GeForce 840A vs GeForce RTX 3070

NVIDIA

GeForce 840A

2014Core: 1029 MHzBoost: 1124 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce 840A 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 840A 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 840A 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 840A

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $399 less on MSRP ($100 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Draws 33W instead of 220W, a 187W reduction.

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.
  • 2014 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 11.2 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($100 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • 1061.1% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 298.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 11.2 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $100 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.

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 1061.1% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1888.5% in PassMark G3D (22,172 vs 1,115), 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 $399 more expensive on MSRP at $499 vs $100, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 298.5% (44.4 vs 11.2), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce 840A vs GeForce RTX 3070 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce 840A

The GeForce 840A is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in March 17 2014. It features the Maxwell architecture. The core clock ranges from 1029 MHz to 1124 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 33W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,115 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 840A scores 1,115 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 1888.5%. The GeForce 840A is built on Maxwell while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce 840A) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 0.8632 TFLOPS (GeForce 840A) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070). Boost clocks: 1124 MHz vs 1725 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 840AGeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score
1,115
22,172+1889%
Architecture
Maxwell
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
384
5888+1433%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.8632 TFLOPS
20.31 TFLOPS+2253%
Boost Clock
1124 MHz
1725 MHz+53%
ROPs
8
96+1100%
TMUs
16
184+1050%
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 840A is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce 840AGeForce 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 840A 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 840A and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce 840A) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 840AGeForce 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: 12 (11_0) (GeForce 840A) vs 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070). Vulkan: 1.1 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.5 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 3 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce 840AGeForce RTX 3070
DirectX
12 (11_0)
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.1
1.4+27%
OpenGL
4.5
4.6+2%
Max Displays
3
4+33%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC (Maxwell) (GeForce 840A) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: NVDEC (Maxwell) vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2 (GeForce 840A) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

FeatureGeForce 840AGeForce RTX 3070
Encoder
NVENC (Maxwell)
NVENC 7th gen
Decoder
NVDEC (Maxwell)
NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs
H.264,VC-1,MPEG-2
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 840A draws 33W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 147.8% difference. The GeForce 840A is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 840A) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: Legacy vs 8-pin. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce 840AGeForce RTX 3070
TDP
33W-85%
220W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
Legacy
8-pin
Length
242mm
Height
112mm
Slots
2
Temp (Load)
75°C
75°C
Perf/Watt
33.8
100.8+198%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 840A came in at $100, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. On MSRP, GeForce 840A was 80% cheaper ($399 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 11.2 (GeForce 840A) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 296.4% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce 840AGeForce RTX 3070
MSRP
$100-80%
$499
Performance per Dollar
11.2
44.4+296%
Codename
GM108
GA104
Release
March 17 2014
September 1 2020
Ranking
#850
#63

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