I recently upgraded from a Zotac GTX1660 Super build with an AM4 MB to a Sapphire 7800XT reference card build with an AM5 MB.
The choice of the reference model was in part because of a similar sentiment to what Wendell shared in the 7800XT video (“AMD knows their hardware”). I had the same thoughts before watching Wendell’s video on the 7800XT, when I actually built the system. A big reason also was that I wanted to adopt AM5 at the beginning, so I can be safe for next couple years. And Open Source as well (duh…)
Yet, I can’t shake off the feeling that I did it wrong by buying the card from Sapphire. The direct-from-AMD card is nowhere to be found here in Europe, or at least not from my supplier of choice.
Should I be worried or is Sapphire an OK Vendor for reference cards?
So far the performance has been fairly good under Linux. Not having to deal with proprietary drivers really made me feel good in all the right ways . Since the cost of the card alone roughly equals the cost of my entire last build , about 600€, I expected a bit more, but it is definitely better than being under nVidia’s boot after a long time.
Yes, Europe prices are insane by the way.
Hope anyone can give me some peace of mind. My anxiety be wildin’. Should have asked around before I built it… Oh well
I’ve got a Sapphire RX 6800XT Pulse from Sapphire and it’s running fine under Linux. Been using it for more than six months. It’s the fastest and most stable AMD/ATI card I ever used.
I’ve had several Sapphire cards in the past and only one was defective (bought a refurbished card once).
Thank you so much for that. I am definitely going team red from now on when it comes to personal computing and gaming. And with your reassurance, I will have no doubt in my heart anymore.
in the amd partner space sapphire are pretty much as good as it gets.
the cards are solidly built, the coolers often more than adequate and,.
there warranty’s are honoured so you should have a 2 year factory return if something goes wrong.
yes the 7800xt are quite expensive as they are pretty much top tier cards atm.
which is always the case (you pay a premium for early adoption or top of the line). and in less than 5 years people will be calling it ancient and obsolete…
as your all amd look up smart access memory settings… you may have performance to gain.
Thank you for the reassuring words I will keep that in mind for certain.
I have enabled EXPO after I had a mini heart attack due to the long memory training (Which funnily happens on every start-up, I might look into that, I have 2 sticks of 16 GB each at 6000 MHz with EXPO, which is stable from the first time I enabled EXPO). I think that a BIOS flash might be in order because as you said, I am an early adopter and MOBOs are new.
Temps are steady, around 45-50 °C idle and around 72 -75 °C under load in a 25°C ambient environment, all air-cooled (I don’t trust liquids in my electronics)
I should maybe give undervolting a shot, but I am not too sure about that, after all, AMD knows their hadware best and I might void my warranty on the card too…
Thanks again for the tips, I will try and learn more about smart access memory.
you may also look into precision boost over drive…
give it between -20 and -25 offset.
this will reduce power consumption at idle, lower temps and give more performance per watt when you do let it loose.
but as with all things computer voltage… do some reading first, don’t just take my word
Reiterating what the others have said, Sapphire is a great brand. Recently pulled out an RX580 Pulse out of storage and re-pasted it. It is still holding up quite well when tested. Now the question is how to repurpose it with a 3060 ti.
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