Pascal in 2021: Testing the GeForce GTX 1070 in 27 games with the Manli GTX 1070 Gallardo

Just a few months ago, the GeForce GTX 1070 graphics card turned five years old. That's a significant age for a GPU, as devices like this often become obsolete much faster. However, the GeForce GTX 1070 boasts several key features that allow it to stay relevant, even a year after NVIDIA's 30-series cards hit the market.

One such feature is its capacious 8GB GDDR5 video buffer. In modern games, textures, models, and shaders demand colossal amounts of memory, making a large VRAM buffer crucial for titles released in 2020-2021. Resident Evil Village alone can easily consume over 10 gigabytes of video memory.

Another undeniable advantage of the GTX 1070 is its full support for the DirectX 12 API, which allows the card to run 99% of modern games. Of course, there are caveats. For instance, games like Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition are exceptions, where ray tracing support is a mandatory requirement to launch the title. Fortunately, such projects are currently few and far between. Moreover, the 2019 version of Metro doesn't require DXR (DirectX Raytracing) support.

It's worth noting, however, that over time, the number of games requiring ray tracing support will only grow. Keep this in mind if you're considering the GTX 1070 for a long-term purchase.

The graphics card

The Manli GTX 1070 Gallardo (M-NGTX1070G/5RGHDPPP-F378G) graphics card features a dual-slot design and a reference PCB layout using standard components. The card measures a substantial 307 mm in length and a standard 105 mm in height. Note that this adapter might not fit into smaller cases.

The card draws power from a single 8-pin supplemental power connector. In practice, this means its power consumption shouldn't exceed 225W (150W from the connector and 75W from the PCI-e slot). Given that NVIDIA's official specifications rate the GTX 1070 at up to 150W, there's a huge power headroom.

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The GPU, GDDR5, and the card's power delivery system are cooled by a large, two-section aluminum heatsink featuring four heat pipes and three 75mm fans:

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Overall, this cooling system handles its task quite well, keeping the GPU temperature below 70 degrees Celsius.

Board and power system

As we mentioned earlier, the Manli GTX 1070 Gallardo graphics card is based on an NVIDIA reference design. Frankly, this isn't good news, as the reference board is heavily simplified to maximize component cost savings:

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Consequently, the GTX 1070 Gallardo features a rather weak power delivery subsystem for both the GPU and video memory, especially for a mid-range device. It's built on a 4+1 phase design (4 phases for the GPU and 1 phase for GDDR5), perfectly replicating NVIDIA's reference design:

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The GPU's power circuit uses only four dual-channel M3816N series MOSFETs from Ubiq:

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The uP9511P PWM controller manages them.

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The GTX 1070's BIOS chip is a 4-megabit (512-kilobyte) IS25WQ040 MLE 1651 ROM:

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Graphics processor and memory

The GTX 1070 graphics card uses a cut-down version of the 16nm GP104 chip, configured with 64 render output units, 120 texture units, and 1920 stream processors.

In our specific case, the board features the GP104-200-A1:

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Accompanying the GP104 is 8192MB of GDDR5 video memory with a 256-bit interface, comprised of eight 8-gigabit (1024-megabyte) Micron chips marked 7XA47 D9TCB (MT51J256M32HF-80:A):

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These chips are nominally rated for 8000MHz. Surprisingly, Manli chose not to alter this frequency, keeping the GDDR5 speed at its baseline. However, given their robust approach to memory chip cooling, we find this decision quite odd.

NVIDIA's factory specifications for the GeForce GTX 1070 dictate GPU frequencies of 1503–1683MHz and GDDR5 memory at 8000MHz. While Manli's engineers left the GDDR5 speed untouched, they slightly boosted the GTX 1070 Gallardo's GPU. The base GPU frequency was increased to 1569MHz, with the boost clock reaching 1759MHz.

Notably, in 90% of the games tested, the GPU frequency never dropped below 1950MHz. That's a solid result for a graphics card with a reference PCB!

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The GPU-Z utility confirms all the aforementioned specifications, further adding that the GTX 1070 supports technologies such as OpenCL, CUDA, Vulkan, Ray Tracing (limited), PhysX, OpenGL 4.6, and DirectX 12.

Test Bench:

• Processor — Xeon E5-2620 v3@3200MHz (unlocked Turbo Boost frequency);

• Graphics Card — MANLI GeForce GTX 1070 Gallardo (M-NGTX1070G/5RGHDPPP-F378G);

• Motherboard — Kllisre X99-D8 (AD12) with a modified BIOS for full Turbo Boost frequency unlock;

• RAM — G.SKILL DDR4@1866MHz, 4x 4GB F4-2400C15S-4GNT modules, totaling 16GB (latencies 10-10-10-24);

• SSD — KINGSTON 120GB SA400S37120G;

• HDD — Seagate 2TB ST2000DM008-2FR102;

• Power Supply — Chieftec GPS-1250C.

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Graphics Card Testing:

Apex Legends

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The GTX 1070 handles Apex Legends without issue: on average, with maximum settings, the game delivers around 113 FPS, with rare dips to 78. This is an excellent result, allowing owners of 144Hz monitors to fully utilize their display's potential if needed.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

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Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, however, was less impressive: on the GTX 1070, the game averaged 52 frames per second, which is well below the 60 FPS required for comfortable play. Furthermore, rare events saw frame rates drop below 40.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

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Even more surprising is the GTX 1070's performance in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. In the latest installment of the franchise, the graphics card actually shows a slightly higher performance level than in Odyssey: an average of 55 FPS, with a minimum of 49 FPS and rare event dips to 35 FPS.

Battlefield V

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The GTX 1070 handles Battlefield V's multiplayer mode without any significant issues. The graphics card delivers extremely solid performance, with an average of 91 FPS, a minimum of 61 FPS, and rare lows around 33 FPS. And these figures weren't even recorded on an easy-to-run map.

On most maps, the FPS hovers around 90–105, which is a pretty good result for a 2016 graphics card.

Control

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Control is a more technologically advanced and graphically demanding game, which is why the GTX 1070 doesn't deliver the highest frame rates: 53 FPS, dropping to 48.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

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Unfortunately, benchmarking such a powerful graphics card (by Source engine standards) in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive really calls for a much more powerful processor. We couldn't skip testing the frame rate in this game, though, and even with a significant CPU bottleneck, the GTX 1070 delivers a remarkably solid 213 FPS, with rare dips to 93.

Keep in mind: with a more powerful processor, like a Core 9000-11000 or Ryzen 3000-5000, the GTX 1070's FPS in CS:GO would increase quite significantly. So, if you primarily play Valve's online shooter and ~200 frames per second isn't enough for some reason, investing in a more powerful CPU could give you the FPS boost you need.

Cyberpunk 2077 [Patch 1.3]

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While an average FPS of around 49 might seem low for games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla or Control, it's an excellent result for Cyberpunk 2077! What's more, the GTX 1070 achieves this on maximum graphics quality settings.

Perhaps this isn't so much a testament to the card itself, but rather the optimizations introduced in the recent Patch 1.3. Still, the fact remains: the GTX 1070 handles Cyberpunk 2077 quite well.

Crysis Remastered

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The same can't be said for the next game: with max graphics settings, the GTX 1070 couldn't handle the remaster of the original Crysis. To achieve a more or less acceptable FPS, we had to drop the settings to high. Only then did we get a relatively decent result: an average of 43 FPS with fairly frequent drops to 30.

The big, bad Crysis from 2007 is back, and it's once again bringing even relatively modern graphics cards to their knees.

By the way, the GTX 1070's VRAM in Crysis Remastered is almost completely maxed out. Unfortunately, in 2021, this isn't such a rare occurrence anymore.

Days Gone

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Days Gone runs beautifully on the GeForce GTX 1070. The game averages 79 FPS, with extremely rare dips to 42. This 5-year-old card can still surprise and effortlessly handle a 2021 release.

However, the Days Gone developers did an excellent job optimizing their project. Our past tests show the game can even run on minimal settings with cards likeGTX 470GTX 560 TiR9 270X.

Destiny 2: Beyond Light

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Predicting player behavior in Destiny 2 is tricky, but the GTX 1070 delivers a very solid performance in our test segment. Bungie's online shooter maintains an average frame rate of 90 FPS, with dips to 78.

Destroy All Humans

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The Destroy All Humans remake delivers even more impressive results! While the game is built on Unreal Engine 4, an engine not known for its optimization, the DaH developers absolutely nailed their task: the game runs on the GTX 1070 with an average of 106 FPS, with rare dips to 66.

Death Stranding

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Hideo Kojima's latest masterpiece shows roughly the same results on the GTX 1070. The card can run Death Stranding with an average FPS of around 96, with rare drops no lower than 68. That's a truly stunning result!

DiRT 5

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DiRT 5, however, isn't known for its good optimization. The GTX 1070 is pushed to its limits, yet even then, it can't break the 60 FPS mark, delivering an average of 58 frames per second with rare drops to 51.

Dota 2

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Similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, properly testing such a powerful graphics card in Dota 2 requires a much more capable CPU. However, we couldn't skip examining the performance of this popular MOBA. Even with a significant CPU bottleneck, the GTX 1070 delivers a very good result of 158 FPS, with rare dips to 81.

Keep in mind that with a more powerful processor, such as a Core 9000-11000 or Ryzen 3000-5000, the frame rate in Dota 2 on the GTX 1070 will significantly increase. So, if you primarily play Valve's MOBA and ~150 frames per second isn't enough for you for some reason, buying a more powerful CPU could provide the necessary FPS boost.

Far Cry 5

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The latest numbered installment in the Far Cry series delivers an average of 89 frames per second, with rare dips to 70 FPS.

Far Cry New Dawn

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The sequel to the fifth Far Cry installment, subtitled

Horizon Zero Dawn

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The GTX 1070 handles the former PlayStation 4 exclusive quite well: Horizon Zero Dawn delivers an average of 69 FPS, with rare drops to 49 FPS.

Mafia: Definitive Edition

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GTX 1070 owners (or potential owners) can expect a similar experience in Mafia: Definitive Edition. The card confidently runs the remake of this timeless classic, averaging 75 FPS with relatively infrequent drops to 53 FPS. For such a visually stunning game, that's an excellent result.

OUTRIDERS

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The GTX 1070 is also sufficient for a relatively comfortable experience in the recently released MMOTPS Outriders, though 78 frames per second with frequent dips to 54 FPS isn't exactly a stellar result. However, the fault isn't entirely with our test subject. The game, built on Unreal Engine 4, suffers from poor optimization; developer People Can Fly didn't make adequate use of Epic Games' engine tools, leaving Outriders' performance at a rather mediocre level.

Path Of Exile

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Path Of Exile, an incredibly deep and unique hack-and-slash title, is a new addition to our test suite. While it might not seem overly demanding at first glance, Path Of Exile on maximum graphics settings can easily bring even the GTX 1070 to its knees.

Consider this: The game averages 73 frames per second. That's decent, but the GTX 1070 frequently dips below 50 FPS during massive battles with hordes of monsters.

eFootball PES 2021

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If you're a fan of the eFootball PES 2021 simulator, the GTX 1070 delivers stunning performance with no noticeable frame drops and an average FPS of around 174.

Red Dead Redemption 2

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Red Dead Redemption 2 is the second game in our test suite where the GTX 1070 struggled to handle max graphics settings. To achieve a relatively acceptable FPS around 51, we had to dial back the settings to 'balanced,' which are essentially close to medium. Despite this visual 'downgrade,' the game still looks quite appealing.

Resident Evil Village

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The GTX 1070 handles Resident Evil Village much better than RDR 2. Even considering the game's 2021 release, the card's 8GB VRAM is generally sufficient.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

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Surprisingly, the GTX 1070 delivers minimally acceptable performance in the MMOTPS Tom Clancy’s The Division 2. The adapter maintains around 63 FPS, with occasional dips to 50.

Watch_Dogs 2

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We observed a similar performance level from the GTX 1070 in Watch_Dogs 2, hitting 60 frames per second with drops to 41.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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The Witcher 3, even on max graphics settings, poses no challenge for the GTX 1070. The game averages 85 frames per second, with rare drops to 53.

World of Tanks

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The GTX 1070 handles the final game in our test suite, World of Tanks, exceptionally well: FPS never drops below 100.

Summary

We only had the GeForce GTX 1070 for a short time, which meant we couldn't run any overclocking experiments. However, our tests showed that even without a boost, this 8GB Pascal GPU can still run games at max graphics settings in FullHD. The only titles that truly challenged the GTX 1070 were the extremely demanding RDR 2 and Crysis Remastered.

While it's clear more demanding games will emerge over time, right now, the GTX 1070 still delivers acceptable performance in modern and relatively current titles.

Now, let's talk about whether buying a card like this makes sense in 2021.

New GTX 1070s are practically impossible to find. Those currently on the used market have a 90% chance of having been used for cryptocurrency mining. What does this imply for potential buyers? It's simple: Ether mining significantly degrades the lifespan of video memory, and for NVIDIA's 1000-series, it also impacts the GPU's overall resource. Consequently, after prolonged operation in a mining rig, these cards are much more likely to fail. For these reasons, we strongly recommend against buying used Pascal-generation graphics cards right now.

Should you still opt to purchase a used card, meticulously inspect it for signs of flux leakage from under the GPU or GDDR5, along with any indications of previous overheating or repairs. After your visual check, put it through its paces with demanding benchmarks like UNIGINE Superposition Benchmark, and demanding games such as Resident Evil Village and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Ultimately, we've only provided some food for thought; it's up to you to decide if the potential savings are worth the risk.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for our next articles!

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