RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 4070: Which is the Best GPU Upgrade?

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4070 are sure to be two of the most popular graphics cards of this generation. XX60 Ti and XX70 GPUs often hit the sweet spot: below astronomical prices but above underwhelming performance.

This is especially true in this GPU generation, where most of the best graphics cards cost $1,000 or more. The 4060 Ti and 4070—while certainly not cheap—aren’t in the same outrageously expensive league as the RTX 4080 or RTX 4090, for example.

Instead, these two GPUs—especially the 4060 Ti—offer an entry point into the current-gen GPU market. For many average PC gamers, the 4060 Ti or 4070 are the best options for an ‘Ada Lovelace’ 40-series graphics card with all the latest graphics technologies.

Also Read: RTX 4060 Ti vs RTX 3060 Ti: How Much Better is the New GPU?

The two GPUs aren’t the same, though, neither in terms of price nor performance. Comparing the RTX 4060 Ti vs 4070, then, is crucial for the average PC gamer today.

Buying Options

• Best RTX 4060 Ti Graphics Cards
• Best RTX 4070 Graphics Cards

What is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti?

Released in May 2023, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti is a current-gen graphics card based on NVIDIA’s ‘Ada Lovelace’ GPU architecture. Until the RTX 4060 is released, it’s the cheapest in NVIDIA’s RTX 40-series lineup.

The 4060 is targeted at 1080p gaming, but it’s a dab hand at 1440p, too. It can’t hold a candle to higher-end 40-series graphics cards, but it should offer enough raw horsepower for most gamers. Plus, it offers all the benefits of other 40-series GPUs, such as improved ray tracing performance and DLSS 3 capability.

What is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070?

Released in April 2023, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is a current-gen graphics card that’s based on the ‘Ada Lovelace’ architecture, just like the 4060 Ti. It’s not as cheap as the 4060 Ti, but for the extra performance it offers it’s a sweet middle-ground between an entry-level 40-series GPU and the more expensive options.

The 4070, in fact, uses a scaled-back version of the AD104 GPU, which is what’s used in the more expensive RTX 4070 Ti. This GPU is primarily targeted at 1440p gaming, because it can handle gaming at this resolution at high refresh rates, and fares better in this regard than the 4060 Ti. But it’s not perfect for 4K gaming, which is why it’s priced lower than the 4080 or 4090.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 40-Series New Features

Both the RTX 4060 Ti and RTX 4070 offer some new features compared to previous-gen ‘Ampere’ graphics cards:

• New RT and Tensor Cores
• DLSS 3
• Dual AV1 encoding
• Shader Execution Reordering (SER)

NVIDIA’s SER implementation plus the updated RT Cores present in both the 4070 and 4060 Ti allow for substantially better ray tracing performance than 30-series GPUs. Overall ray tracing performance depends on the number of RT cores, of course, but on a core-by-core basis, all Ada Lovelace graphics cards trace rays quicker than Ampere graphics cards.

Similarly, NVIDIA’s DLSS 3 implementation plus the updated Tensor Cores present in the 4060 Ti and 4070 allow for substantially better upscaling and AI-assisted frame interpolation performance. DLSS 3 includes the capacity to generate frames between the ones your GPU renders, which can drastically improve framerates.

Finally, content creators will be happy to hear that both GPUs support AV1 encoding thanks to the dual AV1 encoders on both GPUs. This encoding format is much quicker than older formats, but it’s not yet been adopted on all streaming platforms (Twitch doesn’t support it, yet, for example).

4060 Ti vs 4070: Price Comparison

At MSRP, the RTX 4070 costs $200 (50%) more than the RTX 4060 Ti. In practice, the price difference is about the same, as the cheapest of these respective GPUs go for about the same as MSRP.

However, you can pick up a 4060 Ti for about $20 cheaper than MSRP, which doesn’t change much from a GPU vs GPU standpoint, but which might make the 4060 Ti even more appealing for those on a budget.

Alternative GPUs

If you want a cheap alternative to the RTX 4060 Ti, you could consider the AMD Radeon RX 7600, which performs a little worse than the 4060 Ti and doesn’t support DLSS, but only costs about $269. If budget is a concern, therefore, the RX 7600 is a great alternative.

The best previous-gen alternative is probably the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, which costs about $70 less than the 4060 Ti but performs about the same as it, albeit without DLSS capabilities. And it should do better at higher resolutions, too, because it has an extra 4GB VRAM.

You could also consider the RTX 3060 Ti. The 4060 Ti performs about 10% better than the 3060 Ti at 1080p, but at 1440p and 4K this performance difference drops into the single digits. Based on current prices, however, the 3060 Ti is only $66 cheaper than the 4060 Ti, and you lose out on DLSS 3 support and better ray tracing performance.

You could also consider an RTX 4070 Ti if you want something a little more powerful (and more expensive) than the RTX 4070. It costs $200 more but guarantees a much more consistent 60fps at 4K resolution and is better for 120Hz or 1440Hz 1440p gaming. And, of course, it’s quicker at ray tracing.

Finally, you could consider the RTX 4060 once. At the time of writing, we don’t know how well this GPU will perform, yet, but it’s safe to assume it will perform a little worse than the 4060 Ti and a little better than the previous-gen RTX 3060. It’s set to cost $299—$100 cheaper than the 4060 Ti.

Also Read:

• Best RX 6700 XT Graphics Cards for 2023
• Best RTX 4070 Ti Graphics Cards for 2023

Graphics Card Specs

Considering only these two GPUs’ specs, the 4070 seems to be about 35% more powerful than the 4060 Ti, because it has 35% more CUDA Cores, Tensor Cores, and CUDA Cores.

It also has 4GB more VRAM (assuming you don’t opt for the 16GB 4060 Ti which costs an extra $100), and this is GDDR6X memory, which is faster. This could be crucial because some games already use more than 8GB VRAM even at 1080p, let alone at higher resolutions.

Performance differences are rarely directly correlated to specification differences, though, so we should reserve judgment until we check out the benchmark averages below.

Dimensions

Perhaps surprisingly, the 4060 Ti and 4070 are similar-sized GPUs. The RTX 4080 and RTX 4090 (and 4070 Ti, to an extent) are massive graphics cards, but when NVIDIA released the 4070, it scaled the form factor down a little.

The 4060 Ti FE is a little slimmer than the 4070 FE, but the main dimension differences will be decided by which specific AIB version you buy and the cooling setup it uses.

Power Draw and Thermal Performance

Neither the 4060 Ti nor the 4070 are power-hungry cards—especially compared to 30-series GPUs. NVIDIA recommends a 550W PSU for the RTX 4060 Ti and a 650W PSU for the RTX 4070. Power requirements depend on your other hardware, too, though, as well as your PSU’s quality, which is in part designated by its 80 PLUS efficiency rating.

Also Read: The Best Power Supplies for 2023

Online tests show that the RTX 4060 Ti should stay a few degrees cooler than the RTX 4070 while gaming. This is to be expected, because both cards share similar form factors and cooling setups, and yet the 4070 is more powerful and will naturally output more heat because of this.

The 4070 doesn’t run outrageously hot, though—it should stay at or just below 70c while gaming, depending on your ambient room temperature.

4070 vs 4060 Ti: Gaming Performance

We’ve presented charts below that show average framerates for the RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 Ti across all three mainstream resolutions. Data for these averages was taken from several online reviews, such as from TechSpot, TomsHardware, and TechPowerUp.

Also Read: 1080p vs. 1440p vs. 4K: Which Resolution Is Best for Gaming?

Below the charts, we’ve given you the average framerate differences between the two GPUs.

1080p Benchmarks

Framerates averaged from multiple online benchmarks.

On average, the RTX 4070 performs about 28.6% better than the RTX 4060 Ti at 1080p.

NVIDIA markets the 4060 Ti as a graphics card for 1080p gaming. This makes sense, because it’s one of the cheapest in their current-gen lineup and is more than enough for 1080p gaming for most gamers.

However, this doesn’t mean it’s a flawless experience. If you’re using a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor, the 4060 Ti won’t allow you to hit 120fps or 144fps in the most demanding titles on the market today at 1080p. In very demanding games (such as The Last of Us Part 1) it will probably scrape by just above 60fps on ultra settings.

The 4070, on the other hand, can utilize this almost-30% framerate advantage to ensure a smoother gaming experience in demanding games at high refresh rates. For example, it might net about 90fps instead of 60fps in The Last of Us Part 1, which will be noticeable on a high refresh rate monitor.

Similarly, in slightly less demanding (but still demanding) games like Modern Warfare 2, it will secure framerates above 144fps at 1080p, while the 4060 Ti will probably sit 10-20fps below 144fps.

These are extreme examples, though. Few gamers need to play the most graphically intensive titles on absolute maximum settings. Most games will run at above 120fps or 144fps on max settings with the 4060 Ti, and the most demanding games should achieve 4070-comparable framerates if you scale back just a few graphics settings.

One caveat to this is if you want to play games that require a lot of VRAM. The 4070’s extra 4GB of (faster) VRAM can come in clutch in these titles, and lowering in-game settings won’t help the 4060 Ti too much.

1440p Benchmarks

Framerates averaged from multiple online benchmarks.

On average, the RTX 4070 performs about 31.3% better than the RTX 4060 Ti at 1440p.

While the 4060 Ti isn’t marketed as a video card for 1440p gaming, it can handle gaming at this resolution pretty well. The only real difference between 1080p and 1440p for these two GPUs is that high refresh rate monitors will really prefer the RTX 4070 even in not-so-demanding titles.

Also Read: Is 1440P Worth it for Gaming?

Take Modern Warfare 2, for example. On max settings, while the 4060 Ti should average between 70-90fps (depending on your other hardware), the 4070 will probably average 100-120fps, or thereabouts (again, depending on your other components).

You can drop your settings with the 4060 Ti at this resolution to achieve 120fps or 144fps, but this will be required for many more titles at 1440p than at 1080p—not just the really demanding ones.

And for really demanding titles, the 4060 Ti won’t get close to 60fps when played on max settings. The 4070, on the other hand, should average at or above 60fps even in these titles at this resolution.

The 4070 really seems worth the money over the 4060 Ti, then, if you’re gaming at 1440p. Unless, that is, you’re on a 60Hz or 75Hz monitor, or you don’t mind running newer games on high rather than maximum settings.

4K Benchmarks

Framerates averaged from multiple online benchmarks.

On average, the RTX 4070 performs about 43% better than the RTX 4060 Ti at 4K.

At 4K, there’s only one card worth considering: the RTX 4070. Not only is the framerate differential much bigger (43%) than at lower resolutions, but this differential occurs where frames really matter: in the 30-70fps range.

Also Read: Is 4K Worth it for Gaming? Why Most Gamers Don’t Need a 4K Monitor

Our eyes can easily pick up on the difference between, say, 35fps and 60fps—much more than they can between 100fps and 120fps. And this 35fps to 60fps difference is about what you can expect between the 4060 Ti and 4070 in most modern games on max settings.

If you’re only playing really well-optimized and less-demanding titles like DOOM Eternal, the 4060 Ti should do just fine at 4K, probably even surpassing 100fps. But if you want to play any moderately demanding modern title, you’ll have to dial your settings down significantly from ultra to remain above 60fps.

The 4070, on the other hand, can manage 60fps with little sweat in most games. And in more demanding titles, it can manage 60fps on high settings. It’s no 4080 or 4090, but it’s a much better prospect than the 4060 Ti for 4K gaming.

Ray Tracing and Upscaling

Score taken from TechPowerUp’s testing (1440p chart).

Based on TechPowerUp’s testing, the RTX 4070 does ray tracing about 34% better than the RTX 4060 Ti at 1440p.

It’s no surprise that the 4070 does ray tracing better than the 4060 Ti. What this means, however, is that ray tracing isn’t really an option for the 4060 Ti at 1440p or 4K—not unless you have DLSS enabled (and, in more demanding titles, lower your settings). At 1080p, it can pull it off, but temper your expectations to be happy with 60fps rather than 120fps.

The RTX 4070, on the other hand, can manage ray tracing at 1440p, given it’s already working with a larger buffer of frames, thanks to its faster 1440p raster performance. In most games, you should be able to chug along not insignificantly ahead of the 60fps threshold.

DLSS can also offset some of the performance hit caused by ray tracing, for both GPUs. It’s no silver bullet—there are slight but definite graphical fidelity and latency drawbacks to DLSS 3, for example—but it can make ray tracing more of a viable option.

When considering DLSS, it’s useful to think about it as (most commonly) 1.5x-ing your framerate if using DLSS 2, and 2.5x-ing your framerate if using DLSS 3. If ray tracing halves your framerate, DLSS 2 might not completely offset the lost frames, but DLSS 3 should more than offset it. Actual performance depends on the game in question and the technology’s implementation, though.

Game Performance Summary

The 4070 performs significantly better than the 4060 Ti across all resolutions, but performs even better at 4K.

The 4070 has a 28.6% lead at 1080p, a 31.3% lead at 1440p, and a 43% lead at 4K. It also ray traces about 34% better than the 4060 Ti.

The 4060 Ti is more than enough for most gamers at 1080p, offering smooth gameplay in almost any modern game, even for 120Hz or 144Hz monitors. But if you want to max out even the most demanding games at high refresh rates, a 4070 will be much better.

At 1440p, a 4060 Ti is, again, enough for most gamers, but only if you’re willing to lower your settings in modern games to average 120fps or higher. A 4070, on the other hand, should average over 120fps in most modern games even on max settings. In the most demanding games, though, even the 4070 will require lowering your settings to achieve this framerate.

At 4K, the 4070 is a much better choice unless you’re certain you’ll only be playing untaxing games. In more demanding games, the 4060 Ti will struggle to get anywhere near 60fps at 4K, while the 4070 should stay at or above 60fps in these—though you might have to drop your settings a tad in the most demanding titles.

Ray tracing is only really a viable option for the 4060 Ti at 1080p or in less demanding games at 1440p. Unless you enable DLSS, that is, in which case 1440p ray tracing is viable with a 4060 Ti. The 4070 can enable DLSS, too, however, and this makes even 4K ray tracing viable in all but the most demanding games.

More Performance Comparisons

• RTX 4070 vs RTX 4070 Ti
• RTX 4070 vs RTX 4080
• RTX 4070 vs RTX 4090
• RTX 4070 vs RX 7900 XT
• RTX 4070 vs RX 7900 XTX

Verdict: Should You Upgrade to an RTX 4060 Ti or RTX 4070?

The RTX 4070 is clearly significantly more powerful than the RTX 4060 Ti. But it also costs $200 more and enters territory where it faces real competition from the likes of the RX 7900 XT.

Still, the RTX 4070 is the cheapest current-gen GPU that offers truly great 1440p performance and the possibility of comfortably playing some titles at 4K. The RTX 4060 Ti cannot claim this.

Instead, the 4060 Ti has a claim to being well worth it for 1080p gaming, providing you don’t want to opt for something even cheaper such as a previous-gen AMD GPU. The major downside to previous-gen AMD GPUs is that they don’t offer DLSS capabilities, and considering this upscaling tech is where we might find the 4060 Ti worth its salt.

There’s little reason to upgrade from a 30-series GPU to a 4060 Ti. If you have a 3060 or 3060 Ti, the performance increase won’t be dramatic, and if you have better than that, you’ll probably be losing performance by opting for a 4060 Ti. There might be reason to upgrade from an RTX 3060 to an RTX 4070, however, because the difference will be noticeable.

A 4060 Ti is a great upgrade choice for those of you still using a midrange or lower-end 20-series GPU or any 10-series GPU (or an AMD equivalent). If you’re looking for an extra chunk of performance plus DLSS 3 capabilities, upgrading from these GPUs to a 4060 Ti is a fine choice. A 4060 Ti will much better handle high refresh rate 1080p and 1440p gaming.

But if you want to max out your settings in most games at 1440p and still achieve framerates well above 100fps, the RTX 4070 will be a better choice—probably the cheapest choice, too, for such smooth 1440p gaming.

Similarly, if you’re planning on playing modern games at 4K resolution, the 4070 is worth every penny over the 4060 Ti. The 4070 will also handle games with higher VRAM requirements better, too, thanks to its 4GB extra VRAM.