The best video cards from NVIDIA and AMD: GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, RTX 3070, RTX 3080, RTX 2070 Super, Radeon RX 5700, RX 6800 XT

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 is a powerful graphics card with excellent ray tracing capabilities. Here are the best RTX 2070 graphics cards you can get today.

La RTX 2070 Graphics Card is an underrated card with good performance at a reasonable price.

Most models cost the same as the GTX 1080, but are designed to offer a slightly different user experience. If you're looking for a graphics card that can give you a little extra visual fidelity for the price, the RTX 2070 is what you're looking for.

The main advantage of the RTX line of cards is the ability to trace rays in real time. However, RTX cards also have many other performance-boosting features.

The RTX 2070 offers a good compromise between price and performance between Nvidia Turing cards, and in this buying guide, we'll give you a detailed comparison of the best RTX 3070 graphics cards to help you make an informed decision between them.

ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming OC

Cooling: Triple fan Connectivity: 2 DP ports, 2 HDMI ports, 1 USB-C port

Points in favor of the product:

• Excellent off-road
• Integrates into any building design
• Quiet and versatile

Indicates the product:

• Manufacturing defects
• High price

About the video card

La ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming OC SE remains a strong and energetic competitor in our list. This card scores high on most aspects, including price, but that's typical for cards with three fans. The ASUS ROG STRIX is capable of giving you a great demo of what the RTX 2070 has to offer if you're willing to pay a few extra dollars.

The ROG STRIX is one of only two triple-fan cards included in our current lineup, so if you're looking for extra cooling power, it's an option worth considering. However, the card needs an additional fan as it gets hot during intensive use. This also needs to be taken into account.

However, the ROG STRIX 2070 has historically had some issues. During the card's initial production, some serious artifacts and crash issues were discovered that were believed to be related to the Micron memory module on the card.

Fortunately, these cards are now being produced without the problematic module, but this means that you as a customer should be careful when purchasing one of the new cards instead of those manufactured before January 2022.

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Our thoughts

In our opinion, the ROG STRIX is a great all-rounder when it comes to graphics cards. If you're looking to buy an RTX 2070 but don't have time to look through them all, this card might be your best choice. However, as we already said, you need to be careful with graphics cards released before 2022 as they may be defective.

Despite this obstacle, the map itself is nothing to scoff at. The design, both in the placement of the LED and in the shape of the card itself, is attractive and integrates into almost any version of the PC, although it is no different from the previous generation.

We're especially big fans of the LED backlit panel, which is rare among these cards. However, some users may not like that this LED on the back is shaped like the ROG logo.

The card is also fairly quiet for the most part, and can be set to performance mode or silent mode if desired. Like most RTX 2070 cards, ROG STRIX also supports VR with USB-C connectivity for ease of use.

EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 XC Ultra for gaming

Cooling: Dual fans Connectivity: 3 DP ports, 1 HDMI ports, 1 USB-C port

Points in favor of the product:

• Fabulous light show
• Product characteristics

Indicates the product:

• Takes up almost 3 places
• Family design
• average price

About the video card

EVGA brings the GeForce RTX 2070 XC Ultra Gaming to the table with excellent performance and a nearly unmatched light show. Some of EVGA's RTX 2070 graphics cards are seeing a design change from the usual black plastic all-body design to a partially transparent appearance. Combined with the RGB LEDs, this makes for a light show that few cards can rival.

As a dual-fan card, this model's clock speeds can't match triple-fan models like the one we saw above, but its performance is still pretty good. EVGA cards in this line tend to be excellent coolers thanks to their huge heatsink.

However, despite having bright LEDs and a transparent part, the design of this line of cards could be called "tired" or "classic" depending on who you ask.

Specs-wise, this card sits in the middle of the RTX 2070 dual-fan pack. However, its discreet design means it fits into many mid-range versions. Unfortunately, the included software for changing LED colors isn't particularly user-friendly, but for most users it won't hurt.

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Our thoughts

While EVGA XC Ultra Gaming doesn't really bring anything new or exciting to the table, that doesn't mean it should be ignored. This card is not a budget card. Depending on who buys it, its price could be close to that of some triple-fan cards. However, if you are a fan of EVGA's usual dual-fan card design and want a light show, this card will definitely appeal to you.

If you're not a fan of the light show for any reason, EVGA offers a black edition of this card that eliminates the light show in exchange for a discreet and nearly invisible black card. We're not sure how many PC makers would be willing to swap their LEDs for a lightless card, but it's worth mentioning that the option exists.

All in all, if you're looking for something with a mid-range price but decent performance, this card is definitely a winner. While the design is nothing new, its clear top and abundance of LEDs create a card that can be paired with any color scheme. However, please note that this card is very thick - it takes up 2.75 slots!

MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Armor

Cooling: Dual fans Connectivity: 3 DP ports, 1 HDMI ports, 1 USB-C port

Points in favor of the product:

• Great price
• Overclocking is good
• Attractive colors

Indicates the product:

• Manufacturing defects
• Flimsy

About the video card

La MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Armor This is an inexpensive card, and unfortunately that does take a bit of a toll on the design and feel of the card. However, if that doesn't bother you or you're not looking for a budget card, it's still a good option. The characteristics of the card also indicate that it is a budget option.

That said, the aesthetic design of the card is nice, even if it feels a little flimsy. Surprisingly, the card has decent aftermarket overclocking potential. However, the card also has issues with DDR6 memory, which can cause crashes, artifacts, and other issues.

Similar to the ROG STRIX above, this is likely an issue that MSI has fixed in later versions of the card, so if you decide to go with this card, try to find one that was made relatively recently. This should alleviate or at least mitigate any production issues associated with the card.

For an inexpensive card, Armor has a pretty attractive design. It features a white-on-black design in a stylish, textured plastic casing, and the card even has a small area of ​​RBG LEDs.

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Our thoughts

If you're looking for an attractive budget card and don't mind too much bells and whistles, MSI Armor should be on your radar. While this card has some of the lowest factory specs on our list, its aftermarket overclocking potential appears to be quite high, meaning looks can be deceiving. To be honest, for an inexpensive card the appearance is also not bad.

Potential buyers who like white on black will appreciate its ability to fit into any color scheme, and it's nice to have an LED area on the side, even if it's quite small.

While this card beats its big brother, the Gaming Z, in almost every metric except price, this card is a great option for those who want to try their hand at RTX without overselling or breaking the bank.

How to increase 2070 hashrate: GPU overclocking for more efficient mining

It is better to overclock the GPU for mining using MSI Afterburner. The utility interface is very simple. To overclock the video card, we need two sliders:

• Core Clock – core overclocking, increases the core frequency;
• Memory Clock – memory overclocking, increases the memory frequency.

You need to change the frequency values ​​little by little. Then test stability. If all is well, then you can increase the frequency further. If the video card starts to fail or the drivers crash, then simply reduce the frequency and that’s it. There will be no harm.

To overclock a card for mining ether or other coins using the DaggerHashimoto algorithm, you need to increase the memory frequency, and, on the contrary, lower the core to save energy. it does not affect production speed.

Optimal overclocking parameters:

ZOTAC GAMING GeForce RTX 2070 blower

Cooling: Blower connectivity: 3xDP, 1xDVI, 1xHDMI

Points in favor of the product:

• Blower Fan Serves a Niche in the Market
• Discreet and pretentious look

Indicates the product:

• Without back plate
• Expensive for low performance
• No USB-C port

About the video card

ZOTAC brings a different style of graphics card to the 2070 line by offering a blower style card. While this map's founders-style design isn't for everyone, the map is serious, simple, and sophisticated for the PC version. Sure, it doesn't have a lot of fancy extras, but that's part of the appeal of a simple card.

Even if the design of this card is simple, the fact that it is a fan is worth checking out. Even though the blower itself is available in a smaller market, there are versions and PCs that it is suitable for.

If you have a modestly sized computer or one that has heating issues, a graphics card with a fan will help draw some of the heat away from your case and your PC's core components.

The ZOTAC Gaming GeForce RTX 2070 se Supercharger is in the middle of the pack when it comes to specifications. However, it is important to note that this card does not have a backplate. Since the price of this card is neither low nor high, having to buy a backplate on top of it may put you a little above where you would like to be financially.

It's also worth noting that, unlike other RTX 2070 cards in the lineup, the ZOTAC Blower doesn't come with a VirtualLink USB-C port, but a DVI port. It's unclear why ZOTAC made this design choice, but if you're looking to buy an RTX 2070 for VR use, it could throw the ZOTAC fan out of commission.

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Our thoughts

Overall, the ZOTAC RTX 2070 supercharger card is not bad. If you're willing to pay a little more for a fan, this entry-level card's specs won't disappoint. However, it's only worth buying if you particularly like the simple design or want a pear-style card.

For example, the MSI Armor we reviewed earlier has the same specs as the ZOTAC at a much lower price, comes with its own back panel, and also has some attractive LEDs, none of which the ZOTAC has. The lack of a USB-C port on the ZOTAC Blower card is also disappointing, but it won't be a deal-breaker for everyone.

How do video cards differ?

Let's start by looking at the differences between the new and old generations of video chips, and at the same time compare the desktop and mobile versions in terms of characteristics. Although NVidia, releasing the 1000th series of video cards with Pascal architecture, loudly declared that there was no longer a division of chips into desktop and mobile, in reality this is not entirely true.

If we do not consider the MAX-Q modifications that are relevant specifically for laptops for now, but consider the “original” versions of the GPU, then there is still a difference, albeit a small one. Let's compare the main characteristics of the GTX 1060, 1070 and 1080 video cards. The letter "D" denotes video chips for desktop PCs, and the letter "M" denotes laptop versions.

It’s easy to see that there is still a difference. Mobile 1060 and 1080 have the same number of CUDA cores as the desktop versions of these chips, respectively, but at a lower frequency. Although there are some exceptions. So, the laptop 1070 is more powerful than its sister for desktop PCs, but the base frequency is still lower.

Both versions of the GTX 1080 are quite similar, and the difference lies mainly in the lower base clock of the mobile version. But the maximum frequencies are the same. The trouble is that in a laptop, cooling this chip is not a trivial task at all, and the maximum operating frequency equal to the desktop version only brings moral satisfaction.

And the maximum power consumption is different, and noticeably different, which may also indicate that the chips are the same, but still not quite.

Some time after the start of production of GTX video cards, NVidia released MAX-Q versions of its video cards, which were installed in laptops. Essentially, these are the same chips, but with lower operating frequencies. This results in lower heat generation and the ability for computer manufacturers to cram into a thin case not just “some kind of” GTX 1060, but an entire GTX 1070. Well, almost a “whole” one.

With the release of the RTX series of video processors, NVidia decided to go further. Let's summarize the main characteristics in a table again.

The “stratification of society” is more noticeable. If there are now the same number of cores in all pairs, then the situation with frequencies is completely different. In laptop versions of the GPU, the base and maximum frequencies are noticeably lower than those of “full-fledged” video processors. Moreover, this is more noticeable with the RTX 2060.

MAX-Q versions have even lower frequencies, which further highlights the gap between GPUs designed for different segments of the computer market.

However, this can be understood. Everything again comes down to cooling. A dual-slot cooler can't cope? No problem, you can install a 2.5 slot, or even a three-slot. After all, there is dropsy. The trouble is that this only applies to hospitals. The lack of space for effective CO is far from the most serious problem, or rather, it practically does not exist at all.

The same cannot be said about laptops. Manufacturers not only do not strive to increase CO, but also complicate its work in every possible way, reducing the body at the first opportunity. And if you manage to cope with the 115 W mobile version of the RTX 2070 video card somehow, albeit with reservations, then the 175 W full-fledged version is completely useless.

The power consumption of video cards has also increased. And again, mobile versions are significantly inferior in this parameter to GPU versions for desktop PCs. And these latter have become noticeably more gluttonous than their counterparts of the previous generation.

NVidia understands that a 215 W RTX 1080 GPU is too much for a laptop. The option of not using this modification of the chip is also not suitable, so we tried by all means to keep the power consumption within the limits of what was in the Pascal generation GPU.

As a result, although the labeling does not reflect in any way whether the GPU belongs to one class or another, in practice we again have a clear distinction between video chips for mobile computers and desktops. And this distinction is difficult not to notice. It is aggravated by the presence of the MAX-Q modification.

With this comparison of video cards, I think it’s time to finish and move on to testing the RTX 1070 MAX-Q GPU.

Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 gaming OC

Cooling: Triple fan Connectivity: 3 DP ports, 1 HDMI port, 1 USB-C port

Points in favor of the product:

• Good characteristics
• Funciona Bien
• Available in two colors
• Very economical

Indicates the product:

• Design doesn't live up to expectations
• Feels cheaper than similar cards

About the video card

La Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming OC graphics card follows the model with three fans and the usual black angular Gigabyte design. While there's nothing new about its appearance, it's a design that has aged well and the design would fit well in any case, that is, as long as the card itself fits. As a triple-fan card, it's quite long, but its cooling capabilities would benefit from a third fan.

Like the Gigabyte RTX 2060, this card is also available in a black and white model, which many fans will appreciate. This white option, while not for everyone, will appeal to any PC builder looking for a white platform. Functionally, the white model is no different from the black one, but you may have to pay extra for it; It's much harder to find than the black model, and this is often reflected in the price.

If you don't mind overclocking and want to save a little money, you can buy the non-overclocked version of this card for a little less. However, the price difference is minimal, and the factory overclocked version looks more reliable. We recommend choosing the OC version.

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Our thoughts

Overall, the Gigabyte Gaming OC card is a good option. However, compared to the ASUS ROG STRIX, which we reviewed earlier, Gigabyte is inferior in design. However, its low price somewhat compensates for this. While its specs are identical, the ROG STRIX just looks and feels better, but the Gigabyte can run cooler than the hot ROG STRIX, so that's something to keep in mind.

However, the ROG STRIX has a memory module issue that you should be aware of. If you don't feel comfortable buying a ROG STRIX for this, you can feel more confident with the Gigabyte card. However, keep in mind that the memory issues that plagued the ROG STRIX in the early days were common with many RTX 2070 cards, so getting a different card may not save you.

In the end, we came to the following conclusion: despite some manufacturing issues, the ROG STRIX is simply a better card overall if you're willing to shell out a little more. If you're concerned about cooling and price, Gigabyte may beat the ROG STRIX, but nothing else.

Average performance comparison

Now it is quite possible to average the performance value of each video card and compare it with the RTX 2070 MAX-Q. Let's start with a comparison of "classmates", i.e. 2070 and 1070, both in MAX-Q variant.

The first one turns out to be more than 10% faster, but a lot depends on the specific game. If it is highly dependent on GPU performance, then a video processor with Turing architecture is happy to demonstrate its superiority over the previous generation of video chips. If the game is picky about CPU speed, then the difference turns out to be small, although it still remains in favor of the 2070 MAX-Q. The only exception is Hitman.

Comparison with the regular GTX 1070 is not so straightforward. In general, if the 2070 turns out to be faster, it is by less than a percent, and in some games the advantage over the old video card is really noticeable, while in others, on the contrary, the Pascal architecture GPU is ahead.

On the other hand, the MAX-Q concept is designed to make laptops smaller at the expense of a slight reduction in performance, and given that in general these two GPUs are similar in performance, it is possible to purchase a gaming laptop with a thin body and a 2070 MAX-Q graphics card and get the performance that approximately corresponding to that of models that use a full-fledged GTX 1070, but they are no longer able to boast of a “slim waist”.

When compared with the GTX 1060 GPU in the 6 GB version, which is in a sense a compromise between the budget 1050 and the already (pre)top and more expensive GTX 1070, then the new RTX 1070 MAX-Q is on average more than a third faster. True, a laptop with such a video card will cost significantly more. Whether there is any point in overpaying will have to be decided individually.

If we look at the performance of the 2070 and 1080, both in the MAX-Q variant, the latter is still faster.

As for the main feature of the new generation of GPUs - ray tracing, the good news is that it works, even in the MAX-Q version. The bad news is that the performance is 4 Giga Rays/s, while the desktop RTX 2060 has a slightly higher value. Which once again confirms that identical (by labeling) video cards for laptops and desktop PCs are still different video cards.

MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming Z

Cooling: Dual fans Connectivity: 3 DP ports, 1 HDMI ports, 1 USB-C port

Points in favor of the product:

• Beautiful design and LED
• Excellent performance and overclocking

Indicates the product:

• Costs the same or more than triple fan cards
• Great for two can card

About the video card

La MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming Z it returns to the line of RTX cards again, but in the 2070 version. Gaming Z is the big brother of Armor, which we talked about earlier in this article, and it is updated in almost everything except the number of fans. The Gaming Z has higher clock speeds, more LEDs, a sleeker design, and a higher price.

The Gaming Z has high inherent overclocking potential, but overclocking and performance on this card can cause it to become hot and noisy. Beyond that, the LEDs are attractive and eye-catching, and the steel-on-black color scheme will complement most PC versions.

In terms of cost, this card competes with the EVGA XC Ultra Gaming that we reviewed earlier, but slightly beats the EVGA in terms of overclocking potential.

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Our thoughts

While the Gaming Z is undoubtedly an attractive and fully featured card, we think some of its competitors beat it to the RTX 2070 support. The ROG STRIX is only slightly more expensive than the Gaming Z for the three-fan upgrade, while the Gigabyte Gaming OC card has three The fans actually start cheaper than the Gaming Z.

If your build isn't too small for a triple-fan card and you don't specifically need a dual-fan model, you can squeeze a little more performance out of these similarly priced cards.

Additionally, EVGA's XC Ultra Gaming gives the Gaming Z a run for its money in this booth with an updated light show for the same price. If you're looking for an ultra-premium dual-fan RTX 2070, this card fits that definition to a T, but may otherwise be overkill.

Mid-entry level for gaming builds

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Super

Architecture:

Turing

CUDA cores:

1408

Memory:

6 GB GDDR6

Bus width:

192 bit

Recommended power supply for the card:

from 450 W

Advantages:

• The best video card in terms of price/quality ratio.
• Low power consumption.
• Allows you to run most games at high graphics settings in Full HD.

Flaws:

• Does not have hardware ray tracing functionality.
• There is no reserve for the future.

Many players (especially schoolchildren and students) do not have a large budget or do not want (cannot) overpay for rays. Yes, many people dream of the RTX 3080, which shows a phenomenal level of performance and allows you to forget about an upgrade for several years, but if the player sits on a Full HD monitor and cannot afford crazy spending on hardware, then it is worth taking a closer look at the more accessible and cheaper GTX 1660 Super. This video card will allow you to run all modern games at high and maximum settings in Full HD.

The video was published on the Testing Games YouTube channel

An alternative to the GTX 1660 Super is the GTX 1660 Ti. On the one hand, the 1660 with the Super prefix performs slightly worse than the Ti version, but in many games its lag is 2-3 percent. Of course, this is a minor difference, but the GTX 1660 Super costs $50 less.

AMD Radeon RX 5600XT

Architecture:

RDNA

Number of Cores:

2304

Memory:

6 GB GDDR6

Bus width:

192 bit

Recommended power supply for the card:

from 450 W

Advantages:

• Good performance in Full HD resolution.
• Slight advantage over RTX 2060 in some games on overclocked BIOS.
• Good overclocking potential.

Flaws:

• There is no hardware support for ray tracing.
• Amount of video memory.
• The current price for the card is too high.

If you managed to save up more than 28 thousand rubles, then take a closer look at the Radeon RX 5600 XT, although for the same money you can find an RTX 2060. And if you remember that before all this confusion with prices, the RX 5600 XT cost less than the RTX 2060, then the appearance of a card from the “reds” in this top should not confuse anyone. We take all 12 months of the past year. In addition, at the beginning of 2022, AMD introduced a new BIOS version for its partners, which increases the frequencies of the Radeon RX 5600 XT. This "increase" made it possible to outperform the RTX 2060 in many games by an average of 5-7 percent.

The video was published on the Random Benchmark YouTube channel.

Best GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card for 2022

The RTX 2070 offers a decent compromise between the budget specs of the 2060 and the hefty price tag of the 2080, but unfortunately the card has had some performance issues since launch. While Nvidia now appears to have cleaned up much of the clutter, buyers of 2070 line cards will have to be careful to find cards that have been made. after cleaning.

That being said, the RTX 2070 line definitely has some standout options. Our favorite in this line of cards is the ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2070 Gaming OC , but keep in mind that this is a premium choice and one of our most expensive cards. However, if you're willing to pay a little more than the competition, the extra cost will be worth it in both design and performance.

If you're looking to save money instead, an honorable mention goes to the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Armor Card for being very easy to use and surprisingly good at overclocking. Depending on the card you get, you can get amazing performance from this little powerhouse.

That's almost it for our RTX 2070 buying guide, but don't let that stop you from exploring further!
We have plenty of other buying guides available here, and if the manufacturing defects of the RTX 2070 line of cards are a concern, there are plenty of alternatives available. report this ad