RTX 3080 vs 4070: Which GPU Should You Buy in 2026?

Introduction

If you are building a high-end PC or upgrading yours, choosing the right graphics card for the right resolution between the RTX 3080 vs 4070 can be challenging, especially when comparing two previous-generation, high-end options. The RTX 3080, an enthusiast-class graphics card by NVIDIA, and the RTX 4070, a high-end graphics card by the same company. Both are built on different architectures and come from different generations of NVIDIA GPUs.

Both GPUs have their strengths and weaknesses. However, when the RTX 3080 was launched a few years ago, it was a top-tier card, and now it’s more affordable on the used market. The RTX 4070, on the other hand, offers incredible features like DLSS 3 and AV1 support, which will be beneficial for live streamers with limited internet bandwidth.

If you are looking for decent GPUs to build a mid-range PC for 1080p gaming or even 1440p in some AAA titles, with some sacrifices in the graphical settings menu, which will be set to medium or using DLSS, you can read our article showcasing the RTX 3060 vs RTX 4060 or the other one showcasing the RTX 4060 vs RTX 3070.

In this article, we will help you choose your next GPU based on your requirements and give you a straightforward answer to the article’s headline question. We’ll also break down the key differences in simple terms between those GPUs, and most importantly, we will answer the wise question: which one is worth your money in 2025?

Technical Specs Comparison

Table Summary

As you can see, the RTX 3080 and the RTX 4070 are previous-generation, high-end GPUs tailored for 1440p or even 2160p resolutions. The RTX 3080 has 10 GB VRAM, while the RTX 4070 has 12 GB VRAM.

The RTX 4070 benefits from the newer Ada Lovelace architecture and requires less power to use it; a mere 200 watts (650 watts PSU for the whole system) is enough to power the beast you will build, while the RTX 3080 requires 320 watts (750 watts PSU for the whole system) to get it to work efficiently.

The AV1 encoder and the 12 GB of VRAM are two advantages of the RTX 4070, and it would be more future-proof than the RTX 3080 in long-term use.

The RTX 4070 supports DLSS 3 (Frame Generation) and was built on the Ada Lovelace architecture (5nm microchip provided by TSMC), while the RTX 3080 only supports DLSS 2 upscaling technology and was built on the Ampere architecture (8nm microchip provided by Samsung).

RTX 3080 vs 4070: Gaming Benchmark

This video by the “JegsTV” channel sums up the verdict on whether choosing an RTX 4070 or an RTX 3080 for gaming.

Note that I will not include the 1% low metric in each video game benchmarking test because it might be a bit overcomplicated for beginners.

It’s generally more important to focus on the average FPS (frames per second) per game. The 1% low is useful for advanced users as it helps them understand the consistency of performance and the smoothness of gameplay.

1440p Resolution Gaming

Testing was done at 1440p using high to ultra settings. Ray tracing and DLSS were disabled unless noted.

Close Battles Between Both GPUs

In several modern titles, both cards perform almost identically:

• The Last of Us Part 1 – RTX 3080 at 57 FPS, RTX 4070 slightly ahead with 61 FPS.
• Resident Evil 4 Remake – RTX 3080 hits 105 FPS, RTX 4070 edges it with 109 FPS.
• Hogwarts Legacy – A near tie, with RTX 3080 at 68 FPS and RTX 4070 at 71 FPS.
• Elden Ring – Both GPUs are capped close together: 102 FPS (3080) vs 103 FPS (4070).
• Dying Light 2 – RTX 3080 averages 88 FPS, RTX 4070 a touch higher at 92 FPS.
• Battlefield 2042 – 114 FPS (3080) against 112 FPS (4070), essentially even.
• The Witcher 3 (Next Gen, RT + DLSS Quality) – RTX 3080 posts 51 FPS, RTX 4070 slightly better at 53 FPS.

Cases Where The RTX 4070 is Superior

Some games see the newer Ada GPU pull ahead, often thanks to efficiency or optimization:

• Atomic Heart – RTX 4070 stretches a lead with 125 FPS, compared to 106 FPS on the RTX 3080.
• F1 2022 – Another clear win: RTX 4070 at 199 FPS vs 176 FPS on the RTX 3080.
• Forza Horizon 5 – A big gap here, with RTX 4070 delivering 153 FPS versus the RTX 3080’s 101 FPS.
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – RTX 4070 at 98 FPS, outperforming the RTX 3080’s 87 FPS.

Cases Where The RTX 3080 Holds Its Ground

Despite being older, the Ampere flagship still outperforms the RTX 4070 in some titles:

• God of War – RTX 3080 also leads here, hitting 96 FPS compared to the RTX 4070’s 88 FPS.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – RTX 3080 averages 101 FPS, narrowly ahead of the RTX 4070’s 99 FPS.
• The Division 2 – RTX 3080 posts 138 FPS, while RTX 4070 trails slightly at 135 FPS.
• Cyberpunk 2077 (No RT) – RTX 3080 at 94 FPS versus RTX 4070 at 89 FPS.

2160p – 4K Resolution Gaming

AAA, GPU Intensive Games

• The Last of Us Part 1 – At 1440p Ultra without DLSS or ray tracing, both GPUs struggle a bit, but the RTX 4070 edges out with 32 FPS compared to the RTX 3080’s 31 FPS. The difference is negligible, meaning you’d want to enable DLSS or lower settings for a smoother experience on either card.
• Resident Evil 4 Remake – With maximum settings and high ray tracing, the RTX 3080 actually comes out slightly stronger at 59 FPS versus 57 FPS on the RTX 4070. This is a rare case where the older card holds its ground thanks to its wider memory bus and higher raw bandwidth.
• Hogwarts Legacy – Here, the RTX 3080 shows its strength, delivering 47 FPS compared to the 4070’s 40 FPS. In large open-world games with heavy textures, the 3080’s larger VRAM bandwidth helps it maintain higher averages.
• Atomic Heart – This is one of the few titles where the RTX 4070 flexes its Ada architecture efficiency, hitting 88 FPS against the 3080’s 83 FPS. It’s not a massive difference, but it shows how well-optimized games can benefit newer GPUs.
• Red Dead Redemption 2 – Using the Vulkan API and “Favor Quality” preset, the RTX 3080 edges out with 64 FPS compared to 60 FPS on the RTX 4070. Both are highly playable, but again, the 3080 shows better consistency in massive open-world games.
• Elden Ring – Similar story here: the RTX 3080 averages 67 FPS vs 63 FPS on the 4070. FromSoftware’s engine favors raw GPU grunt over efficiency, giving the older Ampere card the advantage.
• Cyberpunk 2077 (No RT) – Without ray tracing and DLSS, Cyberpunk punishes both GPUs. The 3080 pushes 45 FPS while the 4070 trails with 41 FPS. This game benefits heavily from DLSS, so leaving it off gives us a raw performance look where the 3080’s raw power shines.
• The Witcher 3 Next Gen (RT On + DLSS Quality) – Both GPUs struggle in this RT-heavy scenario, with the 3080 averaging 41 FPS and the 4070 close at 40 FPS. It’s a draw here, showing how demanding ray-traced titles are without frame generation.
• God of War – At Ultra settings, the RTX 3080 leads again with 63 FPS compared to the 4070’s 56 FPS. The extra CUDA cores and memory bandwidth help the older card here.

Esports & Competitive Games

• The Division 2 (DX12) – Here, the RTX 4070 actually edges ahead, averaging 65 FPS compared to 58 FPS on the 3080. A solid example of Ada’s efficiency, scaling well with DirectX 12.
• F1 2022 – Interesting outlier: the RTX 3080 hits 97 FPS, while the 4070 drops to 71 FPS. This shows that not every esports or racing game favors the newer card, especially when RT is off.
• Forza Horizon 5 – The RTX 4070 shines here with 94 FPS compared to the 3080’s 74 FPS. Forza is highly optimized for modern architectures, and the 4070 leverages this perfectly.
• Battlefield 2042 – Another close call, with the 3080 at 65 FPS and the 4070 at 62 FPS. Both cards handle the game well, but the difference is too small to matter.
• Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 – A surprising win for the RTX 4070, which pulls 57 FPS compared to the 3080’s 53 FPS. Even in a game that pushes GPUs hard, the newer card’s efficiency helps it stay competitive.

Professional & Creative Applications

The RTX 4070 is a no-brainer choice when it comes to professional workloads. It has the newer “Ada Lovelace” architecture and more VRAM for GPU-intensive applications like Blender, After Effects, Photoshop, Davinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, and so on. The newer architecture doesn’t draw too much energy from your home socket, and the AV1 encoder is a blessing if you work with video editors like Premiere Pro and if you do live streaming.

The RTX 3080 can be a better choice if you find a good, healthy GPU (Never used for mining) with a good deal that will be with you in the long-term use. The only downside of the RTX 3080 is the old architecture that draws a lot of PSU electrical energy, the low VRAM amount (10 GB), it mandatory to have at least 12 GB of VRAM for 3D applications like Blender, and the lack of the AV1 encoder used by video editors like Premiere Pro and live streamers.

What Are Their TDP Requirements?

The RTX 3080 has a higher TDP (Thermal Design Power) of 320W, while the RTX 4070 has a lower TDP of 200W, and that’s due to the newer architecture integrated into the RTX 4070.

The RTX 3080 requires a decent 750W PSU from a well-known brand with better efficiency according to the 80 Plus certificate, while the RTX 4070 requires a decent 650W PSU to get it to work.

Which One is Worth Your Money in 2025?

The RTX 4070 is likely the better value overall because it has 12 GB VRAM, modern features like DLSS 3 for gaming, and the AV1 encoder for professional, serious business workloads.

The RTX 3080 can be a great choice if you find a good deal buying it on the used market (As a secondhand GPU) on eBay or other marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace.

Which One is More Future-Proof?

If we put future-proofing in mind. The RTX 4070 is a no-brainer choice because it has 12 GB VRAM and a lot of modern technologies that will benefit you in the future. That’s the straightforward answer!

Which One Should You Buy?

If you are just a gamer and want a high-end GPU to render your favorite video games at a high refresh rate, FPS with high-quality presets and RT turned off, the RTX 3080 is slightly better at gaming, as we saw in the benchmark tests provided by the “JegsTV” YouTube channel. Most of the time, the DLSS technology and ray tracing are not enabled, and that proves that the RTX 3080 has great GPU raw power and doesn’t need support from upscaling technologies, but be aware that this GPU is not for ray tracing.

If you’re a hybrid PC user who enjoys gaming casually but also does some serious professional workloads, the RTX 4070 is a no-brainer choice for you, thanks to its excellent balance of performance, power efficiency, and modern features. As we saw in the benchmark tests provided by the “JegsTV” YouTube channel, the RTX 4070 performance is close to the RTX 3080, which has 10 GB VRAM only.