Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 vs Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060: What is the difference?
51points
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
58points
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Comparison winner
vs
54 facts in comparison
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Why is Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 better than Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060?
- 141MHz faster GPU clock speed?
1506MHzvs1365MHz - 15.76 GPixel/s higher pixel rate?
96.4 GPixel/svs80.64 GPixel/s - 10W lower TDP?
150Wvs160W - 250MHz faster memory clock speed?
2000MHzvs1750MHz - 33.33% more VRAM?
8GBvs6GB - 64bit wider memory bus width?
256bitvs192bit - 16 more render output units (ROPs)?
64vs48 - Supports 3D?
Why is Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 better than Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070?
- 0.
67 TFLOPS higher floating-point performance?
6.45 TFLOPSvs5.78 TFLOPS - 6000MHz higher effective memory clock speed?
14000MHzvs8000MHz - 20.9 GTexels/s higher texture rate?
201.6 GTexels/svs180.7 GTexels/s - 80GB/s more memory bandwidth?
336GB/svs256GB/s - 3600million more transistors?
10800 millionvs7200 million - 4nm smaller semiconductor size?
12nmvs16nm - 1 higher version of GDDR memory?
6vs5 - Supports DLSS?
Which are the most popular comparisons?
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
vs
Nvidia Geforce GTX 1660 Super
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Laptop
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
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Nvidia Geforce GTX 1660 Super
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
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AMD Radeon RX 580
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Ti Laptop
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 580
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Laptop
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
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Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
vs
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
Price comparison
User reviews
Overall Rating
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
3 User reviews
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
9.
3/10
3 User reviews
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
4 User reviews
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
9.8/10
4 User reviews
Features
Value for money
9.3/10
3 votes
8.8/10
4 votes
Gaming
9.0/10
3 votes
10.0/10
4 votes
Performance
9.7/10
3 votes
10.0/10
4 votes
Quiet operation
9.7/10
3 votes
9.0/10
4 votes
Reliability
10.0/10
3 votes
10.0/10
4 votes
Performance
GPU clock speed
1506MHz
1365MHz
The graphics processing unit (GPU) has a higher clock speed.
GPU turbo
1683MHz
1680MHz
When the GPU is running below its limitations, it can boost to a higher clock speed in order to give increased performance.
pixel rate
96.
4 GPixel/s
80.64 GPixel/s
The number of pixels that can be rendered to the screen every second.
floating-point performance
5.78 TFLOPS
6.45 TFLOPS
Floating-point performance is a measurement of the raw processing power of the GPU.
texture rate
180.7 GTexels/s
201.6 GTexels/s
The number of textured pixels that can be rendered to the screen every second.
GPU memory speed
2000MHz
1750MHz
The memory clock speed is one aspect that determines the memory bandwidth.
shading units
Shading units (or stream processors) are small processors within the graphics card that are responsible for processing different aspects of the image.
texture mapping units (TMUs)
TMUs take textures and map them to the geometry of a 3D scene. More TMUs will typically mean that texture information is processed faster.
render output units (ROPs)
The ROPs are responsible for some of the final steps of the rendering process, writing the final pixel data to memory and carrying out other tasks such as anti-aliasing to improve the look of graphics.
Memory
effective memory speed
8000MHz
14000MHz
The effective memory clock speed is calculated from the size and data rate of the memory. Higher clock speeds can give increased performance in games and other apps.
maximum memory bandwidth
256GB/s
336GB/s
This is the maximum rate that data can be read from or stored into memory.
VRAM (video RAM) is the dedicated memory of a graphics card. More VRAM generally allows you to run games at higher settings, especially for things like texture resolution.
memory bus width
256bit
192bit
A wider bus width means that it can carry more data per cycle.
It is an important factor of memory performance, and therefore the general performance of the graphics card.
version of GDDR memory
Newer versions of GDDR memory offer improvements such as higher transfer rates that give increased performance.
Supports ECC memory
✖Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
✖Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Error-correcting code memory can detect and correct data corruption. It is used when is it essential to avoid corruption, such as scientific computing or when running a server.
Features
DirectX version
DirectX is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenGL version
OpenGL is used in games, with newer versions supporting better graphics.
OpenCL version
Some apps use OpenCL to apply the power of the graphics processing unit (GPU) for non-graphical computing.
Newer versions introduce more functionality and better performance.
Supports multi-display technology
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
The graphics card supports multi-display technology. This allows you to configure multiple monitors in order to create a more immersive gaming experience, such as having a wider field of view.
load GPU temperature
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070)
A lower load temperature means that the card produces less heat and its cooling system performs better.
supports ray tracing
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Ray tracing is an advanced light rendering technique that provides more realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections in games.
Supports 3D
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
✖Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Allows you to view in 3D (if you have a 3D display and glasses).
supports DLSS
✖Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is an upscaling technology powered by AI. It allows the graphics card to render games at a lower resolution and upscale them to a higher resolution with near-native visual quality and increased performance. DLSS is only available on select games.
PassMark (G3D) result
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070)
Unknown. Help us by suggesting a value. (Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060)
This benchmark measures the graphics performance of a video card. Source: PassMark.
Ports
has an HDMI output
✔Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
✔Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Devices with a HDMI or mini HDMI port can transfer high definition video and audio to a display.
HDMI ports
More HDMI ports mean that you can simultaneously connect numerous devices, such as video game consoles and set-top boxes.
HDMI version
HDMI 2.0
HDMI 2.0
Newer versions of HDMI support higher bandwidth, which allows for higher resolutions and frame rates.
DisplayPort outputs
Allows you to connect to a display using DisplayPort.
DVI outputs
Allows you to connect to a display using DVI.
mini DisplayPort outputs
Allows you to connect to a display using mini-DisplayPort.
Price comparison
Which are the best graphics cards?
GeForce RTX 2060 vs GTX 1070: Which graphics card should you buy?
Gamers barely had time to catch their collective breath after the cryptocurrency market tanked before Nvidia launched its GeForce RTX series, which in turn presented a conundrum—pay a premium for one of the newest and best graphics cards on the market, or save some money and invest in ‘old’ technology. For many, the answer was simple.
Nvidia would later lament that RTX card sales had not met expectations, due to a combination of price and a lack of games supporting RTX’s staple features (real-time ray tracing and Deep Learning Super Sampling). But then came along the GeForce RTX 2060, making the path to RTX more affordable. You might now be wondering, should you buy a GeForce RTX 2060, or save a few bucks and buy a previous generation GeForce GTX 1070.
Current prices for the RTX 2060 and GTX 1070
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
£714.04
View Deal
See all prices
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070
£1,008.40
View Deal
See all prices
The answer is not a straightforward one.
Part of the decision comes to whether you want the newest technology and are willing to pay a bit extra for it, even if support is limited at the moment. It’s a fair question since the difference in price between a GeForce GTX 1070 and GeForce RTX 2060 is around $20-$50, whereas previously you would be looking at spending several hundred dollars extra for an RTX card. So, we’re here to break it down.
Getting technical
Let’s start with the technical specs. The GeForce RTX 2060 has 1,920 stream processors (or CUDA cores), 120 texture units, 48 ROP units, and 240 tensor cores, along with 6GB of GDDR6 memory. Unlike the other RTX cards, Nvidia’s Founders Edition is not overclocked, so there are not two separate sets of clockspeeds—the GeForce RTX 2060 sports a 1,365MHz base clock and 1,680MHz boost clock.
Since the GeForce RTX 2060 is based on Nvidia’s latest Turing GPU architecture, it also has dedicated RT cores (30 of them) to handle real-time ray tracing chores, and supports DLSS.
The card is basically a toned down version of the GeForce RTX 2070 at a much more attractive price ($349 instead of $499 and up).
The GeForce GTX 1070 also has 1,920 stream processors/CUDA cores and 120 texture units, but 64 ROPs and 8GB of GDDR5 memory. Reference base and boost clocks are set at 1,506MHz and 1,683MHz, respectively.
You’ll notice there is no mention of Tensor cores. That’s because they’re not present in Pascal, only Turing (and Volta). Tensor cores are what give GeForce RTX cards their deep learning capabilities, which are used for DLSS. RT cores are obviously out as well.
Performance
Technical specs are one thing, but what really matters is how each card performs. Short and to the point, the GeForce RTX 2060 is a faster card that consistently delivers higher framerates than the GeForce GTX 1070. Case closed, right? Well, let’s see.
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In our testing of 17 different games, the GeForce RTX 2060 is around 15 percent faster on average at 1080p using ultra settings, and around 14.
5 percent faster at 1440p, also at ultra settings.
We generally don’t recommend buying a $299 or $349 graphics card for gaming at 4K, because it’s not realistic to expect a hiccup free experience in every game. That said, the GeForce RTX 2060 is around 13 percent faster at that resolution as well. That’s a little deceiving though, because neither card is a good option for 4K ultra gameplay. You can get away with it in some games, but both cards will definitely struggle in ones that are more demanding.
That leaves us to analyze the 1080p and 1440p results. The GeForce RTX 2060 is the clear winner, as we would expect it to be, given the specs. It doesn’t matter in games like Fortnite, where the GeForce GTX 1070 averages 83 frames per second at 1440p, but in a game like Middle-Earth: Shadow of War, it can be the difference between hitting that magical 60 fps mark or coming in below.
Still, we’re not talking about a night and day difference in most case, so let’s move on.
Pricing it out
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The GeForce RTX 2060 starts at $349.
99 and you can even find factory overclocked models at that price point, such as Gigabyte’s GeForce RTX 2060 OC GG . You also get a free game right now—your choice between Anthem or Battlefield 5.
Likewise, the GeForce GTX 1070 is similarly priced, though it depends on where you live and availability is becoming limited. If you strike at the right time, though, you can find it for $299, as is the case with this Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming that is on sale. That particular card also comes with a Fortnite bundle, if that matters to you.
More often than not, though, the GeForce GTX 1070 goes for a bit higher, usually $330 and up. It still squeaks ahead with a slightly better fps per dollar ratio, though not by a lot.
For the UK and European markets meanwhile, it’s harder to find the GTX 1070 at decent prices, making the RTX 2060 the easy pick. If you already have a 1070, though, that’s a different matter—we wouldn’t recommend spending the money for such a small performance increase.
If you’re looking at building a new gaming PC, the cost of the rest of the components makes the RTX 2060 an easy pick. Spending $20 or even $50 more on a $1000 build is well worth it for the performance upgrade.
Final word
Here’s what it all boils down to—the GeForce RTX 2060 is a little faster than the GeForce GTX 1070, it’s more widely available (Pascal cards are starting to disappear), and it’s more capable, even though not many games support real-time ray tracing or DLSS. In fact, there are only two right now that support both—Battlefield 5 and Metro Exodus.
However, the lack of support is a bigger deal when comparing Nvidia’s more expensive GeForce RTX cards. Barring a sale, the difference in price between the current generation GeForce RTX 2060 and previous generation GeForce GTX 1070 is around $20, and in some cases there is no difference at all.
Bottom line: as we said in our review of the GeForce GTX 2060, it’s the best upper midrange card (or lower high-end card) that we’ve seen since the GeForce GTX 1070 Ti.