{"id":597157,"date":"2023-01-13T05:45:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.sellorbuyhomefast.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/13\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-review-big-badass-beautiful\/"},"modified":"2023-01-13T05:45:00","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T11:45:00","slug":"sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-review-big-badass-beautiful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/13\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-review-big-badass-beautiful\/","title":{"rendered":"Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X review: Big, badass, beautiful"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\" style=\"visibility: hidden; position: absolute; left: -9999px; overflow: hidden;\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-dark-grayscale\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.49803921568627\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.49803921568627\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.49803921568627\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg><svg viewBox=\"0 0 0 0\" width=\"0\" height=\"0\" focusable=\"false\" role=\"none\" style=\"visibility: hidden; 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position: absolute; left: -9999px; overflow: hidden;\"><defs><filter id=\"wp-duotone-blue-orange\"><feColorMatrix color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\" type=\"matrix\" values=\" .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 .299 .587 .114 0 0 \" \/><feComponentTransfer color-interpolation-filters=\"sRGB\"><feFuncR type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.098039215686275 1\" \/><feFuncG type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0 0.66274509803922\" \/><feFuncB type=\"table\" tableValues=\"0.84705882352941 0.41960784313725\" \/><feFuncA type=\"table\" tableValues=\"1 1\" \/><\/feComponentTransfer><feComposite in2=\"SourceGraphic\" operator=\"in\" \/><\/filter><\/defs><\/svg><\/p>\n<div id=\"page\">\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/#primary\">Skip to content<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t<main id=\"primary\"><\/p>\n<article id=\"post-1471803\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-1.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1024\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX\" data-hero  ><\/p>\n<p><span>Image: Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/span>\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div id=\"link_wrapped_content\">\n<body><\/p>\n<div id=\"review-body\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/PC-ED-CHOICE.png\" alt=\"Editors' Choice\" loading=\"lazy\"><span>At a glance<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"experts-rating\">Expert&#8217;s Rating<\/h3>\n<div>\n<div>\n<h3 id=\"pros\">Pros<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Exceptional 4K and 1440p performance<\/li>\n<li>24GB memory<\/li>\n<li>Nitro+ custom cooler is frigid, silent, and gorgeous<\/li>\n<li>Dual-BIOS switch, fan, and ARGB headers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h3 id=\"cons\">Cons<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Massive four-slot design<\/li>\n<li>Very high power draw<\/li>\n<li>Lags GeForce RTX 40-series GPUs in ray tracing<\/li>\n<li>Steep $200 premium puts Nitro+ near RTX 4080 pricing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"our-verdict\">Our Verdict<\/h3>\n<p>The Sapphire Nitro+ looks gorgeous, runs frigid, can\u2019t be heard, <em>and <\/em>it\u2019s the fastest XTX we\u2019ve tested (albeit by a hair), complete with handy extra features for overclockers. If you\u2019re in the market for a four-figure graphics card that chews through high refresh-rate 4K and 1440p gaming without compromise, and your PC can handle its massive size and power draw, the Nitro+ is very highly recommended. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"price-when-reviewed\">Price When Reviewed<\/h3>\n<p>$1,199.99<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"best-prices-today-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x\">\n\t\t\tBest Prices Today: Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X\t\t<\/h3>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/wp-content\/themes\/idg-base-theme\/dist\/static\/img\/newegg-logo.svg\" alt=\"Newegg\" loading=\"lazy\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>$1199.99<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/wp-content\/themes\/idg-base-theme\/dist\/static\/img\/amazon-logo.svg\" alt=\"Amazon\" loading=\"lazy\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>$1,475.00<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Big, badass graphics cards don\u2019t get much bigger or more badass than the Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X\u2014the first Sapphire GPU to sport the premium Vapor-X brand in nearly a decade.<\/p>\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/1431755\/amd-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-radeon-rx-7900-xt-review-rdna-3.html\">AMD\u2019s reference version of the XTX<\/a> sticks to a reasonable 2.5-slot design, Sapphire threw restraint out the window with the highly customized Nitro+. This monster swells to a chunk <em>quad-slot <\/em>height, then adds an extra 8-pin power connector to fuel even loftier performance. It\u2019s the fastest 7900 XTX we\u2019ve tested <em>and <\/em>it runs cool and quiet while looking superb. This is one of the most impressive custom graphics cards I\u2019ve ever laid hands on.<\/p>\n<p>If your PC can fit this beast, and your wallet can accept its $1,200 price tag\u2014a $200 premium over the reference model\u2014then you\u2019ll love everything about the Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X. Let\u2019s dig in.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><strong>Further reading: <\/strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/416006\/the-best-graphics-cards-for-pc-gaming.html\">The best graphics cards for PC gaming<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 id=\"sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-specs-price-and-features\">Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X: Specs, price, and features<\/h2>\n<p>There isn\u2019t too much to say about the , as it\u2019s running on the same spectacular Radeon RX 7900 XTX chip as the reference model, paired with an ample 24GB of fast GDDR6 memory. Sapphire tweaked and tuned it for even more power, however.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-7.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1200\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX \" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Nitro+ 7900 Vapor-X screams along with a blistering 2,510MHz Game Clock, a substantial uplift over the reference 2,300MHz speeds. That matches the similarly premium <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/1433026\/xfx-speedster-merc-310-7900-xtx-review.html\">XFX Speedster Merc 7900 XTX<\/a>, but the Sapphire card\u2019s more efficient cooler lets it squeak out clear victories across our gaming test suite, even if only to the tune of a few extra (and practically unnoticeable) frames per second. The baseline 7900 XTX is already the second-most powerful GPU on the planet, trailing only the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/1348123\/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4090-review-ada-lovelace.html\">$1,600 GeForce RTX 4090<\/a> in raw might, and the Nitro+ cranks it to 11.<\/p>\n<p>Doing so requires more literal power, however. The Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X demands a trio of 8-pin power connectors, up from the reference version\u2019s pair, and it\u2019s rated to draw 420 watts of power. The reference XTX draws 355W. In the real world, that means the Nitro+ 7900 XTX consumes more power than even the RTX 4090 during gaming sessions.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-8.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1200\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The card includes a three-way BIOS switch that changes the card\u2019s behavior, however. The default position lets you hop between the Nitro+\u2019s dual BIOS options using , rather than having to manually flip the BIOS switch on the card. If you don\u2019t want to install that software, however, the second position sticks to the default high-performance BIOS, while the third position is a lower-power mode that drops to reference speeds in exchange for shaving 50W off the power draw. The default BIOS runs so cool and quiet that there\u2019s no reason to recommend the low-power option unless power draw is a major concern\u2014and if it is, you shouldn\u2019t be buying a 7900 XTX to begin with.<\/p>\n<p>The Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X\u2019s real draw is its custom design. There\u2019s so much hardware in here, Sapphire tossed a GPU support bracket into the box to keep your graphics card from potentially sagging in its motherboard slot over time!<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-4.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1200\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX\" width=\"1200\" height=\"750\"><\/figure>\n<p>Sapphire<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Let\u2019s start with aesthetics: The Nitro+ 7900 XTX looks absolutely beautiful, sporting a deliciously clean all-metal design, punctuated by raised, full-length RGB bars on both sides of the heatsink. The bars somehow shine with shocking vibrancy, with rounded edges that add to its visual cohesion. The default sweeping rainbow pattern fills your case with shimmering light since Sapphire slapped the bars on both sides. It\u2019s gorgeous, albeit in a <em>totally different way<\/em> than the also-gorgeous <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/1433026\/xfx-speedster-merc-310-7900-xtx-review.html\">XFX Speedster Merc 7900 XTX<\/a>, which went in an RGB-less direction instead.<\/p>\n<p>The Nitro+ 7900 XTX\u2019s true secret sauce lies underneath the hood though. Sapphire absolutely stuffed this behemoth full of cooling technology goes into far deeper detail, but at a high level, the die-cast aluminum frame holds a trio of axial fans with dual ball-bearing designs. They support Sapphire\u2019s rad Quick Connect feature, which lets you quickly and easily disconnect individual fans if they need repair. Better yet, they stop spinning completely when the GPU isn\u2019t under high load. That means the Nitro+ 7900 XTX is completely silent when you aren\u2019t gaming or performing other GPU-stressing work.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-6.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1200\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"><figcaption>\n<p>Chonky and clean.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Another key perk: Sapphire slapped a second HDMI 2.1 port on the Nitro+, doubling up on the reference design. VR users, take note! It\u2019s joined by a pair of DisplayPort 2.1 connections, though Sapphire eschewed the reference model\u2019s USB-C port to include the extra HDMI. It also includes helpful ARGB and fan headers if you want to hook it more deeply into the rest of your system.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, the Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X supports all of AMD\u2019s awesome Radeon software features, like FSR, Radeon Anti-Lag, Smart Access Memory, and more. But enough chit-chat. Let\u2019s get to the benchmarks!<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"our-test-system\">Our test system<\/h2>\n<p>We test graphics cards on an AMD Ryzen 5900X PC used exclusively for benchmarking GPUs. We now test with PCIe Resizable BAR (also known as Smart Access Memory on Ryzen systems) active, as most modern gaming PCs released in the last four years support the performance-boosting feature, either natively or via a motherboard firmware update. Nvidia also recommends turning on the optional \u201cHardware-accelerated GPU scheduling\u201d option in Windows to let the RTX 40-series stretch its legs to the fullest, so we\u2019ve made that tweak as well. Most of the hardware was provided by the manufacturers, but we purchased the storage ourselves.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>AMD Ryzen 5900X, stock settings<\/li>\n<li>AMD Wraith Max cooler<\/li>\n<li>MSI Godlike X570 motherboard<\/li>\n<li>32GB G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4 3800 memory, XMP active<\/li>\n<li>Corsair <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Corsair-HX1500i-Platinum-Ultra-Low-Connectors\/dp\/B0B3S8GMCK?tag=pcworld02-20&#038;asc_refurl=https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/1471803\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-review.html\" rel=\"nofollow\">HX1500i power supply<\/a> (and optional  for Nvidia GPUs)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/3440740\/sk-hynix-gold-s31-review-a-great-sata-ssd-from-the-largest-vendor-youve-likely-never-heard-of.html\">1TB SK Hynix Gold S31 SSD<\/a> x2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We\u2019re comparing the $1,200 Sapphire Nitro+ against the $1,000 reference Radeon RX 7900 XTX as well as XFX\u2019s similarly premium $1,100 Speedster Merc custom card, as what we\u2019re really looking for here is the Nitro+\u2019s performance as a custom XTX model. We\u2019ve also included other GPUs that are worth considering when you\u2019re looking for excellent 4K and 1440p gaming.<\/p>\n<p>We test a variety of games spanning various engines, genres, vendor sponsorships (Nvidia, AMD, and Intel), and graphics APIs (DirectX 9, 11, DX12, and Vulkan), to try to represent a full range of performance potential. Each game is tested using its in-game benchmark, then sanity checked by , at the highest possible graphics presets unless otherwise noted, with VSync, frame rate caps, real-time ray tracing or DLSS effects, and FreeSync\/G-Sync disabled, along with any other vendor-specific technologies like FidelityFX tools or Nvidia Reflex. We\u2019ve also enabled temporal anti-aliasing (TAA) to push these cards to their limits. We run each benchmark at least three times and list the average result for each test.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than rolling out our full testing suite for this review, we stuck to a simpler lineup that\u2019s representative of a variety of APIs (DX9, DX11, DX12, Vulkan), to show the Nitro+\u2019s performance across various scenarios. Be sure to check out our initial Radeon RX 7900 XTX review for a broader, deeper look at the GPU\u2019s general performance. (In short, it beats the $1,200 RTX 4080 in traditional games for a much lower price, and matches the RTX 30-series\u2019 ray-tracing performance, but lags far behind the RTX 40-series in ray tracing. It also lacks a DLSS 3 Frame gen competitor.)<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-gaming-performance-benchmarks\">Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X: Gaming performance benchmarks<\/h2>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/cyberpunk-1.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1184\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX benchmarks\" width=\"1184\" height=\"1200\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/rdr2-1.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1184\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX benchmarks\" width=\"1184\" height=\"1200\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/codmw2-1.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1184\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX benchmarks\" width=\"1184\" height=\"1200\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/troy.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1184\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX benchmarks\" width=\"1184\" height=\"1200\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/csgo-1.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1185\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX benchmarks\" width=\"1185\" height=\"1200\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-power-and-thermals\">Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X: Power and thermals<\/h2>\n<p>We test power draw by looping the\u00a0<em>F1 22<\/em>\u00a0benchmark at 4K for about 20 minutes after we\u2019ve benchmarked everything else (to warm up the GPU) and noting the highest reading on our Watts Up Pro meter, which measures the power consumption of our entire test system. The initial part of the race, where all competing cars are onscreen simultaneously, tends to be the most demanding portion.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t a worst-case test; this is a GPU-bound game running at a GPU-bound resolution to gauge performance when the graphics card is sweating hard. If you\u2019re playing a game that also hammers the CPU, you could see higher overall system power draws. Consider yourself warned.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/power-1.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1183\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX benchmarks\" width=\"1183\" height=\"1199\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Sapphire Nitro+ pushes AMD\u2019s already-power hungry Radeon 7900 XTX to new heights, but doing so requires even higher peak power draw than the monstrous RTX 4090. That\u2019s a bit of a bummer, but you probably aren\u2019t buying a fire-breathing 7900 XTX for its efficiency.<\/p>\n<p>We test thermals by leaving GPU-Z open during the\u00a0<em>F1 22<\/em>\u00a0power draw test, noting the highest maximum temperature at the end.<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/temps-1.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1183\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX benchmarks\" width=\"1183\" height=\"1199\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX\u2019s awesome Vapor-X cooler does stellar work here. Technically, it runs slightly warmer than the XFX Speedster Merc, but both deliver absolutely <em>frigid <\/em>results that overclockers will appreciate, and the Nitro+\u2019s gentler fan curve actually sounds even quieter than the already borderline-silent Merc. These are both outstanding custom designs that far outshine the undersized 7900 XTX reference model, though you pay for it in price, power consumption, and sheer size.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"should-you-buy-the-sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x\">Should you buy the Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X?<\/h2>\n<p>If you mostly stick to traditional games and want a barn-burner of a graphics card for hundreds of dollars less than the RTX 4080, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/1431755\/amd-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-radeon-rx-7900-xt-review-rdna-3.html\">AMD\u2019s Radeon RX 7900 XTX<\/a> is an excellent choice, as our original review detailed in depth. And if you want to splurge for a high-end, impeccably designed custom version of the XTX, Sapphire\u2019s Nitro+ is well worth considering. It\u2019s blisteringly fast, cool, quiet, and utterly fantastic.<\/p>\n<p>It won\u2019t be for everyone. The Nitro+ is absolutely <em>massive<\/em> and draws more power than even the RTX 4090\u2014but big, badass, custom cards are what you expect from flagships like this. If that worries you, consider the reference XTX\u2019s smaller 2.5-slot, 2x 8-pin design instead. The price might also give you pause. Sapphire\u2019s $200 premium feels justifiable for a custom design <em>this <\/em>magnificent, but it also bumps it right up against the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/1379747\/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4080-tested-5-things.html\">GeForce RTX 4080\u2019s (terribly high) starting price<\/a>. The Nitro+ is faster, and you won\u2019t get a RTX 4080 similar to the Nitro+\u2019s spectacular quality without spending closer to $1,400 or $1,500, but if you place a higher premium on ray-tracing performance and DLSS 3 Frame Gen over card design and overall quality of life, you might\u2014<em>might<\/em>\u2014opt for a \u201ccheap\u201d 4080 over the wonderfully baller Nitro+. (I wouldn\u2019t.)<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/b2c-contenthub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-2.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=1200\" alt=\"Sapphire Nitro+ 7900 XTX \" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\"><\/figure>\n<p>Brad Chacos\/IDG<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Staying in AMD-land, if you\u2019re opting for a high-end 7900 XTX, the aesthetics and street pricing are the biggest differentiators between the $1,200 Nitro+ and the $1,100 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/1433026\/xfx-speedster-merc-310-7900-xtx-review.html\">XFX Speedster Merc 7900 XTX<\/a>. They\u2019re both face-meltingly fast, attractive, and wonderfully quiet and cool. I personally prefer the Nitro+\u2019s futuristic industrial look and shimmering dual-side RGB bars, but the Merc is a looker of a totally different variety. Go where your eyes (and wallet) guide you.<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line? The Sapphire Nitro+ looks gorgeous, runs frigid and damned-near dead silent, <em>and <\/em>it\u2019s the fastest XTX we\u2019ve tested (albeit by a hair). If you\u2019re in the market for a four-figure graphics card that\u2019s actually worth the money (<em>cough<\/em> unlike the RTX 4080 <em>cough<\/em>), we highly recommended this option. It\u2019s the best Radeon offers.<\/p>\n<p><\/body><\/div>\n<div id=\"link_wrapped_content\">\n<h3>\n\t\t\tBest Prices Today: Nitro+ Radeon RX 7900 XTX Vapor-X\t\t<\/h3>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/wp-content\/themes\/idg-base-theme\/dist\/static\/img\/newegg-logo.svg\" alt=\"Newegg\" loading=\"lazy\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>$1199.99<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/wp-content\/themes\/idg-base-theme\/dist\/static\/img\/amazon-logo.svg\" alt=\"Amazon\" loading=\"lazy\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p><span>$1,475.00<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-ga=\"article-footer-author\">\n<h3>\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/author\/bchacos\" rel=\"author\"><br \/>\n\t\tAuthor: Brad Chacos<\/a>, Executive editor\t\t<\/h3>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/author_photo_Brad-Chacos_1655490486-14.jpg?quality=50&#038;strip=all&#038;w=150&#038;h=150&#038;crop=1\" height=\"125\" width=\"125\">\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Brad Chacos spends his days digging through desktop PCs and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BradChacos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tweeting too much<\/a>. He specializes in graphics cards and gaming, but covers everything from security to Windows tips and all manner of PC hardware.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BradChacos\" title=\"Twitter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M459.37 151.716c.325 4.548.325 9.097.325 13.645 0 138.72-105.583 298.558-298.558 298.558-59.452 0-114.68-17.219-161.137-47.106 8.447.974 16.568 1.299 25.34 1.299 49.055 0 94.213-16.568 130.274-44.832-46.132-.975-84.792-31.188-98.112-72.772 6.498.974 12.995 1.624 19.818 1.624 9.421 0 18.843-1.3 27.614-3.573-48.081-9.747-84.143-51.98-84.143-102.985v-1.299c13.969 7.797 30.214 12.67 47.431 13.319-28.264-18.843-46.781-51.005-46.781-87.391 0-19.492 5.197-37.36 14.294-52.954 51.655 63.675 129.3 105.258 216.365 109.807-1.624-7.797-2.599-15.918-2.599-24.04 0-57.828 46.782-104.934 104.934-104.934 30.213 0 57.502 12.67 76.67 33.137 23.715-4.548 46.456-13.32 66.599-25.34-7.798 24.366-24.366 44.833-46.132 57.827 21.117-2.273 41.584-8.122 60.426-16.243-14.292 20.791-32.161 39.308-52.628 54.253z\" \/><\/svg><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/brad.chacos\" title=\"Facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><svg viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.78 90.69 226.38 209.25 245V327.69h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.31 482.38 504 379.78 504 256z\" \/><\/svg><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t<\/main><\/p>\n<p><main id=\"primary\"><\/main><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pcworld.com\/article\/1471803\/sapphire-nitro-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-vapor-x-review.html\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Michele Center<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Skip to content Image: Brad Chacos\/IDG At a glance Expert&#8217;s Rating Pros Exceptional 4K and 1440p performance 24GB memory Nitro+ custom cooler is frigid, silent, and gorgeous Dual-BIOS switch, fan, and ARGB headers Cons Massive four-slot design Very high power draw Lags GeForce RTX 40-series GPUs in ray tracing Steep $200 premium puts Nitro+ near [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":597158,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[534,43361,23043],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-597157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-financial","category-nitro","category-sapphire"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=597157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/597157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/597158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=597157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=597157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=597157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}