f you’re running an old Nvidia Volta or Pascal-based graphics card, maybe it’s time to upgrade, get yourself a Turing-based card and join Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 20 Series!
The GeForce RTX 2070 Super is categorized as a high-end card. With a price tag of $499,99 for both the Standard and Founder’s Edition (upon release), it’s the least expensive high-end graphics card in the entire RTX range (relatively speaking).
It’s unlikely that you’ll purchase the Standard or Founder’s Edition. So obviously, you’d like to know which brand is producing the best RTX 2070 Super model. In this guide, we hope to answer that question for you.
Related: Best Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti Graphics Card
Top 5 Best Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super
As always, we’ve tried to keep the selections in our list as diverse as possible. For those of you unhappy with our selections, we’ve also included a short buying guide near the end of the article to help you determine not only which RTX 2070 Super card is the best but will also help you with shopping for other cards in the future.
You’ll also notice that this guide ends with a list of FAQs. If you want to learn more about Nvidia’s RTX 2070 Super, we suggest you read on till the end. Now that we’ve covered these technicalities, we can begin with the rest of the guide.
Best Choice: MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super™ Gaming X
Pros & Cons
- Beautifully crafted
- Easy to set up
- Efficient cooling
- Low noise levels
- Bulky
Specifications:
- Core Clock Speeds: 1770 MHz (Base) / 1800 MHz (Boost) \
- Memory Size: 8 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6
- Memory Bus: 256-bit
- Memory Speed: 14 GBPS
- Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
- Max Number of Displays: 4
- Power Usage: 215 Watt
- Card Dimensions: 297 x 143 x 56 mm / 11.69 x 5.62 x 2.2 inches
Key Features:
- Customizable RGB LED lights
- Zero Frozr technology
- Dual Double-Ball Bearing Fans
- Thermal Padding
- Power Cooling Plate
MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super™ Gaming X Review
If you’re ever confused about which brand to buy, Micro-Star International is always a safe bet. Some of the best gaming laptops on the market are MSI laptops. You will find that MSI’s implementation of the GeForce RTX 2070 Super does not blemish MSI’s nearly impeccable reputation. In fact, it could be considered the best GeForce RTX 2070 graphics card.
The first thing you’ll notice is that the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER™ GAMING X is a significantly large card. You’ll need at least three slots to fit it in and it weighs around 1,4 KG (3.13 pounds).
That’s around six uncooked Big Macs. At the time of writing this article, it cost $569.99 which is around 95 Big Mac Meals. But a key difference between the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super and Big Mac is that the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 looks as good as it does on the box in real life.
This thing looks sharp. The card’s chassis is made up of uniform grey and black tones. Which means it will blend in with most rigs without too much trouble.
The card’s cooler wears MSI’s Twin thermal design quite well. On top of the card, you get the third edition of two of MSI’s proprietary TORX Fans. As with most high-quality fans, they use double ball bearings to make them last longer, while making sure that the fans are relatively quiet for the duration of their lifespan.
The TORX fans utilize an amalgamation of two different fan blade styles; dispersion and traditional. The dispersion fan blade is steeped and curved to help scatter and vent airflow efficiently. After the dispersion fan blades sweep the air, the traditional fan blades push it into the graphic’s card’s giant heat sink.
All these components combine to contribute to the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER™ GAMING X’s incredibly quiet and effective cooling performance. The graphics card can maintain temperatures between 65 and 70°C when benchmarked and pushed to the max. This is a plus for gamers looking to overclock or push the card to its limits regularly.
Securing the graphics card at the bottom is a metal grey backplate with MSI’s insignia. This is a nice touch. It feels like a full stop at the end of a Robert Frost poem. As with most implementations of the RTX 2070 SUPER GPU, there’s an SLI connector. Which means you can run two of these monsters in tandem. However, because of its bulkiness, you’ll probably need a full-tower case with ample space.
To highlight the card and make it even more stunning are RGB LED lights embossed around the fans and the logo on the side of the cooler. You can use MSI’s light sync software to customize the lights. You can go as far as synchronizing them with the rest of your gear.
In terms of I/O ports, you’ve got four. That is three DisplayPorts (1.4) and one HDMI 2.0b port. This means you can match them to a maximum of four different monitors, which you’ll be able to run simultaneously.
The RTX 2070 Super has 11% more CUDA cores than the original RTX 2070. And you can really tell. Same price but more bang for your buck. Nevertheless, another reason as to why MSI’s implementation of the RTX 2070 Super is worth buying over Nvidia’s reference card, is because it has a 30MHz higher boost clock speed. With ray-tracing off and on ultra-settings, MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER™ GAMING X’s delivers above-average 4K performances and spectacular 1440p performance for games like Battlefield V and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
It is a bit expensive but you’re getting what you pay for here. MSI has managed to get the best out of this GPU. Because of this and its many other qualities, it makes its way on top of our list as the best overall choice.
Premium Pick: ROG STRIX RTX 2070 Super Advanced
Pros & Cons
- Above-par cooling
- Relatively quiet
- Features sync-able RGB Lighting
- Excellently build quality
- Bulky
- Expensive
Specifications:
- Core Clock Speeds: 1800 MHz (Boost) 1605 MHz (Base)
- Memory Size: 8 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6
- Memory Bus: 256-bit
- Memory Speed: 14 GBPS
- Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
- Max Number of Displays: 4
- Power Usage: 215 Watt
- Card Dimensions: 299.7 x 130.4 x 54.1 mm / 11.8 x 5.13 x 2.13 inches (LxHxW)
Key Features:
- Reinforced frame
- Axial-tech fan design
- 0dB technology
- Dual BIOS switch
- RGB Lighting
ROG STRIX RTX 2070 SUPER Advanced Review
The award for the RTX 2070 graphics card with the longest name goes to the ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER™ Advanced Edition. With three fans, it is also the longest graphics card on this list – as well as the priciest.
To stabilize all its weight, the ROG Strix RTX 2070 Super comes with a reinforced frame. That’s one of our favorite things about this version of the RTX 2070 Super. It looks like a card that can last you for the next 5-10 years.
In terms of color, the ROG Strix RTX 2070 uses a uniform black save for a few decals, the GeForce RTX logo, and the red ASUS ROG symbol on the back-plate of the card.
If you’ve got any other ASUS ROG gear with RGB lighting, you can synchronize the lights using ASUS’ Aura-Sync software. For instance, if you have an ASUS laptop, you can create a Christmas-like light effect where all your lights pulse rhythmically in unison. It’s fun to play around with if you have the time and gear.
The top of the card isn’t the only portion that lights up. There is some lighting on the backplate too, which makes the ASUS ROG symbol look like it’s glowing – depending on your settings. The most notable Aura-Sync settings include static (always on), breathing (fades in/out), strobing (flashes), color cycle, music effect, and GPU temperature.
Our favorite is the music effect where the lights pulse to mimic the beat of your music. However, GPU temperature is probably the most practical and useful effect.
The card itself is almost lunch-box sized. It takes up nearly three slots of space (2.7 to be exact). ASUS has tried to spin this as a positive by stating that it increases the cooling surface area and accommodates the three fans. This is true, but you’re going to need a spacious case and a gaming motherboard with plenty of room.
On the back of the card, you get two HDMI 2.ob ports and two display ports (1.4). You also get a USB Type-C port for VR gaming. As with any other big brand, ASUS use their own specialized fan design for cooling. They’ve dubbed it the Axial-tech fan design. It uses a smaller hub that provides more room for lengthier fan blades. It also uses a barrier ring for greater downward air pressure.
For a graphics card with three fans, it’s surprisingly quiet. This can be credited to the 0dB technology. When your GPU’s temperature dips below 55°C, the fans will automatically slow down and/or stop. To switch it on, you’ll have to engage the Quiet BIOS mode.
Which brings us to our next point. The card comes with an onboard switch which allows you to select the BIOS mode. There’s P (performance) Mode and Q (quiet) Mode. P Mode will keep the fans at an even tempo, making sure the GPU core at all times. This is for overclockers and gamers planning to push the card to its limits. Q Mode is essentially 0dB mode.
Overall, we highly recommend this card. It’s perfect for overclocking and does things with the RTX 2070 Super chip that even Nvidia couldn’t with their reference card. If you have the money and space, you should definitely invest in this graphics card. You will not be disappointed.
Best Value: EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Black
Pros & Cons
- Compact
- Three-year access to EVGA’s impeccable technical support
- Easy to install
- Light-weight
- Quiet
- Above-average cooling performance
- No RGB LED Lighting
Specifications:
- Core Clock Speeds: 1770 MHz (Boost)
- Memory Size: 8 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6
- Memory Bus: 256-bit
- Memory Speed: 14 GBPS
- Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
- Max Number of Displays: 4
- Power Usage: 215 Watt
- Card Dimensions: 269.83 x 111.15 x 39.11 mm / 10.62 x 4.38 x 1.54 inches (LxHxW)
Key Features:
- Three-year warranty
- VR-Ready
- EVGA’s Proprietary iCX2 Cooling
- Hydro-Dynamic Bearing Fans
- Performance tweaking through EVGA’s Precision X1 Software
EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Black Gaming Review
What we like most about this graphic card’s appearance is that it looks wet. For lack of a less vivid description, it looks like it’s sweating. Which makes sense, because this is a hard-working card.
While the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super Gaming X may not be practical for gamers looking to run two cards in unison, EVGA’s implementation is – at least a bit more. It’s a dual-slot graphics card with a slightly less aggressive profile. It’s an inch and changes shorter than MSI’s card, as well as over half an inch narrower.
While it’s recommended that you run it with a 650-Watt PSU, your rig could effortlessly run it with less. Of course, this depends on the other components running on your machine. Nevertheless, if you do feel that this is the graphics card for you and you need to upgrade your PSU, check out our guide on the best power supply units for gaming.
EVGA doesn’t get as much juice out of the RTX 2070 Super GPU as MSI does. This may be because MSI overclocked theirs. The EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER BLACK performs as well as Nvidia’s reference card (which we will be discussing further down in this guide) but it’s more conducive to overclocking thanks to its superior cooling and EVGA’s tweaking software Precision X1.
Precision X1 was specifically designed for Turing based graphics cards. Not only does it allow you to overclock and stress-test your graphics card but you can also customize the way the fans work, from fan speed and to fan curve.
Speaking of the sweaty-looking fans, there is a functional reason as to why they look this way. If you look closely, you will notice that each tear on the fan blade is an upraised ‘E’ from EVGA’s logo. According to EVGA, they are there to provide each fan blade with a more fluid slipstream.
The fans are made from lightweight plastic and work on EVGA’s Hydraulic-Dynamic Bearing. Which we’re told produces less noise while delivering superior performance to its predecessors. And indeed, these are not just fancy words. Thanks to this, the card runs cool and quiet like a Game of Thrones White Walker.
To help keep the GPU icy, there’s EVGA’s specialized heat-sink where nearly every detail is there for a practical reason. There are cross-drilled holes punched into the side to allow air for better airflow. There’s a heat spreader which ensures optimal contact and fast heat dissipation. According to EVGA, the heatsink has up to 58% more fins than your average heatsink.
It’s all a masterclass in thermodynamics. The EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is significantly cheaper than the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 Super Gaming X and the ASUS Rog Strix GeForce RTX 2070 Super Advanced. It’s also significantly smaller.
If you’re looking for a lightweight version of the RTX 2070 Super but don’t want to compromise on performance, then you should definitely check this card out. It’s undoubtedly the best budget Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super graphics card.
Best Dual-Fan Card: ASUS RTX 2070 Super OC 8G EVO
Pros & Cons
- Impressive clock speeds
- Quiet cooling\
- Sturdily built
- Comes with GPU Tweak II
- Bulky
Specifications:
- Core Clock Speeds: 1815 MHz (Boost) 1605 MHz (Base)
- Memory Size: 8 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6
- Memory Bus: 256-bit
- Memory Speed: 14 GBPS
- Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
- Max Number of Displays: 4
- Power Usage: 215 Watt
- Card Dimensions: 267 x 118 x 58 mm / 10.5 x 4.7 x 2.28 inches (LxHxW)
Key Features:
- Dual Axial-tech fans
- 0dB technology
- 144-hour stress tested
- Built with Auto-Extreme Technology
- Robust aluminum backplate
ASUS RTX 2070 Super OC 8G EVO Review
Once again ASUS makes another appearance on this list. This time it’s with the dual-fan iteration of the RTX 2070 Super. It’s a slightly more minimalistic alternative to the MSI GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER GAMING X but slightly more expensive.
But is it worth it? Well, if you thought this would be a great space-saving substitute to the ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 2070 SUPER Advanced, you would be wrong. Despite having one less fan than that card, the ASUS RTX 2070 Super OC 8G EVO takes as many slots (2.7).
Once again, this is to fit the giant heat sinks. Which means more optimal cooling. Along with the 0dB technology, this should mean less work for the fans.
Much like ASUS’s other RTX graphics cards, this card uses ASUS’s proprietary Axial-tech fan design. So, you get a smaller hub and longer fan blades.
Unlike the ROG STRIX RTX 2070 SUPER Advanced, the 0dB technology on this card is always enabled by default and you cannot switch it off. This is not necessarily a hindrance. We are not completely sure what this starting and stopping mean for the longevity of the card or the fans. However, it does save power as well as ensure that the card runs as quiet as possible.
But you can be heartened by the fact ASUS built this card using their Auto-Extreme manufacturing process as well as stress-tested it through their 144-hour validation process. This should equate to a longer life-span
Visually, most of the card is painted black. There are some splashes of white in the form of logos and company emblems. There are also lined up indents and notches on the card, giving it a distinctive look.
In terms of lighting, the ASUS RTX 2070 Super OC 8G EVO seems to be the most balanced dual fan card on this list. It doesn’t have as much lighting as MSI’s implementation but still has more lighting than EVGA. The lighting on this card is subtle. It has a single gash of lighting down the side, next to the GEFORCE RTX label.
It’s tasteful but nothing to write home about. In terms of performance, the card works as it should. If you’re purchasing the OC version, it outpaces the NVidia’s reference card by a mile. To help you monitor and boost in-game graphical performance, the card comes with ASUS’s GPU Tweak II.
As the name would imply, the software allows you to tweak the graphics card but also grants you the ability to keep an eye on the temperature as well as VRAM usage. You can tweak memory frequency, fan speeds, voltage settings, and GPU Core speeds.
The user interface is highly graphical. It utilizes large icons and fonts to ensure that your experience is as intuitive as possible. ASUS takes its ROG product line seriously. These days, you can’t go wrong with a graphics card from them.
Best Tri-Fan Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Super
Pros & Cons
- Impressive clock speeds
- Quiet cooling
- Sturdily built
- Comes with GPU Tweak II
- Bulky
Specifications:
- Core Clock Speeds: 1815 MHz (Boost) 1605 MHz (Base)
- Memory Size: 8 GB
- Memory Type: GDDR6
- Memory Bus: 256-bit
- Memory Speed: 14 GBPS
- Interface: PCI Express x16 3.0
- Max Number of Displays: 4
- Power Usage: 215 Watt
- Card Dimensions: 286.5 x 114.5 x 50 mm / 11.27 x 4.5 x 1.97 inches (LxHxW)
Key Features:
- Three alternate spinning fans
- RGB lighting synchronizable with other AORUS tech
- 4 years warranty
- Robust metal backplate
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Super Review
It may be lengthier than the ASUS RTX 2070 Super OC 8G EVO, but it’s smaller both in the height and width department. It’s also surprisingly more compact than MSI’s three fan iteration of the RTX 2070 Super. However, it still takes slightly more than two slots of space. In addition to this, it’s also a little bit heavier than the MSI card (by more than 200 grams).
At the time of writing this article, it was the most expensive card on this list. It has a sharp shroud design, from the edges to the fans. Most of the shroud is made up of plastic covered in a uniform black – like many of the other cards on this list. It does have a few grey accents to add a bit of character to the design.
The plastic makes it a little lighter than the Founder’s Edition. However, the Founders Edition is more compact and features actual metal in its shroud. But the Gigabyte’s version outpaces it in terms of power. Thanks to it being factory overclocked.
The neutral black color means that it will fit into most builds. The 3X cooling fans are reminiscent of shark fins. They are only 82 mm in diameter, which is why the card is less lengthy than most RTX super tri-fan cards.
One of our favorite features of this card is the middle fan. It actually spins in reverse to the other two fans. According to Gigabyte, this adds stability to the graphics card, limiting turbulence and increasing the overall heat dissipation of the heatsink.
This card has one of the best-looking fans on this list. However, this design actually serves a purpose. The triangular edges guide air into the folds on the surface of the blades which optimizes airflow.
The fans stop spinning when the temperature of the GPU core dips below 60 degrees (Celsius). This means a quieter gaming experience when the gamer plays low load games. To make the cooling even more efficient, the card features direct contact heat pipes from the heat sink. As you may know, this means quicker heat transposition.
Both the GPU core and VRAM are covered. The RGB lighting on this card is a little oversold. The only zone that contains any lighting is on the front side of the card where the Gigabyte logo is located. You can use the RGB Fusion software to customize the light(s)and sync them up with your other Gigabyte Aorus gear.
This understated lighting may not be your cup of tea. If you want something a little more bombastic and colorful, you might have to go with another graphics card. Sandwiching the goodies between the shroud is a black metal plate with the Gigabyte logo. It feels robust and sturdy.
The Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 Super Gaming OC outperforms most cards in cooling. In fact, you’ll have a hard time finding operating temperatures above 62 degrees (Celsius). It’s one of the coolest RTX 2070 Super cards on the market, both pragmatically and literally.
If we can’t convince you, then maybe its numerous awards from European publications such as Professional Review, Geeknetic, Hardwareluxx, and Hardware.Info can. It’s a truly awesome graphics card. Now only if it was a little less expensive. You could probably save up and purchase a PlayStation 5 for the same price. Nevertheless, it might be worth it. Even it’s just to snobbishly flaunt it in front of console peasants.
Best GeForce RTX 2070 Super Buying Guide
You may find that the cards on this list are too bulky for your tastes. There are smaller iterations of this card but not a lot of them are noteworthy. Despite this, gamers with mini ITX gaming cases need not look for a lesser graphics card. You can still find some worthy alternatives for your build using some of the tips in this section of the guide.
Reference or Non-Reference Graphics Card: Which One is Better?
Before we can effectively explain which one is better between the two, we have to clearly define these terms. Reference graphics cards are essentially active demo cards. They’re usually manufactured by the same company that manufactures the GPU.
In most cases, the reference card will be the launch card. This is the card other manufacturers (such as ASUS) will use as a reference. They’ll take the standards and specifications laid out through this card and implement them in their own non-reference cards.
This is the relationship that reference and non-reference cards share. Reference cards, such as Nvidia’s Founder’s Edition, offer what can be considered the bare minimum. They’re not overclocked and satisfy the minimum requirements for cooling.
Upon release, reference cards are usually the cheapest option – at least compared to the non-reference cards that will be released in the future. However, as time goes on and the rarer reference cards become, prices for them are likely to become more inflated. This is one of the reasons that one might invest in a reference card.
But in most cases, you’ll want to purchase a non-reference graphics card. You’ll notice that all the RTX 2070 Super graphics cards featured in this guide are non-reference cards. They come with additional perks such as better cooling, factory overclocking, additional software, etc.
GPU Slot Types: Can the Graphics Card Fit?
Slot types and sizes may seem easy to understand at first. The problem is slot type/size doesn’t just refer to the slots on the back of your case but slots on your motherboard i.e. the amount of clearance you’re required to fit your graphics cards.
There are three known slot types (single, double, and triple) but there are six common slot sizes (1,1.5,2,2.5,2.7 and 3). A 1.5 single slot will take up a single rear expansion panel but require an additional unused PCIe slot on the motherboard.
The other slot sizes and types follow much of the same rule. In some instances, you may be able to use the other cleared slot(s) on your motherboard depending on the adapter or card you want to connect. Before purchasing a graphics card, ensure you understand slot types and sizes. You may not have enough space on your rig because of the size of your mobo or case.
Graphics Card Requirements: What Else Do You Need?
Slot size and type are not the only requirements you need to worry about upon purchasing a graphics card. Just like the games you play on them, graphics cards have their own system requirements.
For instance, the minimum system requirements for RTX 2070 Super graphics cards are PCI Express 3.0 compliant motherboards, 650W PSUs, 8GB system memory, and 1.5 GB of free local drive disk space. Before purchasing a graphics card, make sure your computer meets these requirements. You can find more details on the RTX 2070 Super’s requirements from the official NVidia manual.
Best GeForce RTX Super Graphics Card FAQ
What is the difference between RTX 2070 and RTX 2070 Super?
Both the RTX 2070 and RTX 2070 Super use Nvidia’s Turing architecture. However, the RTX 2070 uses the TU106 version while the RTX 2070 Super uses a TU104 chip. The TU104 is larger than the TU106 chip. As we all know, bigger is better.
The RTX 2070 has 2304 CUDA cores while the Super version has 2560. The RTX 2070 Super also has more tensor and ray tracing cores. In addition to this, the RTX 2070 Super Founders Edition was cheaper upon release ($499) than the original RTX 2070 version ($599). So overall, the RTX 2070 Super is better than the RTX 2070.
Is the RTX 2070 Super High End?
The RTX 2070 Super is considered to be one of the most affordable high-end RTX 20 series graphics cards. It’s not as expensive as the RTX 2080 or RTX 2080 Super. But if you’re looking for a mid-range option, you can refer to the RTX 2060 and RTX 2060 Super.
Is the 2070 Super better than 1080 TI?
Surprisingly, the Nvidia GTX 1080 TI is almost on par with the RTX 2070 Super in terms of performance. It obviously depends on what game you’re playing. But you won’t notice substantial performance differences between the two on high or ultra settings. But you still may want to go with the RTX 2070 Super because of its ray-tracing capabilities.
Can a 2070 super run 1440p 144hz?
An RTX 2070 Super can maintain over 60 fps on a 1440p resolution. The capabilities of your 144Hz gaming monitor will not go wasted on this graphics card.
Final Thoughts
In this guide, we went over five of the very best RTX 2070 Super graphics cards currently on the market. If we inspired you to purchase even one of the graphics cards in this guide, then our endeavor was a successful one. Either way, we hope you enjoyed reading this article. As always, thank you for reading.