Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 review: an RTX 4070 Super with a DLSS 4 badge

The more genned frames, the more things stay the same

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PNY GeForce RTX 5070 OC specs: CUDA Cores: 6144 Base Clock Speed: 2.16GHz Boost Clock Speed: 2.51GHz VRAM: 12GB GDDR7 Power: 250W Recommended System Power: 650W Price: From £540 / $550

I knew the RTX 5070 was tricking me . Parked next to the extravagant silliness of the two-grand RTX 5090 , this £539 / $549 graphics card looked like a very agreeable deal, offering all the same DLSS 4 and Multi Frame Generation as its bigger, pricier brothers. Also, an upgrade to the RTX 4070 Super , a GPU that could handle 4K without looking too out of place in a premium 1080p rig. Tragically, though, the RTX 5070 breaks a sacred covenant, a mutual understanding between PC owners and parts makers that’s held strong for decades: if you buy a new version of a thing, it should be faster than the old version of that thing. Look past the MFG illusion, and far too often, it isn’t.

Rifling through the specs doesn’t turn up any clear reasons for this lack of performance gain; the RTX 5070’s CUDA core count comes in at 6144, putting it merely in-between the RTX 4070 (5888) and the RTX 4070 Super (7168), but both base and boost clock speeds have been raised to compensate. VRAM, meanwhile, remains at 12GB, but with a switch from GDDR6X to GDDR7 that confers significantly more bandwidth. Then there’s the power rating, which both the delayed Founders Edition and this here triple-fan PNY GeForce RTX 5070 OC set at 250W – 50W more than an entry-level RTX 4070 Super. It looks, and sounds, like a decent generational update.

And yet…

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 review: 4K benchmarks

While the RTX 5070 does make the cut as a 4K contender, surpassing 60fps in most Ultra-quality games without upscaling, the only time it produced a visibly faster framerate was in Cyberpunk 2077 . Elsewhere, it only outperforms the RTX 4070 Super by a scant handful of single-digit frames per second, and repeatedly loses out to the non-Super RTX 4070 Ti in the process.

Click to embiggen! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

The RPS test PC: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D RAM: 32GB Trident Z5 Neo RGB DDR5 Motherboard: MSI MPG X870E Carbon WiFi PSU: NZXT C1000 Gold

Obviously, very few potential buyers are going to be upgrading directly from last year’s RTX 4070 Super to the RTX 5070, and the latest model does at least make for a meaty improvement on the RTX 3070 . Trouble is, that improvement has already been made in the last generation, and for prices that – even if you’re lucky enough to find an RTX 5070 in stock below £600 – are likely drop much faster, especially where the secondhand market is concerned.

It’s also worth addressing a specific claim, made by Nvidia during their original RTX 50 series announcement, that the RTX 5070 delivers " RTX 4090 performance" with MFG. This is, depending on how generous you want to be, either lacking in context or complete tosh. While it’s true that, for instance, 4x MFG can drag the RTX 5070 to 71fps in a fully path-traced Alan Wake 2 , that’s only equal or faster than the RTX 4090 if you deny the older GPU its own tools. Sure enough, it only needs DLSS 3’s old-timey, 2x frame generation to average 82fps on otherwise identical settings. In short, the only way the RTX 5070 is truly moving at the same pace as the RTX 4090 is if they’re in the same delivery van.

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You could still consider MFG to be the RTX 5070’s party trick, though at 4K specifically, it’s not as much of a difference-maker as it is on on burlier cards like the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080 . In both Cyberpunk and Alan Wake 2, the RTX 4070 joins its 40-series rivals in being unable to churn out playable path tracing performance on DLSS Quality; in fact, in the latter, it’s narrowly the slowest of the lot. As a result, when 4x MFG kicks in, it’s producing a higher number in a framerate counter but isn’t actually helping the games to run and smoother or more responsively than on the DLSS 3-limited 40 series models. As far as your PC knows, it’s still only running at 26/21fps, and all the AI-generated frames in the world won’t get rid of the sluggish feel that aiming and camera control will suffer in those conditions.

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Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 review: 1440p benchmarks

1440p is a more comfortable environment for the RTX 5070’s frame gen tech, though its problems with overfamiliar performance remain. If anything, it’s more bothersome here, as the higher framerates make it even harder to tell a naked-eye difference between this and its predecessors.

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In Assassin’s Creed Mirage , the RTX 4070 Super even finishes ahead, if only be a single frame, while even the games that the RTX 5070 does relatively well in (Cyberpunk 2077, F1 24) only see an uptick of 10% or so. There is a simultaneous gap-narrowing with the RTX 5070 Ti, suggesting you don’t need to stretch to the Ti version for quality Quad HD, and again, anyone upgrading from the RTX 3070 will enjoy a sizeable speed boost. Still, these benefits could apply to the RTX 4070 Super just as much as the RTX 5070.

The same can’t be said, in fairness, for frame gen performance. Although these tests suggest the RTX 5070 is in fact slightly worse at dealing with path tracing/full ray tracing than those pesky RTX 40 GPUs, unlike at 4K, it is able to produce enough pre-generation frames to support a workable application of 4x MFG.

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I’m not saying this is an adequate replacement for traditionally rendered frames, but at least at this resolution, you can kind of see where Nvidia is coming from. Spared from the need to compensate for sub-30fps framerates, frame gen is free to simply shine up the visual smoothness of already adequately-running games, as it should be.

Still, it’s also hard not to peer over at those towering RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5080 bars, wondering why the standard RTX 5070 couldn’t just do a little more in the conventional rendering department.

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Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 review: 1080p benchmarks

The drop to an even less demanding screen rez does little to raise the RTX 5070’s value proposition. Yet again it’s haunted by the Ghosts of XX70 GPUs Past, especially in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, where it repeats its embarrassing loss. It does gain a few extra frames over the RTX 4070 Super in Shadow of the Tomb Raider , but then that’s already running so fast that you’d need a 300Hz monitor and downright inhuman observation skills to perceive them in action.

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That all means we must return to the world of maxed-out lighting effects and AI frame generation in search of a consolation prize. Like at 1440p, the RTX 5070 starts off inexplicably worse than the RTX 4070 Super when path tracing in involved, though in both games it still forms itself a solid enough base to apply 4x MFG without input lag coating your PC innards in treacle.

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You’ll have to forgive me for not sharing these results with the kind of bubbly enthusiasm that multicoloured bar charts deserve. I know it’s not like the RTX 5070 has regressed to the point that it’s a bad GPU in the general sense – get it at RRP, like this PNY model costs, and it’s still a fine multi-discipline graphics card that will comfortably play anything outside of the most brutalising 4K settings. And what I was saying earlier, about the RTX 4070 Super going cheaper faster? Reader, I’m afraid that was conjecture. Right now, these are still on sale in the £600-£700 range, and while plenty of board partner RTX 5070s will surely fill the same space, if these two GPUs cost the same then there’s no compelling reason to stick with the older one. There’s maybe an argument in favour of the RTX 4070 Super’s power efficiency – I measured it peaking at 219W during my tests, versus 251W on the RTX 5070 – but for all its shortcomings, I would rather have MFG than a 30W saving.

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Even so, it’s also completely fair and reasonable to expect some kind of meaningful, not wholly AI-reliant improvement from each new generation. The RTX 5070 simply does not deliver, and I’m honestly a little worried that if we simply shrug and accept that, frame generation really will be the only way that future GPUs bother to upgrade “performance”. Even when, as this very card’s 4K path tracing results show, such an approach is inadequate when the games side of the industry continues to ask more and more of your hardware.

This review is based on a retail unit provided by the manufacturer.

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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