GeForce RTX 3070 vs Radeon R5 430

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
AMD

Radeon R5 430

2016Core: 780 MHzBoost: 1030 MHz

Popular choices:

RTX 3070

Performance Spectrum - GPU

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.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3070

2020

Why buy it

  • +2402.5% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Delivers 195.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 15.0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $59 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 1500% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 512 MB).
  • More future proof: Ampere (2020−2025) on 8nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 633.3% higher power demand at 220W vs 30W.
  • 44% longer card at 242mm vs 168mm.

Radeon R5 430

2016

Why buy it

  • Costs $440 less on MSRP ($59 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Draws 30W instead of 220W, a 190W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 242mm, a 74mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (886 vs 22,172).
  • Less VRAM, with 512 MB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead.
  • Very weak future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 512 MB of VRAM is already obsolete for modern gaming and is hard to recommend today.
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 15.0 vs 44.4 G3D/$ ($59 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than Radeon R5 430?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 886 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Radeon R5 430 is a 2016 model from an older generation with FSR upscaling. So this is not really a tight same-tier comparison. It is more a modern card against an older, weaker alternative.
Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2020 generation instead of 2016, 2402.5% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 512 MB, and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR upscaling. That leaves it with more room for heavier textures, tougher ray tracing loads, and higher-end 1440p or 4K gaming over the next few years.
Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?
GeForce RTX 3070 is the smarter buy by a wide margin. GeForce RTX 3070 is about 745.8% more expensive on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $59 MSRP, and you are getting 2402.5% higher G3D Mark. Radeon R5 430 really only makes sense now as a very cheap stopgap or a used-market placeholder.
Is Radeon R5 430 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
No, not for a fresh gaming build. Radeon R5 430 is 2016 hardware with 512 MB of VRAM, 886 in G3D Mark, and FSR upscaling. That is simply too far behind to be an easy modern recommendation.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
1080p
low158 FPS11 FPS
medium140 FPS7 FPS
high123 FPS4 FPS
ultra104 FPS2 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS7 FPS
medium109 FPS4 FPS
high96 FPS2 FPS
ultra86 FPS1 FPS
4K
low80 FPS3 FPS
medium67 FPS2 FPS
high52 FPS1 FPS
ultra45 FPS1 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
1080p
low470 FPS23 FPS
medium405 FPS10 FPS
high327 FPS7 FPS
ultra277 FPS5 FPS
1440p
low294 FPS7 FPS
medium246 FPS3 FPS
high213 FPS2 FPS
ultra179 FPS2 FPS
4K
low141 FPS2 FPS
medium120 FPS1 FPS
high105 FPS1 FPS
ultra83 FPS1 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
1080p
low885 FPS40 FPS
medium712 FPS32 FPS
high619 FPS27 FPS
ultra499 FPS20 FPS
1440p
low692 FPS30 FPS
medium557 FPS24 FPS
high473 FPS20 FPS
ultra374 FPS15 FPS
4K
low479 FPS20 FPS
medium388 FPS16 FPS
high330 FPS13 FPS
ultra249 FPS10 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
1080p
low600 FPS40 FPS
medium527 FPS32 FPS
high433 FPS19 FPS
ultra385 FPS13 FPS
1440p
low489 FPS5 FPS
medium433 FPS3 FPS
high339 FPS3 FPS
ultra297 FPS2 FPS
4K
low292 FPS3 FPS
medium270 FPS2 FPS
high238 FPS2 FPS
ultra200 FPS1 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3070 and Radeon R5 430

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.

AMD

Radeon R5 430

The Radeon R5 430 is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 15 2016. It features the GCN 1.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 780 MHz to 1030 MHz. It has 320 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 30W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 886 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Radeon R5 430's 886 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 2402.5%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Radeon R5 430 uses GCN 1.0, both on 8 nm vs 28 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 320 (Radeon R5 430). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.6592 TFLOPS (Radeon R5 430). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 1030 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
G3D Mark Score
22,172+2402%
886
Architecture
Ampere
GCN 1.0
Process Node
8 nm
28 nm
Shading Units
5888+1740%
320
Compute (TFLOPS)
20.31 TFLOPS+2981%
0.6592 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1725 MHz+67%
1030 MHz
ROPs
96+1100%
8
TMUs
184+820%
20
L1 Cache
5.8 MB+7150%
0.08 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+2977%
0.13 MB

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce RTX 3070 gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon R5 430 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3070 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon R5 430 has 512 MB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 1500% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 128-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 0.13 MB (Radeon R5 430) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+1500%
0.5 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth
448 GB/s
Unknown
Bus Width
256-bit+100%
128-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+2977%
0.13 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12 (11_1) (Radeon R5 430). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.2. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 (11_1)
Vulkan
1.4+17%
1.2
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4+100%
2
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs None (Radeon R5 430). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs UVD 4.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2 (Radeon R5 430).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
None
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
UVD 4.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
H.264,MPEG-4,VC-1,MPEG-2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Radeon R5 430's 30W — a 152% difference. The Radeon R5 430 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 350W (Radeon R5 430). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
TDP
220W
30W-86%
Recommended PSU
650W
350W-46%
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
242mm
168mm
Height
112mm
69mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
75°C
75
Perf/Watt
100.8+242%
29.5
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499 MSRP, while the Radeon R5 430 launched at $59. The Radeon R5 430 costs 88.2% less ($440 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 15.0 (Radeon R5 430) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 196% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Radeon R5 430
MSRP
$499
$59-88%
Performance per Dollar
44.4+196%
15.0
Codename
GA104
Jet
Release
September 1 2020
May 15 2016
Ranking
#63
#922