AMD’s Radeon RX 7000-series graphics playing cards launched so far have introduced fierce competitors to Nvidia and its GeForce RTX 40-series GPUs. You’ve got possible observed, although, a large gap in AMD’s product lineup, with nothing between the $269 AMD Radeon RX 7600 and the $899 AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT. That this state of affairs has gone on for so long as it has is astonishing. Nevertheless it was possible definitely worth the wait, because the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT and Radeon RX 7800 XT are each distinctive new GPUs. On this assessment, we’ll give attention to the $499 Radeon RX 7800 XT, and it is a winner. Its worth and at present unmatched efficiency give it a dominant place in its slice of the graphics card market, incomes it an Editors’ Selection award for 1440p GPUs.
Structure: With Navi 32, the Chiplets Are Again
When AMD launched its line of Radeon RX 7000-series graphics playing cards, it known as out three applied sciences as core elements of the brand new design. First was its new microarchitecture, often called “RDNA 3,” and second was a brand new manufacturing course of. Each of those had been anticipated, as such adjustments occur nearly each era. I lined them in my launch assessment of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX.
The third know-how is the recent chiplet design, which debuted within the first AMD Radeon RX 7000-series graphics playing cards. Chiplets do not underpin each Radeon RTX 7000-series card, although. After releasing the chiplet-based Radeon RX 7900 XTX and the same Radeon RX 7900 XT, AMD subsequent launched the Radeon RX 7600 with a monolithic chip design. That raised the query of what future playing cards within the line would appear to be. Now, now we have our reply.
The Radeon RX 7800 XT is constructed on a chiplet design akin to the one used within the RX 7900 XTX and the RX 7900 XT. It is primarily based round one massive chip that’s known as the Graphics Chip Die (GCD). It measures 200mm2 and accommodates 60 compute items, giving it 62.5% as many assets because the GCD within the 7900 XTX.
As for cache, the RX 7800 XT additionally comes with 4 Reminiscence Cache Dies (MCDs) that measure roughly 37mm2 every, for a complete mixed space of about 150mm2. Every of those MCDs helps a 64-bit reminiscence interface and 16MB of L2 cache, giving the RX 7800 XT an combination 256-bit reminiscence interface and 64MB of L2 cache. AMD fitted the cardboard out with 16GB of GDDR6 reminiscence that operates at 19.5Gbps, enabling 624GBps of complete bandwidth. All of that is about two-thirds of what’s accessible on the Radeon RX 7900 XTX.
For a extra detailed breakdown of the variety of ray accelerators, AI accelerators, TMUs, ROPs, and shaders, please see the chart above. Usually after we see a drop within the quantity of assets, we see a slight improve in clock velocity to partially make up for the disparity in shaders. We don’t see this with the Radeon RX 7800 XT and as an alternative see a slight drop in clock velocity. It tops out at a lift clock of two,430MHz, in contrast with the Radeon RX 7900 XTX’s enhance of two,500MHz.
Whereas all of those reductions make the RX 7800 XT look slower than the 7900 XTX—on paper, and in benchmarks—that is solely half of the story. If we take worth into consideration, the RX 7800 XT is probably the most alluring product in AMD’s Radeon RX 7000 collection.
Put merely, at $499, the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT prices half as a lot because the RX 7900 XTX, whereas packing roughly two-thirds of its assets. This equates to higher total value-per-dollar, and it locations the RX 7800 XT in a aggressive place within the graphics card market.
AMD’s Reference Design and FSR 3
For assessment, AMD despatched us a Radeon RX 7800 XT primarily based on its internally developed reference design. This card is provided with two inside eight-pin PCIe energy connections, and it has three DisplayPort connectors and an HDMI port on its rear I/O panel. The reference card employs a dual-fan thermal answer that is only a bit wider than a typical dual-slot card.
Earlier than I transfer on to testing, I’ve one final key element to handle: FSR 3. AMD developed FSR 3 in response to Nvidia’s DLSS 3 know-how, and it really works in the same approach: by producing synthetic frames between present frames to spice up total body charges.
This characteristic was launched alongside the RX 7800 XT, however I’ve little to say about it at the moment. AMD hasn’t shared express particulars (but) about how this know-how works, although it’s an open know-how and may work with a variety of graphics playing cards—from AMD, or in any other case.
Although FSR 3 will likely be accessible to everybody quickly, AMD was not in a position to present us with early entry to the sport recordsdata required to check FSR 3 for this assessment. We’ll want to research this characteristic at a later date.
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT: Our Take a look at Setup
Our take a look at system for graphics playing cards is constructed on an Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard with a stock-clocked Intel Core i9-12900K processor actively cooled by a Corsair Hydro Sequence H100X water cooler. This lot is paired with 32GB of Corsair Vengeance DDR5 RAM clocked at 5,600MHz, and a 1TB Corsair MP600 Professional NVMe 4.0 SSD for storage. Energy is supplied by a Corsair HX1500i energy provide that’s rated 80 Plus Platinum environment friendly and may provide as much as 1,500 watts of energy to the system at any given time. All checks had been carried out inside Home windows 11 Professional with the most recent updates put in.
The pricing dynamics of the graphics card market have been turbulent in recent times, which makes it troublesome to explain the Radeon RX 7800 XT’s actual place at launch. It has the traits of a midrange graphics card, which higher suits the likes of the RX 7600 and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060. It is also not a flagship card and is vastly completely different from the “excessive finish” graphics playing cards we had been launched to on the preliminary launch of the Radeon RX 7000 and GeForce RTX 40 households. Calling the RX 7800 XT a high-end card nonetheless suits finest, although high-end has by no means fairly felt so near the center.
In its place as a high-end however not prime-end graphics card, the RX 7800 XT comes into closest competitors with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070, which occupies the same tier within the graphics card market. Nonetheless, this too seems like an ungainly comparability: Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4070 playing cards begin at $599, making that GPU line clearly dearer than the $499 RX 7800 XT.
As for pricing, the $499 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB is a greater match, however that card and the lesser 8GB RTX 4060 Ti have some notable shortcomings that weaken their place towards the RX 7800 XT. (Nvidia factors out that a number of particular base-model variations of the 16GB RTX 4060 Ti are promoting for beneath MSRP, at $449—which was true at this writing, however a lot of the 16GB playing cards had been nonetheless $500 or extra.) All advised, the RX 7800 XT undercuts the RTX 4060 Ti line, and with assets which might be on a better degree to the RTX 4070’s.
Figuring out precisely how these playing cards evaluate is what now we have benchmark testing for, after all. However the specs and pricing recommend that the Radeon RX 7800 XT represents top-of-the-line values we have seen in fairly a while within the graphics card world. Let’s have a look at if that bears out.
Artificial Assessments
Artificial checks permit us to gauge a graphics processor’s uncooked efficiency, however they’ll by no means inform the total story. Each 3DMark and Furmark present about what we might count on to see, with the RX 7800 XT outcomes coming in pretty near the RTX 4070, which was nonetheless a transparent step forward in all however a number of subtests.
LuxMark checks the compute efficiency of graphics playing cards, and that take a look at confirmed a fair better benefit for the RTX 4070. It’s solely in Unigine’s Superposition trial that we noticed the RX 7800 XT pull again a bit, coming to a close to dead-even tie with the RTX 4070 within the DirectX 11 take a look at and barely surpassing it when OpenGL is used.
Ray Tracing, FSR, and DLSS Sport Testing
AMD’s graphics playing cards are at their deepest drawback relating to video games that assist ray tracing. Nvidia has positioned a better emphasis on boosting ray-tracing efficiency than AMD has up thus far, however even with that benefit, it’s nonetheless not an open-and-shut case for Nvidia in ray-tracing video games.
In our first ray-tracing recreation take a look at (utilizing F1 22), the Radeon RX 7800 XT was in a position to beat out the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti by roughly 13% at 1080p and about 31% at 4K. It didn’t fare fairly as effectively towards the RTX 4070, which surpassed the Radeon RX 7800 XT by as a lot as 12%. That modified with FSR 1.0 and DLSS 2.0 enabled, handing the benefit again to the RX 7800 XT. DLSS 3 allows the RTX 4070 to drag forward once more, however solely at 1440p.
In Cyberpunk 2077, we noticed a lot the identical outcomes as in F1 22, with the Radeon RX 7800 XT outperforming the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti and barely behind the GeForce RTX 4070 with FSR and DLSS off. We didn’t take a look at this recreation with DLSS 2, however with DLSS 3 even the considerably slower GeForce RTX 4060 was in a position to pull forward of the Radeon RX 7800 XT.
Guardians of the Galaxy has proven a choice for Nvidia-based graphics playing cards, and we usually see Nvidia playing cards carry out considerably higher on this take a look at. Regardless of this inherent drawback, the Radeon RX 7800 XT carried out fairly effectively on this take a look at. It was solely barely behind the RTX 4060 Ti on this take a look at at 1080p. The 2 playing cards then tied at 1440p, and the RX 7800 XT pulled forward for a slim 2fps benefit at 4K. The RX 7800 XT had no probability of touching the RTX 4070 this time, nevertheless.
When Driver Points Get within the Approach
Out of the entire checks I ran, probably the most disappointing result’s one which’s not proven right here. I’ve been testing graphics playing cards with Returnal as I slowly weave it into the usual array of graphics playing cards checks I exploit. I’ve by no means had a problem with this take a look at or recreation, even whereas utilizing Intel’s Arc graphics playing cards—till now.
In what can solely be a driver challenge, AMD’s Radeon RX 7800 XT crashed each time I tried to run Returnal. This was distinctive to the RX 7800 XT and didn’t have an effect on another Radeon playing cards I put by means of this take a look at, together with the RX 7700 XT, the RX 7600, and the RX 7900 XTX.
Although this offers a poor first impression, it’s essential to mood any response to this challenge. The quantity of video games available on the market, even in the event you simply depend those thought of trendy AAA titles, is huge. We count on all of those video games to run flawlessly on new {hardware}, however realistically glitches slip by means of, which is why now we have driver updates. I’m certain that AMD will repair this challenge sooner or later earlier than lengthy, however it’s nonetheless disappointing to see from an in any other case class-leading product.
AAA Sport Testing
In video games that don’t assist ray tracing, the GeForce RTX 40-series playing cards lose considered one of their biggest benefits, giving AMD’s Radeon RX 7800 XT an ever better probability to shine.
With out ray tracing, the RX 7800 XT was predictably in a position to run circles across the RTX 4060 Ti in Complete Struggle: Three Kingdoms, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Far Cry 5. The one exception to this was in Far Cry 5 at 1080p, which has proven irregular outcomes possible resulting from some kind of bottleneck on the processor or recreation engine. At 1440p and 4K, nevertheless, the RX 7800 XT was far quicker than the RTX 4060 Ti in Far Cry 5, too.
Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4070 did not rating a clear win right here. As a substitute it traded locations, with the RX 7800 XT performing higher in Complete Struggle: Three Kingdoms and the RTX 4070 retorting with wins within the different two video games.
Legacy Video games Testing
Older video games are sometimes difficult for newer graphics playing cards—not as a result of they lack the efficiency to run the video games, however as a result of these video games obtain much less trendy driver assist, which can lead to decreased efficiency and even trigger video games to fail to run.
We will’t increase any criticism on AMD on this space, nevertheless, as all checks ran with out challenge and efficiency was total spectacular. The Radeon RX 7800 XT carried out effectively in Bioshock Infinite, buying and selling locations with the RTX 4070 as soon as once more. In Hitman Absolution, the RX 7800 XT maintained a wholesome lead over the RTX 4070 throughout all three take a look at resolutions. And in Sleeping Canines, the 2 playing cards as soon as once more traded locations forwards and backwards.
Energy and Thermals
We take a look at the facility consumption of our graphics card take a look at mattress utilizing a Kill-A-Watt wall meter to gauge the facility draw of every card. Solely the graphics card and relevant drivers are modified between checks, giving us a good thought of the facility consumption of every card, if not an actual measurement.
Energy consumption is one space wherein AMD has room to enhance relative to its Nvidia competitors. The GeForce RTX 4070 carried out on a aggressive footing with the Radeon RX 7800 XT, however the RTX 4070 had notably decrease energy consumption numbers in all areas besides the idle energy draw. The RTX 4060 Ti’s energy consumption numbers had been even decrease.
Thermal readings had been additionally larger for the Radeon RX 7800 XT card, which was considerably disappointing because the RX 7900 XT fared considerably higher on this space. This means the cooler was liable for the lackluster temp readings on the RX 7800 XT, because it has a much less sturdy thermal answer than the RX 7900 XT’s. This case could possibly be considerably higher on some playing cards made by AMD’s board companions, with some playing cards maybe outfitted with more-robust cooling schemes. However for now, all we will do is speculate on that entrance.
We needs to be clear, nevertheless, that the thermal readings on the RX 7800 XT weren’t horrible. The 69 levels C thermal studying is effectively inside the protected working vary for the cardboard and acceptable for steady use.
Verdict: AMD’s Finest Effort of the 7000s
Although the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ran somewhat heat and used a bit extra energy than we might have preferred, it’s laborious for us to fault the cardboard for this or on another entrance. Value and efficiency are all the time crucial elements for desktop elements, and the Radeon RX 7800 XT excels at each.
When discussing elements, it’s essential to take a broader look to grasp a product’s place out there. Typically, we will let the numbers communicate for themselves: The Radeon RX 7800 XT finest compares with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4070 when it comes to efficiency, however the RX 7800 XT prices $100 much less. When the efficiency is so incessantly on a near-even footing or presumably even higher on the cheaper card, what purpose do you must purchase the dearer one? Certain, the RTX 4070 is sometimes quicker, however neither constantly nor overwhelmingly, and even in these instances the velocity unfold nonetheless isn’t sufficient to justify the added expense.
The second-closest competing Nvidia graphics card to the Radeon RX 7800 XT is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, but when something, that comparability seems a lot worse for Nvidia right here. The RTX 4060 Ti has an MSRP of $399 for playing cards that ship with 8GB of GDDR6 RAM, and playing cards with 16GB of RAM are $499-plus (aside from the few fundamental $449 fashions). Even pitted towards the 16GB GeForce RTX 4060 Ti, the RX 7800 XT stays the extra engaging deal.
Certainly, AMD’s Radeon RX 7800 XT is considerably quicker than the 8GB RTX 4060 Ti in nearly each take a look at, and on this case the efficiency distinction is greater than adequate to justify the $100 premium. This case solely worsens in the event you look intently at checks working at 1440p and 4K, because the 8GB RTX 4060 Ti is held again by a restricted reminiscence interface that cramps its efficiency above 1080p. For this reason Nvidia markets the 8GB card for 1080p play…however $399 is fairly a lot for that degree of play.
On account of this limitation, the efficiency benefit held by the Radeon RX 7800 XT over the RTX 4060 Ti solely will increase because the decision goes up. The RX 7800 XT doesn’t endure from any such handicap, and in the event you wanted any extra purpose to go for the RX 7800 XT over the RTX 4060 Ti, this needs to be it.
What about AMD’s competitors from inside its personal home? With two-thirds the assets at half the value of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX, the RX 7800 XT is clearly a greater worth than AMD’s flagship on a per-dollar foundation. It even edges out the Radeon RX 7600 with a barely cheaper price per compute unit, and that’s not even contemplating the improved reminiscence system on the RX 7800 XT.
To sweeten the deal additional, AMD now (on the time of writing) features a copy of Starfield: Premium Version with all Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics playing cards at launch. This model of the sport, which incorporates an growth to the bottom recreation together with a pores and skin pack and entry to digital artwork and unique soundtracks, retails for $99.99 — not a nasty deal in any respect.
All the pieces you see right here means that the Radeon RX 7800 XT will likely be AMD’s finest graphics card of this era, incomes it our Editors’ Selection award for 1440p gaming. Till Nvidia adjusts its costs, or releases a brand new card to fight it, the Radeon RX 7800 XT stands as the one graphics card value recommending between the $299 Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 and the $899 AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT for the foreseeable future.
