NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti FE Review

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti FE: Introduction

Hello and welcome to another review here at Overclockers Club. Today we will be taking a detailed look at NVIDIA's latest product launch under the Ampere architecture umbrella. Following the lead to a less than a year old RTX 3070, comes the Ti model touting a few small changes. When combined together increases the raw performance and gives it the SUPER title. Err I mean Ti. The same thing right? By enabling two more SMs, the full GA104 GPU is available along with a switch to GDDR6X memory, providing more bandwidth over its predecessor. This GPU is positioned as a direct replacement of RTX 2070 SUPER, which was the mid-range of the Turing architecture due to having a similar MSRP. Though you and I both know getting anything at MSRP in 2021 is questionable due to market demands and mass production shortages.

The launch of the newest generation of GPUs comes with it a few performance improvements over NVIDIA's previous Turing (20XX) series. Being built upon Samsung's 8nm technology, the 17.4 billion transistor, and 6144 CUDA cores are thermally kept in check with NVIDIA's unique designed dual fan air-cooler found in multiple variations across all the Ampere Founders Editions.

With the new Ampere architecture comes with it extra benefits not found on these older generations like ray-tracing and DLSS support. Since now that ray-tracing has been fully implemented into DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan API, game developers no longer have to rely on special implementation. Game engines like Epic's Unreal 4 bring this to a wide range of titles including NVIDIA DLSS baked right into the engine as an additional seamless plugin. Those who have discounted AI up-scaling previously may be surprised by the advancements since the introduction of NVIDIAs take on the technology starting with the last generations RTX 20 series Turing architecture. NVIDIA DLSS is certainly something to consider in graphically intense games, as it can significantly bring the frame rate up with minimal sacrifice to the overall image quality.

It has been nine months since Ampere first hit the scene in the early fall of 2020. It was a hard year for many of us, but one thing that kept me sane was my hobbies and gaming. For many of us, gaming was a lifeline to an alternate reality and still is hold true with fantastic tales of other worlds and adventures. In this time some may have noticed that their gaming systems are starting to show it's age. The team at NVIDIA has kept busy as well and released a graphics card for practically every use case. Still, any sub-$300 RTX enabled cards have yet to be revealed. However, it is safe to say that no more high-end cards will be coming under the Ampere architecture. This is it and it is all on the table. AMD has released most of the RNDA2 (NAVI-2) GPUs as well, giving a good competitive market. With that said, this review covers multiple systems, games, resolutions, ray-tracing, temperatures, and power consumption. This is a monstrous review with lots of topics and no time to waste, so let's get started!

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti FE: Closer Look

To start, we are going to jump right ahead here and skip the Ampere GPU architecture since it is fairly well known at this point in the cycle. But fear not, for those who need a refresher or missed everything related to the improvement over NVIDIA's Turing generation as well as GDD6X, make sure to check out the RTX 3080 TI Founders Edition review, as it covers an overview of the important tidbits.

Now all that is left is to break into this box and see what is inside! Besides a new title on the outside not much has changed in terms of packaging from the rest of the Ampere Founders Editions. I'm not disappointed, because why change what works well. In any case, opening it up is a simple procedure of cutting the tape and laying the box down. Now you are free to lift the top and you will be greeted with an RTX 3070 Ti just waiting to be installed! At a glance, it resembles an RTX 3070 but has received some improvements to the cooling capacity which we will cover next.

At this point in the Ampere GPU cycle, the dazzling new cooler isn't new. The RTX 3070 Ti has taken a new approach and swapped the previous smaller heatsink with something that resembles the RTX 3080 / 3080 Ti. It is a 2-slot design with dual-axis fans but has received a minor size reduction and different fin stack orientation. Nothing to warrant concern, in fact just the opposite and is a welcomed change. With a higher power draw over the vanilla RTX 3070, the need for better thermal dissipation is required.

After a few years of NVIDIA branded Founders cards, a changed from the now retro-style blower design to more of an elegant approach to properly cool components was needed. As graphics cards started to exceed 200 watts TDP, so was the need for a better solution. NVIDIA has since moved to the dual fan design found in the RTX 20 series and was already used for generations in AIB partner cards. This newest cooler design used today also incorporates the use of two fans, however, a fundamental change occurred. Now one is set to push air out the I/O bracket and the other upwards into the case itself. This design relies on a case with high airflow, especially for the rear exhaust.

One of my main concerns across all the Ampere Founders Editions is that the heat generated and exhausted by the graphics card will directly pass over the system memory. This could be problematic as you could imagine. Well, after testing in the different systems it turned out to be mixed results. I have personally dealt with system memory overheating due to poor airflow in one of my testing cases, but I have also experienced the opposite in my other test system with excellent temperature for all components and a negotiable impact on the system memory. This cooler is designed to exhaust a large amount of heat and it is up to the end-user to have a good amount of airflow in the case. The hot air is pushed right up in the hopes the case exhaust fans will wisp it away quicker than if it was allowed to passively exit the case. This cooler design allows for a smaller footprint at the possible expense of other computer components. It is less of a problem when you are dealing with a smaller GPU. Nevertheless, excess heat must be exhausted quickly to avoid build-up in the case.

NVIDIA has placed great care into the design of this cooler and it shows in the attention to detail turning a hunk of metal into a work of art. The RTX 3070 Ti operates at 290 watts under full load. Luckily the cooler design elements previously discussed dissipates this thermal load without issue. It doesn't thermal throttle under these conditions. It stays around 80-83 °C with a little bit of room to spare. Though that heat has to go somewhere, meaning a good case with plenty of airflow is highly suggested as explained previously. I do think the upgrade to a larger heatsink was a good choice on NVIDIA's part.

Included with every Founders Edition is the Microfit 3.0 to dual 8-pin PEG dongle. The story goes that NVIDIA has made the 12-pin connector publicly available for anyone to use, although it is clear after nine months that mass adoption will never happen. It takes two to tango and I can't think of one partner card that used this new connector. Honestly, I had my doubts as well, but after doing a bit of research I think it is a good choice for minimalists. If the connector wasn't in the middle of the frame, I would prefer it over a dual 8-pin PEG connector setup.

One minor concern that I have is the warranty card left on top of the dongle. It states that the product warranty may become void if any other adapter is used. I understand the concern that many people have and I do as well. My only advice for those who want to use something else is just to make sure the wires are 18AWG or thicker. SeaSonic and Corsair both sell (sold) a direct PSU to Microfit 3.0 cable. The SeaSonic Microfit cable I am using is rated for 9 AMP / 16AWG thus supporting 645 watts in total. Well past the maximum 310 watts this RTX 3070 Ti allows.

Taking a closer look a the PCB we can get a bit more information about the power capabilities and the components used. This photo was provided by NVIDIA, therefore revisions and changed in components may occur in the future. For now, the launch editions of the RTX 3070 Ti Founders are using a 9+3 VRM configuration. A uP9512R from uPI Semiconductor is used for the GPU and the supporting MOSFETS are AOZ5311NQI created by Alpha & Omega Semiconductor. These are rated for 55 amps, 495 total amperages. After some quick calculations at an operating voltage of 1.093v, this configuration is capable of 541 watts output. Considering the hard limit without physically modifying the PCB is 310 watts, it is clear NVIDIA wanted to make sure the power delivery system is up to the task.