RX 470 vs RTX 2070 Max-Q
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | RX 470 | RTX 2070 Max-Q | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,729 | 1,830 | -5.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 31 | 32 | -3.1% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 17 | 17 | — |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 9 | 9 | — |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 4.9 | 5.2 | -5.5% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 8 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 224 | 448 | -50.0% |
| TDP (W) | 120 | 78 | — |
- RX 470 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 0% faster.
- RTX 2070 Max-Q draws less power (78W vs 120W).
Verdict: RX 470 or RTX 2070 Max-Q?
RX 470 advantages
- No decisive advantage on the tracked metrics.
RTX 2070 Max-Q advantages
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+6%)
- Video memory (+50%)
- Memory bandwidth (+50%)
- Power efficiency (+35%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RTX 2070 Max-Q if you want the higher benchmark performance overall.
RX 470 vs RTX 2070 Max-Q: which should you choose?
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 — NVIDIA laptop graphics card (2018, Turing) with 8 GB of GDDR6, averaging 17 fps at 1440p.
RX 470 vs RTX 2070 Max-Q: RX 470 is faster for gaming. RX 470 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 RX 470 averages 17 fps against 17. At 4K (9 vs 9 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 8GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 120 W versus 78 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 RX 470 better than the RTX 2070 Max-Q?
RTX 2070 Max-Q is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RX 470 averages 17 fps at 1440p versus 17 fps — about 0% faster.
What is the main difference between the RX 470 and the RTX 2070 Max-Q?
RX 470 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.
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.