outdated in a sense, there is plenty of newly manufactured RTX 3080s in the wild that are retailing for similar prices to the RTX 4070 Ti.

Radeon RX 7900XT

AMD’s Radeon RX 7900XT makes a great alternative to the RTX 4070 Ti. It doesn’t get the advantage of the Nvidia-centric technologies like DLSS, but it is a high-performance card for a fraction of the price of something like the RTX 4080. A 320-bit memory bus coupled with 20GB of GDDR6 VRAM makes this a great option. Performance across a smattering of the latest and greatest titles is smooth and buttery, and you’ll have no issue running your VR headset if you desire.

  • Memory Speed:19 Gbps.Digital Max Resolution:7680x4320.CUDA CORES: 8704 UnitsChipset: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 LHRBoost Clock: 1830 MHzVideo Memory: 10GB GDDR6X.Avoid using unofficial softwareMemory Interface: 320-bit

Radeon RX 6700XT

The Radeon RX 6700XT is an older card, but it is by no means a slouch in the performance department. It boasts the same 12GB of VRAM as the RTX 4070 Ti. Performance is stellar, and gamers won’t be fussy over the high framerates in today’s hottest games. It is also fully capable of VR and 4K gaming, while also taking advantage of AMD’s FidelityFX CAS to make games look even better.

  • Chipset: AMD RX 7900 XTMemory: 20GB GDDR6XFX MERC Triple Fan Cooling SolutionBoost Clock: Up to 2560 MHz

  • Powered by AMD RDNA 2 Radeon RX 6700 XTIntegrated with 12GB GDDR6 192-bit memory interfaceWINDFORCE 3X Cooling System with alternate spinning fansScreen cooling2x DisplayPort 1.4a