Nvidia has made a surprising decision regarding its RTX 4070 GPU by swapping out the high-speed GDDR6X memory for slower GDDR6 modules. This move, reportedly due to supply chain issues with GDDR6X, marks the first time we’ve seen a GPU undergo a memory downgrade mid-lifecycle. Naturally, this raised concerns among gamers about how the memory change would affect performance. However, recent benchmarks show the difference is minimal, which is great news for those considering the updated version of the card. Even better, the price remains unchanged at $549.
According to tests conducted by Wccftech, both versions of the RTX 4070—one with GDDR6X and the other with GDDR6—perform almost identically in most gaming scenarios. The review focused on 1080p and 1440p resolutions, where this GPU is typically used, and found that the GDDR6 version delivers 99% of the performance of its GDDR6X counterpart. In some games, the results were nearly identical, with no significant drop in performance.
The only noticeable difference came at 4K resolution, where the GDDR6 model showed a slight 2% performance dip. However, since most RTX 4070 owners aren’t playing at 4K (unless it’s on older titles), this minor delta is unlikely to be a dealbreaker. The impact boils down to just a frame or two per second, which won’t be noticeable in most real-world gaming experiences.
The switch from GDDR6X to GDDR6 does lower the memory bandwidth slightly, from 504GB/s to 480GB/s. Despite this, the reduced bandwidth doesn’t seem to have a major effect on gameplay performance at common resolutions. With this in mind, gamers can confidently purchase either version of the RTX 4070 without worrying about a significant performance hit.
Ultimately, Nvidia’s decision may have been driven more by availability than necessity, and with such a small impact on gaming performance, the GDDR6 version is still a solid choice for anyone looking to upgrade their GPU.
