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MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Gaming Z 8G Review

Quiet beast. - The MSI GTX 1070 is a unique graphics card thanks to its quiet, yet large cooling system and slight overclocking. In our review, we will test the 8 GB GDDR5 Gaming X graphics card.

For the original German review, see here.

The MSI GTX 1070 is relatively heavy at 1 kilogram. The graphics card weighs so much due to its massive frame and back plate. The Gaming Z model offers a Dual-Link-DVI-D port (without analogue signal), an HDMI-2.0 port and three DisplayPort-1.4 interfaces. Overall, the test model gave us a great first impression. The red-black color scheme with the "Dragon" design and customizable RGB LED lighting is also quite appealing.

Our graphics card uses a BIOS specially customized for the press, which clocks the card at a slightly higher speed than the original BIOS. Additional testing with the original BIOS revealed that there is hardly any difference between the two versions. The drivers we used for the game tests and benchmarks were 368.69 and 368.81.

Compared to the similar named MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X (which we previously falsely called this card), the Gaming Z is offering a 63 MHz higher Boost clock.   

Our test system:

Intel Core i7-4790K (no overclocking), 16 GB DDR3, Asus ZU97-Deluxe, Asus PB287Q 4K Monitor, Intel SSD 530 (240 GB, System), OCZ Trion 100 SSD (480 GB, Benchmarks), Windows 10 64-bit 

Clock Speeds

Our clock speed reached a max of 2,025 MHz core clock speed (GPU-Z Render Test in the first few seconds) and 8,050 MHz memory clock speed. After a long time at high load (The Witcher 3 Ultra windowed) the clock speed drops to 1,962 MHz. In the Heaven 4.0 benchmark, the clock speed reached 1,987 MHz at a max core temperature of 67 °C. Officially the base clock speed is 1,633 MHz and the Boost measures 1,835 MHz according to the Gaming BIOS.

Synthetic Benchmarks

The graphics card places between the GTX 980 Ti and the new GTX 1080 Founders Edition in the Futuremark and Unigine benchmarks. 

3DMark
3840x2160 Fire Strike Ultra Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
4841 Points +8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
4500 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
3918 Points -13%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
3552 Points -21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
3033 Points -33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
2717 Points -40%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
2687 Points -40%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
20268 Points +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
18408 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
16961 Points -8%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
14580 Points -21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
13286 Points -28%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
12186 Points -34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
11954 Points -35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
11155 Points -39%
1280x720 Sky Diver Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
71735 Points +17%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
61307 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
55369 Points -10%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
44731 Points -27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
38656 Points -37%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
37734 Points -38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
35256 Points -42%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
129042 Points +19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
108238 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
98958 Points -9%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
80439 Points -26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
74166 Points -31%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
72213 Points -33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
71472 Points -34%
2560x1440 Time Spy Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
6867 Points +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
5896 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
5058 Points -14%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
4712 Points -20%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
3882 Points -34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
3544 Points -40%
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance GPU
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
29443 Points +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
26098 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
23057 Points -12%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
17919 Points -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
17697 Points -32%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
17543 Points -33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
16033 Points -39%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
15071 Points -42%
Unigine Heaven 4.0 - Extreme Preset DX11
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
137.7 fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
125 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
110 fps -12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
80.5 fps -36%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
77.1 fps -38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
66.7 fps -47%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
66 fps -47%
Unigine Valley 1.0 - 1920x1080 Extreme HD DirectX AA:x8
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
106.9 fps +12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
95.8 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
91.1 fps -5%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
73.5 fps -23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
59.1 fps -38%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
52.3 fps -45%

Legend

 
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
MSI GamingDock Intel Core i7-4870HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970,
 
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon R9 Fury, Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
Desktop PC Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
 
Notebookcheck Desktop PC Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, Crucial MX100 256 GB
 
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000

Gaming Performance

The GTX 1070 places above the GTX 980 Ti in games as well. The 1070 is only slightly slower in the BioShock Infinite benchmark. If you look at the 4K performance, then the GTX 1070 is a good choice for 4K settings with high detail levels. Demanding games, like XCOM 2, drop the rates on this graphics card down to 30 fps. However, in Full HD with max details, the card has enough power left over to provide a smooth experience.

Mirror's Edge Catalyst
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
121 (108min - 131max) fps +17%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
103 (93min - 110max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
95 (86min - 103max) fps -8%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
81.3 (74min - 86max) fps -21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
76.4 (69min) fps -26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
72 fps -30%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
70.3 (66min - 75max) fps -32%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
65.9 (53min - 73max) fps -36%
3840x2160 High Preset AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
47 (44min - 50max) fps +18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
39.8 (37min - 42max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
38.3 (35min - 42max) fps -4%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
31.5 (23min - 35max) fps -21%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
28.6 (26min - 31max) fps -28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
28.3 (26min) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
26.1 (24min - 28max) fps -34%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
25.4 (23min - 27max) fps -36%
Overwatch
1920x1080 Epic (Render Scale 100 %) AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
196 (164min - 231max) fps +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
171 (144min - 202max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
154 (129min - 183max) fps -10%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
139 fps -19%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
121 (94min - 147max) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
117 (97min) fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
107 fps -37%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
97 (78min - 117max) fps -43%
3840x2160 High (Render Scale 100 %) AA:SM AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
104 (88min - 121max) fps +14%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
91 (78min - 104max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
87 (75min - 101max) fps -4%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
77 (64min - 91max) fps -15%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
65.4 (55min - 76max) fps -28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
62.3 (53min) fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
58.2 (50min - 68max) fps -36%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
57 fps -37%
Doom
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
137 (112min - 191max) fps +5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
130 (108min - 188max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
127 (107min - 163max) fps -2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
97.5 (82min) fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
96 (81min - 122max) fps -26%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
83 (67min - 125max) fps -36%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
80 (68min - 109max) fps -38%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
56.5 fps +7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
52.6 (46min - 66max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
46 (41min - 60max) fps -13%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
38.2 (33min - 51max) fps -27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
34.4 (30min) fps -35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
34.3 (30min - 44max) fps -35%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
30 (25min - 39max) fps -43%
Need for Speed 2016
1920x1080 Ultra / On AA:T
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
104 (64min - 148max) fps +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
98 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
90 (63min - 117max) fps -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
74.6 (55min) fps -24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
70 (53min - 81max) fps -29%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
68.4 (48min - 84max) fps -30%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
68.3 (42min - 87max) fps -30%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
61 (43min - 81max) fps -38%
3840x2160 High / On AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
61 (47min - 75max) fps +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
55 (43min - 66max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
48 (37min - 58max) fps -13%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
40.3 (34min - 48max) fps -27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
34 (27min) fps -38%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
32.5 (27min - 40max) fps -41%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
31.6 (26min - 38max) fps -43%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
31 (23min - 39max) fps -44%
Hitman 2016
1920x1080 Ultra / On AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
78 (61min - 96max) fps +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
75.5 (59min - 91max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
70 (50min - 87max) fps -7%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
61.5 (35min - 77max) fps -19%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
58.7 (44min - 72max) fps -22%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
61 (45min - 86max) fps -19%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
59.2 (48min - 62max) fps -22%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
58 (43min - 71max) fps -23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
57.8 (41min) fps -23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
52 fps -31%
3840x2160 High / On AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
42 (34min - 53max) fps +6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
39.8 (33min - 48max) fps
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
38.9 (26min - 46max) fps -2%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
37.7 (26min - 46max) fps -5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
32.6 (24min - 42max) fps -18%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
32.5 (26min - 38max) fps -18%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
29.1 (23min - 34max) fps -27%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28.1 (22min - 33max) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
26.2 (19min) fps -34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
23 fps -42%
The Division
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
95 (55min - 125max) fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
86 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
76 (46min - 103max) fps -12%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
61 (37min - 93max) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
57.7 (32min) fps -33%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
57.5 (39min - 77max) fps -33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
55 fps -36%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
50.7 (32min - 73max) fps -41%
3840x2160 High Preset AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
48.5 (19min - 65max) fps +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
43 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
39.8 (14min - 51max) fps -7%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
34.5 (19min - 51max) fps -20%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
29.9 (13min - 41max) fps -30%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28.4 (12min - 38max) fps -34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
27.7 (10min) fps -36%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
27 fps -37%
Far Cry Primal
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
106 (80min - 125max) fps +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
94 (75min - 109max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
83 (66min - 101max) fps -12%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
68 (52min - 83max) fps -28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
63 (49min) fps -33%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
59 (47min - 76max) fps -37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
57 (46min - 73max) fps -39%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
49 (46min - 53max) fps +20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
41 (38min - 44max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
40 (37min - 44max) fps -2%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
37 (33min - 42max) fps -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
29 (27min) fps -29%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28 (26min - 31max) fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
27 (25min - 30max) fps -34%
XCOM 2
1920x1080 Maximum Preset (8xMSAA instead of FXAA) AA:8xMS AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
48 (43min - 52max) fps +7%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
45 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
41.2 (37min - 45max) fps -8%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
34.3 (29min - 38max) fps -24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
31.3 (28min) fps -30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
27.3 (24min - 30max) fps -39%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
26.9 (25min - 29max) fps -40%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
30.4 (27min - 34max) fps +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
27 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
25 (24min - 28max) fps -7%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
22 (19min - 24max) fps -19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
18.7 (17min) fps -31%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
16.3 (15min - 18max) fps -40%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
15.9 (14min - 18max) fps -41%
Rise of the Tomb Raider
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
50 fps +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
47.8 (43min - 54max) fps +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
43 (39min - 47max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
40.6 (36min - 46max) fps -6%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
32.4 (29min - 37max) fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
27.9 (25min) fps -35%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
27.2 (23min - 31max) fps -37%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
26.7 (22min - 30max) fps -38%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
24.5 (21min - 28max) fps -43%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
25.3 (22min - 30max) fps -41%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FX AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
112 (105min - 124max) fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
112 (105min) fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
112 fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
102 (95min - 107max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
88 (81min - 95max) fps -14%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
71.3 (64min) fps -30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
60.2 (54min - 67max) fps -41%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
57 (46min - 66max) fps -44%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
57 (49min - 65max) fps -44%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
50.5 (47min - 55max) fps -50%
Just Cause 3
3840x2160 High / On AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
62 (56min - 67max) fps +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
53.3 (46min - 58max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
48 (42min - 52max) fps -10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
36.6 (33min) fps -31%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
36.3 (33min - 41max) fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
33.5 (27min - 36max) fps -37%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
32.6 (26min - 37max) fps -39%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
31.2 fps -41%
1920x1080 Very High / On AA:SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
122 (104min - 139max) fps +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
118 (108min - 131max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
103 (92min - 116max) fps -13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
84.2 (75min) fps -29%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
82 (72min - 96max) fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
80 (72min - 90max) fps -32%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
59 (47min - 73max) fps -50%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
48.6 fps -59%
Rainbow Six Siege
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
208 fps +12%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
185 (121min) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
164 (108min - 231max) fps -11%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
127 (86min - 188max) fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
120 fps -35%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
117 (77min - 186max) fps -37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
107.6 (67min) fps -42%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
107.6 fps -42%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:T AF:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
82 fps +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
71.4 (54min) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
67 (50min - 95max) fps -6%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
62 (47min - 76max) fps -13%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
54 fps -24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
50.1 (35min) fps -30%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
48.4 (38min - 59max) fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
44.8 fps -37%
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:4x MSAA + FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
57 (47min - 66max) fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
51.9 (43min - 61max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
46.3 (39min - 53max) fps -11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
33.5 (27min) fps -35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
32.3 fps -38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
32 (26min - 39max) fps -38%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
29.1 (23min - 34max) fps -44%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
28.3 (23min - 34max) fps -45%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
25.6 fps -51%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
5 (3min - 8max) fps -90%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
47.3 (44min - 51max) fps +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
41 (37min - 44max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
37.4 (35min - 41max) fps -9%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
31.5 (29min - 37max) fps -23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
28.2 fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
27.6 (26min) fps -33%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
26.7 fps -35%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
26.2 (23min - 31max) fps -36%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
25.6 (23min - 29max) fps -38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
25.2 (23min - 28max) fps -39%
Star Wars Battlefront
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
171 (155min - 198max) fps +17%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
146 (124min - 174max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
134 (118min - 156max) fps -8%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
119 (100min - 137max) fps -18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
104.1 (89min) fps -29%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
104 (92min - 123max) fps -29%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
104 fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
102.1 fps -30%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
100 (90min - 119max) fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
94 (78min - 113max) fps -36%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
67 (58min - 79max) fps +18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
57 (49min - 68max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
53 (46min - 64max) fps -7%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
50 (43min - 60max) fps -12%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
43.4 (36min - 51max) fps -24%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
42.5 fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
40.4 (35min) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
39.6 fps -31%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
38.5 (34min - 46max) fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
34.7 (30min - 42max) fps -39%
Fallout 4
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:T AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
129 (104min - 176max) fps +14%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
113 (92min - 145max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
106 (86min - 132max) fps -6%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
80 (66min - 98max) fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
78 fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
73 (59min - 94max) fps -35%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
72.8 fps -36%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
67.6 (52min - 86max) fps -40%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
64 (51min - 80max) fps -43%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:T AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
54 (42min - 66max) fps +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
47.1 (37min - 58max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
46 (37min - 56max) fps -2%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
38.7 (30min - 49max) fps -18%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
33.7 fps -28%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
33.3 fps -29%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
31.6 (25min - 37max) fps -33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
30 (24min - 37max) fps -36%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28.4 (21min - 36max) fps -40%
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
1920x1080 Extra / On AA:T2x SM
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
150 (126min - 177max) fps +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
130 (109min - 159max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
117 (100min - 140max) fps -10%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
94 (82min - 111max) fps -28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
88.3 fps -32%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
86.7 fps -33%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
76 (66min - 103max) fps -42%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
67 (64min - 103max) fps -48%
3840x2160 High / On AA:FX
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
58 (50min - 67max) fps +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
50 (41min - 57max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
47.5 (41min - 55max) fps -5%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
37 fps -26%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
36.4 (30min - 44max) fps -27%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
35.2 (31min - 41max) fps -30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
34.2 fps -32%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
31.1 (25min - 38max) fps -38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
29.7 (25min - 34max) fps -41%
Anno 2205
1920x1080 Ultra High Preset AA:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
59 (56min - 63max) fps +20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
49 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
43.9 (40min - 47max) fps -10%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
33 (31min - 35max) fps -33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
30.7 fps -37%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
28.7 (25min - 31max) fps -41%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
27.7 fps -43%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
27.7 (35min - 30max) fps -43%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
26 (23min - 29max) fps -47%
3840x2160 High Preset AA:4x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
67 (64min - 70max) fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
61 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
52.2 (49min - 55max) fps -14%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
34.3 (32min - 36max) fps -44%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
34.1 fps -44%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
34.1 (32min - 36max) fps -44%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
29.3 fps -52%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
26.9 (25min - 29max) fps -56%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
26.1 (23min - 28max) fps -57%
World of Warships
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:High FX AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
162 (101min - 246max) fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
162 (99min - 261max) fps +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
161 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
153 (95min - 217max) fps -5%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
134 (85min - 168max) fps -17%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
130 (79min - 179max) fps -19%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
124.1 fps -23%
3840 x 2160 Very High Preset AA:High FX AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
109 (81min - 150max) fps +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
100 (75min - 142max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
87 (64min - 132max) fps -13%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
64 (50min - 82max) fps -36%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
58.6 (43min - 89max) fps -41%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
57.9 (44min - 75max) fps -42%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
56.1 fps -44%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
52.2 (40min - 75max) fps -48%
Mad Max
1920x1080 Very High Preset AF:12x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
215 (196min - 232max) fps +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
193 (175min - 211max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
180 fps -7%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
144 (127min - 158max) fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
136.6 fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
125 fps -35%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
119 (103min - 131max) fps -38%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
119 (106min - 130max) fps -38%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
116.4 fps -40%
3840x2160 High Preset AF:6x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
77 (72min - 88max) fps +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
70.5 (65min - 78max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
65 fps -8%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
55 (51min - 61max) fps -22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
48.1 fps -32%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
47.3 (44min - 53max) fps -33%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
46 fps -35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
44 fps -38%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
41.1 (37min - 47max) fps -42%
Metal Gear Solid V - 3840x2160 High / On
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
60 (59min - 61max) fps 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
59.9 (59min - 61max) fps
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
57 (54min - 61max) fps -5%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
50.8 fps -15%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
48.8 fps -19%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
46.8 (44min - 50max) fps -22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
46 (44min - 48max) fps -23%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
43.1 (41min - 45max) fps -28%
Dirt Rally
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
137 (118min - 166max) fps +4%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
135 (98min - 177max) fps +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
132 fps
AMD Radeon R9 290X
97.4 (78min - 119max) fps -26%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
97 fps -27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
97 (80min - 124max) fps -27%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
94 (60min - 113max) fps -29%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
93.5 fps -29%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
82 (68min - 116max) fps -38%
3840x2160 High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
155 (117min - 236max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
143 (113min - 186max) fps -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
126 (99min - 154max) fps -19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
109 (88min - 139max) fps -30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
84.2 fps -46%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
81 (53min - 104max) fps -48%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
75.2 (64min - 98max) fps -51%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
71.2 fps -54%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
64 (53min - 78max) fps -59%
The Witcher 3
1920x1080 Ultra Graphics & Postprocessing (HBAO+)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
76.4 (64min - 85max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
59.3 (51min - 67max) fps
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
45.5 (39min - 51max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
44.3 fps
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
43.9 (40min - 49max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
42.2 (36min - 49max) fps
AMD Radeon R9 390X
40.8 fps
AMD Radeon R9 290X
29 (25min - 32max) fps
3840x2160 High Graphics & Postprocessing (Nvidia HairWorks Off)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
55 fps +22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
45 (40min - 49max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
44 (39min - 49max) fps -2%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
35.9 (32min - 39max) fps -20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
30.1 fps -33%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
29.1 fps -35%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
29.1 (24min - 33max) fps -35%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
28.4 (22min - 32max) fps -37%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
27.2 (25min - 30max) fps -40%
GTA V
1920x1080 Highest Settings possible AA:4xMSAA + FX AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
80 (32min - 158max) fps +8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
74 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
68 (33min - 153max) fps -8%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
51 fps -31%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
47.7 fps -36%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
45.6 fps -38%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
41 (20min - 80max) fps -45%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
39.8 fps -46%
3840x2160 High/On (Advanced Graphics Off) AA:FX AF:8x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
79 fps +27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
71.2 (11.6min - 170max) fps +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
62 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
59.8 fps -4%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
51.8 (22min - 129max) fps -16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
51.4 fps -17%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
46.6 fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
41.3 fps -33%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
34.9 fps -44%
Dragon Age: Inquisition - 1920x1080 Ultra Graphics Quality AA:2x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
118 (97min) fps +10%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
107 (81min) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
100 (76min) fps -7%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
67.9 fps -37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
67.4 (51min) fps -37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
65.4 fps -39%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
64.1 (48.5min) fps -40%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
53.9 (44.4min) fps -50%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
60 (52min) fps -44%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
54.2 fps -49%
Alien: Isolation - 1920x1080 Ultra, On, Shadow Map 2048, HDAO AA:2x SM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
221 fps +13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
195 fps
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
137 fps -30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
134.4 fps -31%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
122 fps -37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
112.9 fps -42%
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset (HD Package)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
134 (94min - 187max) fps
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
103 (65min - 146max) fps -23%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
94.5 fps -29%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
91.4 fps -32%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
84 (57min - 123max) fps -37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
80 (52min - 125max) fps -40%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
76.9 fps -43%
Battlefield 4
3840x2160 High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
90 fps +20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
75 (66min - 90max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
70 (63min - 84max) fps -7%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
56 (49min - 65max) fps -25%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
52.5 fps -30%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
49.9 fps -33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
47.6 (43min - 57max) fps -37%
AMD Radeon R9 290X
46.6 (41min - 54max) fps -38%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
43 fps -43%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
41.9 (38min - 50max) fps -44%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:4x MS
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
176 (159min - 201max) fps +16%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
152 (137min - 183max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
136 (125min - 164max) fps -11%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
101 (92min - 122max) fps -34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
99.6 fps -34%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
94 (86min - 114max) fps -38%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
89.7 fps -41%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
83.2 fps -45%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
82 (67min - 101max) fps -46%
Metro: Last Light - 1920x1080 Very High (DX11) AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
140 fps +11%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
126 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
119 fps -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
92.3 fps -27%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
90 fps -29%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
89 fps -29%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
82.7 fps -34%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
80 (43min - 143max) fps -37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
77.6 fps -38%
BioShock Infinite - 1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
181 fps +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
160 fps +2%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
157 fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
121.4 fps -23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
118 fps -25%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
112.4 fps -28%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
110 (20min - 177max) fps -30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
107.6 fps -31%
Crysis 3 - 1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:2xSM AF:16x
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
100 (83min - 155max) fps +20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
83 (69min - 135max) fps
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
81 (65min - 127max) fps -2%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
64.5 (51min - 95max) fps -22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop)
60.7 fps -27%
AMD Radeon R9 390X
56.1 fps -32%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
55 fps -34%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
52.6 (45min - 73max) fps -37%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
50.6 fps -39%

Legend

 
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop), Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop), Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
XFX Radeon R9 390X DD Black Edition Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3, AMD Radeon R9 390X,
 
MSI GamingDock Intel Core i7-4870HQ, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970,
 
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon R9 Fury, Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
Sapphire Radeon R9 290X Tri-X OC Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon R9 290X, Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000
 
Desktop PC Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980,
 
Notebookcheck Desktop PC Intel Core i7-6700K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980, Crucial MX100 256 GB
 
SCHENKER XMG U716 Intel Core i7-6700, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 (Laptop), Samsung SM951 MZHPV512HDGL m.2 PCI-e
 
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference Intel Core i7-4790K, AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop), Intel SSD 530 Series SSDSC2BW240A
 
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC Intel Core i7-4790K, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970, Samsung SSD 840 Pro 256GB MZ7PD256HAFV-0Z000

Stress Test

The MSI GTX 1070 is stable even during long periods of high load. In the stress test of 3DMark (Time Spy DX12 Test), the card offer 99.5% stability in 20 runs. Thanks to the stable inner core temperatures, the user will not suffer from any unexpected performance drops.

99.5% frame stability in 20 runs of the 3DMark Time Spy DirectX 12 Benchmark.
99.5% frame stability in 20 runs of the 3DMark Time Spy DirectX 12 Benchmark.

Compute Performance

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 offers 8 Compute Units for general calculations. These units support OpenCL, DirectCompute and CUDA. The LuxMark Room test does not surprise us. The GTX 980 Ti barely surpasses the 1070, which has a processing time similar to that of the GTX 1080. The 980 Ti is faster than our test model in the Sala scene as well, but the 1080 takes the throne in this test. Order is restored in ComputeMark, where the graphics card line up as: 1080, 1070 and 980 Ti.

LuxMark v2.0 64Bit
Room GPUs-only
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
2490 Samples/s 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC, 4790K
2485 Samples/s
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
2327 Samples/s -6%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
1874 Samples/s -25%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
1661 Samples/s -33%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
1566 Samples/s -37%
Sala GPUs-only
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
4708 Samples/s +21%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
3919 Samples/s +1%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC, 4790K
3877 Samples/s
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
3468 Samples/s -11%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
3125 Samples/s -19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
3020 Samples/s -22%
ComputeMark v2.1
1024x600 Normal, QJuliaRayTrace
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
6191 Points +22%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC, 4790K
5084 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
4270 Points -16%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
3082 Points -39%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
3027 Points -40%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
2746 Points -46%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Scalar
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
3646 Points +16%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
3233 Points +3%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC, 4790K
3131 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
2710 Points -13%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
2539 Points -19%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
1829 Points -42%
1024x600 Normal, Mandel Vector
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
3284 Points +15%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC, 4790K
2863 Points
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
2602 Points -9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
2479 Points -13%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
2162 Points -24%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
1840 Points -36%
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 2DTexArr
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
1758 Points +28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
1382 Points 0%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC, 4790K
1376 Points
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
1114 Points -19%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
991 Points -28%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
917 Points -33%
1024x600 Normal, Fluid 3DTex
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
1860 Points +33%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
1730 Points +23%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
1531 Points +9%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC, 4790K
1402 Points
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
1220 Points -13%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
936 Points -33%
1024x600 Normal, Score
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Desktop)
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition, 4790K
16610 Points +20%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 (Desktop)
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 1070 OC Bios Desktop PC, 4790K
13856 Points
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti
Asus Strix GTX 980 Ti Desktop PC, 4790K
12373 Points -11%
AMD Radeon R9 Fury
XFX Radeon R9 Fury Pro, 4790K
11890 Points -14%
AMD Radeon RX 480 (Desktop)
AMD Radeon RX 480 8 GB Reference, 4790K
9659 Points -30%
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
MSI Gaming Z GeForce GTX 970 Desktop PC, 4790K
8549 Points -38%

Emissions

Infrared picture taken with Flir One after a long duration of high load in Unigine Valley.
Infrared picture taken with Flir One after a long duration of high load in Unigine Valley.

The volume of the fan is comfortably low. When the card is idle, both fans are silent. After about 2 minutes of load, the fans start up at 800 RPM (rotations per minute). Even with long periods of high load, the fans are relatively quiet and can be compared to noise emission levels of be-quiet CPU coolers. Despite the relatively quiet emissions and low speeds of the fans, the GPU stays well within acceptable temperature limits. In Heaven 4.0, the GPU reaches a mere 67 °C and does not suffer from any form of throttling.  

The surface temperatures were also acceptable in the test. We measured a max of 58 °C on the back with the thermal imaging camera and 50 °C with the infrared tool.

The power consumption of the GTX 1070 is good, similar to that of the GTX 1080. The MSI card is roughly 5 W higher than the GTX 1080 Founders Edition (73 vs. 68 W) on a Windows desktop with a 4K monitor. However, the Founders Editions was specifically optimized to be conservative (according to the manufacturer). Furthermore, the test model requires a lot less than the RX 480 (79 W). Our test system needs 60 W just with the HD 4600 IGP. The old MSI GTX 970 needs around 78 W.

At load (Furmark), the test system needs 290 W with the 1070 (230 fps - 1.26 W per frame). The GTX 1080 needs 10 W more, but due to throttling offers less fps (211 fps, which means 1.42 W per frame). The GTX 970 of the MSI falls quite far behind due to its old 28 nm finish and requires 315 W for 135 fps (2.33 W per frame). In fact, even the XFX Fury Pro is better in comparison at 2.15 W per frame (340 W, 158 fps). The new RX 480 of AMD lands between all these cards with 124 fps and 246 W (1.98 W per frame).

Verdict

The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 is definitely a success. In terms of efficiency, it can match the GTX 1080 and its performance can surpass the old top model, the GTX 980 Ti. The test model is suitable even for 4K gaming, as long as the settings are not set to max. Until AMD Vega is launched, only the 980 Ti can be considered a competitor to the 1070.

The MSI GTX 1070 Gaming Z 8 GB has some great features. The cooling system works quietly and efficiently. The design is appealing and high-quality. The higher clock speeds of the MSI GTX 1070 Gaming Z 8 GB can surpass the 1070 Founders Edition. The price for this MSI card places it in the same range as the Founders Edition, which means we can comfortably recommend it. For 40 Euros (~$44) less, the buyer can find the cheapest variation of the 1070, named Aero. The user must decide themselves whether the extra money is worth the quiet cooling fans, design, lighting and (potentially) higher performance.

Update 4-Aug-2016: corrected Gaming X to Gaming Z

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Klaus Hinum, 2016-08- 1 (Update: 2016-08- 4)