PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X Graphics Card Review

Paris-To-New York or more widely known as PNY sent us their PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X graphics card. It’s has a rather rare unique combination of being a two-slot, triple-fan GPU that’s also overclocked out of the box – a design fitting for those looking to build an SFF PC without compromising on performance as well as those to show off its triple-fan cooling and RGB lighting. So, let’s take a closer look on how the PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X fairs against larger cards.

It’s our first time reviewing a PNY GPU but we have used a PNY RTX 3080 XLR8 GPU as part of our benchmark test suite last RTX 30 series launch. For the uninitiated especially our Philippine audience, PNY is known to be the OEM behind Nvidia Quadro workstation GPUs. The brand is primarly known in the US and EU market with a heavy presence in Malaysia. With brand introduction out the way, let’s take a look the the PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X.

Nvidia RTX 40 SERIES SPECS

Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER

The Nvidia RTX 4070 SUPER has the same $599 launch price as its non-SUPER counterpart, meaning that we’re getting an upgrade in terms of specs and of course, performance. The RTX 4070 SUPER gets a 20% increase in CUDA, RT, and Tensor core count resulting in 10% higher TGP from 200W on the RTX 4070 to 220W on the RTX 4070 SUPER. Nvidia also managed to increase the boost clock, albeit minimal to 2480 MHz from 2470 MHz but considering the higher core count, it’s still a welcomed improvement.

PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X – Unboxing and Overview

PNY GPUs have a distinctive design on its XLR8 graphics cards – from the red “>” XLR8 packaging design on the RTX 30 series to a new design on the new RTX 40 series cards. The boxes now have an angled render of the cooler shroud. Consequently, the render shows you if you’re also getting an RGB variant of the GPU. Moving to the back you have a simple angled render showing the backplate of the GPU, the typical Nvidia GeForoce RTX 40 series features are listed as well.

I personally find the black finish found on the PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 Verto Epic-X to be one of the best-looking I’ve seen in a graphics card. Despite the plastic shroud, the finish applies a metal-looking design especially when there’s light shined in the GPU. Compared to the blue-gray finish on last year’s EPIC-X models, the black design makes it feel more premium.

PNY has managed to surprisingly keep the card at 2-slots despite the triple-fan profile with the GPU measuring 12.01 x 4.7 x 1.57 inches. Additionally, you have an stack of exposed fins on the left side where the PCB ends to maximize the airflow.

The XLR8 logo on the left

You have simple full brushed metal backplate on the PNY RTX 4070 SUPER Verto Epic-X. Like most GPUs, PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 has a cutout where the PCB ends for airflow. But instead of a mesh or a perfortated designo n the cutout, you have the iconic “>” symbol. I would’ve perfer the “>” to have micro cutouts or perforated for a more efficient airflow instead of a full on metal block. That said, a cuout is better than nothing considering you still get a large part of the heatsink exposed compared to other GPUs.

You have a standard port selection on the PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 Verto Epic-X with three Display Port 1.4a ports and one HDMI 2.1 port.

The PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 Verto is one of the longest 2-slots card in the market right now. So, despite its thin nature you may have a rough time fitting it in ITX cases due to its length.

The XLR8 logo as well as the iconic X markings on the middle GPU fan has RGB lighting and can be controlled via PNY’s VelocityX software which also lets you overclock and adjust its fan speed.

Benchmark Setup and Test Methodology

Gadget Pilipinas’ testing philosophy is to provide detail-oriented results as accurately as possible so that our readers can replicate our tests given that these conditions are met. Different benchmarking apps and sequences are used depending on the component or device being tested.

We use CapFrameX 1.7.2 Beta as our primary FPS capture and analysis tool for all our gaming benchmarks. The latest build version of Windows 11 Pro and WHQL-certified drivers are used for our benchmarks. Readings such as temperatures and power draws are recorded using HWINFO64, and other relevant software for cross-checking.

For more information read our Benchmark Methodology article.

PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X Synthetic and Productivity Benchmarks

3DMark Firestrike and TimeSpy

3DMark is the go-to benchmark for gamers because of the ability to share and compare results online. We test GPUs both in DX11 Firestike and DX12 Timespy to get a gauge of the performance.

Blender

Blender is a widely used, free, open-source 3D creation suite. It supports the whole 3D pipeline process from modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, and even motion tracking. Blender has become a standard for CPU benchmarks with the BMW27 and Classroom Scene most used. This prompted the company to release Blender Open Data Benchmark in 2018, a benchmark-specific version allowing users to run a preset benchmark and share the results online like 3DMark.

VRAY 5

V-Ray Benchmark is a stand-alone version of V-Ray developed by Chaos Group. It is designed to test the CPU and GPU by rendering sample scenes at a fixed amount of time. V-Ray is a plug-in mostly utilized by 3D computer graphics software applications mainly for industrial design, product design, architecture, film, and video game production. V-Ray is not limited to 64-threads as it supports multi and mega-threading. 

GeekBench 6.2.2

Geekbench is a multi-platform benchmark used to gauge CPU performance and compare them across Windows, Mac, and Mobile. Geekbench 6 is the latest version and test are done in both OpenCL and Vulkan to gauge a CPU’s compute performance.

CINEBENCH 2024

Maxon’s Cinebench benchmark is one of the most iconic benchmark applications used by reviewers and enthusiasts. The latest Cinebench 2024 now supports GPU rendering benchmarks which is why added Cinebench 2024 in our GPU benchmark suite.

PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X Gaming Benchmarks

RETURNAL

Returnal is one of the most technologically advanced game since the launch of Cyberpunk 2077. Released last April 2021 on PS5 and February 2023 on PC, it uses Unreal Engine 4 and supports multiple technologies such as Ray Tracing, DLSS, VSR, and FSR.

COUNTERSTRIKE 2

CounterStrike 2 or CS2 is a the successor to the now retired CSGO and now uses the Source 2 Engine – the same engine used on DOTA 2. CS2 is a great FPS game to test out CPU performance. Our benchmark process uses a the replay function of the game.

DOTA 2

Dota 2 is a good repesentation among F2P titles especially MOBAs and RTS as it lands on the demanding side of the spectrum. Its gameplay and quality of life updates are far more frequently than most F2P titles thanks to its vast popularity. Our benchmark sequence is based on a replay of OG vs. Gaimin Gladiators in the ESL ONE Berlin Major Finals Game 4 from the team fight that happened from 23:00 to 24:00. 

SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES

Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales is developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony is one of the most popular PC port titles last 2022. It’s one of the few modern game titles that support upscaling technologies FSR, DLSS, and XeSS making it a great title to use for benchmarks.

F1 23

F1 23 is the official video game of the 2023 Formula One and Formula 2 championships developed by Codemasters. F1 2023 is the sixteenth installment in the franchise and uses the Ego Engine 4.0. F1 233 is a good representation of racing games thanks to its realistic graphics and fairly demanding spec requirements as well as support for Ray Tracing and the latest upscaling technologies such as DLSS, XeSS, and FSR.

ASSASSIN’S CREED: MIRAGE

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is the latest Assassin’s Creed game from Ubisoft making it the thirteenth major installment in the franchise. It uses the AnvilNext 2.0 game engine and is the very first AC game to support the latest upscaling technology such as XeSS, FSR, and DLSS.

Cyberpunk 2077

Cyberpunk 2077 is arguably the most hyped game of 2020. Developed by CD Projekt Red, the dystopian open-world, action-adventure RPG sports is one of the most demanding titles to date. Cyberpunk 2077 also supports three Ray Tracing settings as well as DLSS which makes the game a great tool to measure Ray tracing performance for both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards.

CALL OF DUTY MODERN WARFARE

The latest installment in the Call of Duty franchise is a sequel to the much-loved Modern Warfare game that launched in 2019. Call of Duty Modern Warfare II is one of the most demanding titles to date, pushing the latest hardware from Intel, AMD, and Nvidia. CODMW2 is one of the few games that comes with the DLSS feature without Ray Tracing.

Far Cry 6

FarCry 6 is an FPS game published by Ubisoft and uses the Dunia engine. It heavily relies on and takes advantage of DirectX 12 to render a realistic environment that makes it taxing to both the CPU and GPU. It’s also the first game of the franchise to support Ray Tracing.

Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Seige is one of the few popular AAA games that’s still popular in 2021 due to its competitive gameplay mechanics. R6S uses the AnvilNext game engine, which the game’s publisher, Ubisoft, developed. As of writing, Rainbow Six Siege is currently the most popular Tom Clancy title beating out Wildlands, Breakpoint, and even Division 2.

Shadow of The Tomb Raider

Shadow of The Tomb Raider or SOTR is the latest installment of the Lara Croft Tomb Raider franchise. Developed by Square Enix, SOTR uses the Foundation engine and is further enhanced by Eidos Montreal. SOTR is also one of the first games to come out with Ray Tracing and DLSS support.

Metro Exodus

Metro Exodus is the third Metro game trilogy based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s novels. The game is a first-person shooter with survival horror and stealth elements. The post-apocalyptic game uses 4A Engine by 4A games. Released last 2019, Metro Exodus remains to be one of the most graphically pleasing and demanding games that’s popular to date.

HORIZON ZERO DAWN

Horizon Zero Dawn is one of the most popular console-port RPG developed by Guerilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Horizon Zero Dawn is a multi-award-winning action RPG, and its popularity resulted in an exclusive Complete Edition game bundle on Steam.

PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X Temperatures and Power Draw

The PNY RTX 4070 SUPER Verto EPIC-X GPU’s temps ties with our Inno3D RTX 4070 SUPER Twin X2 GPU at 72.7°C. Considering that our PNY card is an OC model with a 2-slot thickness, I’d say that it’s within our expectations especially with how quiet the GPU is under load.

Peak power draw at 219.709W is well within range of the RTX 4070 SUPER’s ‘rated TGP of 220W.

Performance Summary Conclusion

The PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X is an OC edition card with performance rivaling other RTX 4070 SUPER OC cards in our testbench, specifically our Gigabyte Gaming OC model albeit in a much smaller form factor compared to the latter’s 2.5-slot cooler.

The new XLR8 design for the RTX 40 series graphics is well-welcomed improvement over the RTX 30 series not only in aesthetics but in performance as well. While its temperatures may not be the coolest in our RTX 4070 SUPER GPUs in our test suite considering it’s a triple-fan cooler, it does however offer a good balance of acoustics of temps in a thin form factor.

That said, the noise-temps-performance balance comes at a premium, specifically at Php 46,900 SRP. With over a Php 5,000 premium over SRP the PNY RTX 4070 SUPER Verto EPIC-X comes at a tough spot as its pricing draws close to the now discountinued RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4070 Ti Super. Its worth noting that the premium you’re paying for the PNY RTX 4070 SUPER Verto EPIC-X goes heavily into its thin form factor while offering extra performance thanks to the factory overclock.

Overall, the PNY RTX 4070 SUPER XLR8 VERTO EPIC-X offers a little bit of extra performance in a relatively small form factor fitting for those looking for a compact and silent GPU with no framerate compromise thanks to the factory OC. However, the price to attain such a thin profile, a bump in performance, and a quiet operation comes at Php 5,000 over MSRP with slightly higher temperatures over non-OC models.

Grant Soriano

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Grant is a Financial Management graduate from UST. His passion for gadgets and tech crossed him over in the industry where he could apply his knowledge as an enthusiast and in-depth analytic skills as a Finance Major. His passion allows him to earn at the same time help Gadget Pilipinas' readers in making smart, value-based decisions and purchases with his reviews and guides.