GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 4070

NVIDIA

GeForce 6800

2014Core: 1082 MHzBoost: 1150 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070

2023Core: 1920 MHzBoost: 2475 MHz

GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 4070 Performance Spectrum

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.

GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 4070 FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 4070: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce 6800

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $300 less on MSRP ($299 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • Draws 33W instead of 200W, a 167W reduction.
  • Measures 198mm instead of 304mm, a 106mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 4070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 256 MB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2014 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.4 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($299 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 4070

2023

Why buy it

  • 6621.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 11791.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 0.4 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $299 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 4700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 256 MB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 506.1% higher power demand at 200W vs 33W.
  • 53.5% longer card at 304mm vs 198mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 4070 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 6621.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 23722.1% in PassMark G3D (26,919 vs 113), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 4070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 12 GB vs 256 MB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023) and DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce 6800 is limited to no meaningful modern upscaling stack and no comparable frame-generation support, a 5nm process instead of 28nm, and 46 vs 0 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 4070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $300 more expensive on MSRP at $599 vs $299, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 11791.2% (44.9 vs 0.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 6800 vs GeForce RTX 4070 Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce 6800

The GeForce 6800 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in July 22 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1082 MHz to 1150 MHz. It has 256 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 113 points.

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.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 6800 scores 113 versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 26,919 — the GeForce RTX 4070 leads by 23722.1%. The GeForce 6800 is built on Maxwell while the GeForce RTX 4070 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 256 (GeForce 6800) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 4070). Raw compute: 0.5888 TFLOPS (GeForce 6800) vs 29.15 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070). Boost clocks: 1150 MHz vs 2475 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 4070
G3D Mark Score
113
26,919+23722%
Architecture
Maxwell
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
256
5888+2200%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.5888 TFLOPS
29.15 TFLOPS+4851%
Boost Clock
1150 MHz
2475 MHz+115%
ROPs
8
64+700%
TMUs
16
184+1050%
L1 Cache
0.13 MB
5.8 MB+4362%
L2 Cache
1 MB
36 MB+3500%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the GeForce RTX 4070 is support for DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce 6800 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 4070 supports the newer DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce 6800 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 4070
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation
Ray Reconstruction
No
Yes (DLSS 3.5)
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 6800 has 256 MB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 4070 carries 12 GB. GeForce RTX 4070 gives you 4700% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 6800 and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 4070. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 6800) vs 36 MB (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce RTX 4070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 4070
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
12 GB+4700%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
504 GB/s
Bus Width
128-bit
192-bit+50%
L2 Cache
1 MB
36 MB+3500%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 6800) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4070). Vulkan: N/A vs 1.3. OpenGL: 2.1 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 4070
DirectX
9.0c
12.2+36%
Vulkan
N/A
1.3
OpenGL
2.1
4.6+119%
Max Displays
2
4+100%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: None (GeForce 6800) vs 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (GeForce RTX 4070). Decoder: PureVideo (VP1) vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,WMV (GeForce 6800) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4070).

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 4070
Encoder
None
8th Gen NVENC (2x)
Decoder
PureVideo (VP1)
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
MPEG-2,WMV
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6800 draws 33W versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 200W — a 143.3% difference. The GeForce 6800 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6800) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 4070). Power connectors: Legacy vs 8-pin. Card length: 198mm vs 304mm, occupying 1 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 80 vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 4070
TDP
33W-84%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
Legacy
8-pin
Length
198mm
304mm
Height
111mm
137mm
Slots
1-67%
3
Temp (Load)
80
80°C
Perf/Watt
3.4
134.6+3859%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 6800 came in at $299, while the GeForce RTX 4070 launched at $599. On MSRP, GeForce 6800 was 50.1% cheaper ($300 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 0.4 (GeForce 6800) vs 44.9 (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce RTX 4070 offers 11125% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4070 (2023 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce 6800GeForce RTX 4070
MSRP
$299-50%
$599
Performance per Dollar
0.4
44.9+11125%
Codename
GM108
AD104
Release
July 22 2014
April 12 2023
Ranking
#832
#32

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