GeForce RTX 3070 vs Tesla P4

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3070

2020Core: 1500 MHzBoost: 1725 MHz

Popular choices:

VS
NVIDIA

Tesla P4

2016Core: 886 MHzBoost: 1114 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

  • +146.2% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Costs $501 less on MSRP ($499 MSRP vs $1,000 MSRP).
  • Delivers 393.5% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 44.4 vs 9.0 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $1,000 MSRP).
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).
  • 100% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (8 GB vs 4 GB).

Trade-offs

  • 193.3% higher power demand at 220W vs 75W.
  • 44% longer card at 242mm vs 168mm.

Tesla P4

2016

Why buy it

  • Draws 75W instead of 220W, a 145W reduction.
  • Measures 168mm instead of 242mm, a 74mm shorter card that is more SFF-friendly.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (9,004 vs 22,172).
  • Less VRAM, with 4 GB vs 8 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on Upscaling support instead.
  • Poor future-proofing: 2016-era hardware with 4 GB of VRAM is already a legacy-tier option for modern games.
  • 100.4% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,000 MSRPvs$499 MSRP

Quick Answers

So, is GeForce RTX 3070 better than Tesla P4?
Yes. GeForce RTX 3070 is clearly the better overall GPU here. You are also looking at 22,172 vs 9,004 in G3D Mark. On top of that, GeForce RTX 3070 is a 2020 card with DLSS Super Resolution, while Tesla P4 is a 2016 model from an older generation with no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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, 146.2% more raw performance headroom, more VRAM at 8 GB instead of 4 GB, and better upscaling support with DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack. 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 today, but it is not as lopsided as a simple winner label makes it sound. GeForce RTX 3070 is about $501 cheaper on MSRP at $499 MSRP versus $1,000 MSRP, and you are getting 146.2% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 393.5%. That is why the better overall card still comes out as the smarter buy today, not just the faster one.
Is Tesla P4 still worth buying for gaming in 2026?
Yes. Tesla P4 is still a strong modern gaming GPU: it is still comfortable for 1080p and decent for 1440p, though 4K is more situational. It remains a good buy when you can get it meaningfully cheaper than the alternative around $1,000 MSRP, even if GeForce RTX 3070 is still the cleaner recommendation on overall value today.

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 3070Tesla P4
1080p
low158 FPS103 FPS
medium140 FPS89 FPS
high123 FPS72 FPS
ultra104 FPS43 FPS
1440p
low134 FPS90 FPS
medium109 FPS79 FPS
high96 FPS57 FPS
ultra86 FPS33 FPS
4K
low80 FPS28 FPS
medium67 FPS27 FPS
high52 FPS18 FPS
ultra45 FPS15 FPS
Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
1080p
low470 FPS219 FPS
medium405 FPS177 FPS
high327 FPS135 FPS
ultra277 FPS109 FPS
1440p
low294 FPS159 FPS
medium246 FPS128 FPS
high213 FPS104 FPS
ultra179 FPS80 FPS
4K
low141 FPS92 FPS
medium120 FPS73 FPS
high105 FPS61 FPS
ultra83 FPS45 FPS
League of Legends

League of Legends

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
1080p
low885 FPS405 FPS
medium712 FPS324 FPS
high619 FPS270 FPS
ultra499 FPS203 FPS
1440p
low692 FPS304 FPS
medium557 FPS243 FPS
high473 FPS203 FPS
ultra374 FPS152 FPS
4K
low479 FPS203 FPS
medium388 FPS162 FPS
high330 FPS135 FPS
ultra249 FPS101 FPS
Valorant

Valorant

PresetGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
1080p
low600 FPS193 FPS
medium527 FPS159 FPS
high433 FPS143 FPS
ultra385 FPS110 FPS
1440p
low489 FPS134 FPS
medium433 FPS114 FPS
high339 FPS103 FPS
ultra297 FPS79 FPS
4K
low292 FPS80 FPS
medium270 FPS64 FPS
high238 FPS52 FPS
ultra200 FPS38 FPS

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3070 and Tesla P4

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.

NVIDIA

Tesla P4

The Tesla P4 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 13 2016. It features the Pascal architecture. The core clock ranges from 886 MHz to 1114 MHz. It has 2560 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 75W. Manufactured using 16 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,004 points.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3070 scores 22,172 versus the Tesla P4's 9,004 — the GeForce RTX 3070 leads by 146.2%. The GeForce RTX 3070 is built on Ampere while the Tesla P4 uses Pascal, both on 8 nm vs 16 nm. Shader units: 5,888 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 2,560 (Tesla P4). Raw compute: 20.31 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 5.704 TFLOPS (Tesla P4). Boost clocks: 1725 MHz vs 1114 MHz.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
G3D Mark Score
22,172+146%
9,004
Architecture
Ampere
Pascal
Process Node
8 nm
16 nm
Shading Units
5888+130%
2560
Compute (TFLOPS)
20.31 TFLOPS+256%
5.704 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1725 MHz+55%
1114 MHz
ROPs
96+50%
64
TMUs
184+15%
160
L1 Cache
5.8 MB+517%
0.94 MB
L2 Cache
4 MB+100%
2 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 Tesla P4 relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
Upscaling support
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
Standard
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3070 comes with 8 GB of VRAM, while the Tesla P4 has 4 GB. The GeForce RTX 3070 offers 100% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Bus width: 256-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 4 MB (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 2 MB (Tesla P4) — the GeForce RTX 3070 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
VRAM Capacity
8 GB+100%
4 GB
Memory Type
GDDR6
GDDR6
Bus Width
256-bit
256-bit
L2 Cache
4 MB+100%
2 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 12.1 (Tesla P4). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.4. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 0.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12.1
Vulkan
1.4
1.4
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
0
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3070) vs NVENC 6.0 (Tesla P4). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs PureVideo HD VP6. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP8,VP9 (Tesla P4).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
NVENC 6.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
PureVideo HD VP6
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP8,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3070 draws 220W versus the Tesla P4's 75W — a 98.3% difference. The Tesla P4 is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 650W (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 500W (Tesla P4). Power connectors: 8-pin vs PCIe-powered. Card length: 242mm vs 168mm, occupying 2 vs 1 slots. Typical load temperature: 75°C vs 75°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
TDP
220W
75W-66%
Recommended PSU
650W
500W-23%
Power Connector
8-pin
PCIe-powered
Length
242mm
168mm
Height
112mm
53mm
Slots
2
1-50%
Temp (Load)
75°C
75°C
Perf/Watt
100.8
120.1+19%
💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3070 launched at $499 MSRP, while the Tesla P4 launched at $1000. The GeForce RTX 3070 costs 50.1% less ($501 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 44.4 (GeForce RTX 3070) vs 9.0 (Tesla P4) — the GeForce RTX 3070 offers 393.3% better value. The GeForce RTX 3070 is the newer GPU (2020 vs 2016).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3070Tesla P4
MSRP
$499-50%
$1000
Performance per Dollar
44.4+393%
9.0
Codename
GA104
GP104
Release
September 1 2020
September 13 2016
Ranking
#63
#293