Summary and Conclusion
Well, what now? If you want to build a nearly perfect AMD graphics card, then please like this. Quiet like the Red Devil from Powercolor, a tiny bit faster and even lighter and more colorful. You can leave that as it is, because you couldn’t make the card any better. In addition there is the new software, which for the first time also uses the Power Play Tables, as we also use them in the MorePowerTool. Even if the BIOS switch could still be operated mechanically, you don’t even have to remove the side panel now and you can also easily switch the mode via software.
When it comes to power consumption, you either end up at crowbar or reference card level, depending on your taste and mood. In addition then also the callable performance corresponds, whereby I personally like the somewhat more tame mode better. Even quieter and above all still faster than the reference, although not significantly. The circuit board is sufficiently and suitably equipped, reserves also for water cooling fanatics available. They can also overclock a bit and play with the PPT when it gets cooler. Then the 2 GHz are not an issue either.
The workmanship is fine, the fan modules are this time better than the propeller toy on the Pulse. Sapphire uses exchangeable modules and if you like, you can also get ARGB fans from Sapphire’s accessory store and dispose of the darkened originals. The amount of RGB diodes on the board is also unique, only the ARM processor from Nuvoton drives the power consumption a bit too high in idle. You will have to live with that, because you can deactivate the LED, but not the whole string. No matter, the 5 watts that could perhaps be saved there don’t kill anyone either. The rest is fine and the TriXX software in version 7 is finally at a level that can be described as stable and recommendable.
Bottom Line
If you can do without raytracing, if you play mainly in WQHD, if you can be happy about a working software and a modern driver interface and in return you can nonchalantly tolerate the fickle Wattman as a tool, you have no reason to regret the purchase of such a card. According to Sapphire, the RRP is 479 Euros, which is certainly ok with regard to the features. Nevertheless, instead of the recommendation to buy, I gave the “Excellent Hardware” award, because the card, independent of the graphics chip, is not only a rock-solid and above-average graphics card implementation, but the card could convince in real use all around.
If you could always find a little if or but somewhere with similar cards, it’s probably only the price that might deter one or the other potential customer. But that again lies outside my editorial power. For my part I think the card is really good and it shows again that it is feasible to produce tasty graphics accelerators with AMD graphics chips, which besides pushing the pixels also look good and don’t rob you of your last acoustic nerve. Fits like this!
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