Jesper Berg 
Out of the Radeon RX 7900 XT and 7900 XTX, however, there is no question that the full-featured XTX model is more appealing. It’s 15–20% faster in 4K gaming compared to the XT and also outpaces the RTX 4080 in rasterization performance, at a lower cost.
With an RX 7900 XTX, you are also unlikely to run out of VRAM any time soon, as it has the same 24 GB of memory and 384-bit memory bus as the RTX 4090. So if you are looking for a flagship-class graphics card in 2023, the XTX arguably offers the best price/performance ratio.
Best RX 7900 XTX Cards By Value & Feature Set
But which is the best Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card? To save you some time, we have examined all cards from AMD’s AIB (add-in board) partners in detail and will discuss them on this page.
Which one to pick will ultimately depend on what you are looking for. Most cards fit into one of these two categories (with some exceptions that we will get to later):
- Best possible value, close to or at MSRP without compromising on the essentials.
- Premium designs with ample overclocking capabilities and matching coolers.
Some good examples of the above – and also great cards in general – are:
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Best Value: XFX Speedster Merc 310
All Radeon RX 7900 XTX cards share the same video memory (VRAM) configuration and none are factory overclocked in this department. What differs (other than the cooling solution) is the game/boost clocks and power budget.
Some third-party models are equipped with an extra 8-pin power connector, which increases the theoretical maximum power draw from 375 Watts to 525 Watts. This potentially enables more aggressive overclocking (OC) by the user compared to the reference model.
This third power connector is not necessarily available on more value-oriented cards, but the XFX Speedster Merc 310 RX 7900 XTX offers this feature at a reasonable price. Since both gaming performance and thermals are also better than average, there is a lot to like about this card.
Best Premium Card: Sapphire Nitro+
The RX 7900 XTX is a flagship GPU, so there are no cheap cards here by any definition. Among the manufacturers that offer multiple varieties of the XTX, there is still the more affordable tier and one with fewer compromises, if any. The Sapphire Nitro+ is one of the latter.
As an AMD-exclusive AIB partner (like XFX), Sapphire often goes the extra mile with its Radeon designs and the Nitro+ model is a good example of this. Taking up 3.5 or effectively four slots in your PC case, the Nitro+ is large even in the crowd of other huge XTX cards.
Building massive, oversized coolers is not an end in itself, of course, but will help the high-end GPU reach its maximum potential without having the fans go into overdrive. This is more or less what the Nitro+ seems to accomplish – and it does so while looking pretty great thanks to an all-metal shroud and RGB stripes along the top and bottom.
Another plus with Sapphire is that the fans are easily replaced should any of them fail or cause trouble.
All Value-Oriented RX 7900 XTX Cards
Spending upwards of $1,000 on a graphics card is a rare event for most of us, so it’s worth taking the time to ensure that you get the best possible value for your investment. Even at the more affordable end of the 7900 XTX lineup, you will be looking at prices that are just slightly below the reference model’s $999 MSRP.
That said, other than some vapor chamber issues with the AMD-made reference model, there aren’t many reports of Radeon RX 7900 XTX cards misbehaving. Most cards have been well-received by professionals and users alike.
Something to keep in mind other than pricing includes the previously mentioned extra 8-pin PCIe power connector, which is not present on all AIB models.
| Card | Game Clock (OC %) | PCIe Power | Slots | Outputs | Latest Price* | Shopping Links |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | AMD MBA (Reference) | 2300 MHz (N/A) | 2x 8-Pin | 2.5 | 1x HDMI 2x DP 1x USB-C | Price not available | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
 | Gigabyte Gaming OC | 2330 MHz (+1.3%) | 2x 8-Pin | 2.5 | 2x HDMI 2x DP | $899.99 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
 | PowerColor Hellhound | 2330 MHz (+1.3%) | 2x 8-Pin | 3.1 | 1x HDMI 3x DP | $949.99 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
 | XFX Merc 310 | 2455 MHz (+6.7%) | 3x 8-Pin | 2.9 | 1x HDMI 3x DP | $925.99 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
 | Sapphire Pulse | 2330 MHz (+1.3%) | 3x 8-Pin | 2.7 | 2x HDMI 2x DP | $929.99 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
 | ASRock Phantom Gaming OC | 2455 MHz (+6.7%) | 3x 8-Pin | 2.8 | 1x HDMI 3x DP | $929.99 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
Factory overclocks are nice to haves but hardly essential, since e.g. Afterburner can do more or less the same thing at no extra charge.
Space constraints, on the other hand, are not easily circumvented. Any of these cards will most likely require a case in the standard ATX form factor at least. The Made-by-AMD model is one of the more compact, but this one is hardly small either. Triple-fan designs are nevertheless a necessity for cooling the 355-watt XTX GPU.
Premium Radeon RX 7900 XTX Cards
You could argue that all graphics cards based on AMD’s demanding flagship GPU from 2023 are quite sophisticated – and you wouldn’t be wrong. Some are however more expensive than others for various reasons. Very large, RGB-equipped coolers are usually the main such reasons, but power delivery components and circuit board (PCB) designs may also differ.
| Card | Game Clock (OC %) | PCIe Power | Slots | Outputs | Latest Price* | Shopping Links |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ASRock Taichi | 2510 MHz (+9.1%) | 3x 8-Pin | 3.0 | 1x HDMI 3x DP | $1,049.99 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
 | Asus TUF (OC) | 2455 MHz (+6.7%) | 3x 8-Pin | 3.6 | 1x HDMI 3x DP | $991.76 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
 | Aorus Elite | 2510 MHz (+9.1%) | 3x 8-Pin | 3.5 | 2x HDMI 2x DP | N/A | N/A |
 | MSI Gaming Trio | 2300 MHz (N/A) | 3x 8-Pin | 2.7 | 1x HDMI 3x DP | $928.27 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
 | PowerColor Red Devil | 2395 MHz (+4.1%) | 3x 8-Pin | 3.5 | 1x HDMI 3x DP | $883.19 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
 | Sapphire Nitro+ | 2510 MHz (+9.1%) | 3x 8-Pin | 3.5 | 2x HDMI 2x DP | $1,029.99 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
Price tags as high as $200 above MSRP are impossible to justify from a performance perspective. That would require a performance boost of some 20% or more, which is unlikely even with the best air-cooled cards. You may of course be willing to spend a bit more on a specific design, such as a white-colored card to go with your white PC build, but those are entirely personal considerations.
Noise levels will also improve with better thermals, but all versions of the Radeon RX 7900 XTX come with three fans, so you are unlikely to see dramatic improvements in this area regardless of your choice.
If the price difference is small or non-existent, on the other hand, premium variants of the card will start to look a great deal more interesting. Sapphire’s Nitro+ Vapor-X model, for example, is usually not significantly above MSRP.
The PowerColor Red Devil RX 7900 XTX is another card that offers excellent thermals, a premium design, and a comparatively reasonable price tag.
Water-cooled Radeon RX 7900 XTX Cards
If you are looking for an RX 7900 XTX with a pre-mounted water block to plug right into your custom loop, there are two competing products on the market.
| Card | Game Clock (OC %) | PCIe Power | Slots | Outputs | Latest Price* | Shopping Links |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ASRock Aqua OC | 2510 MHz (+9.1%) | 3x 8-Pin | 2.0 | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A | Newegg |
 | PowerColor Liquid Devil | 2510 MHz (+9.1%) | 3x 8-Pin | 1.0 | 1x HDMI 3x DP | $991.76 | Amazon Newegg Amazon UK |
ASRock Aqua (Left) Vs PowerColor Liquid Devil
The ASRock Aqua OC and PowerColor Liquid Devil Radeon RX 7900 XTX have additional similarities other than being equipped with water blocks. Both have an extra 8-pin power connector, identical outputs, and the same factory OC out of the box.
An interesting difference is that the PowerColor Liquid Devil is a single-slot card, which might be important for some builders. The ASRock card is not really thicker but comes with a dual-slot bracket.
Another difference is that ASRock offers an optional ‘Extreme’ BIOS for the Aqua OC that lets the card boost up to 2,935 MHz. This is the highest (semi-)officially supported factory OC for any Radeon RX 7900 XTX and according to ASRock, this improves performance by about 13.5% compared to default clocks.
PowerColor’s card may not have the same boost clock, but what it does have is a dual BIOS solution. A physical switch lets you choose between ‘OC’ and ‘Unleashed’ modes, with the latter increasing the power budget.
If you are interested in an RX 7900 XTX with a water block, don’t miss this review of the PowerColor Liquid Devil by Der8auer:
Other Considerations When Buying an RX 7900 XTX
Size – Will it fit in my PC case?
With the exception of the water-cooled cards we just discussed, all RX 7900 XTX graphics cards are very large. That high-end graphics cards come with large coolers is nothing new, but some of the XTX cards are among the largest ever.
Several of the best Radeon RX 7900 XTX cards extend well past a third expansion slot and will effectively need four slots. Double-checking that the card will fit in your current build is therefore more important than ever. Triple-fan coolers also add to the length of the cards, which could cause issues in more compact ATX cases – especially if it has a non-removable hard drive cage.
Are 7900 XTX cards noisy?
All other things being equal, adding more fans to a cooling system will allow it to run at lower RPMs to achieve the same level of cooling while reducing noise. As such, the large triple-fan coolers found on all 7900 XTX cards mean that they can be comparatively cool and quiet.
Most modern graphics cards have a ‘0 dB’ or ‘fan stop’ feature, meaning that the fans will not run at all when the card is largely inactive. At the same time, the RX 7900 XTX TDP is 355 Watts, which is higher than both the RX 6950 XT predecessor (335 W) and the Nvidia RTX 4080 (320 W).
When running at full capacity – and particularly when overclocking the card – even the largest and most effective coolers will make some noise. One way to reduce it is by building in a silence-focused PC case. Some cards like the Gigabyte Gaming OC and others also have a dual BIOS feature that lets you choose between a silent and an OC mode. The performance gains from running the card in OC mode are usually small, but the fan curve is often far more aggressive.
Power – Do I need to upgrade my power supply (PSU)?
AMD’s minimum PSU recommendation is 800 Watts, but most AIB manufacturers play it safe by recommending even more powerful PSUs. As an example, ASRock has increased the minimum recommended PSU for the Taichi 7900 XTX to an even 1000 Watts.
The 355 W TDP figure refers to typical board power in AMD’s case, which is the power consumed by the entire graphics card and not just the GPU chip. RX 7900 XTX cards can nevertheless use well over 400 Watts when overclocked.
If you are buying this card, the rest of your build is probably of the high-end, power-hungry variety as well. In other words, the 800 W recommendation is not unreasonable. But if you are not planning to overclock the card (and/or other components) substantially, there should rarely be a need for a 1000 W PSU.
CPU – What is a good CPU to pair with the RX 7900 XTX?
CPU performance becomes an increasingly important factor at lower resolutions. You will see a noticeable difference between slower and faster CPUs when gaming at 1080p, which is why most CPU gaming reviews focus on this resolution. It is less of a limiting factor at 1440p and at 4K/2160p, the CPU doesn’t affect frame rates much at all as long as it’s reasonably recent.
Since you probably don’t buy a Radeon RX 7900 XTX graphics card for 1080p gaming, but more likely 4K, you can potentially save a lot by opting for a more affordable processor. A Core i9-13900KS or Ryzen 9 7900X3D will certainly let the RX 7900 XTX perform great. However, at 4K, they will not improve frame rates substantially over, say, a Ryzen 5 7600 on an affordable B650 board.
Pairing a flagship GPU with a mid-range CPU might sound odd (and you might not want to do it for other reasons), but for 4K gaming, it’s perfectly fine. On that same note, you also shouldn’t worry too much if your current CPU is a couple of generations old. There might be other reasons why you need a high-end processor, but buying one just for high-res gaming is not necessary.
Are there any XTX cards with factory-overclocked VRAM?
No, not even the priciest models come with any sort of modifications to the card’s out-of-the-box memory speeds. You can overclock the VRAM on your own, of course, but make sure to watch the temperatures when doing so.
Do I need a GPU support bracket?
Yes, unless you are going to mount the card vertically using a riser, you should definitely consider a support bracket of some sort. Several variants of the RX 7900 XTX count among the physically largest (and heaviest) graphics cards ever made. The good news is that these brackets are usually included in the box. What you may still want to consider is the size of the included bracket, as it will add to the overall dimensions required by the card.
What does AMD mean by ‘game clock’?
In the spec sheets of AMD-based graphics cards, you will usually find three separate GPU clock speeds: core clock, game clock, and boost clock. This is different from Nvidia cards, which use base clock and boost clock. The cards’ game clock is an important number, as it is defined by AMD as the clock speeds that you are likely to see while gaming. For this reason, game clocks are often used in marketing material and for comparing AMD cards of the same type.
