A look at some of the best RX 7900 XT graphics cards.
The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is one of the “cheapest” high-end GPUs on the market right now. This places it within the budget of many PC gamers who are hopeful for a GPU upgrade.
While it can’t quite compete with its big brother, the RX 7900 XTX, or the NVIDIA’S ‘Ada Lovelace’ RTX 4080 (or 4080 Super), it does cost less than these two GPUs at MSRP. And, ignoring ray tracing and upscaling, it even outperforms the RTX 4070 Ti Super in a lot of games.
In other words, while it’s hard to compete with the value of the 7900 XTX, this cheaper AMD Navi 31 GPU is great value for those who want to save an extra $200 and still be able to play all the latest games at 1080P, 1440P, and even 4K resolution.
There are several models to choose from, though, and which 7900 XT is the best one for you will depend on your own needs. To help you decide, we’ve listed a range of 7900 XT options that are good for different use cases.
Quick Answer:
- The XFX Speedster Merc 310 is the best value 7900 XT
- Sapphire’s NITRO+ is a great option for overclocking
- Gigabyte’s Gaming OC is another solid value option
- The ASRock Phantom OC is the most affordable 7900 XT
- AMD’s Reference 7900 XT is the most compact option
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1. XFX Speedster Merc 310 RX 7900 XT
Best Value RX 7900 XT
XFX is one of the most popular third-party AMD GPU brands, and when we look at the XFX Speedster Merc 310 RX 7900 XT, we can see why.
It might not be the fastest on this list, but the Speedster Merc 310 7900 XT offers fantastic gaming performance for the price. It’s currently going for about $740 on some retail sites in the US ($50 cheaper than the reference 7900 XT’s MSRP), and its Game Clock (the rough speed you can expect while gaming) is a respectable 2175MHz.
It performs great and keeps cool, but there are other things we should consider when looking at a GPU’s value, such as its warranty. This XFX graphics card should come with a three-year warranty, while many from other brands only come with a two-year warranty.
It also only requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, while the more powerful (and expensive) RX 7900 XTs require 3x 8-pin connectors. In other words, its power consumption should be lower than more expensive ones. It’s also only 5-inches wide from the PCIe slot upwards, making it one of the thinnest AIB 7900 XTs on this axis.
Finally—and although such judgments are always subjective—this 7900 XT looks gorgeous. It’s a little blocky, but this blockiness works well thanks to its metallic silver-white highlights surrounding the fans and the side vent. Oh, and its back panel is a light-colored metal, too, and this part of the GPU is what will be visible for most gaming PC setups.
2. SAPPHIRE NITRO+ RX 7900 XT
Best RX 7900 XT for Overclocking
All AMD RX 7900 XTs can increase their power limit by 15%, so in that respect they’re all capable of overclocking within the same margin, at least on paper. But power limits aren’t everything; also key for effective overclocking is a great cooling setup and VRM.
The Sapphire NITRO+ RX 7900 XT Vapor-X gives you all this: a +15% max power limit, fantastic cooling, and a seemingly great VRM.
Unlike for 7900 XTX AIBs, there isn’t much info online about the PCB circuitry of 7900 XT AIBs, so we can’t say too much about this card’s VRM. But if the NITRO+ 7900 XTX’s 17x 70A power stages are anything to go by (and they probably are) it should be smooth sailing for the NITRO+ 7900 XT.
Ultimately, though, nothing beats real-world results, and this is where this card seems to shine. Some NITRO+ 7900 XT users report hitting an overclock of about 3000MHz, all while keeping cool and quiet. The card’s stock boost clock speed is also one of the highest, so overclocking should be effective even without too much manual tinkering.
You also get a non-reference design, which is how Sapphire has kept this card running so cool. It should run cooler and quieter than the XFX card above, which is why we’re confident that the NITRO+ best suits overclocking.
For this custom design and excellent overclocking capability, however, there’s a power cost. This card is rated for 368W TBP (Total Board Power) at stock, so its power consumption is quite high. And what might be more important if you’re looking to buy a 7900 XT, this NITRO+ Vapor-X card requires 3x 8-pin power connectors, while most other AIB models require only two.
3. Gigabyte Gaming OC RX 7900 XT
Best Plug N’ Play RX 7900 XT
The Gigabyte RX 7900 XT Gaming OC is probably the best ‘plug in and play’ 7900 XT on the market right now, given current prices. This is because it offers good stock clock speeds, cooling, and aesthetics for a reasonable price (currently about $750), making it a brilliant choice for those who want to plug their new GPU in and get rolling right away.
It competes closely with the XFX Speedster Merc 310 7900 XT in this regard. Both cards offer high game and boost clocks for the price. In fact, the Speedster might have won this best PnP award if it wasn’t also the best value 7900 XT of the bunch.
The main thing that might make the Gigabyte Gaming OC 7900 XT a better choice than the Speedster 7900 XT for gamers who want an easy, plug-n-play GPU, is its size. At 2-inches tall, it’s thinner than the Speedster Merc 310 (on this axis)—in fact, it’s as thin as the reference (MBA) 7900 XT. And although you should always check your case measurements for a GPU upgrade, a thinner graphics card should be easier to install than a bigger one in most PC cases.
This GPU also comes with 2x HDMI and 2x DP connections, unlike most other 7900 XTs which come with 1x HDMI and 3x DP connections. While this might make it worse for triple-screen DP setups, for anyone using one or two monitors, the versatility of an extra HDMI port might come in handy.
Given current prices, for a reasonably priced plug-n-play experience, you can’t beat the Gigabyte Gaming OC or XFX Speedster Merc 310 7900 XT. The XFX card has slightly higher clocks and costs a little less, but the Gigabyte card takes up fewer PCIe slots and has an extra HDMI port. Both are great choices—it’s your call.
4. ASRock Phantom OC RX 7900 XT
Cheapest AMD RX 7900 XT
The cheapest 7900 XT right now seems to be the ASRock RX 7900 XT Phantom Gaming OC. While prices may change, right now the Phantom Gaming OC 7900 XT is retailing for about $700, $100 cheaper than the reference 7900 XT’s release MSRP.
In fact, because it’s so cheap, this card is a contender for the best value RX 7900 XT, too. The XFX Speedster Merc 310 7900 XT beats it on the clock speed, cooling, and aesthetics front, but it’s hard to argue with a $50 saving.
And while it’s only a sliver (2%) more powerful than the reference 7900 XT, that sliver isn’t nothing, especially considering it has a cheaper price tag than the reference model right now. Its game clock is 2075MHz, 50MHz higher than the reference model, and its boost clock is 2450MHz, 56MHz higher than reference.
ASRock is clearly gunning for both ends of the market with its 7900 XT models. Its ASRock Taichi OC model is a powerhouse of a GPU, on par with the Sapphire NITRO+ Vapor-X (but tending to cost a fair amount more than the Sapphire card). The ASRock Phantom Gaming OC 7900 XT, on the other hand, caters to the lower end of this market segment, cutting expenses by lowering quality but still delivering staple 7900 XT performance.
Its mid-2010s design might not be the most pleasing to the eye, and its build quality might not be as solid as other cards on this list, but it delivers decent rendering and thermal performance for about as cheap as you could hope for in this bracket.
5. AMD reference RX 7900 XT
Most Compact Radeon RX 7900 XT
This ‘made by AMD’ (MBA) RX 7900 XT is smaller than all the other AIB models, so if you have a small case or a large CPU cooler, this reference card might be the one for you.
The reference AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is smaller than all other cards on this list on all three axes (apart from the Gigabyte Gaming OC, which is just as thin on one axis). While it’s not a small card, per se, measuring 10.9-inches long, 4.3-inches wide, and 2-inches tall, it’s small by this extra-large GPU generation’s standards.
Of course, it also clocks lower than other AIB models, with a 2394MHz boost clock and 2025MHz game clock. This is how it can afford to be so small, because it doesn’t require a behemoth cooler capable of supporting higher clock speeds.
This isn’t to say that the card can’t be overclocked, though. TechPowerUp, for example, achieved an average GPU clock of 2663MHz with the reference 7900XT, and when paired with a +15% power limit increase, they gained more than 10fps in the Unigine Heaven benchmark compared to stock performance.
This card won’t achieve the lowest temperatures, or the highest clocks, compared to its AIB competitors, but it’s very well built and, providing it’s not faulty, should offer thermal performance and framerate capabilities not too far out of spitting distance from the more expensive 7900 XT models. It also has a USB-C port for VR futureproofing, if that’s your thing.
It does retail for $750, though, and there are cheaper options available like the Phantom Gaming OC 7900 XT. The main reason to opt for the MBA 7900 XT remains its size. That, or its minimalistic black and gray design, which does undoubtedly look very smart.
RX 7900 XT Alternatives
The closest comps to the RX 7900 XT are the RTX 4070 Super, the RTX 4070 Ti Super. The 7900 XT performs on par with the 4070 Ti Super, but costs about ~$100 less. It outperforms the 4070 Super, but costs ~$100 more.
Some less expensive options that are also worth considering as alternatives to the RX 7900 XT are the 7900 GRE, the RX 7800 XT, and the RTX 4070. While these GPUs won’t match the performance of the RX 7900 XT, they are excellent performers that can offer ideal performance at 1440P resolution.
If you’re looking for even more performance, the RX 7900 XTX and the RTX 4080 Super are the next up in the GPU hierarchy.
