GeForce RTX 4070 vs Radeon R7 250X

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070

2023Core: 1920 MHzBoost: 2475 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R7 250X

2014Boost: 1000 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 4070

Performance Spectrum - GPU

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 4070

2023

Why buy it

  • +1086.4% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 96.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 22.9 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $99 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 2 GB).
  • More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 150% higher power demand at 200W vs 80W.
  • 44.8% longer card at 304mm vs 210mm.

Radeon R7 250X

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $500 less on MSRP ($99 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • Draws 80W instead of 200W, a 120W reduction.
  • Measures 210mm instead of 304mm, a 94mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (2,269 vs 26,919).
  • Less VRAM, with 2 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2014-era hardware with 2 GB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 22.9 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($99 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4070 better than Radeon R7 250X?
Yes. GeForce RTX 4070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 26,919 vs 2,269 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4070 is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while Radeon R7 250X is a 2014 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 4070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2023 generation instead of 2014, 1086.4% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 2 GB, and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce RTX 4070 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 4070 is about 505.1% more expensive on MSRP at $599 MSRP versus $99 MSRP, and you are getting 1086.4% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R7 250X really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon R7 250X still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R7 250X is 2014 hardware with 2 GB of VRAM, 2,269 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
1080p
low183 FPS22 FPS
medium167 FPS13 FPS
high151 FPS8 FPS
ultra131 FPS4 FPS
1440p
low150 FPS10 FPS
medium124 FPS5 FPS
high110 FPS3 FPS
ultra101 FPS1 FPS
4K
low92 FPS4 FPS
medium78 FPS2 FPS
high65 FPS1 FPS
ultra58 FPS1 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
1080p
low544 FPS51 FPS
medium454 FPS27 FPS
high353 FPS19 FPS
ultra299 FPS13 FPS
1440p
low351 FPS23 FPS
medium288 FPS13 FPS
high235 FPS8 FPS
ultra197 FPS6 FPS
4K
low172 FPS7 FPS
medium144 FPS4 FPS
high125 FPS3 FPS
ultra101 FPS2 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
1080p
low884 FPS102 FPS
medium713 FPS82 FPS
high643 FPS68 FPS
ultra569 FPS51 FPS
1440p
low684 FPS77 FPS
medium549 FPS61 FPS
high483 FPS51 FPS
ultra424 FPS38 FPS
4K
low467 FPS51 FPS
medium373 FPS41 FPS
high326 FPS34 FPS
ultra277 FPS26 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
1080p
low751 FPS102 FPS
medium612 FPS82 FPS
high536 FPS64 FPS
ultra497 FPS50 FPS
1440p
low615 FPS60 FPS
medium500 FPS47 FPS
high433 FPS38 FPS
ultra395 FPS28 FPS
4K
low384 FPS34 FPS
medium324 FPS25 FPS
high301 FPS20 FPS
ultra272 FPS14 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4070 and Radeon R7 250X

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070

The GeForce RTX 4070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in April 12 2023. It features the Ada Lovelace architecture. The core clock ranges from 1920 MHz to 2475 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 200W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,919 points. Launch price was $599.

AMD

Radeon R7 250X

The Radeon R7 250X is manufactured by AMD. It was released in February 13 2014. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1000 MHz. It has 640 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 80W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 2,269 points. Launch price was $99.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4070 scores 26,919 versus the Radeon R7 250X's 2,269 — the GeForce RTX 4070 leads by 1086.4%. The GeForce RTX 4070 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon R7 250X uses GCN 1.0, both on 5 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 640 (Radeon R7 250X). Raw compute: 29.15 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 1.216 TFLOPS (Radeon R7 250X). Boost clocks: 2475 MHz vs 1000 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
G3D Mark Score
26,919+1086%
2,269
Architecture
Ada Lovelace
GCN 1.0
Process Node
5 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
5888+820%
640
Compute (TFLOPS)
29.15 TFLOPS+2297%
1.216 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
2475 MHz+148%
1000 MHz
ROPs
64+300%
16
TMUs
184+360%
40
L1 Cache
5.8 MB+3525%
0.16 MB
L2 Cache
36 MB+14300%
0.25 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The Radeon R7 250X lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 4070 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R7 250X relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
Yes (DLSS 3.5)
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 4070 comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R7 250X has 2 GB. The GeForce RTX 4070 offers 500% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 504 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 72 GB/s (Radeon R7 250X) — a 600% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 36 MB (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 0.25 MB (Radeon R7 250X) — the GeForce RTX 4070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
VRAM Capacity
12 GB+500%
2 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6X
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
504 GB/s+600%
72 GB/s
Bus Width
192-bit+50%
128-bit
L2 Cache
36 MB+14300%
0.25 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 12 (FL 11_1) (Radeon R7 250X). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
DirectX
12.2+2%
12 (FL 11_1)
Vulkan
1.3+8%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (GeForce RTX 4070) vs VCE 1.0 (Radeon R7 250X). Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs UVD 4.2. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2 (Radeon R7 250X).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
Encoder
8th Gen NVENC (2x)
VCE 1.0
Decoder
5th Gen NVDEC
UVD 4.2
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2,MPEG-4 Part 2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4070 draws 200W versus the Radeon R7 250X's 80W — a 85.7% difference. The Radeon R7 250X is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 400W (Radeon R7 250X). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 304mm vs 210mm, occupying 3 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 70°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
TDP
200W
80W-60%
Recommended PSU
650W
400W-38%
Power Connector
8-pin
1x 6-pin
Length
304mm
210mm
Height
137mm
111mm
Slots
3
2-33%
Temp (Load)
80°C
70°C-13%
Perf/Watt
134.6+374%
28.4
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4070 launched at $599 MSRP, while the Radeon R7 250X launched at $99. The Radeon R7 250X costs 83.5% less ($500 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.9 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 22.9 (Radeon R7 250X) — the GeForce RTX 4070 offers 96.1% better value. The GeForce RTX 4070 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce RTX 4070Radeon R7 250X
MSRP
$599
$99-83%
Performance per Dollar
44.9+96%
22.9
Codename
AD104
Cape Verde
Release
April 12 2023
February 13 2014
Ranking
#32
#655