NVIDIA launched an alternative version of the GeForce RTX 4070 featuring slower GDDR6 memory instead of GDDR6X on August 20th. According to benchmark tests conducted by WCCFTech, this memory downgrade has little to no impact on gaming performance when playing at 1440p resolution.
GeForce RTX 4070 GDDR6
WCCFTech tested the RTX 4070 GDDR6 in 6 popular games, with ray tracing effects enabled, and compared its frame rates to the standard RTX 4070 model. They found the performance difference between the two cards fluctuated by just 1 percentage point or less in either direction. In some games like Cyberpunk 2077, the GDDR6 model was slightly slower, while in others like Shadow of the Tomb Raider it was marginally faster.
However, at 1440p, these minimal discrepancies are likely imperceptible to most gamers. Memory bandwidth demands are lower at this resolution compared to 4K, negating much of the advantage provided by GDDR6X’s higher speeds.
Both the standard RTX 4070 and the new GDDR6 variant share the same core specifications otherwise, including CUDA core count and clock speeds. With identical MSRPs of $549 USD, opting for the GDDR6 model does not seem to carry any meaningful gaming performance penalty at common 1440p resolution according to these initial test results. Higher resolutions may tell a different story, but for 1080p and 1440p gamers the memory downgrade appears inconsequential.
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