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MSI Ventus GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
$374.99 $384.99 Save $10The MSI Ventus RTX 4060 Ti offers solid cooling and performance due to its inclusion of dual TORX 4.0 fans, which allow direct and continuous airflow to the GPU. This graphics card features a simple, no frills design with an all-black exterior. The MSI Ventus RTX 4060 Ti is a thin, 2-slot card which can make an excellent addition to any small, but mighty builds.
Pros- Stays Cool And Efficient
- Great Value
- Great GPU For Medium/High Settings
Cons- Fans Loud Under Full Load
- Not Ideal For 4K
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Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G
$550 $600 Save $50Although the Gigabyte RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC is a little larger than the MSI Ventus RTX 4060 Ti, it is still much smaller than the standard high-end card. Same as the 4060 Ti, this GPU is a 2-slot card which features three 80mm fans instead of two. The 4070 comes with a bump in performance, but appropriately, there is a price-increase to match.
Pros- Fantastic Performance For Price
- Runs Quietly
- Great For Gaming On High Settings
Cons- Not Ideal For 4K Gaming
- More Expensive Choice
The launch of NVIDIA's RTX 4060 TI and RTX 4070 was marred by a mix of supply chain issues and underwhelming performance reviews. Since then, NVIDIA has released additional mid-generation cards like the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER to further close the gap between the latest mid-range and high-end GPUs.
However, not every gamer is looking to upgrade and invest in a powerhouse like the RTX 4090 or the RTX 4080. As it stands right now, there is little reason in terms of software for the average gamer to need to upgrade to the highest-end card unless searching for flawless 4K playback, rendering demanding graphics, or simply bragging rights. Due to this, a high-end card is more of an ideal than a necessity. That is where mid-range cards come into play.
The RTX 4060 Ti and the RTX 4070 sit among the top-tier cards in terms of mid-range performance and price. These cards both offer a solid balance of power, latest-gen performance, and overall longevity for a much more affordable cost than their high-end counterparts. With that being said, there is still a great amount of nuance and circumstances where one card may triumph over the other, depending on the player and their needs.
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Head-To-Head Comparison
As it stands, neither RTX 4060Ti nor RTX 4070 are intended to focus on 4k performance, but instead are optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming.
Even though performance varies from game to game, and loads of other environmental factors (such as thermals, core clocks, CPU bottlenecks), it's safe to say that the RTX 4070 offers better performance at face value. The reason for this is more CUDA cores, more Ray Tracing (RT) cores, and more VRAM on a faster memory bus.
This data can be observed in the table of specifications below:
MSI Ventus GeForce RTX 4060 Ti Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G Power Draw 165W 200W Price $399 $549 RTX Version RTX 4060 Ti RTX 4070 CUDA Cores/Units 4352 5888 Ray Tracing (RT) Cores 34 cores, 3rd Generation 46 cores, 3rd Generation Tensor Cores 136 cores, 4th Generation 184 cores, 4th Generation VRAM (Memory) 8 GB GDDR6, 128-bit 12 GB GDDR6X, 192-bit NVIDIA DLSS Support Yes, DLSS 3: Super Resolution DLAA Frame Generation Yes, DLSS 3.5: Super Resolution DLAA Ray Reconstruction Frame Generation PCI-E Gen 4 Gen 4 Required System Power 550W 650W Display Connectors 1x HDMI 3x DisplayPort 1x HDMI 3x Display Port Clock Speed (Base/Boost) 2.31 GHz / 2.54 GHz 1.92 GHz / 2.48 GHz
For the average gamer, it can be easy to get lost among the array of numbers, cores, and GHz that are present on the standard spec sheet. It can be difficult to rationalize these numbers in a way that is coherent and easy to understand. Luckily, the bulk of comparing these GPUs can be broken up and explained easily so that the most informed decision can be made.
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Performance
Performance and visuals when discussing a GPU mean more than just frames-per-second (FPS) and render quality. This category represents everything that the user hopes to achieve and expects from a new GPU. It's important to set realistic expectations and standards for overall fidelity, resolution, and smoothness. Doing so allows the player to make a more informed decision about opting for the more expensive option, or going with the budget-friendly choice if the extra boost in performance is not required.
The RTX 4060 Ti and the RTX 4070 are in a close race when it comes to core counts and overall clock speeds. However, the 4070 takes the lead in most cases, resulting in a more efficient card with the ability to run games at a higher base rate, without needing to sacrifice frame rates. One of the most important specifications to note is the amount of VRAM present in the 4060 Ti. It is becoming common among newer gaming titles to require around 12 GB of video memory to run their games at high or above. The standard 4060 Ti comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 RAM. However, Nvidia has released an alternative version of the 4060 Ti with 16 GB.
Even though the hardware on these cards is decent, they do have one crucial factor that sets them apart from nearly every other mid-range option on the market: The 4060 Ti and 4070 utilize Nvidia's Ada Lovelace Architecture. Present on every 4000 series GPU, these cards have an added performance punch that is powered by AI. By using Deep Learning Super Sampling, or DLSS, these cards can be upscaled without a hitch in performance. Also present is the AI-powered Frame Generation, which can help create the illusion of smoother frame rates while gaming. It should be noted that although these tricks can help fidelity, there is some visual distortion when running DLSS + Frame Gen. However, it takes a trained eye to notice.
Taking everything into consideration, when it comes to actual in-game performance and average FPS, the RTX 4070 is about 30% faster than the RTX 4060 Ti. This is also true from a non-gaming PoV, where the raw increase in stats results in a much smoother and faster experience.
Hardware Requirements
As always, it's important to check the existing components in a PC before adding a new piece of tech. For some, this might mean the purchase of a new CPU, motherboard, RAM, or power supply. This Game ZXC article goes into greater detail on picking CPUs for the 4060 Ti to ensure peak performance.
The RTX 4060 Ti and the RTX 4070 have different PSU requirements. The 4060 Ti requires a minimum power supply rated at 550W, whereas the 4070 demands an even greater power supply, at 650W. This number is the minimum PSU requirement. For some, this means the mandatory addition of a new PSU. If a new power supply is needed, shopping for a high wattage PSU is ideal to prevent issues, especially when upgrading in the future.
However, when building, or purchasing PCs, it is almost always recommended to go above and beyond minimum specifications for power supplies since they're one of the most delicate components, and a power supply blowing up can result in the destruction of most of your PC components.
Additionally, the RTX 4070 has a higher TDP than the RTX 4060 Ti, rated at about 35 more watts than its counterpart. This means that the components inside the RTX 4070 generate more heat. A higher TDP isn't going to automatically hinder the gameplay experience, in fact, it typically points in the direction of better performance. The main thing to consider with a higher TDP is ensuring efficient cooling throughout the system to avoid thermal throttling.
Value
The final and often the most vital element to consider when comparing these two cards is price.
As stated before, the RTX 4070 is about 30% faster than the RTX 4060 Ti. Due to that, the RTX 4070 runs more efficiently and runs games at a higher quality. Although this sounds fantastic in theory, it cannot be ignored that there is a significant price jump with this increase in performance.
The RTX 4060 Ti has an MSRP of $399 while the RTX 4070 sits at $549. That is a 37% price increase for performance that's only marginally improved over the RTX 4060 Ti. However, the MSRP of RTX 4070 Ti (an upgrade to RTX 4070) is $799, which essentially makes it a big leap from RTX 4060 Ti, this price and performance difference justifies RTX 4070's market space, and thus makes it a valid choice to pursue.
It's also fair to call value subjective. If you need the performance of an RTX 4070, then the value is justified, but if you're a budget gamer looking for a GPU that can get by any modern game, then RTX 4060 Ti is a much better option value-wise.
Which GPU Is Better For Mid-Range Gaming?
Whether upgrading the GPU alone or buying an entirely new PC, shopping on a tight budget can be challenging. A player needs to get the most out of a purchase, ensuring smooth quality gaming that will last years but doesn't cost a fortune. Furthermore, a player's first choice when shopping for mid-range performance cards should be the RTX 4070.
Despite the price increase, the RTX 4070 offers solid performance that easily wins out over the RTX 4060 Ti. Although made with 1440p and 1080p gaming in mind, the RTX 4070 moreso has the capacity to expand its capabilities and run games at 4K versus the 4060 Ti. It's approximately 20% faster than the RTX 4060 Ti in this regard and can help go past the 60-frame mark in most of the games, thus alleviating some of that game anxiety.
It can also be considered as a more future-proof card for budget gamers since it's performance ceiling is significantly above the passing mark.
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G
The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 4070 WINDFORCE OC 12G should be the first choice when shopping for a mid-range budget gaming GPU, promising high-quality smooth performance with its 12 GB of GDDR6 RAM and 5888 CUDA cores. This card balances performance and price and stands a better chance of having a longer lifespan before becoming obsolete.
However, this doesn't discount the RTX 4060 Ti, which is lesser in power and performance, but its price can't be beaten. The RTX 4060 Ti is, on average, 37% cheaper than its competitor and can be found at an even lower price point during sales.
Additionally, due to its relatively low hardware requirements, it's much more unlikely that any additional upgrades will need to be made alongside this GPU, so while you're sacrificing the future-proofing component, you're still getting a more value-for-money PC, albeit in the short run.
That's the beauty of it though, budget gamers never have that future certainty that higher-end gamers have. One day you've bought a new gaming PC, the other day you're selling it to pay for your college tuition. So from that perspective, no future-proofing isn't as big of a downside as its perceived to be, especially for lower to mid range gaming.
MSI Ventus GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
Although MSI Ventus GeForce RTX 4060 Ti lacks some of the efficiency and power of the RTX 4070, that doesn't make this card any lesser. Still powerful in its own right, the MSI's size makes it a great addition to any SFF machine.
So, in the end, the decision boils down to two specific categories of use cases:
- Are you looking for a budget card that can run most games, and doesn't come with a premium price point? Go Nvidia's RTX 4060 Ti.
- Are you looking for a reliable mid-tier future-proof card that is slightly better than "good enough"? Go Nvidia's RTX 4070.
Regardless of the decision, both these GPUs feature Nvidia's DLSS + Frame Gen. This AI-powered technology makes the most of these mid-range cards, allowing for crisp, clear, and smooth visual fidelity and frame rates in certain games. With this and the power packed into these next-generation cards, there truly is no wrong choice to be made.