Nvidia made some stark claims with the announcement of its RTX 50-series GPUs. It promised double the performance with the best graphics card Nvidia has ever released, the RTX 5090, and it said outright that the more modest RTX 5070 could equal the performance of the last-generation king, the RTX 4090. That seems dubious, even with the hype surrounding the new hardware.

We can’t officially confirm or deny such claims until the embargo lifts on reviews for these new cards, but for now, let’s consider how the RTX 5070 lines up with the 4090, to give us an idea about what to expect.

The Nvidia RTX 4090 debuted in October 2022 with an at-the-time eye-watering price tag of $1,600. It’s remained at around that level ever since, with some shortages spiking the price over $2,000 at times, depending on the version. As of late January 2025, however, the card is sold out almost everywhere, with only overpriced versions around $2,500 still available new, and second-hand versions selling for around $1,600.

The RTX 5070 is set to go on sale some time in February — though more likely toward the end of the month than the start. Nvidia’s suggested retail price for the card is $550. That’s $50 less than the RTX 4070 Super debuted at, but depending on stock and early interest, prices for the card may be higher in the short term after release.