The newly released ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12GB GDDR6X OC Edition represents an incremental step-up in performance over the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 12GB GDDR6X OC Edition that was released back in April 2023.

January 2024 saw the announcement and release of NVIDIA's refreshed mid-range "Ada Lovelace" GPUs in the form of the RTX 4000 SUPER series, namely the RTX 4080 SUPER, the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER as well as the RTX 4070 SUPER. Featuring an increase in CUDA cores and clock speeds, the launch of the RTX 4000 SUPER series of GPUs has seen the original RTX 4080 and RTX 4070 Ti go EOL (end-of-life) - a relatively short lifespan for these two GPUs given that they were launched not too long ago. It's interesting to note that the original RTX 4070 (non-SUPER) has not yet been canned by NVIDIA, and in all likelihood will continue to be produced alongside its SUPER brethren for some time to come.

To get in on the launch excitement of the RTX 4070 SUPER, we'll be checking out a non-MSRP RTX 4070 SUPER graphics card that's positioned at the higher-end of the 4070 SUPER spectrum: the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12GB GDDR6X OC Edition. Sporting a factory overclock and a military-inspired aesthetic courtesy of its aluminium shroud and backplate, read on to see how this card performs with a mix of synthetic and gaming benchmark tests at the 1440p resolution, when paired with a mid-range processor, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600.

Summary of Specifications (TUF-RTX4070S-O12G-GAMING)

• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER (AD104)
  • 7168 CUDA cores
• Memory: 12GB GDDR6X RAM (192-bit, 21 Gbps)
• Clock Speeds:
  • OC Mode: 2595 MHz
  • Default Mode: 2565 MHz
• Bus Type: PCIe 4.0 x16
• Outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a
• External Power Required: Yes, 1x 16-pin (12VHPWR)
• Recommended PSU Wattage: 750W and above
• Dimensions: 301mm x 139mm x 63mm
• Thickness: 3.15 slots width

Packaging & Accessories

The TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12GB GDDR6X OC Edition comes in a box with an outer sleeve that sports a black, green and silver colourway, where the rear of the sleeve gives the usual overview of features and specifications that the card has.

Upon removing the outer sleeve, we get a black cardboard box that holds the graphics card - said box comes embellished with TUF Gaming motifs for a more gamer-oriented appearance.

The following accessories come included:

• 2x 8-pin to 1x 16-pin 12VHPWR power adapter cable
• Certificate of Reliability
• Collectible card
• Graphics card holder with built-in screwdriver
• Mobile phone holder
• Power cable installation guide
• Quick start guide
• TUF Gaming Velcro hook and loop
• Warranty card

For a walkthrough of the accessories that come included with the card, be sure to check out the YouTube video embedded at the start of this article.

Some interesting accessories worth highlighting include a graphics card holder that comes with a built-in screwdriver, as well as a mobile phone holder that is constructed out of cardboard punch-outs and requires some assembly before use.

Aesthetics & Physical Features

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER looks exactly the same as the TUF Gaming RTX 4070 non-SUPER that came before it - this is because in all likelihood, both cards utilise the same "vented exoskeleton" comprising of an aluminium shroud and backplate, which contributes to its unique military-inspired aesthetic. As such, the card's physical features do appear to be identical to the TUF Gaming RTX 4070 non-SUPER's; we're talking three "axial-tech" fans with dual ball bearings for better airflow, which only spin up when GPU temperatures go above 55°C so as to keep noise output levels to a minimum, a 3.15-slot design, premium 20K military-grade capacitors and so on.

Over on the rear of the card, we get a metal backplate that helps with reducing PCB flex while also assisting with heat dissipation.

RGB junkies will be pleased to note that the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER comes with Aura Sync addressable RGB LED accents, which can be controlled via ASUS's Armoury Crate software application.

Along the long edge of the card is a switch that allows end-users to toggle between two BIOS profiles so as to suit their usage scenarios - the Quiet Mode, as its name implies, implements a less aggressive fan curve to help keep fan noise at bay.

For better or for worse, the 16-pin 12VHPWR power connector looks set to become a permanent feature with NVIDIA's mid-to-high-end GPU offerings, and the RTX 4070 SUPER is no exception.

GPU-Z Screenshot

Testing Methodology

To get a sensing of the card's performance, the following tests were run:

Synthetics

• 3DMark Time Spy v1.2
• Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0

Gameplay

• Cyberpunk 2077 v2.1 in-game benchmark
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider in-game benchmark
• Fortnite (Actual Gameplay)

All tests above were run at the 1440p resolution with the card set to the "Performance" mode.

Test Setup

A test bench with the specifications below was used:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600
• CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Halo Black
• CPU Thermal Paste: Cooler Master MasterGel Pro
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 GAMING X Rev. 1.1 (BIOS F38g)
• Memory: 16GB (2x8GB) Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 3600 CL17
• Storage: Gigabye NVMe SSD 512GB (GP-GSM2NE3512GNTD)
• Graphics Card: ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12GB GDDR6X OC Edition
• PSU: ASUS ROG THOR 1600W Titanium
• Case: OEM open-air test bench
• Monitor: Gigabyte G27Q 27" LCD monitor (144 Hz, 1440p)
• OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Pro (23H2)
• Graphics Driver: NVIDIA Game Ready Driver 546.65
• Resizable BAR: Enabled

The test results shown below were taken from benchmark runs that were performed without any screen capture software running in the background. Where necessary, readouts from MSI Afterburner as well as HWiNFO64 were obtained so as to measure FPS performance and other relevant performance metrics.

3DMark Time Spy v1.2

With the 3DMark Time Spy test, the test bench achieved a graphics score of 21730, a CPU score of 7799 and an overall Time Spy score of 17138.

Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0

The test setup scored 3339 points for Unigine's Heaven Benchmark 4.0, with an average FPS of 132.6, a minimum FPS of 40.0 and a maximum FPS of 322.2. The test was run at 1440p resolution on the maximum possible graphics settings, with DirectX 11 rendering on Ultra Quality, extreme tessellation, stereo 3D disabled, multi-monitor disabled, and anti-aliasing set at x8.

Cyberpunk 2077 v2.1 In-game Benchmark

With Cyberpunk 2077 v2.1's built-in benchmark tool, the test bench attains an average FPS of 89.00, a minimum FPS of 55.19 and a maximum FPS of 129.22 - these results were obtained on the 1440p resolution using the "Ultra" graphics preset with ray tracing disabled, and all upscaling technologies such as AMD's FSR 2.1 and NVIDIA's DLSS switched off.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider In-game Benchmark

With Shadow of the Tomb Raider's built-in benchmark test, the test bench achieves an average FPS of 95 - the results pictured above were obtained while on the 1440p resolution with all graphics settings turned up to the highest possible settings, where Ray Tracing Shadow Quality was set to "Ultra" and all forms of upscaling technologies (e.g. XeSS) were disabled.

Fortnite (Actual Gameplay)

To get a sensing of real-world gaming performance. I played several rounds of Fortnite on the test bench, which saw the system achieve an average FPS of 58.1, a minimum FPS of 40.8 and a maximum FPS of 75.8. The game was set to the highest possible graphics settings on the 1440p resolution with hardware ray tracing enabled, Temporal Super Resolution set to the "Native" setting, anti-aliasing and super resolution set to the "TSR Epic" option, Nanite Virtual Geometry enabled, as well as Global Illumination and Reflections set to the "Lumen Epic" settings. The FPS figures shown above were obtained via MSI Afterburner, which was used to track the game's performance in the background.

Power Consumption, Thermals & Acoustics

Power Consumption

Idle:

• Avg. GPU Power: 7.5w
• Min. GPU Power: 6.9w
• Max. GPU Power: 7.9w

Under Load (Fortnite Gameplay on Max Settings):

• Avg. GPU Power: 215.2W
• Min. GPU Power: 190.4W
• Max. GPU Power: 219.6W

The figures above were obtained from the "GPU Power" readouts from HWiNFO64.

Thermals

Idle:

• Avg. GPU Temperature: 43.1°C
• Min. GPU Temperature: 43.0°C
• Max. GPU Temperature: 43.3°C
• Avg. GPU Hot Spot Temperature: 52.3°C
• Min. GPU Hot Spot Temperature: 52.1°C
• Max. GPU Hot Spot Temperature: 52.5°C

Under Load (Fortnite Gameplay on Max Graphics Settings)

• Avg. GPU Temperature: 62.2°C
• Min. GPU Temperature: 44.6°C
• Max. GPU Temperature: 64.9°C
• Avg. GPU Hot Spot Temperature: 72.7°C
• Min. GPU Hot Spot Temperature: 54.1°C
• Max. GPU Hot Spot Temperature: 76.6°C

The figures above were obtained from "GPU Temperature" & "GPU Hot Spot Temperature" readouts from HWiNFO64.

The ambient temperature of the test bench's surroundings was measured to be approximately 29°C.

While on the Performance mode and under gaming workloads, the TUF Gaming RTX 4070 SUPER's fans were pretty quiet - do bear in mind that this was with the use of an open-air test bench. That said, some form of coil whine was detected, where it manifested as a low buzzing noise that wasn't all that loud; inside of an enclosed PC case, the said coil whine would probably go unnoticed.

Conclusion & Pricing

The ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12GB GDDR6X OC Edition comes across as a more upscale RTX 4070 SUPER graphics card offering, where it's well-built and comes with a beefy cooling solution with good thermal performance - this card would be very much at home with 1080p gaming workloads on maxed settings, or 1440p gaming with graphics settings dialed down a notch.

Comparing the performance of this graphics card to its direct predecessor, the TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 12GB GDDR6X OC Edition that I reviewed back in April 2023, it can be seen that the TUF Gaming RTX 4070 SUPER is approximately 17% faster in terms of average FPS compared to the TUF Gaming RTX 4070 non-SUPER for benchmarks such as Heaven 4.0, Shadow of The Tomb Raider and Fortnite - a smaller performance increase was observed for the Cyberpunk 2077 benchmark, which saw a 7% increase in average FPS with the 4070 SUPER over the 4070 non-SUPER. It's worth noting though that between the RTX 4070 benchmark and the RTX 4070 SUPER benchmark, I had swapped out the original Kingston DDR4 3200 RAMs for Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 3600 RAMs, though this component difference should not have too much of an impact in the resultant test outcomes.

Seeing as RTX 4070 non-SUPER graphics cards will continue to be around for some time, end-consumers would do well to do some research on price differences between the 4070 SUPER and the 4070 before committing to a purchase - significant price cuts to the RTX 4070 non-SUPER in the coming months would most certainly have a bearing on the overall value proposition that the RTX 4070 SUPER has to offer.

As of end-January 2024, the ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12GB GDDR6X OC Edition is available to purchase for a price of around $1089 SIngapore dollars from offline and online PC hardware retailers in Singapore. For international readers, e-Commerce sites such as Newegg currently have the card listed for $689.99 US dollars.

Get this card from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3HDLTvI

Get this card from Lazada Singapore: https://c.lazada.sg/t/c.Yll8Y4

Get this card from Shopee Singapore: https://shope.ee/9pFd6VlfYe

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The graphics card featured in this article was a review unit provided on loan from ASUS Singapore.