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 special version of the RX 7900, created to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit. Unlike AMD’s typical naming conventions like XT or XTX, there isn’t a standard RX 7900, so the GRE label is specific to this edition. Essentially, the RX 7900 GRE can be seen as the version that might have been released alongside AMD’s other high-end graphics cards.
This model serves as a middle ground between the RX 7800 XT and the RX 7900 XT. You might wonder why AMD is introducing a card that seems similar to what’s already available. The key lies in its position within the lineup, offering something between the two existing models.
The RX 7900 GRE is built on the same RDNA 3 architecture found in the rest of the Radeon RX 7000 series. However, it includes a slightly modified Navi 31 chip with a modular memory setup. The Graphics Compute Die (GCD) is paired with six Memory Complex Dies (MCD), each housing a memory controller and part of the 64MB L3 cache.
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: Specifications 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.
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.
In terms of design, the Sapphire Pulse RX 7900 GRE we tested is a straightforward, no-frills card. It doesn’t feature any RGB lighting, but it does have a sleek backplate and three fans to keep it cool. The card takes up about two and a half slots in a standard chassis and measures around 320mm (or 12.5 inches) in length.
Powered by 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, along with a new AI accelerator that speeds up tasks like deep neural network (DNN) training. The 2nd generation Ray accelerator offers 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.
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 has fewer cores and slower memory than other models in its range. This results in about 40 watts of power savings, but it also means that the card’s potential might not be fully utilized. Whether this trade-off is worth it will depend on how well the card is priced and performs in real-world scenarios.
Additionally, the RX 7900 GRE supports Smart Access Memory (SAM), which lets the GPU communicate directly with the CPU. This allows the CPU to transfer large amounts of data to the GPU more efficiently, leading to 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.
Another feature is AMD SmartAccess Video, which intelligently distributes video decoding and encoding tasks across all available engines. By using both the Ryzen processor and Radeon graphics for video tasks, it reduces dropped frames and speeds up video editing and transcoding.
Finally, the RX 7900 GRE supports hardware-level AV1 encoding and decoding, making it an excellent option for streamers. AV1 provides much better image quality than H.264 while using less bandwidth, which means that streaming with AV1 encoding puts less strain on your system, improving the experience for both streamers and viewers.
Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU Review: Our test rig
For our review of the Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU, we built a test rig featuring an Intel Core i9-13900K CPU paired with 32GB of Kingston Fury RAM (2x16GB) running at 5200 MT/s. We used an Asus ROG Maximus Z790 motherboard to tie everything together, and a Noctua NHD15 cooler to keep the CPU temperatures in check. To power the setup, we opted for a Cooler Master MWE 1050 Gold V2 Fully Modular 80+ Gold power supply.
As always, we didn’t overclock or tweak any settings before running our benchmarks. The only adjustments we made were enabling XMP to ensure the RAM operated at its rated speed and making sure ReBAR (Smart Access Memory on AMD platforms) was activated. Beyond that, everything was left at stock settings.
We tested games at the highest possible settings at 1080P whenever we could, with FSR enabled in all the games that supported it. We also ran tests at 1440P and even tried out a few titles in 4K to see how the card handled different resolutions.
Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU Review: Performance
The Radeon RX 7900 is directly taking on the RTX 4070 without hesitation.
The RX 7900 GRE is designed with 4K gaming in mind. While it can handle 4K in many games, the most demanding titles may require some upscaling to maintain playable frame rates. On average, though, the RX 7900 GRE outperforms its direct competitors, even when factoring in ray tracing across a wide range of games.
There are some titles where the RX 7900 GRE clearly outshines the RTX 4070 Super, like Forza Horizon 5, Red Dead Redemption 2, and, surprisingly, Returnal.
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 modern games and should remain capable for a few more years, especially if you’re not planning to max out settings at 4K.
That said, the RX 7900 GRE is still a solid option for 4K gaming. It managed to hit over 60 frames per second (fps) in most of the games we tested and occasionally even reached triple-digit frame rates. In the few cases where it fell short, using upscaling provided a significant boost.
When ray tracing isn’t involved, the RX 7900 GRE is far ahead of its competition. Even with ray tracing, it still holds its own quite well.
However, ray tracing remains an area where NVIDIA has the edge, and this trend continues with the RX 7900 GRE. For example, in Cyberpunk 2077, NVIDIA still has the upper hand, but the gap is smaller than before.
AMD also offers FSR 3, which is available on the RX 7900 GRE and other modern GPUs, but the adoption rate is still relatively low. At the time of writing, FSR 3 is supported by fewer than 43 games, many of which are older titles. Hopefully, more games will adopt FSR 3 in the near future.
Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE GPU Review: Conclusion
The Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 GRE is a strong choice for 1440p gaming, offering solid performance that should hold up well for the next few years. It outperforms the previous generation’s RX 6800 XT and competes closely with the RTX 4070 Super, particularly 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.
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 to adopt FSR 3, it could potentially reach parity with DLSS. In the meantime, the RX 7900 GRE stands out as an excellent GPU, delivering impressive raw performance and solid value for gamers.
