With only four weeks left before the RTX 3070 launch, Asus has begun rolling out full specifications for three of it's new RTX 3070 graphics cards, the 3070 Strix, TUF, and Dual series. The RTX 3070 TUF and Strix are very similar in design compared to Asus' RTX 3080 counterparts. They both feature triple-fan cooler designs with very large heatsinks. In fact, both the Strix and the TUF have the same dimensions as the RTX 3080 models. Pair that with the RTX 3070's 220W TDP, and you've got a recipe for ultra-cool temperatures and quiet noise levels.
The TUF maintains its rugged looks with a blacked-out shroud and backplate but mixes in a little bit of RGB at the card's edge. The tire-track aesthetics remain, similar to RTX 3080 models, but it remains to be seen whether people actually enjoy this design choice.
The Strix model features a balance of silver and greyish-black on the shroud itself and adds RGB illumination to the three fans. The side of the cooler has an RGB illuminated grill-like aesthetic, but the "GeForce RTX" logo to the top looks a bit out of place. The only noticeable difference between the 3070 and 3080 models is the power connectors, with the RTX 3070 "only" featuring two eight-pins instead of three.
The Dual RTX 3070 is Asus' budget offering, with a more humble dual-fan cooler and conservative aesthetics. The card is still beautiful with a black shroud and a hint of white layered in its design. The cooler is quite large, measuring just beyond two PCIe slots thick. Fortunately, the cooler also has good breathing room – you can clearly see the aluminum heatsink from all sides of the graphics card.
These will be our first Ampere GPUs with dual-fan aftermarket cooling solutions, and given that the RTX 3070 has a 100W lower TDP than the RTX 3080, it makes sense to start building them again. Especially for people who need a more compact graphics card for smaller enclosures.
The RTX 3070 will launch on October 29th, so get your wallets ready if you want one soon. Hopefully, the delayed launch will give day one buyers enough volume to purchase an RTX 3070 before they go out of stock.