The final word:
The 7800 XT, the new queen of 1440p rasterization:
Now it’s time to give you our impressions of this TUF Gaming RX 7800 XT OC, which, let’s not forget, is intended for 1440p definition. One thing’s for sure: we’ve got a lot to say about this new AMD graphics card. Let’s start with its performance in 1440p rasterization, which is quite simply excellent and puts it ahead of NVIDIA’s RTX 4070. You won’t have to compromise on graphics options to play in this definition.
Our two factory-overclocked cards still manage to grab extra FPS, but above all have a more efficient cooling system.
Ray tracing, NVIDIA still ahead thanks to DLSS:
With ray tracing enabled, our TUF Gaming RX 7800 XT OC still manages to hold its own against the RTX 4070, usually averaging 60 FPS. When this isn’t the case, if the game features FSR or XeSS, these upscaling technologies enable a not inconsiderable gain in FPS. Despite this, it’s still the RTX 4070 that fares best with active ray tracing. The arrival of DLSS 3.0 allows NVIDIA to crush the competition in games like Cyberpunk 2077 or Hitman 3. We’d really have liked to see the potential of AMD’s FSR 3.0 land at the same time as this launch, knowing that NVIDIA is already working on version 3.5 of its DLSS.
A very competitive card!
At present, the RTX 3070 Founders Edition is still our reference model for 1440p definition, and was launched at 519 euros in October 2020. Here we are in September 2023, three years later, with an AMD RX 7800 XT reference card priced at 549 euros, with far superior performance. For us, this is a near-perfect price, given that the RTX 4070 is priced at 659 euros and only 12 GB.
As for our TUF Gaming RX 7800 XT OC, ASUS tells us that the recommended retail price is 624.99 euros, i.e. an extra 70 euros for the in-house PCB and excellent cooling system. If we look at the price of the equivalent TUF model on the RTX 4070, we’re looking at around 750 euros. In our opinion, the AMD model remains much more competitive than the NVIDIA model. NVIDIA still has the DLSS advantage, but we believe it will have to review its prices in the days to come, as AMD’s competition holds its own.
All in all, good news, since it’s the future buyer who should be rubbing his hands. Don’t hesitate to wait a few days if you’ve decided to change your graphics card, to see how the prices will behave. Don’t hesitate to wait a few days if you’ve decided to change your graphics card, to see how prices behave.
NVIDIA’s reaction:
Well, it’s already started, with the price of the RTX 4060 Ti 16 GB dropping to 499.99 euros at selected retailers. This price cut will mainly serve to compete with the AMD RX 7700 XT 12 GB model, which is priced at 489 euros for the reference card. There’s no doubt that, knowing NVIDIA, we should be seeing announcements in the coming days in response to the performance of these two new boards, and in particular the RX 7800 XT. First prices are currently arriving on entry-level models for the RTX 4070 at 625 euros.
No overclocking?
No, we haven’t tested overclocking, as current drivers restrict the frequency to 2700 MHz. AMD is aware of the problem and will be proposing a corrective measure with future drivers. We’ll be offering you a dedicated test with ASUS’ GPU Tweak III software.
ASUS TUF Gaming RX 7800 XT OC:
We liked:
- A card that lets you take full advantage of 1440p without compromising on rasterization
- The sober design of the TUF Gaming series
- Classic 8-pin connectors
- Reliable noise levels
- The quality of the board’s design
- Excellent price/performance ratio
- FSR, which, when present, enables a gain in FPS
- 16 GB of memory
We would have liked :
- Power consumption has improved, but AMD still needs to do better
- FSR 3 to arrive at the same time as this TUF Gaming RX 7800 XT OC
Right up until the last minute, we hesitated to mention “our favorite”, so much so that this TUF Gaming RX 7800 XT OC has everything to please. Performance in 1440p rasterization is excellent, and the card manages to maintain almost 60 FPS when Ray Tracing is activated. Above all, this is the card with the best price/performance ratio in the RX 7000 range. The advertised price of 625 euros seems to us coherent with what this TUF Gaming RX 7800 XT OC has to offer.
Many thanks to ASUS for making this sample available.
