NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 SUPER turns out to have a larger 48MB L2 cache, deviating from the previously reported 36MB in the initial announcement.
The RTX 4070 SUPER from NVIDIA will feature a 48MB L2 cache, a correction from the previously announced 36MB. This update follows an oversight in the original specifications shared during the launch event, which has now been rectified.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024, four new graphics cards were unveiled for desktop gaming. Among them, AMD introduced its Radeon RX 7600 XT at the $329 price point. In contrast, NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 SUPER is positioned in the higher price bracket of $599, effectively replacing the RTX 4070, now reduced to $549.
Initial review guides indicated a 36MB L2 cache for the RTX 4070 SUPER, consistent with NVIDIA’s marketing materials. Nonetheless, NVIDIA has since updated their specifications to accurately reflect the 48MB of L2 cache in the new model, with no other changes to the specifications reported.
The Ada Lovelace GPU architecture from NVIDIA integrates L2 cache as a key element of its memory hierarchy, influencing VRAM access, especially in models like the RTX 4060 series where memory bus width is limited. NVIDIA has made adjustments to the L2 cache across its consumer GPU lineup, offering up to 96MB on certain models. The AD104 chip, forming the basis of the RTX 4070 series, includes a 48MB L2 cache.
Given the RTX 4070 SUPER’s configuration with the AD104 GPU and enabled Streaming Multiprocessors (SMs), NVIDIA has opted for a 48MB cache, as opposed to the 36MB seen in the original RTX 4070.
The RTX 4070 SUPER promises a substantial performance boost, with a 20% increase in core count and a 33% expansion in L2 cache compared to its predecessor, potentially translating to notable gains in gaming performance. However, the performance of standard models may be constrained by their 220W Thermal Design Power (TDP), a modest 20W increase over the RTX 4070.
NVIDIA is scheduled to release the RTX 4070 SUPER on January 17, with reviews expected to become available the preceding day.
