GeForce 730A vs GeForce RTX 3070

NVIDIA

GeForce 730A

2015Core: 928 MHzBoost: 941 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce 730A vs GeForce RTX 3070 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 730A vs GeForce RTX 3070 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 730A vs GeForce RTX 3070: 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 730A

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $439 less on MSRP ($60 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Draws 33W instead of 220W, a 187W reduction.
  • Measures 145mm instead of 242mm, a 97mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3070 across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2015 hardware with 512 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 12.7 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($60 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • 1396.9% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 248.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 12.7 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $60 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 1500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 512 MB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 566.7% higher power demand at 220W vs 33W.
  • 66.9% longer card at 242mm vs 145mm.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 1396.9% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 2802.1% in PassMark G3D (22,172 vs 764), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 8 GB vs 512 MB of VRAM, the newer upscaling stack, DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 8nm 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 3070 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $439 more expensive on MSRP at $499 vs $60, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 248.9% (44.4 vs 12.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 730A vs GeForce RTX 3070 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 730A

The GeForce 730A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 13 2015. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 928 MHz to 941 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 764 points.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

The GeForce RTX 3070 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1500 MHz to 1725 MHz. It has 5888 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 220W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 46 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 22,172 points. Launch price was $499.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 730A scores 764 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 2802.1%. The GeForce 730A is built on Maxwell while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 730A) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 0.7227 TFLOPS (GeForce 730A) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070). Boost clocks: 941 MHz vs 1725 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 730AGeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score
764
22,172+2802%
Architecture
Maxwell
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
384
5888+1433%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.7227 TFLOPS
20.31 TFLOPS+2710%
Boost Clock
941 MHz
1725 MHz+83%
ROPs
8
96+1100%
TMUs
24
184+667%
L1 Cache
0.19 MB
5.8 MB+2953%
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce 730A is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce 730AGeForce RTX 3070
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
NVIDIA Reflex
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce 730A has 512 MB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3070 carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 gives you 1500% 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 730A and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 730A) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 730AGeForce RTX 3070
VRAM Capacity
0.5 GB
8 GB+1500%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
448 GB/s
Bus Width
128-bit
256-bit+100%
L2 Cache
1 MB
4 MB+300%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 11.0 (GeForce 730A) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce 730AGeForce RTX 3070
DirectX
11.0
12 Ultimate+9%
Vulkan
1.1
1.4+27%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
3
4+33%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1 (GeForce 730A) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: PureVideo HD VP5 vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4 (GeForce 730A) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

FeatureGeForce 730AGeForce RTX 3070
Encoder
NVENC 1
NVENC 7th gen
Decoder
PureVideo HD VP5
NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs
MPEG-2,H.264,VC-1,MPEG-4
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 730A draws 33W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 147.8% difference. The GeForce 730A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 730A) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: Legacy vs 8-pin. Card length: 145mm vs 242mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce 730AGeForce RTX 3070
TDP
33W-85%
220W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
Legacy
8-pin
Length
145mm
242mm
Height
69mm
112mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
75°C
Perf/Watt
23.2
100.8+334%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 730A came in at $60, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. On MSRP, GeForce 730A was 88% cheaper ($439 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 12.7 (GeForce 730A) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 249.6% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce 730AGeForce RTX 3070
MSRP
$60-88%
$499
Performance per Dollar
12.7
44.4+250%
Codename
GM108
GA104
Release
March 13 2015
September 1 2020
Ranking
#810
#63

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