Introduction
NVIDIA launched their RTX 20-series cards late last year and despite lukewarm reception, the card were the latest and greatest and managed to at least move from the store shelves. That being said, the GeForce RTX 20-series cards also introduced a new pricing strategy from NVIDIA, one that would see the RTX 2080 Ti, the highest model at launch, get a $1200 price tag.
The RTX 2070 is the third card coming off the 20-series announcement and is intended for gamers that play at 1440p resolution offering performance competitive roughly of the GTX 1070 Ti and GTX 1080. The card is positioned at the $500 price following the new, steeper pricing of the RTX cards and while in itself the card is quite capable, it does still compete in a market where last-gen GTX 1080 Tis and GTX 1080/1070 Tis are able to keep up if not, best the RTX 2070, even at pricing alone.
The RTX Dilemma
NVIDIA was late in sending out the Founders Edition for this graphics card and partners were asked to send their $500 cards during the launch review wave but in line with our direction to defer all RTX reviews until January to wait for RTX- or DLSS-enabled games, we’ve held out on any reviews since then. As of this moment only Battlefield V utilizes RTX via its DXR implementation. There are a couple of title like Final Fantasy XV that uses DLSS and also some titles that leverage a few other tech but since real-time raytracing is the main draw of the RTX product line, there’s not much reason for gamers to really invest in RTX except the promise of upcoming titles. NVIDIA has announced more than 20 games during launch to support RTX and more devs stepping into the plate as the days go by but no new release has yet to have it. Its a very long waiting game and NVIDIA has been on the losing end because of this. For buyers, they end up with powerful graphics card for a higher price but is ready for the realtime raytracing and DLSS content when they come.
About the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
The NVIDIA RTX 2070 is the third card in the NVIDIA RTX stack initial announcement. It was released a bit later than the RTX 2080 Ti and RTX 2080 and NVIDIA has set a starting SRP of $499 for the card. The RTX 2070 Founders Edition is priced at $599. Board partners have SKUs that start at $499 which is what NVIDIA has asked but will be able to make models that can go higher in pricing.
The RTX 2070 is a change in direction in terms of the chip segment. Previous GPUs of the xx70 lineage have been cutback version of the xx80 cards sharing a similar GPU e.g. the Pascal-based GP104 are used by the GTX 1080 and GTX 1070 which is joined later on by the GTX 1070 Ti. For the RTX 2070, it uses the TU106. The TU106 is basically one-half of the TU102 powering the RTX 2080 Ti.
The RTX 2070 features 2304 CUDA cores and runs at 1410Mhz base clock and can turbo up to 1620Mhz on reference cards. NVIDIA distinguishes their self-made Founders Edition cards for the RTX 20-series with a factory OC and the RTX 2070 FE will have a boost clock of 1710Mhz. The RTX 2070 features 8GB of GDDR6 memory running at 1750Mhz wired to a 256-bit wide bus.
ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 2070
The ROG Strix line from ASUS has saw slight shift in design from the previous generation. The 10-series GTX cards in the ROG Strix line featured triple-fan, 2-slot designs and except for the GTX 1080 Ti, was uniform throughout that entire generation. Fast-forward to today and we have the new-generation ROG Strix design.
ASUS still maintains a similar design to the last-gen with some slight changes here and there. The most pronounced shift is the size of the heatsink itself which bumps the card to around 2.25 slot height. With NVIDIA only supporting dual-card SLI configs going forward, most motherboards have noted this and have made 3x spacing between GPUs a norm for mainstream releases with high-end options up to board makers to configure if they want a 4x or 3x PCIe spacing for their main x16 slots.
Going back to the ROG Strix RTX 2070, the card doesn’t differ much in terms of design from the RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti counterpart although there are some very significant differences. The lack of NVLink connector (inherent to the RTX 2070) is one identifier and the ROG STRIX RTX 2070 has a 6-pin+8-pin PCI-e power config versus 2×8-pin PCI-e power on the RTX 2080/2080 Ti. Also the ROG Strix RTX 2080/2080 Ti coolers are 2.7x slot height and feature a very different cooler technology although the shroud may seem the same. The RTX 2070 ROG Strix cooler is more similar to the previous-gen than the higher cards in ASUS’ ROG Strix RTX stack.
The ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 2070 features similar configuration with the reference card but features a 1815Mhz boost clock. Memory clock remains untouched at 1750Mhz.
Turing Architecture
The Turing architecture is a massive shift in chip design from NVIDIA and touts a great deal of changes to allow them to introduce key fundamental technology including their RT cores which allows real-time raytracing and the Tensor cores for AI deep-learning computation.
NVIDIA may say its realtime raytracing but as they say themselves, its a tough feat to accomplish and requires immense computing power. Still, NVIDIA managed to refine their RT core technology and birth RTX. At its most simplest, the RT cores’ only function is to calculate a ray’s behavior which computationally demanding. This, added on top of CUDA cores, provides simultaneous rendering of traditional 3D scenes with RT functions handed off to the RT cores as the CUDA cores would be hampered by RT computation if fed simultaneously.
The other addition to the Turing GPU is the inclusion of NVIDIA’s deep learning Tensor Core. These specialized cores are intended for AI deep learning functions like neural net building and training. NVIDIA has demoed numerous functions utilizing deep learning like recoloring a scene, predicting pixels and enhancing artificially upscaled image quality with increased resolution. That last one is particularly what DLSS is but as of right now, there’s limited gaming application for AI deep learning but devs have been quite imaginative in experimenting with it as NVIDIA has mentioned in some conferences and talks about the RTX cards.
Horizon Zero Dawn VRAM usage
| wdt_ID | Resolution | Ultimate Quality | Favor Quality | Original | Favor Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1920x1080 | 7,392 | 7,333 | 7,267 | 5,159 |
| 2 | 2560x1440 | 7,491 | 7,442 | 7,332 | 5,484 |
| 3 | 3840x2160 | 8,555 | 8,944 | 8,742 | 6,842 |
| Resolution | Ultimate Quality | Favor Quality | Original | Favor Performance |
Product Images
Test Setup and Methodology
Processor: Intel Core i7 8700K
Motherboard: GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS GAMING 7
Memory: Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR4-3600 16GB
Storage: WD Blue SSD 1TB SATA
PSU: Seasonic Platinum 1050w
Cooling: Fractal Design Celsius S36 AIO Liquid cooler
Monitor: Viewsonic VX2475smhl-4K
VGA: ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 2070 OC
For a full-hardware workout, visit https://benchmarks.ul.com for our benchmarks of choice.
For benchmarking methodology please see our game benchmark method guide.
Frame rates and frame times of a 60-second game play were recorded using FRAPS v3.5.99. The test results are the average of 3 benchmark runs. Since this is a GPU review, we benchmarked the area of the games that put heavy load on the GPU.
All our test runs are repeatable, click the links below for area and details. Read our benchmarking methodology.
- DOTA2 – Kiev Major Grand Finals Game 5: OG vs Virtus.Pro (54:05 – 55:05)
- The Witcher 3 – Woesong Bridge
- Grand Theft Auto V – Palomino Highlands
- F1 2017 – Benchmark Mode (Australia, Clear Weather, Morning)
- Battlefield V – Nordlys
- Rainbow Six: Siege – Benchmark Mode
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider
See our Youtube playlist for benchmark sequences.
Note: Some proprietary technologies of NVIDIA like PCSS, HBAO+, and HairWorks work on AMD GPU’s BUT to maintain uniformity amongst GPUs, these have been turned OFF.
DOTA 2
The most popular game on Steam and the biggest competition in eSports; DOTA 2 is powered by the Source 2 engine. The game is fairly light on low to medium settings but maxed out with heavy action on screen especially during clashes can really stress most systems especially with Reborn update. This is a game where frame times matter as responsiveness is very important in high-stakes competition.
DirectX9 (default)
Best-Looking slider setting (Ultra)
FPS_MAX 240
Vsync OFF
1920×1080
2560×1440
3840×2160
The Witcher 3 – The Wild Hunt
CD Projekt Red’s latest installment in the Witcher saga features one of the most graphically intense offering the company has to date. As Geralt of Rivia, slay monsters, beasts and men as you unravel the mysteries of your past. Vast worlds and lush sceneries make this game a visual feast and promises to make any system crawl at its highest settings.
Frame Rate: Unlimited
Nvidia HairWorks: Off
Ultra Settings
Motion Blur: Off
Blur: Off
Anti-aliasing: On
Bloom: On
Sharpening: High
Ambient Occlusion: SSAO
Depth of Field: On
Chromatic Aberration: Off
Vignetting: On
Light Shafts: On
1920×1080
2560×1440
3840×2160
F1 2017
Set as the foundation of the Formula One eSports series, F1 2017 is a hallmark installment in the F1 sim-racing series as it expands previously introduced features and creates a great, F1 career simulation experience. The game is powered by EGO Engine 3.0 and features highly detailed cars with exceptional attention to environmental effects including those that simulate road condition and car condition.
Ultra High graphics settings
HBAO+
TAA
1920×1080
2560×1440
3840×2160
Grand Theft Auto V
The fifth and most successful installment to date in the highly controversial Grand Theft Auto series brings a graphical overhaul to the PC version of GTA V which many have lauded as a superior approach in porting a console game to PC. Featuring large areas and detailing, GTA V is a highly challenging application in terms of scene complexity.
FXAA Off
MSAA 4x
TXAA Off
Very High settings
Anisotropic Filtering: 16x
Motion Blur disabled
Advanced Graphics enabled
1920×1080
2560×1440
3840×2160
Battlefield V
Powered by DICE’s Frostbite 3 engine, Battlfield V takes the game back to World War 1 where the game offers a fresh, controversial take on this historic moment. The game retains Campaign mode which looks at various characters’ stories throughout the war. Multiplayer continues some of Batttlefield’s well-known modes but with the trend shifting towards battle royale format shooters, EA has also introduced Firestorm. Battlefield V still retains wide maps as well as mechanized warfare
DirectX 12
DXR Enabled
Future Frame Rendering Off
Graphics Quality: Ultra
Anti-Aliasing: TAA High
Ambient Occlusion: HBAO
1920×1080
2560×1440
3840×2160
Temperature and Power Draw
To measure both power consumption and heat, we stress the video card and record the peak values for heat and wattage. We use default values on the cards and stress test them using 3DMark FireStrike Ultra in 20 loops to simulate gaming loads and this is where we also base our power draw.
System power draw is measured from the socket. We substract the idle power draw reading from the load power draw reading to get a good estimate of what the graphics card draws. The reading is an estimated figure and is affected by other factors like PSU efficiency. As our stress load is not a power virus that creates unrealistic and extreme workloads, we take the peak readings from these test and treat them as equivalent to gaming workloads that the products may be subject to.
Temperature
Power Draw
Thermal Images During Load
Conclusion
ASUS has managed to squeeze a decent factory OC on their ROG Strix and this gives it a certain advantage in most games compared to reference RTX 2070s like the Palit we have in our tests. We’ll be dipping into comparing the RTX 2070 versus other generation cards in another review and for this one, we’ll compare the RTX 2070s amongst themselves in this RTX 2070 roundup.
With NVIDIA deciding to hold back power limits on the Turing cards, ASUS’ implementation would’ve brought out further performance from this card and even in OC mode, the slight bump would’ve only given it the same out-of-box performance as the Gaming Z.
Between the cards, its obvious the beefy cooler ones would trump both the entry models but surprisingly, there’s a noticeably close gap between cards. This means that if you’re after performance, there’s really a small difference regardless of which mode you choose so like always, it all boils down to user preference and quality. As for us, there’s really nothing striking about ASUS’ ROG Strix design but its a very easy design to work with, blending in with most builds thanks to its all-black motiff.
ASUS’ build quality is also a top reason to consider this card as ASUS has a beefed up VRM complimenting the ROG Strix RTX 2070. While it may not be fully utilized, knowing its there to further condition and deliver clean power to our GPU means its got enough juice to reach its potential.
Other features include onboard fan headers to let you manage airflow via the ROG Strix RTX 2070, letting you manage fans in your case to either spot cool or GPU-control certain fans to favor GPU workloads rather than CPU. This allows for instances wherein you can choose a totally silent configuration where the fans will only start spinning once the GPU feels its starting to heatup. Most ambient heat is caused by the GPU during intense workload so this is really nice touch from ASUS and has been a welcome feature since its adoption.
Still, at Php41000 the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 2070 OC is the most expensive RTX 2070 model we’ve seen so far in the local market. In a more relaxed market, the $630 the price tag is still too much to justify the performance of what basically is a GTX 1080 OC + RTX. While this isn’t ASUS’ fault, it does make it hard for the card to standout more on its own merits just because at the end of the day, most consumer at this segment will probably want more performance and ASUS’ own GTX 1080 Ti would easily beat the ROG Strix RTX 2070 in non-RT games given their reasonably close pricing.
Personally, ASUS is on a tough spot with this product with cheaper SKUs from competitors providing much more reasonable price:performance ratios and other closely-priced cards offering more performance for less. The ASUS ROG Strix RTX 2070 OC does boast excellent build quality thanks to ASUS’ automated manufacturing process and the improved ROG Strix cooler provides one of the most silent cooling solution in the market right now. Its inclusion of onboard fan headers makes it possible to control system fans via GPU activity and for extreme users, voltage checkpoints are present for monitoring voltages.
Right now, it all boils down to preference and if you’re really wanting to get an RTX card but will only standby ASUS, then the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 2070 OC is ASUS current top model for this segment offering excellent build quality and advanced features that make it a uniquely attractive performance card.
ASUS backs the ASUS ROG Strix RTX 2070 OC with a 3-year warranty. We give it our B2G Editor’s Choice Award!
