MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super causes review ruckus right before release date

MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super with sad text face at top
(Image credit: Future)

Today marks the official release date of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super, and reviews of the MSI VENTUS 3X version are now alive and kicking. However, it sounds like we’re lucky to see any for the card at all, as a BIOS update is reportedly causing havoc when it comes in benchmarks. While the green team has since addressed the issue and a vBIOS fix is apparently now available, it could serve to confuse PC players looking to compare the new souped-up card with the original.

The new Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super won’t outright replace the original in the best graphics card race, but it should theoretically provide a performance boost for mid-range PC enthusiasts. The new card on the block boasts a higher CUDA core count and 16GB GDDR6X VRAM, meaning it could be more desirable than the first wave. That said, launch day teething problems are already becoming apparent, and investing in the MSI RTX 4070 Ti Super might mean having to mess around with BIOS settings to unleash its full capabilities.

Highlighted by our GPU savvy sister site PC Gamer, news of the MSI RTX 4070 Ti Super BIOS problem was shared just a day before reviews were set to go live. The fault seemingly knocked up to 5% off of the card’s potential performance in games, with an initial BIOS update only reducing the loss by about 3%. The company now says that MSI has released a vBIOS fix that fully resolves the quirk, but the whole dilemma will likely haunt the VENTUS 3X post-release.

Weird BIOS shenanigans aside, the MSI RTX 4070 Ti Super has actually received decent review scores so far, with PC Gamer gracing it with an 80%. That’s not a bad result given the issues at hand, but the idea of having to update a GPU BIOS may ultimately put players off opting for the VENTUS 3X model. Since there’s already going to be heaps of stock sitting in warehouses waiting to be shipped, I’m not feeling too optimistic about some sort of magical fix arriving to save buyer’s hassle. Therefore, I’d perhaps hold off from opting for this custom card for now.

As a side note, I’ll have an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super review to share with you all soon, and I’m excited to dive into the differences between the newbie and the original. With the arrival of both new card across the board, the battlefield is getting pretty busy, so it’s important to compare and contrast to ensure you pick the right card for your rig.

If you're looking for our thoughts on the OG version, you'll want to swing by either our PNY GeForce RTX 4070 Ti or Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 Ti AMP AIRO review for benchmarks and more.


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Phil Hayton
Hardware Editor

I’ve been messing around with PCs, video game consoles, and tech since before I could speak. Don’t get me wrong, I kickstarted my relationship with technology by jamming a Hot Wheels double-decker bus into my parent’s VCR, but we all have to start somewhere. I even somehow managed to become a walking, talking buyer’s guide at my teenage supermarket job, which helped me accept my career fate. So, rather than try to realise my musician dreams, or see out my University degree, I started running my own retro pop culture site and writing about video games and tech for the likes of TechRadar, The Daily Star, and the BBC before eventually ending up with a job covering graphics card shenanigans at PCGamesN. Now, I’m your friendly neighbourhood Hardware Editor at GamesRadar, and it’s my job to make sure you can kick butt in all your favourite games using the best gaming hardware, whether you’re a sucker for handhelds like the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch or a hardcore gaming PC enthusiast.