AMD RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT review: great GPUs, no Nvidia killers - Digital Trends

It’s not often I get disappointed arsenic a reviewer, but the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT disappointed me. That mightiness astonishment you if you’ve seen the people they’ve earmed and the agelong database of pros these cards bring — they’re among the best graphics cards you tin bargain close now. But against a rising tide of GPU prices, AMD was positioned to close course, and these cards don’t afloat present the goods. Value is backmost successful a large mode with the XTX model, but those looking for the champion show won’t find it with AMD’s latest cards.

The RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT are great 4K GPUs, and the XTX exemplary is simply a overmuch amended worth than Nvidia’s competing RTX 4080. Still, AMD’s latest GPUs are somewhat down successful a fig of benchmarks, and their ray tracing, though improved, isn’t capable to spell toe-to-toe with Team Green.

RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT specs

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

On the spec sheet, the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT are intelligibly high-end GPUs. The XTX exemplary sports 24GB of GDDR6 memory, putting it connected the level of Nvidia’s RTX 4090, portion the XT exemplary cuts that down to 20GB. That’s inactive acold up of the 16GB disposable connected the RTX 4080, though AMD is utilizing slower GDDR6 representation compared to Nvidia’s latest GPUs.

The inclusion of DisplayPort 2.1 is simply a large deal, specifically for VR gamers and those wanting to thrust the first 8K gaming monitors erstwhile they’re here. Nvidia stuck with DisplayPort 1.4 for its latest GPUs, which is inactive capable to thrust existent high-end monitors similar the Samsung Odyssey Neo G8. That modular whitethorn amusement immoderate limitations arsenic clip goes on, however.

Power depletion is high, though not arsenic precocious arsenic the 450 watts the RTX 4090 demands. Interestingly, AMD pushed the RX 7900 XT a spot harder for release. The paper primitively had a full committee powerfulness of 300 watts, but the last plan pushes that to 315W for somewhat higher performance.

The absorbing notes travel successful the compute units. Each compute portion gets 2 ray tracing accelerators and 1 AI accelerator. This is antithetic than Nvidia’s design, which splits retired AI cores and ray tracing cores separately. These AI accelerators don’t person a wide usage close now, extracurricular of instrumentality learning. However, they could person implications down the roadworthy with AMD’s  FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR 3).

Synthetic performance

Starting disconnected with synthetic benchmarks, the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT clasp up precise well. In 3DMark Time Spy, the RX 7900 XTX managed a people of 25,214, placing it little than 1% down the RTX 4080. Depending connected the run, AMD’s paper could adjacent extremity up faster successful immoderate cases. The RX 7900 XT is down with a people of 23,839, but that’s inactive lone 6% down the RTX 4080 contempt AMD’s paper costing three-quarters arsenic much.

Rasterized show is solid, but AMD took a distant backmost spot successful the erstwhile procreation with ray tracing. AMD is inactive behind, but the margins compared to Nvidia are thinner than they erstwhile were. In 3DMark’s Port Royal ray tracing benchmark, the RX 7900 XTX scored 14,913, placing it astir 17% down the RTX 4080. That’s a coagulated pb for Nvidia, but AMD is inactive offering astir a 45% betterment successful ray tracing show compared to its erstwhile generation. That acold outpaces the rasterized gains.

Although it’s ne'er bully to enactment excessively overmuch banal successful synthetic performance, these 2 3DMark runs are reasonably typical of what you tin expect with the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT. Without ray tracing, the XTX is cervix and cervix with the RTX 4080, but with ray tracing, the delta slips to determination astir 5% to 10%.

4K gaming performance

Across my trial suite, the RX 7900 XTX ends up astir 6% slower than the RTX 4080, portion the RX 7900 XT is 15% down the RTX 4080, but 14% up of the RX 6950 XT. The generational gains are here, but they’re not impressive. A 14% pb for the RX 7900 XT is disappointing, but it’s the RX 7900 XTX’s pb of 26% implicit the RX 6950 XT that’s the existent kicker. Those aren’t perfect gains, particularly facing down the monolithic boost that the RTX 4090 brought to Nvidia’s range.

Ray tracing is simply a large crushed why. Although AMD has improved ray tracing this generation, the RX 7900 XTX and XT inactive suffer retired to Nvidia. Taking those ray tracing benchmarks retired of the mean provides a representation much successful enactment with what AMD has suggested. Without ray tracing, the RX 7900 XTX is connected par with the RTX 4080, portion the XT exemplary notches a sizeable 20% pb implicit the RTX 3090. The generational numbers remain, though — astir 15% for the RX 7900 XT and betwixt 25% and 30% for the RX 7900 XTX.

Some games amusement AMD’s caller cards successful a precise affirmative light. In Cyberpunk 2077, for example, the RX 7900 XTX really beats the RTX 4080 by a fewer frames portion the RX 7900 XT is lone a framework behind. That’s a pb for AMD portion charging less for its flagship GPU. It’s hard to reason with that.

There are debased points arsenic well. Forza Horizon 5 used to beryllium a crippled wherever AMD dominated, but its latest cards hardly supply immoderate boost implicit the erstwhile generation. AMD takes a backmost spot successful Horizon Zero Dawn, as well, which is different AMD-promoted title.

It seems AMD’s latest cards favour large, open-world games wherever features similar Smart Access Memory (SAM) can flex their muscle. Cyberpunk 2077 is 1 example, but the RX 7900 XTX besides managed a pb implicit the RTX 4080 in Red Dead Redemption 2. It matched Nvidia’s GPU successful Assassin’s Creed Valhalla as well.

AMD is trading blows good with Nvidia, but that’s stacked up against the RTX 4080. That paper is simply a atrocious value, and I person to wonderment however this concern would person been antithetic if Nvidia hadn’t gone guardant with the $1,200 terms connected the RTX 4080. Rumors suggest that terms whitethorn driblet soon, however.

At existent prices, the RX 7900 XTX offers a overmuch amended worth than the RTX 4080, and adjacent the lowered terms of the RX 6950 XT. You’re getting show conscionable shy of an RTX 4080 with the XTX exemplary for $200 less. The RX 7900 XT is disappointing, though. With its value, you’re amended disconnected with an RTX 4080 oregon RX 7900 XTX.

Ray tracing and FSR

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

AMD has been successful a distant 2nd spot with ray tracing ever since RX 6000 GPUs were introduced. Although the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT assistance adjacent that gap, Nvidia inactive shows a commanding lead. That pb tin beryllium important successful immoderate games, but dissimilar the erstwhile generation, ray tracing is an enactment connected AMD’s latest GPUs — adjacent if they aren’t showstoppers connected the RT front.

Cyberpunk 2077 is a bully illustration of that. The RX 7900 XTX is astir 26% slower than the RTX 4080, conscionable hardly managing a pb implicit last-gen’s RTX 3090. Gen-on-gen, though, the RX 7900 XTX is determination astir 27% faster than the RX 6950 XT, showcasing the other attraction AMD paid to ray tracing this clip around.

In a little demanding benchmark like Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, AMD’s latest GPUs amusement much ray tracing prowess. Here, the RX 7900 XTX is really up of the RTX 3090, arsenic good arsenic 19% down the RTX 4080. That’s not ever the case. In Bright Memory Infinite, the RX 7900 XT is down adjacent the RX 6950 XT, and the RX 7900 XTX is 24% slower than the RTX 4080.

Ray tracing is important to support successful caput for GPUs that tally astir $1,000, but it’s not needfully a woody breaker. Although AMD is intelligibly down Nvidia, the show of the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT (when combined with upscaling) makes ray tracing playable successful fashionable games. And ray tracing isn’t important to everyone, truthful these show gaps mostly travel down to preference.

You can’t abstracted ray tracing from upscaling, and AMD offers its FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) upscaling successful a wide swath of games. It’s not rather a prolific arsenic Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), but the 2nd mentation of FSR is mighty impressive. It tin supply similar show gains arsenic DLSS, and it doesn’t look unspeakable successful the process (unlike the archetypal mentation of FSR).

Games are dilatory updating to FSR 2, and we’ve seen titles like Forza Horizon 5 adopt the tech good aft launch. On the other end, immoderate games are inactive utilizing the archetypal version. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is a caller example, though it’s imaginable the crippled volition get an FSR 2 update astatine immoderate point.

FSR, DLSS, and XeSS show successful Modern Warfare 2.

Compared to Nvidia, the main constituent of contention now is DLSS 3. This mentation introduces framework procreation to RTX 40-series GPUs, multiplying show successful adjacent the astir demanding games. DLSS 3 isn’t perfect, but it works shockingly good to boost performance. AMD is moving connected FSR 3, which volition see framework procreation arsenic well. We conscionable don’t cognize thing astir it close now.

The large question is if the 3rd mentation of FSR volition leverage the AI cores wrong the RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT for framework generation. FSR has ever stood retired owed to the information that you tin usage it with astir graphics cards, but it’s imaginable aboriginal versions volition request dedicated hardware. It’s hard to accidental close now, arsenic FSR 3 is inactive apt galore months away.

Although FSR 2 is highly competitory with DLSS, it’s obscurity adjacent to DLSS 3. We’re successful a akin concern arsenic the erstwhile generation. AMD tin spell toe-to-toe successful rasterized performance, but ray tracing and features similar DLSS 3 inactive assistance Nvidia’s cards basal isolated from the pack.

Temperatures and instrumentality noise

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

AMD hasn’t made details similar somesthesia and instrumentality velocity disposable successful third-party tools yet, truthful I person to trust on  my subjective acquisition with the cards, positive a spot of powerfulness testing. For temperatures, I saw the paper ramp up to adjacent 80 degrees Celsius connected an open-air trial bench. This is apt owed to AMD’s notation design, though. It doesn’t vent aerial retired the back, alternatively forcing it retired the broadside done a monolithic fin stack. Third-party cards volition apt person overmuch amended thermal show (and perchance higher show overall).

The byproduct of this plan is accrued instrumentality noise. The RTX 4090 and RTX 4080 are astir soundless successful operation, adjacent portion the fans are spinning. The RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT are not. In particular, the RX 7900 XTX would ramp up precise loudly nether immoderate demanding workload, bringing backmost memories of a fewer generations agone wherever each GPU was loud.

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

You tin woody with the instrumentality noise, but the notation plan is inactive comparatively large and hot. I ideate the larger coolers disposable from committee partners volition alteration this dynamic, though, truthful support that successful caput if you’re picking up a paper from 1 of AMD’s assorted partners.

For power, the RX 7900 XTX stuck astir 330W during a tally of Cyberpunk 2077 at 4K, peaking at  370W for a little moment. That’s beneath the authoritative spec, but the RTX 4090 lone drew 360W during this aforesaid run, portion the RTX 4080 topped retired astatine 276W. Although AMD’s latest cards devour somewhat little powerfulness compared to Nvidia overall, Nvidia inactive has the pb successful efficiency.

A large value, with caveats

Jacob Roach / Digital Trends

The RX 7900 XTX is simply a large value. If you privation fantastic 4K gaming show and don’t caput little ray tracing performance, it’s the paper to bargain implicit the RTX 4080. Another caveat is DLSS 3. It’s existent that the RX 7900 XTX beats the RTX 4080 is earthy show per dollar, but the $200 spread doesn’t look arsenic ample erstwhile you origin successful ray tracing and framework procreation with DLSS 3 (especially successful demanding games similar Portal RTX).

I can’t urge the RX 7900 XT, but that shouldn’t travel arsenic a surprise. At lone $100 little than the XTX model, it was wide from the onset that the XT exemplary would connection a acold worse value. And it does. Buy the RX 7900 XTX instead.

Although determination is simply a radical of gamers that privation features similar DLSS 3 and other ray tracing performance, there’s besides a ample radical that doesn’t. For that bunch, the RX 7900 XTX is casual to recommend, adjacent if it doesn’t hitch the level with the RTX 4080 similar AMD suggested it would.

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