If you thought 2023 didn’t have enough GPUs on its plate AMD has just recently released the new Radeon RX 7700 XT and 7800 XT. These cards mark some of the brand’s high-end offerings on the market with some impressive tech and performance. They specifically fall under the 7900 XT model. They are also quite well-priced. The 7700 XT costs R11,500 and the 7800 XT costs R14,000.
Watch the Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC review below
I received the Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC to review which, like other Gaming OC models from the brand, comes slightly overclocked. The boost clock on this card is 2565MHz compared to 2430MHz and the game clock is 2254MHz compared to the 2124MHz. It comes with 16GB of RAM with a 256-bit memory interface with 624GB/s of memory bandwidth.
Other features on this card include Gigabyte’s Windforce cooling system, which has proven to be quite brilliant in the past. It packs 3840 Stream Processors, 60 Compute Units and 60 ray accelerators. The card recommends a 700W power supply to power all of this tech.
If you’re comparing this card to other models on the market, it falls between the RTX 4070 Ti and RTX 4070. It is also around 27% more powerful than last gen’s RX 6800 XT. Of course, this is comparing sheer power without taking into consideration upscaling techniques and other exclusive advantages.
For the most part, the Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC aims to deliver better options for gamers who are looking for more powerful cards at more affordable prices. Affordable here means “compared to other models and brands”.
AMD is especially leaning on its RDNA3 hardware which aims to make a big dent in upscaling techniques across games. Of course, FSR 3 is where it is going to see even more improvements and, in a way, this card could be seen as an investment for things to come because, at the time of this review, FSR 3 isn’t available.
So with that in mind, I spent a week with the Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC and here are my thoughts.
Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC Design
The Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC is definitely a Gigabyte card. It has the brand’s iconic Gaming OC look and feel to it with three 90mm fans on the top which make up the Windforce cooling system. The centre fan spins in the opposite direction and there’s a screen cooling vent on the top to dissipate heat. This is situated over an extended heat sink which helps keep everything cool.
There’s very little RGB on the card. Unlike Gigabyte’s higher-end RTX cards which include RGB fans, the only RGB on this card is over the Gigabyte logo.
The card is 302mm long, 130mm wide and 56mm thick. In comparison to other large GPUs, it is just as hefty. It is slightly smaller than my RTX 4070 Ti but it is still a large card and you’ll need to make sure you have a case that can handle it.
When it comes to ports, the card includes 2 HDMI 2.1 ports and 2 Display Port 2.1. It also uses a standard 8-pin power connector. This is expected given it’s an AMD card and not an NVIDIA unit.
I haven’t ever called the Gigabyte’s Gaming OC range flashy and that isn’t going to change here either. It is a black card and gets the job done. It is a pity about the RGB because I feel like in this price bracket, it should be an included feature by now. I also think Gigabyte needs a design refresh now. We have seen the same Gaming OC design for two years now so hopefully, next year will bring something refreshing.
Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC Performance
Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC is in a good spot across the market. It promises to deliver the RDNA3 hardware which means this card will be relevant for a while now. It will support FSR 3.0 whenever it arrives and as new games release and older ones get updated, there will always be extended value here to enjoy.
This card is also targetted at 1440p gaming but that doesn’t mean it can’t achieve some decent 4K performance with the right settings. I made sure to test out some of the more demanding games which have been released recently. These include Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Starfield, The Crew Motorfest and more. Here are some of the results I got.
3DMark
- TimeSpy Extreme: 10,299
- Port Royale: 8,310
You can see from the tests that this Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC is definitely a 1440p card. In some cases, you would be able to get away with 4K gaming but it will struggle on the latest games. I managed to get Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart to run a 30fps maxed out with ray tracing enabled leveraging FSR2 but the upscaling noise was unbearable. But the card breezed through 1440p tests with and without FSR in some cases.
When it came to cooling, I was surprised to see how hot this card ran. So much so that I heard the fans kick into gear each time I launched a game. This is not something I have experienced with many cards. That isn’t to say the card gets worryingly hot, it hit 71C but the fans are loud and distracting. The fans just rev up in order to keep things from getting warmer. I measured 2130RPM which is definitely noticeable. If anything, this is the loudest Gigabyte card I have used in a while. The card also used 289W of power during these tests. Of course, you can tweak all of this down if they annoy you. The card also comes with the OC and Silent mode toggle which goes a long was to improve this.
With the promise of FSR 3.0 on the horizon, the Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC definitely delivers on its 1440p promise. It is a solid card that doesn’t break the bank. Sure, the fan noise is a drawback but the performance here offers some great value for money. Especially if you’re team AMD and you’re hoping that FSR 3.0 will help take the brand to the same level as DLSS.
The first card to compare with this would be the RTX 4060 Ti. While substantially cheaper, it packs 8GB of RAM and the performance isn’t up to scratch. It also has a limited memory interface that forces you into the 1080p spectrum.
You can then compare this to the RTX 4070 which is almost identical in price depending on where you’re shopping. But that too comes with 12GB of RAM. The next one up is the 4070 Ti which costs a bit more. So I think the RX 7800 XT sits in a great spot between all of this.
The Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is available starting at R14,000. Grab one here. You can also find out more about the cards on the official Gigabyte website here.
Summary
My only gripe with this card was its incredibly loud fan noise but apart from that, the Gigabyte Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC offers some excellent value for its price. With FRS 3.0 on the horizon, that value will surely increase even more.
