Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE Pulse GPU Review: A bankable 2K gaming card that does 4K well too

Aug. 20, 2024, 10:51 a.m.

Read time estimation: 11 minutes.

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Pros:

- Unhinged performance in 1440P ultra settings

- Good performance in 4K ultra in some games

- Selection of ports, especially DisplayPort 2.1

- AV1 support

- Competitively priced

- Manages temps well

- 16GB VRAM and 256-bit bus

Cons:

- Ray tracing performance could have been better

- FSR still needs mass adoption

- Lacks bling. No RGB

Pricing: Rs 54,500

Rating: 4.5/5

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (Golden Rabbit Edition) was initially released only in mainland China as a unique variant of the RX 7900, created to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. Unlike AMD's typical naming conventions, such as XT or XTX, there isn't a standard RX 7900 model, so the GRE label is specific to this special edition. Essentially, the RX 7900 GRE can be considered the version that might have been released alongside AMD's other high-end graphics cards.

This model sits comfortably between the RX 7800 XT and the RX 7900 XT in terms of performance. You might wonder why AMD is introducing a card that seems similar to existing options. The key lies in its positioning within the lineup, offering a compelling alternative between the two existing models.

The RX 7900 GRE is based on the same RDNA 3 architecture found in the rest of the Radeon RX 7000 series. However, it incorporates a slightly modified Navi 31 chip with a modular memory configuration. The Graphics Compute Die (GCD) is paired with six Memory Complex Dies (MCD), each containing a memory controller and a portion of the 64MB L3 cache.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das Over the past few generations, AMD’s GPUs have consistently delivered solid performance, especially considering their value for money. While they might not always top benchmarks or gaming FPS charts, their pricing has made them an attractive option for many gamers and PC builders. The RX 7900 GRE continues this trend, offering a balance of performance and affordability.

Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 GPU GRE Review: Technical Details and Features

The Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE is one of the custom models available from AMD’s board partners. Although its box design and cooler are quite similar to the higher-end RX 7900 XT and RX 7900 XTX, this version is aimed at competing with NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 SUPER.

Advertisement The RX 7900 GRE comes equipped with 5,120 stream processors, 160 AI accelerators, 80 Ray accelerators, and 320 texture mapping units (TMUs). Out of the 192 ROPs on the chip, 160 are active. It also features four Memory Complex Dies (MCDs), each with a 16 MB chunk of the 64 MB Infinity Cache and a 64-bit section of the 256-bit memory bus, driving 16 GB of GDDR6 memory with a memory clock of 18 Gbps. The board’s power limit is set at 260 watts, and it uses a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 interface. For connectivity, it includes two HDMI 2.1 ports and two DisplayPort 2.1 ports, requiring two 8-pin power connectors.

Advertisement Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das In terms of design, the Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE we tested is a straightforward, minimalist card. It doesn’t have any RGB lighting, but it features a sleek backplate and three fans to keep it cool. The card occupies about two and a half slots in a standard chassis and measures around 320mm (or 12.5 inches) in length.

Built on AMD’s RDNA 3 architecture, the RX 7900 GRE benefits from the new 5 nm manufacturing process. RDNA 3 introduces advanced compute units with a 17 per cent improvement in instructions per cycle (IPC) over RDNA 2, alongside a new AI accelerator that speeds up tasks like deep neural network (DNN) training. The 2nd generation Ray accelerator delivers a 50 per cent boost in ray tracing performance. RDNA 3 also includes the Multi-Draw Indirect Accelerator (MDIA), which provides a 2.3x speedup for certain DirectX 12 commands, reducing CPU and driver overhead. Other new features include the AMD Radiance display engine with support for DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI 2.1b, as well as dual hardware encoders for AV1 and HEVC.

Advertisement Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das The RX 7900 GRE’s 256-bit memory bus is solid, especially when paired with the 2nd Generation AMD Infinity Cache, which acts as a high-speed, power-efficient cache, enhancing the GPU’s performance.

However, the RX 7900 GRE features fewer processing units and slower memory compared to other models in its lineup. This results in roughly 40 watts of power reduction, but it also means the card's potential might not be completely realized. Whether this compromise is worthwhile will depend on the card's price and its actual performance in real-world scenarios.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das Additionally, the RX 7900 GRE supports Smart Access Memory (SAM), which enables the GPU to communicate directly with the CPU. This allows the CPU to transfer large amounts of data to the GPU more efficiently, resulting in faster frame generation and a smoother gaming experience. However, SAM is only available on newer CPUs—11th Gen or later for Intel, and Ryzen 5000 Series or newer for AMD, along with compatible motherboards.

Advertisement Another feature is AMD SmartAccess Video, which cleverly distributes video decoding and encoding tasks across all available components. By utilizing both the Ryzen processor and Radeon graphics for video tasks, it reduces dropped frames and accelerates video editing and transcoding.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das The RX 7900 GRE boasts hardware-level AV1 encoding and decoding, making it a top choice for streamers. AV1 offers superior picture quality compared to H.264 while using less data, meaning streaming with AV1 encoding puts less stress on your system, improving the experience for both streamers and viewers.

Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU Review: Our test rig

To test the Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU, we assembled a system powered by an Intel Core i9-13900K processor, paired with 32GB of Kingston Fury RAM (2x16GB) running at 5200 MT/s. The components were connected using an Asus ROG Maximus Z790 motherboard, and we utilized a Noctua NHD15 cooler to maintain optimal CPU temperatures. For power, we relied on a Cooler Master MWE 1050 Gold V2 Fully Modular 80+ Gold power supply.

As standard practice, we avoided any overclocking or configuration adjustments before initiating our benchmark runs. The only modifications we made were enabling XMP to ensure the RAM operated at its rated speed and activating ReBAR (Smart Access Memory on AMD platforms). Aside from these adjustments, all settings were left at their default configurations.

Our gaming tests were conducted at the highest possible settings at 1080P whenever feasible, with FSR enabled in all games that supported it. We also conducted tests at 1440P and even explored a few titles in 4K to assess the card's performance across different resolutions.

Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU Review: Performance

The Radeon RX 7900 is directly competing with the RTX 4070 without any hesitation.

The RX 7900 GRE is designed with 4K gaming in mind. While capable of handling 4K in many games, the most demanding titles may require some upscaling to maintain smooth frame rates. However, on average, the RX 7900 GRE surpasses its direct competitors, even when considering ray tracing across a wide range of games.

In certain titles, the RX 7900 GRE clearly outperforms the RTX 4070 Super, including Forza Horizon 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and, surprisingly, Returnal.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das Our primary focus is on the RX 7900 GRE’s 1440p performance, although the 4K results are also noteworthy. Ray tracing has become a mainstream feature with the latest generation of GPUs, and this card delivers solid frame rates even in the most demanding scenarios, before you even consider using upscaling technologies like DLSS or FSR2.

The RX 7900 GRE's 16GB of VRAM and 256-bit memory bus are more than sufficient for most current games and should remain adequate for several years to come, especially if you don't intend to maximize settings at 4K.

That being said, the RX 7900 GRE remains a strong contender for 4K gaming. It achieved over 60 frames per second (fps) in most of the games we tested, even reaching triple-digit frame rates in some cases. When performance fell short, utilizing upscaling provided a noticeable improvement.

When ray tracing is not used, the RX 7900 GRE significantly surpasses its competitors. Even with ray tracing enabled, it maintains a strong performance level.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das However, ray tracing remains an area where NVIDIA holds the advantage, and this trend continues with the RX 7900 GRE. For instance, in Cyberpunk 2077, NVIDIA still outperforms, but the difference is smaller than before.

AMD also offers FSR 3, a technology available on the RX 7900 GRE and other modern GPUs. However, its adoption is still limited. Currently, less than 43 games support FSR 3, many of which are older titles. We anticipate more games to embrace FSR 3 in the near future.

Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU Review: Conclusion

The Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 GRE is a solid choice for 1440p gaming, offering robust performance that should hold up well for the next several years. It surpasses the previous generation's RX 6800 XT and closely rivals the RTX 4070 Super, especially in 1440p scenarios.

These days, 1440p gaming has become the standard, and recent demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 have shown that 12GB of VRAM is starting to struggle, especially at maximum settings. With 16GB of VRAM, the RX 7900 GRE is better equipped to handle these challenges, making it an attractive option. It’s a competitive GPU that could make some NVIDIA fans take notice.

Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das However, the main thing holding the RX 7900 GRE back from a full recommendation right now is the limited support for FSR 3. Although it’s a powerful feature, it’s not yet widely available, and even with a slight performance hit, the RTX 4070 Super still holds strong due to NVIDIA’s well-established DLSS 3.5 support.

Overall, the RX 7900 GRE offers good value. If you’re in the market for a fast AMD GPU specifically for 1440p gaming, the RX 7900 GRE is worth considering. It provides a better balance between price and performance compared to other higher-end 7900 series cards, especially if you’re focused on the cost of upgrading your GPU.

As more games start incorporating FSR 3, it could potentially match the capabilities of DLSS. In the meantime, the RX 7900 GRE stands out as an exceptional GPU, delivering impressive raw power and solid value for gamers.