RTX 4070 Super vs RTX 4070 — which should you buy in 2026?

Unlike 4070 vs 4060, you are not paying for VRAM — both ship 12 GB. You are paying for more CUDA cores and a larger L2 cache on the Super. Cyberpunk 2077 raster at 1080p: ~119 vs ~106 FPS; at 1440p: ~92 vs ~80 FPS. In competitive 1080p both clear 144 Hz on Fortnite or Valorant — the Super is mostly headroom.

At 1440p ultra, the gap feels bigger: the Super more often holds 70–90 FPS in AAA without dropping presets; the base 4070 is still very playable but closer to the ceiling. On a 1080p panel, a discounted 4070 usually wins on frames per dollar.

NVIDIA unlocked more SMs on the Super (2024 refresh) without changing VRAM or the memory bus. In practice it lands near original 4070 Ti raster performance with lower power (~220 W vs ~285 W on the Ti), as Hardware Times notes across 33 game tests (~13–15 % at 1440p).

VRAM does not decide this matchup. What matters: today’s price, new-stock availability (the non-Super 4070 is fading from shelves), and the real gap on Amazon, Newegg, or Micro Center the week you buy.

The widget shows raster averages — good for side-by-side feel. In-game, 1 % lows and ray-tracing stability matter: the Super keeps a bit more margin in Alan Wake 2 or Cyberpunk with RT enabled, even when averages look close.

Both stay relatively efficient for their tier. +20 W on the Super will not blow up your power bill, but it runs slightly warmer — fine in a mid-tower, more noticeable in ITX or summer heat.

At 1080p high/ultra, the base RTX 4070 already handles most titles — often 160–200 FPS in esports. The Super adds headroom for NVENC streaming without touching settings, or for chasing 240 Hz in a few shooters.

If you are not changing monitors for 2–3 years, a 4070 around $450 (or less on sale) is usually the smarter pick. A Super at $550+ for ~10 % more FPS is hard to justify for Full HD alone.

This is the natural home for both cards. For 1440p high/ultra without retweaking options every patch, the 4070 Super is the more comfortable new buy in 2026 — our tests show ~10–15 % ahead, with RT widening the gap (Gamers Nexus measured ~13–17 % over the original 4070).

On a 1440p 144 Hz display: both handle shooters well; on recent AAA the Super has more room before you lean on DLSS Quality. Sensible desktop budgets: about $1,150–1,350 with a Super vs $950–1,150 with a base 4070 (Ryzen 5 7600 / Core i5-14400F, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe).

Simple rule: if the gap is ≤ ~$100, take the 4070 Super new — better perf/$ and current NVIDIA catalog. If you find a 4070 under ~$450 (Amazon, Newegg flash sale, open-box), it remains excellent for 1440p medium–high.

A recent used 4070 with receipt can beat a new Super if it drops near $400 — check cooler design and warranty. If the base 4070 climbs toward $480–500, a Super at ~$550 becomes the rational choice. Tighter budget? See RTX 4070 vs RTX 4060.

Both support DLSS 3 (Frame Generation) and 9th-gen NVENC — Twitch/YouTube at 1080p is straightforward on either. The Super handles browser + game + capture multitasking a bit more calmly thanks to extra raster headroom.

Power: 650 W 80+ Gold is enough for either with a mid-range CPU; 750 W if you overclock or plan a big CPU upgrade. On a prebuilt Amazon tower, verify the exact PSU model, not just the wattage on the spec sheet.

Typical ranges July 2026: RTX 4070 ~$425–475 new on a good deal; RTX 4070 Super ~$525–600 — some SKUs sit higher when stock is thin. Under $450 (4070) or $550 (Super) is generally solid value.

Already running a 4070 happily at 1440p? Upgrading to a Super rarely pays off for ~12 % more FPS on the same display — only if you target stable 1440p ultra or 144 Hz in AAA. Filter on the PC4Games comparator with your Steam library.