RTX 2070 Max-Q vs RX 470
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | RTX 2070 Max-Q | RX 470 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,830 | 1,729 | +5.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 32 | 31 | +3.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 17 | 17 | — |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 9 | 9 | — |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 5.2 | 4.9 | +5.9% |
| VRAM | 8 GB GDDR6 | 4 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 448 | 224 | +100.0% |
| TDP (W) | 78 | 120 | — |
- RTX 2070 Max-Q averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 0% faster.
- RTX 2070 Max-Q draws less power (78W vs 120W).
Verdict: RTX 2070 Max-Q or RX 470?
RTX 2070 Max-Q advantages
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+6%)
- Video memory (+50%)
- Memory bandwidth (+50%)
- Power efficiency (+35%)
RX 470 advantages
- No decisive advantage on the tracked metrics.
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 2070 Max-Q if you want the higher benchmark performance overall.
- Choose the RTX 2070 Max-Q if you play the latest titles at high textures or do GPU-accelerated work.
RTX 2070 Max-Q vs RX 470: which should you choose?
RTX 2070 Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2018, Turing) with 8 GB of GDDR6, averaging 17 fps at 1440p.
RX 470 — AMD desktop graphics card (2016, Polaris) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 17 fps at 1440p; launched at $179.
RTX 2070 Max-Q vs RX 470: RTX 2070 Max-Q is faster for gaming. RTX 2070 Max-Q averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 0% faster. RTX 2070 Max-Q draws less power (78W vs 120W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 2070 Max-Q averages 17 fps against 17. At 4K (9 vs 9 fps) VRAM (8GB vs 4GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 78 W versus 120 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the RTX 2070 Max-Q better than the RX 470?
RTX 2070 Max-Q is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 2070 Max-Q averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 0% faster.
What is the main difference between the RTX 2070 Max-Q and the RX 470?
RTX 2070 Max-Q averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 0% faster. RTX 2070 Max-Q draws less power (78W vs 120W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RTX 2070 Max-Q if you want the higher benchmark performance overall. Choose the RTX 2070 Max-Q if you play the latest titles at high textures or do GPU-accelerated work.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.