Review and testing of the ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3070 graphics card

Previously, we reviewed several video cards of the GeForce RTX 3070 series, among which was the ASUS TUF-RTX3070-O8G-GAMING. Now a cheaper and more affordable model has fallen into our hands. In this review, we will talk about ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3070 OC Edition, consider its design features, check the overclocking potential and compare it with other video cards.

ASUS DUAL-RTX3070-O8G

The video card comes with a large cardboard box, inside which it is fixed in a special frame covered with a film.

The video card itself has a simpler design compared to the ASUS TUF series. Its length is 27 cm. The case is made of plastic with a surface resembling brushed metal.

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 3070 is equipped with two large fans. The thickness exceeds two expansion slots.

The reverse side is covered with a metal plate.

In the corner of the video card there are two eight-pin power connectors. On the side of the case there is a white metal insert with the ASUS logo.

For this element, highlighting of the contours is provided.

The BIOS switch is located near the power connectors. The user can choose one of two firmwares — Performance and Silent, which differ in fan speed. By default, Performance mode is active, switching to Silent will reduce noise.

There are five ports for displaying images — three DisplayPort and two HDMI.

Axial-tech fans are responsible for blowing. Long curved blades with an outer ring provide more powerful airflow. Impeller diameter 95 mm.

Unfortunately, we were not able to completely disassemble the video card. Therefore, you will have to be content with an external inspection without dismantling the cooler. The casing with fans is removed independently from the radiator. And if necessary, you can carry out dust cleaning without the risk of damaging the warranty seals.

The design of the radiator uses six heat pipes. The radiator itself is made up of two blocks of thin plates.

At the base there is a large copper plate that is in contact with the graphics chip and memory chips.

An external examination shows that the radiator has a platform for heat removal from the VRM elements. At the same time, on the right side there is a separate black radiator for several power phases. This is reminiscent of the organization of cooling in ASUS TUF.

As for the back plate, there are thermal pads under it. The backplate has a protective function and does not participate in heat transfer.

The board is clearly based on the ASUS TUF-RTX3070-O8G-GAMING design, but some simplifications cannot be ruled out.

Base GPU clock 1500 MHz with Boost Clock 1770 MHz (standard Boost Clock 1725 MHz). Eight gigabytes of memory is packed with GDDR6 Samsung chips with an effective frequency of 14 GHz. The power limit has been increased from the standard level of 220W to 240W.

Real Boost frequencies in gaming mode approached 1900 MHz with peak values ​​up to 1980 MHz. In the heaviest applications, there were drawdowns up to 1840 MHz. This is illustrated below with screenshots of monitoring parameters during the Horizon Zero Dawn tests and the 3DMark Time Spy 4K stress test. When operating in an open case, the temperature did not exceed 69 °C (23 °C indoors). The fans spun up to 1900-1970 rpm, creating a certain noise.

In quiet mode (BIOS Silent), the fans ran at speeds of about 1500 rpm, keeping within comfortable limits in terms of noise level. The temperature of the processor at the same time rose only to 73 ° C.

Initially, the video card does not show the best noise level, but this is cured by switching to a «quiet» BIOS. Operating temperatures are low, although in Silent mode they are minimally different from NVIDIA reference models. And the Boost frequencies are also minimally different from the frequencies demonstrated by the standard NVIDIA Founders Edition graphics card. This will be clearly seen from the results of testing and comparing the two models.

The overclocking potential turned out to be close to the potential of ASUS TUF-RTX3070-O8G-GAMING. The final overclock was 170 MHz on the core, which provided Boost above 2000 MHz, up to peak values ​​of 2160 MHz.

In some games, the GPU kept frequencies in the region of 2070-2100 MHz (Horizon Zero Dawn). In the 3DMark Time Spy stress test and some heavy applications, there were drawdowns up to 2010-2025 MHz. The memory was able to work without failure at a frequency of 8150 MHz (16100 MHz).

To maintain stability during overclocking, we fixed the fan speed at 2150 rpm. The noise in this mode is high, for constant use you will have to look for a balance in frequencies and more finely select the fan speed.