GeForce GT 740 vs GeForce RTX 3070

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 740

2014Core: 993 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz
RTX family
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GeForce GT 740 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 GT 740 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 GT 740 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 GT 740

2014

Why buy it

  • Costs $410 less on MSRP ($89 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Draws 64W instead of 220W, a 156W 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 1 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • 2014 hardware with 1 GB 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 16.1 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($89 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • 1553.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 176.7% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 16.1 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $89 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 700% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 1 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 243.8% higher power demand at 220W vs 64W.
  • 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 1553.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 1451.6% in PassMark G3D (22,172 vs 1,429), 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 1 GB 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 $410 more expensive on MSRP at $499 vs $89, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 176.7% (44.4 vs 16.1), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GT 740 vs GeForce RTX 3070 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GT 740

The GeForce GT 740 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 29 2014. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock speed is 993 MHz. It has 384 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 64W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 1,429 points. Launch price was $89.

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 GT 740 scores 1,429 versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 22,172 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 1451.6%. The GeForce GT 740 is built on Kepler while the GeForce RTX 3070 uses Ampere, both on 28 nm vs 8 nm. Shader units: 384 (GeForce GT 740) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070). Raw compute: 0.7626 TFLOPS (GeForce GT 740) vs 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070).

FeatureGeForce GT 740GeForce RTX 3070
G3D Mark Score
1,429
22,172+1452%
Architecture
Kepler
Ampere
Process Node
28 nm
8 nm
Shading Units
384
5888+1433%
Compute (TFLOPS)
0.7626 TFLOPS
20.31 TFLOPS+2563%
ROPs
16
96+500%
TMUs
32
184+475%
L1 Cache
0.03 MB
5.8 MB+19233%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
4 MB+1500%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 supports the newer DLSS 2 Super Resolution, whereas the GeForce GT 740 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GT 740GeForce 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 GT 740 has 1 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 3070 carries 8 GB. GeForce RTX 3070 gives you 700% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bus width is 64-bit on the GeForce GT 740 and 256-bit on the GeForce RTX 3070. L2 Cache: 0.25 MB (GeForce GT 740) vs 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GT 740GeForce RTX 3070
VRAM Capacity
1 GB
8 GB+700%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
Unknown
448 GB/s
Bus Width
64-bit
256-bit+300%
L2 Cache
0.25 MB
4 MB+1500%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 (11_0) (GeForce GT 740) 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 GT 740GeForce RTX 3070
DirectX
12 (11_0)
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.1
1.4+27%
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
3
4+33%
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 1st Gen (GeForce GT 740) vs NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070). Decoder: VP5 vs NVDEC 5th gen. Supported codecs: H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4 (GeForce GT 740) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070).

FeatureGeForce GT 740GeForce RTX 3070
Encoder
NVENC 1st Gen
NVENC 7th gen
Decoder
VP5
NVDEC 5th gen
Codecs
H.264,MPEG-2,VC-1,MPEG-4
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GT 740 draws 64W versus the GeForce RTX 3070's 220W — a 109.9% difference. The GeForce GT 740 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 300W (GeForce GT 740) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 3070). Power connectors: None vs 8-pin. Card length: 145mm vs 242mm, occupying 1 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 75 vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce GT 740GeForce RTX 3070
TDP
64W-71%
220W
Recommended PSU
300W-54%
650W
Power Connector
None
8-pin
Length
145mm
242mm
Height
111mm
112mm
Slots
1-50%
2
Temp (Load)
75
75°C
Perf/Watt
22.3
100.8+352%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GT 740 came in at $89, while the GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499. On MSRP, GeForce GT 740 was 82.2% cheaper ($410 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 16.1 (GeForce GT 740) vs 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 175.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3070 (2020 vs 2014).

FeatureGeForce GT 740GeForce RTX 3070
MSRP
$89-82%
$499
Performance per Dollar
16.1
44.4+176%
Codename
GK107
GA104
Release
May 29 2014
September 1 2020
Ranking
#777
#63

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