The AMD RX 7900 GRE (Golden Rabbit Edition) graphics card has been available for several months now, but reserved exclusively for the mainland Chinese market and from system integrators selected by AMD. The recent launch of NVIDIA’s “SUPER” models forces AMD to react. If we thought we’d be seeing AMD RX 7×50 models at first, we’re not. AMD began by reducing the price of its RX 7000 models, and from February 27 will be offering its AMD RX 7900 GRE model worldwide. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a copy of the Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC.
Please note that AMD has not planned a reference graphics card, so all available models will be “AIBs”, i.e. cards from the brand’s partners. The arrival of this AMD RX 7900 GRE model is excellent, as it will be in direct competition with the NVIDIA RTX 4070 and RXT 4070 SUPER, but with 16 GB of memory on a 256-bit bus.
In terms of pricing, AMD has announced an MSRP of 609.90 euros in France, while the RTX 4070 SUPER is priced at 659 euros MSRP. Excellent news for potential buyers of these models.
So, will this Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC upset the hierarchy in 1440p definition, not least thanks to its price? Find out in our article. Thanks to AMD France for making this copy of the Sapphire model available.
[nextpage title=”The Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC:”]
Architecture:
This Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC benefits from the brand-new RDNA3 architecture. The novelty of this architecture is the design based on the addition of MCD(Memory Cache Die), also known as memory chiplets. This two-part design is reminiscent of AMD processors. There’s the GCD(Graphic Compute Die) etched in 5 nm with a size of 300 mm², and then five or six MCDs(Memory Cache Die), also known as memory chiplets, etched in 6 nm. Each occupies a surface area of 37 mm².
But here, with the RX 7900 GRE model, we switch to a Navi 31 XL, deprived of 2 of its 6 MCDs, and with only 80 of its 96 CUs activated, compared with 5 MCDs and 84 CUs for the RX 7900 XT model. Memory is also limited compared with the RX 7900, since the chips used are 18 Gbps rather than 20 Gbps. But in the end, on paper, it’s closer to an RX 7900 XT than an RX 7800 XT. Memory is also reduced from 20 GB to 16 GB on the RX 7900 GRE. We’ll have to wait and see how it performs, and hope that AMD hasn’t been too heavy-handed in limiting performance.
The bundle:
We’ve become accustomed to testing the Sapphire Pulse series on entry-level boards, most recently with the Sapphire RX 6600 Pulse. So we’re delighted to welcome this Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE model, which features slight factory overclocking. A quick word on the packaging , with the dominant color of the box being blue and, of course, the reference to AMD in red and white.
The graphics card only comes in a brown cardboard box, with a vertical stand and quick installation instructions, confirming the entry-level model with the “Pulse” series. The other two Sapphire series are “Nitro” and “Toxic”.
Cooling system :
On the front panel, you can see the three 95 mm fans in charge of keeping the radiator cool, in contact with the graphics chip, as well as the various PCB components. Each fan has 9 blades, all of which are attached to each other at the tip. The idea is to optimize static pressure.
All three fans benefit from “0 dBa” technology, which enables them to remain at rest when the temperature does not exceed 50°C. The idea is to reduce noise pollution wherever possible, but also to cut energy consumption.
This is a fairly compact model, with a width of 2.5 slots. The front panel fairing is made of black plastic and covers the end of the PCB. This is something we always find very interesting, as it enhances the aesthetic appearance of the board. At the rear is a metal backplate whose role is to stiffen the PCB and protect it from damage. The backplate is cut out at the rear of the graphics chip to optimize cooling, since the PBC is slightly shorter.
There’s no RGB here, but the card’s decoration is not unpleasant. On the top edge, in red to contrast with the black color, the annotations “Sapphire” and “Radeon”. Finally, on the backplate, a red line referring to the heartbeat, in keeping with the name of the “Pulse” series.
Connectors :
To power the board, there are two 8-pin connectors, as AMD has chosen to retain this type of power connector on its current generation.
Finally, the card’s video outputs include two DisplayPort 2.1 and two HDMI 2.1 ports. Pricing is not yet available.
[nextpage title=”Technical specifications:”]
In terms of frequency, Sapphire has announced a base frequency of 1927 MHz for this Pulse RX 7900 GRE, while the Boost peaks at 2293 MHz. The 16 GB of G-DDR6 memory run at 2250 MHz (576 GB/s) on a 256-bit bus. Our example of the Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE benefits from a slight factory overclocking, since the reference Boost frequency is 2245 MHz.
A quick run through GPU-Z to check that the information read is correct. Don’t forget that the latter will be higher in benchmarks, depending on the quality of your chip and cooling system.
[nextpage title=”Test configuration: “]
As we said in the introduction, we’ve updated all our graphics using the latest drivers from NVIDIA, AMD and, of course, INTEL. We also took the opportunity to slightly modify our test configuration and add new games to our protocol. So here we go again, with a new series of tests and graphics on this slightly modified configuration:
- Motherboard: ROG Maximus Z690 APEX
- Processor: Intel Alder Lake i9-12900K
- Memory : 32 GB Corsair Vengeance 7200 CL38 DDR5
- Graphics card: Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC
- Cooling system : ROG Ryujin II 360
- SSD: Western Digital Black SN750 2 TB radiator EKWB
- Power supply: Corsair AX1600i adapter 12VHPWR 600W
- Operating system: Windows 11 64-bit (23H2)
For this test, we used a high-end configuration featuring an i9-12900K processor and DDR5. The use of a 144 Hz 4K display is also a sine qua non. For our tests, we’re using the ROG PG27UQ.
Our test protocol :
All cards are tested at stock frequencies and without any optimization. For the various benchmarks, whether synthetics or games, we’ll opt for 1080p, 1440p and 2160p resolutions, depending on the card’s performance. Here, with this model, we thought we’d limit ourselves to 1440p definition, but in the end we decided to add 2160p in rasterization to compare performance with the RX 7900 XT and thus be able to judge the difference in performance.
Some cards can straddle the line between two definitions. That’s why some models, like the latest RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, straddle two definitions.
As you can see, we’re now running Windows 11 and have activated the ” ReSize BAR ” in the BIOS, which can be seen in GPU-Z. As a reminder, we’re still testing the previous generation, and other cards will be added to the various definitions. Now that you know everything about our test configuration, it’s time to get started!
[nextpage title=”Synthetic and application benchmarks: “]
Our first series of tests will be dedicated to synthetic benchmarks. These are often used for overclocking competitions, but are also very interesting for comparing different GPUs. We’ll be focusing on benchmarks from the 3DMark series. Our scores may sometimes appear slightly lower, but that’s because we’re testing them with a native definition of 2160p on our ROG PG27UQ screen. If we change our screen definition to 1080p for 3DMark tests, the GPU score is better.
As we said in the introduction, we’re busy re-screening all our graphics cards, and our table should be complete again for the release of the other SUPER models. In the meantime, you can find our latest chart with our graphics card panel here.
We’ll be testing the following benchmarks:
- Fire Strike (1080p)
- Fire Strike Ultra (2160p)
- Time Spy (1440p)
- Time Spy Extreme (2160p)
- 3DMark Speed Way
- 3DMark Port Royal
3DMark Fire Strike and Fire Strike Ultra :
Let’s start with 3DMark Fire Strike, one of today’s most widely used benchmarks. It consists of two graphics tests, a CPU test and a fourth test that combines GPU and CPU. Don’t forget to deactivate the demo, which makes no contribution to the final score and prolongs the benchmark’s duration (unnecessarily). The version used for these tests is, of course, the latest available.
Our first benchmark with the Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC, and the least we can say is that it’s a top performer, overtaking the RTX 4070 Ti and just behind the RX 6800 XT.
Under Fire Strike Ultra, the results are identical, but with even bigger gaps, and above all, here it overtakes the RX 6800 XT and does as well as the RTX 3090 Ti HOF!
3DMark Time Spy and Time Spy Extreme:
The second test is 3DMark Time Spy. Although this one is performed in 1440p, its main feature is that it uses DirectX 12. It consists of two graphics tests and a CPU test. As with Fire Strike, don’t forget to disable the demo. These first two benchmarks are provided by UL Benchmark.
The performance obtained in Time Spy is often representative of what we’ll get in games. Here, our sample of the day scores 21492 points, just ahead of the RTX 4070 SUPER. We’ll see if we get the same differences in rasterization and in 1440p and 2160p definition.
Under 3DMark Time Spy Extreme, we obtain a score of 10130 points, which still puts it ahead of the RTX 4070 SUPER.
3DMark Speed Way :
Ulbenchmark’s latest benchmark, and it’s nice to be able to say we’re going to benchmark this Speed Way. It uses DirectX 12 and defaults to 1440p. We haven’t modified anything, so we’re using the original benchmark.
Here our AMD model suffers, and our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OCobtains a score of 4355 points. This puts it behind the RTX 4070 for the first time.
3DMark Port Royal:
Here’s a benchmark we left out last year, but which you may have wanted to see again in our tests. It’s still widely used, especially in the overclocking community. So we’ve decided to add it to our tests.
No surprises on this latest 3DMark benchmark, with a score of 12041 points, which places our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC between its two competitors of the day, the RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 SUPER. Next month sees the arrival of a new benchmark, Steel Nomad, which we will of course be adding to our tests.
Blender” application test:
We’re planning to add a few new application benchmarks, starting today with Blender version 4.0. Don’t hesitate to leave us a comment to let us know which benchmarks you’d like to see in this section.
We’ve used the three tests of Blender version 4.0.0, which in the end produce virtually identical graphics. We can still measure a gain of this SUPER model over its little sister. Don’t hesitate to recommend any applications you’d like to see in our tests.
[nextpage title=”Gaming performance 1440p/2160p rasterized: “]
We’ve decided to select eight games, as they seem to us to be sufficiently representative. We opted for DirectX12 and Vulkan, with the following games:
- Borderlands 3
- Red Dead Redemption II
- Far Cry 6
- Watch Dogs: Legion
- Cyberpunk 2077
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora
- Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Forspoken
We’ve chosen to use the built-in benchmarks for these games.
Why do you ask? Quite simply to enable you to compare your results with ours if you also own a copy of one of these games. It’s a thought-provoking approach that will enable you to compare your results with ours.
As we mentioned on page 4 of this article, we have activated the Resizable Bar in the BIOS, which is now supported by all (recent) GPUs. Finally, we’ve opted for 1440p definition, but also 2160p, as this RTX 4070 Ti SUPER should have what it takes to titillate UHD definition.
Borderlands 3:
Let’s start with Borderlands. The graphics options are set to ” Brutal “. It’s worth noting that Borderlands 3 is quite greedy, and that this choice of settings has quite a strong impact on FPS. It’s a game that’s often praised in announcements of new graphics cards, and precisely in this Brutal mode.
As you can see, you’ll see performance in both 1440p and 2160p definition. Let’s start with 1440p performance for our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC. And it’s off to a great start, with our sample taking the lead on both the RTX 4070 SUPER and the RTX 4070 Ti. The same applies to 2160p.
Red Dead Redemption 2:
Second and by no means least, the sublime Red Dead Redemption II. The advantage of this opus is the possibility of testing the integrated Vulkan benchmark. We opt for the ” ultra ” graphics options.
Secondly and by no means least, RDR2 offers the possibility of testing the integrated Vulkan benchmark. Our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC retains second place in 1440p and second-to-last in 2160p. We can see that it lags far behind the RX 7900 XT.
Far Cry 6:
Far Cry 6 supports DXR and FSR from AMD. You’ll also find it on the next page. For our benchmarks, we opted for ” ultra ” graphics quality.
Even though our special report on this game showed that AMD cards have the edge, the rankings, whether in 1440p or 2160p, remain unchanged.
Watch Dogs Legion:
Let’s move on to Watch Dogs Legion, which will also be used for our Ray Tracing tests. For our benchmarks, we’ve opted for a graphics quality of “very high“. Even though this game is not very recent, it’s quite interesting, since it requires a lot of memory.
The positions remain identical, with our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC still ahead of the RTX 4070 Ti in 1440p. The situation is reversed at 2160p.
Cyberpunk 2077:
Here’s a game we’ve been wanting to add for a while, and now we have, with an integrated benchmark. We’ll also be using this game for our Ray Tracing tests. For our benchmarks, we’ve opted for ” ultra ” graphics quality.
In Cyberpunk 2077, the rankings remain unchanged, and our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC even comes close to the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER!
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora:
One of the three new games we’ve just included in our rasterization tests. It’s a recent game from 2023 that tends to put a strain on our graphics cards. For our benchmarks, we’ve opted for ” ultra ” graphics quality. This game will also feature in our DLSS/FSR/Xess tests, as it supports FSR3.
That’s the point of having a fairly large gaming panel, since here, for the first time, our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC is behind the RTX 4070 SUPER and just ahead of the RTX 4070. We can see that this game is more in favor of NVIDIA cards.
Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3:
We couldn’t do without adding Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 to our graphics card tests. For our benchmarks, we have opted for “extreme” graphics quality. This game will also feature in our DLSS/FSR/Xess tests, since it supports frame generation.
A little surprise, since Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 seems to give pride of place to AMD cards, and it’s our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC that takes the lead in 1440p for the first time. In 2160p, our sample climbs back up the rankings.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage:
With a fairly recent integrated benchmark, we decided to add Assassin’s Creed Mirage to our tests.
Here, it’s the green cards that take pride of place, with our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC in fourth place, behind the RTX 4070 SUPER. In 2160p, our sample suffers and comes last. Once again, we can see the difference in performance with the RX 7900 XT.
Forspoken:
This is the last game we’re adding, as it will also be used on the next page, with the presence of FSR 3. It’s also a fairly recent game, and it, too, puts a strain on our graphics cards.
The same applies to Forspoken and our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC, which stands between its two direct competitors, the RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 SUPER. Let’s see how our 9 games average out in rasterization.
Game average :
For the gaming average, the RTX 3080 Ti is still our reference card in 2160p definition. Other cards score either higher or lower, depending on their performance against this model.
We start with 1440p definition, where our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC does the job perfectly and even outperforms the NVIDIA RTX 4070 SUPER in rasterization. Now, as you’ve seen, depending on the game you’re playing, one takes advantage of the other and vice versa. So, overall, we’re talking about very similar performance levels.
We wanted to test our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC in 2160p as well, in order to judge the difference in performance with the RX 7900 XT model. The verdict is clear: the RX 7900 GRE is far behind!
[nextpage title=”Ray tracing and DLSS/FSR 1440pp performance:”]
Let’s turn our attention to the eight games we’ve selected that support Ray Tracing, DLSS, AMD’s FSR and Intel’s XeSS technology. As we’ve already reminded you, while DLSS remains the property of NVIDIA, FSR and XeSS can be used with any card from AMD, Intel or even NVIDIA. We’ve chosen to remove Watch Dogs: Legion since it’s the only game that supports only one technology, DLSS.
The eight DirectX 12 games we’ll be testing with Ray Tracing, if available, as well as DLSS, FSR or XeSS are :
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider (RT – DLSS – XeSS)
- Far Cry 6 (DXR – FSR)
- Cyberpunk 2077 (RT – DLSS 3 – FSR – XeSS)
- Hitman 3 (RT – DLSS 3 – XeSS – FSR)
- Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (DLSS – XeSS – FSR 3)
- Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (DLSS 3 – XeSS – FSR)
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage (DLSS – Xess – FSR)
- Forspoken (DLSS – XeSS – FSR 3)
There’s no change for this new series of games, as we’re staying with 1440p definition as for rasterization, but here we’re doing without 2160p. Depending on the card, we’ll be using either DLSS for NVIDIA, FSR or XeSS for AMD and Intel models. If FSR is not available in a game, then we’ll give our AMD card the benefit of XeSS technology.
DLSS 3: watch out for our results!
As you know, NVIDIA unveiled DLSS 3 with the arrival of the RTX 4000 graphics cards, and in particular with the launch of the RTX 4090 version. So why the warning? Because NVIDIA now offers DLSS 3 support on many games, but this is only supported by RTX 4000s. To put it simply, if we test a game that benefits from DLSS 3, our RTX 4060 Ti will take advantage of it, but an RTX 30xx will make do with DLSS 2, resulting in even greater discrepancies, especially thanks to frame generation. We currently have three games that support DLSS 3, and we’ll be increasing this number over the coming weeks.
But AMD has also reacted by offering its FSR 3, also combined with frame generation technology, which significantly increases the number of FPS. But now it’s time for the graphics, which will speak volumes in terms of performance.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider:
First, which we’re adding to this comparison and which supports Ray Tracing and DLSS 2.0. Three levels of Ray Tracing are offered in the game (medium – high – ultra) and the four levels of DLSS (performance – quality – balanced – ultra performance).
For our benchmarks, we opted for ” very high ” graphics quality, “ultra” Ray Tracing and “balanced” DLSS.
With Ray Tracing activated in ultra, an average of 118 FPS is achieved in 1440p. With FSR on, an average of 136 FPS is achieved.
Far Cry 6:
Far Cry 6 supports DXR and AMD’s FSR, but not DLSS.
For our benchmarks, we opted for Ultra graphics quality, activated both DRX options and FSR in “balanced” mode.
In Far Cry 6, FSR is the only choice available to boost FPS after activating Ray Tracing. So all our cards can benefit, regardless of manufacturer. Our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC takes advantage of this to go from an average of 125 to 135 FPS.
Cyberpunk 2077:
Cyberpunk 2077 features DLSS and FSR activation in its settings. Note that this was the first game to enable DLSS3 for RTX 40xx graphics cards, as well as frame generation. For our benchmarks, we opted for “ultra” graphics quality, “ultra” Ray Tracing and “balanced” DLSS/FSR.
This is one of our most demanding games, where our cards have great difficulty keeping up. Here, the average is 32.8 FPS at 1440p. The addition of FSR 2.1 boosts the number of FPS, with an average of 67.3 FPS.
Hitman 3:
Hitman 3 now supports DLSS, FSR and XeSS technology. Depending on the model of card tested, we opt for one of these three technologies.
For our benchmarks, we opted for “high” graphics quality, “enabled” Ray Tracing and “balanced” DLSS/Xess.
For the third time, our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC is behind the RTX 4070 SUPER. Ray tracing is still in favor of NVIDIA cards.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora:
One of the three new games we’ve just included in our rasterization tests. It’s a recent game from 2023 that tends to put a strain on our graphics cards. For our benchmarks, we’ve opted for “ultra” graphics quality. This game will also feature in our DLSS/FSR/Xess tests, as it supports FSR 3. The idea is to balance games that benefit from DLSS 3 and FSR 3.
No Ray Tracing here, so we’ve taken rasterization performance and activated the technologies that enable FPS gains. FSR 3 works perfectly, from an average of 32 FPS to 179 FPS.
Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3:
We couldn’t do without adding Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3 to our graphics card tests. For our benchmarks, we have opted for “extreme” graphics quality. This game will also feature in our DLSS/FSR/Xess tests, since it supports frame generation.
As with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, there’s no Ray Tracing here, so we’ll be activating each manufacturer’s own technology. And in this little game, AMD comes out on top with FSR 3. We go from 142 FPS to 192 FPS, but DLSS 3 performs better in this little game. As we mentioned in this newsletter, FSR 3 is now supported in Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 3.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage:
With a fairly recent integrated benchmark, we decided to add Assassin’s Creed Mirage to our tests.
Here, although our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC is ahead of the RTX 4070, it’s still behind the new RTX 4070 SUPER.
Forspoken:
This is the last game we’re adding, as it will also be used on the next page, with the presence of FSR 3. It’s also a fairly recent game, and one that also puts a strain on our graphics cards.
It’s FSR 3 and frame generation that are the most brutal here. Our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC sees its average of 73 FPS rise to 210 FPS with FSR 3.
What about Ray Tracing on the Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC?
In the 8 games we tested, our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC performed well, but was unable to gain the upper hand over the RTX 4070 SUPER. It can still compete with the RTX 4070, but no longer with the “SUPER” model. FRS 3-compatible games and their frame generation bring an impressive increase in FPS. But it’s still NVIDIA that has the upper hand, as the number of games supported is far greater on the green side. FRS 3 does very well, but previous revisions struggle to keep up with DLSS 2, for example. DLSS therefore remains the most interesting technology when available.
[nextpage title=”Temperature and consumption: “]
Temperature :
To record temperatures, we opted for the Superposition stress test in Extreme mode. We opted for three 5-minute runs with 10-minute intervals between each test. We took advantage of this benchmark to record the graphics card’s power consumption for the table above.
To find out the Idle temperature, after completing the three stress test loops, we let the card rest for 20 minutes before taking the temperature reading. Bear in mind that most boards benefit from “0 dBa” technology, so the fans cut out below a certain temperature, often between 50 and 55°C. It therefore takes longer to dissipate heat after a period of stress testing or gaming. A card that does not benefit from this technology will be noisier than others at rest. A quick reminder: our temperature readings are taken in Open-Air. In a closed case, the cards will inevitably be warmer.
Although not the best in its class, our Sapphire’s cooling system is efficient, keeping the GPU and the various PCB components at the right temperature. The fans are relatively quiet and never run at maximum speed.
Power consumption (whole configuration) :
We use a wattmeter to measure power consumption at the output of our power supply. Our modular power supply is a CORSAIR AX1600i. The result is the average total power consumption of our configuration. Only the graphics card changes between each reading. So it’s easy to calculate the difference between each graphics card.
But the good news is that we should (finally) be properly equipped to isolate power consumption solely from the graphics card, as we have pre-ordered the BENCHLAB from Elmorlabs.
Power consumption was 376 watts for our complete configuration, the same as that obtained with the PowerColor RX 7800 XT Red Devil graphics card.
[nextpage title=”Overclocking:”]
Can we improve the performance of our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC by overclocking it? That’s what we’re going to try, and hope that AMD doesn’t restrict frequencies too much.
Step 1: benchmark scores
Of course, it’s important to already know the scores we’ve achieved on the Time Spy benchmark, as well as the maximum boost frequency reached. This will give us the reference scores we need to judge the gains we’ve made by overclocking . We’ll have to keep a close eye on the GPU score to see if it continues to rise as our tests progress.
The overall reference score under Time SPY is 21516 points, with a graphic score of 21872 points. The highest boost frequency is 2287 MHz. Time to overclock this Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC.
Step 2: OC via RADEON drivers
To overclock this Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC, we’re going to use the RADEON drivers to make the modifications. We’re going to start overclocking using the AMD drivers, via the drivers – performance – tuning – manual tuning interface. As a reminder, we’re going to act on the GPU frequency, memory frequency, memory latency and power limit, which on this model is 15%.
First, we’ll increase the power limit to 15% and raise the boost frequency to 2700 MHz.
The result is an increase in the overall score to 22277 points and the graphics score to 22796 points (4.2%). As far as Boost frequency is concerned, GPU-Z tells us that it has gone up to 2482 MHz.
We now increase the frequency to 2800 MHz and, as we expected, our performance is limited by the card’s characteristics. To put it simply, above a certain frequency, even if it’s stable, performance is not as good.
As you can see, even though the Boost max frequency is 2599 MHz, it’s rarely reached, and decreases during the benchmark in order to stay within the card’s limits imposed by the BIOS and therefore by AMD. The overall score is lower, as is the graphics score.
Step 3: reduce voltage
One way of continuing to increase our score is to reduce overall consumption by lowering the voltage. We keep the same parameters as above, but lower the voltage from 1050 mv to 1000 mv
The results are immediate, with the graphical score rising to 23358 points, a gain of 6.8%.
Now we’re also going to increase the memory frequency, but this too is limited, since the maximum the tab allows is 2316 MHz. We’re also switching latency to fast time delay. We’re also going to further reduce the voltage to 900 mv.
Boom, performance explodes! The overall score rises to 23883 points, a gain of 11%, and the graphics score is 24854 points, a gain of 13.6%. This week, we’ll be bringing you a special report on overclocking. Let’s hope we’ll soon have the means to exceed the 2800 MHz frequency!
[nextpage title=”The last word:”]
Pricing?
Let’s get straight down to the most important point concerning the launch of the RX 7900 GRE in Europe. Well, at the time of publishing this article, we still don’t know the price of this Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC. The only thing we know for sure is the MSRP announced by AMD, which will be 609.90 euros in France, whereas the RTX 4070 SUPER is priced at 659 euros MSRP. Excellent news for potential buyers of these models.
We know that the Sapphire Pulse is often priced very close to MSRP, as it is one of the brand’s entry-level models. The Sapphire Pulse RX 7800 XT already starts at 545 euros, and the Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 XT at 800 euros. The Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC is therefore likely to be available in the near future at around 650 euros.
Performance?
In rasterization, this Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC proves unbeatable, doing as well as or slightly better than the RTX 4070 SUPER. Once we test our games with active ray tracing, our sample of the day comes in behind the “SUPER” model, but still ahead of the RTX 4070. Compared to its big sister, the RX 7900 XT, it’s no match for 2160p, as it’s far too limited. Even if some games can be played in 2160p, this model is primarily intended for 1440p definition.
What about the price difference between an RTX 4070 SUPER and an RX 7900 GRE on a similar model? Difficult to judge, since Sapphire only offers AMD models, and we don’t yet know the price of our example. If we compare it with the ASUS Dual RTX 4070 SUPER we recently tested, its price is 689 euros at Alternate. To compete, our Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC will need to be priced lower. We’ll be bringing you a brief update tomorrow when the launch prices are known, so that we can give you the best possible advice.
The map?
Although it’s an entry-level model from Sapphire, this Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC does the job perfectly. Aesthetically, the card is very pleasing, and the cooling system, while not the best in its class, keeps the various PCB components cool.
The Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC:
This Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE Gaming OC fills the gap between the RX 7800 XT and RX 7900 XT. It’s therefore a very good choice, even if it seems late to us, to finally offer the RX 7900 GRE worldwide. Performance is very good in rasterization, and not bad when ray tracing is active. So, is this AMD RX 7900 GRE worth the effort compared to the RTX 4070 SUPER? Yes, provided there’s a substantial price differential. If the price of the RX 7900 GRE is too close to that of the greens, we think that NVIDIA will still retain the advantage thanks to DLSS 3, which is much more widespread in games than FSR 3 at present. All in all, as we’ve come to expect from AMD, it’s a pity that the card is so limited, as we can feel that it still has a lot to offer. Many thanks to AMD France for making this test copy available.