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

✅+204.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Access to DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌
234.6% HIGHER MSRP
$599 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌81.8% higher power demand at 200W vs 110W.
❌68.9% longer card at 304mm vs 180mm.

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅Costs $420 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Draws 110W instead of 200W, a 90W reduction.
✅Measures 180mm instead of 304mm, a 124mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,837 vs 26,919).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 4070 is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.

GeForce RTX 4070

2023

Radeon RX 5500

2019

Why buy it

✅+204.6% higher PassMark G3D performance.
✅Access to DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023).
✅200% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 4 GB).
✅More future proof: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Why buy it

✅Costs $420 less on MSRP ($179 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
✅Draws 110W instead of 200W, a 90W reduction.
✅Measures 180mm instead of 304mm, a 124mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

❌
234.6% HIGHER MSRP
$599 MSRPvs$179 MSRP
❌81.8% higher power demand at 200W vs 110W.
❌68.9% longer card at 304mm vs 180mm.

Trade-offs

❌Lower PassMark G3D performance (8,837 vs 26,919).
❌Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
❌Weaker long-term outlook: GeForce RTX 4070 is the safer future-proof pick thanks to newer hardware and better gaming feature support.

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 4070 better than Radeon RX 5500?

Yes. GeForce RTX 4070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 26,919 vs 8,837 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 4070 is a 2023 card with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while Radeon RX 5500 is a 2019 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling + limited Frame Generation. 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 2019, 204.6% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 12 GB instead of 4 GB, and better frame-generation support with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023) instead of FSR Frame Generation (2023). 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 about 234.6% more expensive on MSRP at $599 MSRP versus $179 MSRP, and you are getting 204.6% higher G3D Mark. Radeon RX 5500 still holds the G3D-per-dollar lead, so the performance win comes with a real value premium. If you are comfortable paying the premium for the stronger gaming result, GeForce RTX 4070 is the one to buy. If staying closer to budget matters more, Radeon RX 5500 still makes more sense on price alone and remains capable enough for modern gaming.

Is Radeon RX 5500 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?

Yes. Radeon RX 5500 is still a strong gaming GPU in 2026: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. This mostly comes down to price. If you want to stay closer to $179 MSRP, it remains a strong choice; if you are comfortable paying more, GeForce RTX 4070 earns that extra money with a clearly stronger gaming result and a more complete overall package.

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.

GeForce RTX 4070 Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 5500 Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	183 FPS	106 FPS
medium	167 FPS	92 FPS
high	151 FPS	76 FPS
ultra	131 FPS	45 FPS
1440p
low	150 FPS	94 FPS
medium	124 FPS	81 FPS
high	110 FPS	61 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	35 FPS
4K
low	92 FPS	32 FPS
medium	78 FPS	29 FPS
high	65 FPS	20 FPS
ultra	58 FPS	17 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Open Radeon RX 5500

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	544 FPS	113 FPS
medium	454 FPS	79 FPS
high	353 FPS	54 FPS
ultra	299 FPS	37 FPS
1440p
low	351 FPS	76 FPS
medium	288 FPS	47 FPS
high	235 FPS	34 FPS
ultra	197 FPS	25 FPS
4K
low	172 FPS	36 FPS
medium	144 FPS	24 FPS
high	125 FPS	19 FPS
ultra	101 FPS	14 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Open Radeon RX 5500

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	884 FPS	349 FPS
medium	713 FPS	304 FPS
high	643 FPS	238 FPS
ultra	569 FPS	198 FPS
1440p
low	684 FPS	285 FPS
medium	549 FPS	239 FPS
high	483 FPS	199 FPS
ultra	424 FPS	149 FPS
4K
low	467 FPS	176 FPS
medium	373 FPS	151 FPS
high	326 FPS	101 FPS
ultra	277 FPS	74 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Open Radeon RX 5500

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
1080p
low	751 FPS	170 FPS
medium	612 FPS	140 FPS
high	536 FPS	124 FPS
ultra	497 FPS	97 FPS
1440p
low	615 FPS	121 FPS
medium	500 FPS	100 FPS
high	433 FPS	90 FPS
ultra	395 FPS	69 FPS
4K
low	384 FPS	69 FPS
medium	324 FPS	56 FPS
high	301 FPS	46 FPS
ultra	272 FPS	34 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 4070 Open Radeon RX 5500

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 4070 and Radeon RX 5500

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.

Radeon RX 5500

The Radeon RX 5500 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 7 2019. It features the RDNA 1.0 architecture. The boost clock speed is 1845 MHz. It has 1408 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 110W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 8,837 points.

⚡

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 4070 scores 26,919 versus the Radeon RX 5500's 8,837 — the GeForce RTX 4070 leads by 204.6%. The GeForce RTX 4070 is built on Ada Lovelace while the Radeon RX 5500 uses RDNA 1.0, both on 5 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 1,408 (Radeon RX 5500). Raw compute: 29.15 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 5.196 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 5500). Boost clocks: 2475 MHz vs 1845 MHz.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
G3D Mark Score	26,919+205%	8,837
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	RDNA 1.0
Process Node	5 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	5888+318%	1408
Compute (TFLOPS)	29.15 TFLOPS+461%	5.196 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2475 MHz+34%	1845 MHz
ROPs	64+100%	32
TMUs	184+109%	88

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

Both GPUs support Frame Generation technologies, but they achieve it differently. The GeForce RTX 4070 uses DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation, while the Radeon RX 5500 relies on FSR Frame Generation. Both can significantly boost FPS in supported titles, but they are not on the same feature stack.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 RX 5500 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation	DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation	FSR Frame Generation
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 RX 5500 has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 4070 offers 200% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 504 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 224 GB/s (Radeon RX 5500) — a 125% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070. Bus width: 192-bit vs 128-bit.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
VRAM Capacity	12 GB+200%	4 GB
Memory Type	GDDR6X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	504 GB/s+125%	224 GB/s
Bus Width	192-bit+50%	128-bit

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 12.1 (Radeon RX 5500). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
DirectX	12.2	12.1
Vulkan	1.3+8%	1.2
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (GeForce RTX 4070) vs VCN 2.0 (Radeon RX 5500). Decoder: 5th Gen NVDEC vs VCN 2.0. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9 (Radeon RX 5500).

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
Encoder	8th Gen NVENC (2x)	VCN 2.0
Decoder	5th Gen NVDEC	VCN 2.0
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 4070 draws 200W versus the Radeon RX 5500's 110W — a 58.1% difference. The Radeon RX 5500 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 450W (Radeon RX 5500). Power connectors: 8-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 304mm vs 180mm, occupying 3 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 75°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 4070	Radeon RX 5500
TDP	200W	110W-45%
Recommended PSU	650W	450W-31%
Power Connector	8-pin	8-pin
Length	304mm	180mm
Height	137mm	110mm
Slots	3	2-33%
Temp (Load)	80°C	75°C-6%
Perf/Watt	134.6+68%	80.3

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 4070 launched at $599 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 5500 launched at $179. The Radeon RX 5500 costs 70.1% less ($420 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.9 (GeForce RTX 4070) vs 49.4 (Radeon RX 5500) — the Radeon RX 5500 offers 10% better value. The GeForce RTX 4070 is the newer GPU (2023 vs 2019).