GeForce GTX 1070 vs Radeon RX 590
The GeForce GTX 1070 is a massive performance leap — leading the Radeon RX 590 by roughly 57% in our performance index. It also comes out ahead on value, making it the straightforward pick if the price fits your budget.
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GeForce GTX 1070 vs Radeon RX 590: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce GTX 1070 vs Radeon RX 590
The GeForce GTX 1070 is dramatically faster, around 57% ahead of the Radeon RX 590. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to entry-level 1080p.
Price & Value
On price, expect to pay $109 USD for the GeForce GTX 1070 versus $120 USD for the Radeon RX 590. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the GeForce GTX 1070 wins on performance-per-dollar by about 73%. The GeForce GTX 1070 is trading below its $379 USD MSRP — a genuine deal. The Radeon RX 590 is trading below its $279 USD MSRP — a genuine deal.
Power & Efficiency
The GeForce GTX 1070 draws just 150W versus 225W for the Radeon RX 590, and it also delivers more performance per watt — so it runs cooler and quieter and needs less PSU headroom.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 590 is roughly 2 years newer than the GeForce GTX 1070 (GCN 4.0 (Polaris) vs Pascal), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce GTX 1070 brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 590 offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1070 or Radeon RX 590?
The GeForce GTX 1070 is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 590 if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce GTX 1070 better than the Radeon RX 590?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce GTX 1070 or the Radeon RX 590?
Is the Radeon RX 590 worth the extra $11 USD over the GeForce GTX 1070?
Which should you buy: GeForce GTX 1070 or Radeon RX 590?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1070 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Pascal | GCN 4.0 (Polaris) |
| Process Node | TSMC 16nm | GloFo 12nm |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 1,920 | 2,304✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1070 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,506 MHz✓ | 1,469 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,683 MHz✓ | 1,545 MHz |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1070 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR5 | GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 8 Gbps | 8 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 256 GB/s | 256 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce GTX 1070 | Radeon RX 590 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 3.0 x16 |
| TDP | 150 W✓ | 225 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Released | Jun 2016 | Nov 2018 |