Finally, we got our hands on one of AMD’s latest mid-range graphics cards – the Radeon RX 7800 XT. It’s designed for 1440p gaming and competes directly with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4070. The Radeon RX 7800 XT is cheaper than the RTX 4070, starting at $499 only. Meanwhile, the RTX 4070 is still around $599, with some models discounted to $549. Can the Radeon RX 7800 XT outperform the RTX 4070 not only in price but in performance as well? Are you looking for an excellent 1440p graphics card? Check out our Radeon RX 7800 XT review below featuring XFX’s Qick 319 graphics card.
XFX Qick 319 Radeon RX 7800 XT Review – Better Than GeForce RTX 4070?
Officially announced last August and finally released in early September, the Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT targets the 1440p gaming segment and competes directly against NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 Ti 16GB. Unfortunately, we don’t have an RX 7700 XT to test, so we won’t see that GPU in this review.
Update: You can check out our Radeon RX 7700 XT review here.
The Radeon RX 7800 XT features 60 compute units, 60 ray accelerators, 120 AI accelerators, and 3840 stream processors. It has 16GB of memory, about 33% more than the RTX 4070’s VRAM, but AMD has opted to use the slower GDDR6 instead of GDDR6X.
I could not get my hands on the RX 7800 XT MBA (made by AMD); instead, we have the XFX Radeon RX 7800 XT QICK 319 graphics card here. It has the same game clock and boost clock speeds as the vanilla or MBA model, but the XFX may offer better thermal performance thanks to its triple-fan design and larger heatsink.
XFX has two graphics cards for the 7800 XT series, the Speedster QICK 319 and the Speedster Merc 319. The latter has a slightly more premium look and feel, and the XFX logo has LED lighting. Meanwhile, the QICK 319 is just an all-black graphics card with no lighting.
Below are key features of the RX 7800 XT GPU and a specification table. After that, let’s look at the graphics card itself and see how it performs.
Key Features
According to AMD, the AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics card features 60 AMD RDNA 3 unified compute units and offers 20% more performance-per-dollar on average than the competition. With 54 AMD RDNA 3 compute units, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT graphics card is a 1440p workhorse, also offering 20% more performance-per-dollar on average than the competition. Key features and capabilities include:
- AMD RDNA 3 Architecture – Features redesigned compute units with unified raytracing and AI accelerators, second-generation AMD Infinity Cache™ technology, and second-generation raytracing technology.
- Dedicated AI Acceleration – New AI accelerators are optimized for the latest AI workloads. New AI instructions and increased AI throughput deliver over 2X more performance on average than AMD RDNA 2 architecture.
- Improved Streaming Quality and Performance – Improved AMD encoders deliver enhanced visual quality when streaming and recording. AMD AI and content-adaptive machine learning technology have also been integrated into the AMD Media Framework to enable sharper text when streaming at low bitrates and resolutions.
- Ultra-High Definition Encoding – An encode/decode media engine for the ultimate performance, unlocking new multi-media experiences with full AV1 encode/decode support, wide color gamut, and high-dynamic range enhancements.
- AMD Radiance Display™ Engine – Provides support for DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI® 2.1a-based displays for ultra-high resolutions and high refresh rates for gaming and content creation workloads. It also features 12-bit HDR and full REC2020 Color Space for incredible color accuracy at up to 8K video playback.
AMD Radeon RX 7000 GPU Specifications
| Specifications | Radeon RX 7700 XT | Radeon RX 7800 XT | Radeon RX 7900 XT | Radeon RX 7900 XTX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Process | GCD: TSMC 5nm MCD: TSMC 6nm | GCD: TSMC 5nm MCD: TSMC 6nm | GCD: TSMC 5nm MCD: TSMC 6nm | GCD: TSMC 5nm MCD: TSMC 6nm |
| Transistor Count | 28.1 B | 28.1 B | 58B | 58B |
| Architecture | RDNA3 | RDNA3 | RDNA3 | RDNA3 |
| GPU | Navi 32 | Navi 32 | Navi 31 | Navi 31 |
| Stream Processors | 3456 | 3840 | 5376 | 6144 |
| Compute Units | 54 | 60 | 84 | 96 |
| ROPs | 96 | 96 | 192 | 192 |
| Infinity Cache | 48MB | 64MB | 80MB | 96MB |
| Game Clock | 2171 MHz | 2124 MHz | 2000 MHz | 2300 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2544 MHz | 2430 MHz | 2400 MHz | 2500 MHz |
| Memory Size Type | 12GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6 | 20GB GDDR6 | 24GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Clock | 18 Gbps | 19.5 Gbps | 20 Gbps | 20 Gbps |
| Memory Bus Width | 192-bit | 256-bit | 320-bit | 384-bit |
| TBP | 245W | 263W | 300W | 355W |
| Release Date | September 2023 | September 2023 | December 2022 | December 2022 |
| Launch Price | $449 | $499 | $899 | $999 |
Check the latest pricing and availability: (#ad)
XFX Speedster QICK319 RX 7800 XT Core is available on Amazon.com here.
XFX Speedster MERC319 RX 7800 XT Black is available on Amazon.com here.
Other AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics cards are available on Amazon.com here.
UPDATE: You might also be interested in our AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE review.
Packaging and Closer Look
The XFX Speedster Qick 319’s packaging is quite different from other graphics cards’ packaging. It’s still rectangular, but the opening of the box is at the top (and bottom). It’s like an SSD’s packaging, only a lot larger.
At the front, you can see the model name of the graphics card, and the “RX 7800 XT” logo is located at the lower corner of the box. I’m a bit surprised that the name “RX 7800 XT” or AMD’s logo in general is small. I think it’s too small to be recognized immediately, and you’ll have to move a bit closer to the box to read the GPU’s name. Meanwhile, at the back, you can see a photo of the graphics card, along with highlighted features of the Radeon RX 7800 XT.
The Speedster Qick 319
The XFX Radeon RX 7800 XT Qick 319 features an all-black aesthetic. It doesn’t have any RGB or LED lighting, which is excellent for minimalist or low-key builds or if you simply want no lighting at all. The card measures 335mm x 130mm x 52mm, and while its front cooler shroud is all plastic, the back plate is metal with holes. The backplate has no thermal pads, so it’s not passively cooling the other side of the RX 7800 XT’s PCB or components.
On the output ports, the XFX’s Qick 319 Radeon RX 7800 XT has three DisplayPort 2.1 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port. The card requires at least a 700W PSU and draws power from two 8-pin PCIe power connectors.
Despite not having any sort of lighting, the Qick 319 RX 7800 XT features dual BIOS. You can see the small switch near the Radeon logo and output ports at the front-side portion. Unlike other graphics cards, no “silent” or “game” modes exist. Both are the same setting, and the other only serves as a backup in case the first fails or gets corrupted.
I have yet to open the graphics card, but according to XFX, the Qick 319 RX 7800 XT features a 14-phase power design, with 8-phases dedicated to the GPU GFX core. The slightly higher-end Merc 319 RX 7800 XT also has a 14-phase power design but with 9-phases for the GPU. So, the two have very little difference except for aesthetics.
Now let’s see how this graphics card performs.
Test Setup
I’m using an X670E motherboard with an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X to test the RX 7800 XT graphics card. It is paired with a DDR5-5600MHz CL36 memory kit with the AMD EXPO profile enabled. Resizable BAR was also enabled from the BIOS settings. Below are the rest of the specifications of the system:
| Operating System | Windows 11 Pro |
| Processor | AMD Ryzen 7 7700X |
| Motherboard | MSI MPG X670E Carbon WiFi |
| Memory | Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000MHz CL30 AMD EXPO |
| Graphics Card | XFX Speedster Qick 319 Radeon RX 7800 XT |
| OS Drive | MSI Spatium M480 Play |
| Game Drive | SanDisk Extreme PRO Portable SSD V2 and Extreme Portable SSD V2 |
| Power Supply | MSI MPG A1000G PCIE5 |
| Chassis | MSI MPG Velox 100P Airflow |
| Monitor | MSI Optix MPG321UR-QD 4K 144Hz |
I used AMD’s Adrenalin 23.9.1 driver in testing the RX 7800 XT. It was tested in three resolutions – 1920×1080 FHD, 2560×1440 WQHD, and 3840×2160 4K UHD.
For synthetic benchmarks, I used 3DMark’s benchmark suite. I also used the following games to test the graphics card: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, A Plague Tale: Requiem, Call of Duty Modern Warfare II, Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Horizon Zero Dawn, Monster Hunter World, Read Dead Redemption 2, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, The Division 2, and Watch Dogs Legion.
I also tested the RX 7800 XT with Cyberpunk 2077, Forza Horizon 5, and The Witcher 3 Next-Gen for the ray tracing-featured games.
Below is the GPU-Z screenshot of the Radeon RX 7800 XT.
XFX AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT Benchmarks
Synthetic Benchmark Results
Below are the results that I got with 3D Mark’s benchmark suite. The RX 7800 XT’s score is highlighted in red.
The Radeon RX 7800 XT might not be sitting at the top of the charts, but it is definitely outperforming the RTX 4070 in these synthetic benchmarks. However, we can still see that AMD has yet to improve its ray tracing performance further, as the RX 7800 XT fell behind the RTX 4070 in Port Royal and Speed Way tests.
1080p Game Benchmark Results
Time to see how the RX 7800 XT performs with real games. Below are 1080p benchmark results, rasterization only.
Generally speaking, the RX 7800 XT outperforms the RTX 4070. However, depending on the game, the performance difference varies. The RX 7800 XT could either be substantially faster than the RTX 4070 or perform just on par. The RTX 4070 may sometimes outperform the RX 7800 XT, especially if the game is NVIDIA-sponsored or runs well on an NVIDIA GPU.
1440p Game Benchmark Results
On 2560×1440 resolution, the results are pretty similar, with the RX 7800 XT being the faster GPU than the RTX 4070 in general. However, this time, instead of only a 5% lead, the RX 7800 XT is now 8% faster than the RTX 4070 in general.
2160p Game Benchmark Results
Finally, at 4K resolution, the RX 7800 XT is still in the lead. But the RX 7800 XT is only 6% faster than the RTX 4070 this time. I wouldn’t recommend the RX 7800 XT for 4K gaming, but it can play some “not-so-demanding” games titles at 4K.
On a side note, I could play Baldur’s Gate 3 using the RX 7800 XT at 4K high settings and didn’t encounter any issues. However, I observed some frame drops or stutters during demanding scenes.
Radeon RX 7800 XT Ray Tracing Benchmark Results
Ray Tracing isn’t AMD’s forte, and generally speaking, they still trail behind NVIDIA’s superior ray tracing performance. Even AMD’s upscaling solution, FSR, is not on par with NVIDIA’s DLSS when it comes to quality. So, for ray tracing, I tested the RX 7800 XT in three game titles only.
In Forza Horizon 5, we can see that the RTX 7800 XT outperforms the RTX 4070 in all three resolutions. How come, you may ask? Well, the ray tracing on FH5 isn’t really that demanding, as only the cars’ surface have reflections.
Now let’s check out how it performs in Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 with ray tracing and FSR (quality) enabled.
In Cyberpunk 2077, with ray tracing set to Psycho and DLSS/FSR to quality, the RTX 4070 is 41% faster in general than the RX 7800 XT. That’s a huge performance gap. Even the RTX 4060 Ti 8GB is faster when ray tracing is enabled in this game.
However, in the Witcher 3, the RTX 4070 is only 14% faster in general than the RX 7800 XT when ray tracing is enabled. While the RX 7800 XT may be the superior GPU in pure rasterization, it struggles when ray tracing is involved. So, generally, I wouldn’t get an AMD GPU if I wanted to play games with ray tracing enabled.
Pricing and Availability
AMD’s suggested retail price for the Radeon RX 7800 XT starts at $499. Meanwhile, custom-designed graphics cards are priced slightly higher. XFX’s Speedster Qick 319 RX 7800 XT currently retails for around $520. Meanwhile, the Speedster Merc 319 retails for about $540. For the latest pricing and availability, kindly follow the links below.
Check the latest pricing and availability: (#ad)
XFX Speedster QICK319 RX 7800 XT Core is available on Amazon.com here.
XFX Speedster MERC319 RX 7800 XT Black is available on Amazon.com here.
Other AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics cards are available on Amazon.com here.
Can’t decide which RX 7800 XT graphics card to choose? Check out our list of the best RX 7800 XT graphics cards.
AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT Review Conclusion
Based on the results that I got, it looks like AMD has a winner in the $500 price bracket. The Radeon RX 7800 XT is generally faster than the GeForce RTX 4070, around 6% to 8%, and about 17% cheaper. That is if we base the pricing on the $499 and $599 starting prices. Of course, custom graphics cards and retail prices are expected to be higher. Nevertheless, I think it is still a win for the RX 7800 XT since gamers and enthusiasts have better reasons to lean towards AMD’s offering at this price point.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture the RX 7800 XT’s power consumption. However, during my tests, its average temperature was only about 61° C, and it was relatively silent throughout my testing.
While writing this review, I checked the latest RTX 4070 and RX 7800 XT prices. The RX 7800 XT cards quickly sell like hotcakes but are generally in the $500 to $570 price range, depending on the model. On the other hand, most RTX 4070 cards are still selling above $600, except for three models – MSI RTX 4070 Ventus 2X OC, Zotac RTX 4070 Twin Edge OC (Spider-Man Edition), and Gigabyte RTX 4070 WindForce OC. These three RTX 4070 cards are currently selling for $550, but I am not sure if this is a permanent price change or not.
Potential Downside of the RX 7800 XT
While the Radeon RX 7800 XT’s performance is excellent for its price, there are three areas where I think the RX 7800 XT falls behind. First, its ray tracing performance is (still) lackluster or not on par with NVIDIA’s. Second has something to do with AMD’s upscaling technology, which is still a bit inferior compared to NVIDIA’s DLSS when it comes to quality. And finally, it draws more power, about 30% (or more), just to outperform the RTX 4070 by about 8%.
However, knowing these “weaknesses”, the RX 7800 XT is still cheaper than the competition. And if you don’t care about ray tracing, upscaling, or slightly higher wattage, the RX 7800 XT is an excellent GPU for its price.
Finally…
Again, AMD has a winner in the form of the Radeon RX 7800 XT. It is priced competitively, and for around $500+, it’s one of the best GPUs you can get for 1440p gaming. The RX 7800 XT would be a no-brainer for AMD fans and could make NVIDIA-leaning gamers think twice before deciding to get an RTX 4060 Ti 16GB or RTX 4070.
