GeForce GTX 950 vs GeForce RTX 4070

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 950

2015Core: 1024 MHzBoost: 1188 MHz
VS
NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 4070

2023Core: 1920 MHzBoost: 2475 MHz

GeForce GTX 950 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 GTX 950 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 GTX 950 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 GTX 950

2015

Why buy it

  • Costs $440 less on MSRP ($159 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).
  • Draws 90W instead of 200W, a 110W reduction.
  • Measures 202mm instead of 304mm, a 102mm 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 2 GB vs 12 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 2015 hardware with 2 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 33.7 vs 44.9 G3D/$ ($159 MSRP vs $599 MSRP).

GeForce RTX 4070

2023

Why buy it

  • 351.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Delivers 33.4% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.9 vs 33.7 G3D/$ ($599 MSRP vs $159 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023).
  • 500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (12 GB vs 2 GB).
  • Better long-term bet: Ada Lovelace (2022−2024) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 122.2% higher power demand at 200W vs 90W.
  • 50.5% longer card at 304mm vs 202mm.

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 351.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 402.5% in PassMark G3D (26,919 vs 5,357), 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 2 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with DLSS 3.5 Super Resolution (2023) and DLSS 3.5 + Frame Generation (2023), while GeForce GTX 950 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 $440 more expensive on MSRP at $599 vs $159, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 33.4% (44.9 vs 33.7), so the value case lines up with the gaming result.

GeForce GTX 950 vs GeForce RTX 4070 Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce GTX 950

The GeForce GTX 950 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 20 2015. It features the Maxwell 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1024 MHz to 1188 MHz. It has 768 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 90W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 5,357 points. Launch price was $159.

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 GTX 950 scores 5,357 versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 26,919 — the GeForce RTX 4070 leads by 402.5%. The GeForce GTX 950 is built on Maxwell 2.0 while the GeForce RTX 4070 uses Ada Lovelace, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 768 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 5,888 (GeForce RTX 4070). Raw compute: 1.825 TFLOPS (GeForce GTX 950) vs 29.15 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 4070). Boost clocks: 1188 MHz vs 2475 MHz.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950GeForce RTX 4070
G3D Mark Score
5,357
26,919+403%
Architecture
Maxwell 2.0
Ada Lovelace
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
768
5888+667%
Compute (TFLOPS)
1.825 TFLOPS
29.15 TFLOPS+1497%
Boost Clock
1188 MHz
2475 MHz+108%
ROPs
32
64+100%
TMUs
48
184+283%
L1 Cache
0.28 MB
5.8 MB+1971%
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 GTX 950 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 GTX 950 is capped at Upscaling support.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950GeForce 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 GTX 950 has 2 GB of VRAM, while the GeForce RTX 4070 carries 12 GB. GeForce RTX 4070 gives you 500% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 106 GB/s (GeForce GTX 950) vs 504 GB/s (GeForce RTX 4070) — a 375.5% advantage for the GeForce RTX 4070. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce GTX 950 and 192-bit on the GeForce RTX 4070. L2 Cache: 1 MB (GeForce GTX 950) vs 36 MB (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce RTX 4070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950GeForce RTX 4070
VRAM Capacity
2 GB
12 GB+500%
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR6X
Memory Bandwidth
106 GB/s
504 GB/s+375%
Bus Width
128-bit
192-bit+50%
L2 Cache
1 MB
36 MB+3500%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12_1 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 12.2 (GeForce RTX 4070). Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950GeForce RTX 4070
DirectX
12_1
12.2+2%
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 2nd Gen (GeForce GTX 950) vs 8th Gen NVENC (2x) (GeForce RTX 4070). Decoder: NVDEC 2nd Gen vs 5th Gen NVDEC. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265 (GeForce GTX 950) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (GeForce RTX 4070).

FeatureGeForce GTX 950GeForce RTX 4070
Encoder
NVENC 2nd Gen
8th Gen NVENC (2x)
Decoder
NVDEC 2nd Gen
5th Gen NVDEC
Codecs
H.264,H.265
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce GTX 950 draws 90W versus the GeForce RTX 4070's 200W — a 75.9% difference. The GeForce GTX 950 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce GTX 950) vs 650W (GeForce RTX 4070). Power connectors: 1x 6-pin vs 8-pin. Card length: 202mm vs 304mm, occupying 2 vs 3 slots.

FeatureGeForce GTX 950GeForce RTX 4070
TDP
90W-55%
200W
Recommended PSU
350W-46%
650W
Power Connector
1x 6-pin
8-pin
Length
202mm
304mm
Height
137mm
Slots
2-33%
3
Temp (Load)
80°C
Perf/Watt
59.5
134.6+126%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce GTX 950 came in at $159, while the GeForce RTX 4070 launched at $599. On MSRP, GeForce GTX 950 was 73.5% cheaper ($440 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 33.7 (GeForce GTX 950) vs 44.9 (GeForce RTX 4070) — the GeForce RTX 4070 offers 33.2% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 4070 (2023 vs 2015).

FeatureGeForce GTX 950GeForce RTX 4070
MSRP
$159-73%
$599
Performance per Dollar
33.7
44.9+33%
Codename
GM206
AD104
Release
August 20 2015
April 12 2023
Ranking
#425
#32

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