RTX 4070 vs GTX 1070 Max-Q
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | RTX 4070 | GTX 1070 Max-Q | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 11,660 | 1,581 | +637.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 97 | 30 | +223.3% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 60 | 16 | +275.0% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 34 | 8 | +325.0% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 29.2 | 4.5 | +544.9% |
| VRAM | 12 GB GDDR6X | 8 GB GDDR5 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 504 | 224 | +125.0% |
| TDP (W) | 200 | 67 | — |
- RTX 4070 averages 60 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 275% faster.
- GTX 1070 Max-Q draws less power (67W vs 200W).
Verdict: RTX 4070 or GTX 1070 Max-Q?
RTX 4070 advantages
- 1440p gaming (+73%)
- 4K gaming (+76%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+86%)
- Video memory (+33%)
- Memory bandwidth (+56%)
GTX 1070 Max-Q advantages
- Power efficiency (+67%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 4070 if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the GTX 1070 Max-Q if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the RTX 4070 if you game at 4K or drive a high-resolution display.
RTX 4070 vs GTX 1070 Max-Q: which should you choose?
RTX 4070 — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2023, Ada Lovelace) with 12 GB of GDDR6X, averaging 60 fps at 1440p; launched at $599.
GTX 1070 Max-Q — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2016, Pascal) with 8 GB of GDDR5, averaging 16 fps at 1440p.
RTX 4070 vs GTX 1070 Max-Q: RTX 4070 is faster for gaming. RTX 4070 averages 60 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 275% faster. GTX 1070 Max-Q draws less power (67W vs 200W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RTX 4070 averages 60 fps against 16. At 4K (34 vs 8 fps) VRAM (12GB vs 8GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 200 W versus 67 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 4070 better than the GTX 1070 Max-Q?
RTX 4070 is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RTX 4070 averages 60 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 275% faster.
What is the main difference between the RTX 4070 and the GTX 1070 Max-Q?
RTX 4070 averages 60 fps at 1440p versus 16 fps — about 275% faster. GTX 1070 Max-Q draws less power (67W vs 200W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RTX 4070 if you game at 1440p. Choose the GTX 1070 Max-Q if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
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.