Choosing which graphics card is best for your new build or upgrade can be a fairly tricky task – even more so if you’re not totally up to speed with the latest GPU-tech know-how.
That being said, if you’ve managed to narrow down your search to the RTX 3070, you’ll be happy to know that there isn’t a great deal that separates the different AIBs in today’s market.
Obviously, there are certain factors that do make each GPU AIB unique, and for those interested in those factors, we’re going to be outlining the main considerations that affect performance, cooling, and overall build quality.
So, with that in mind, let’s dive straight into it:
Price
Most people’s number one consideration when it comes to buying, well, anything, is the price. Fortunately for you RTX 3070 lovers, there isn’t a massive difference between AIBs when it comes to price. For the most part, they’re all within around $75-100 of each other.
Whilst that’s the case, many individuals still ask where that extra price comes from? – a valid question if you’re new to the tech game.
Price increases between AIBs can come down to a number of factors. However, most of the time it comes down to the cooler used and the overall build quality of the GPU.
Furthermore, some manufacturers may add a premium to their GPUs if they offer more ports or far better user software – two factors that, for me personally, don’t really add any value to a GPU.
With competition becoming more fierce amongst the GPU manufacturers, it’s no surprise that pricing between AIBs has become much tighter over the years.
Fortunately, we take price extremely seriously when creating these best of guides – prioritizing value first.
Cooling
Cooling is another hugely important factor to consider when looking into any GPU purchase. Because the GPU is one of the hardest working components (if not the hardest) in your build, they tend to get extremely hot when in use.
Whilst this is great for those cold winter nights, it’s not ideal for efficiency and general longevity.
For that reason, GPU manufacturers have been fine-tuning the cooling of their graphics cards for years – with modern-day GPUs coming equipped with highly advanced cooling technology.
That said, we prioritize cooling when recommending GPUs, only selecting cards that offer the highest levels of thermal design.
Below are some tips on choosing a good GPU cooling solution:
- Triple fan setups are more efficient than dual fan setups
- Larger cooling solutions can create much more noise but are generally more efficient
- Blower style cooling solutions (usually seen on Founder Edition GPUs) are much less efficient than generic dual/triple fan setups
Remember, the more heat your GPU creates, the higher the internal temperature of your PC will become – leading to other hardware components not running as efficiently.
Size
The last thing you should consider before diving into a GPU purchase is the size.
The physical dimensions of a GPU have been increasing over the last decade or so, the opposite of what you’d probably expect from modern technology.
However, because of this size increase, some people are struggling to fit the new GPUs into aging case chassis.
As you can see from the image above, the RTX 3070 is a fairly large card when compared to just a few generations ago. At over 300mm, you can see why the sizing should be a major consideration.
