Several weeks ago, we reviewed AMD‘s latest mid-range GPU for 1440p gaming, the Radeon RX 7800 XT. We found that it is an excellent GPU for 1440p gaming and can hold its candle against what NVIDIA offers at the same price point. Today, we are checking out its little brother, the Radeon RX 7700 XT, a GPU that is also designed for 1440p gaming but about $50 cheaper than the 7800 XT. We have here XFX’s Speedster QICK 319 Radeon RX 7700 XT Black Edition to test and benchmark for this review. So, if you are in the market for a 1440p GPU and perhaps you are wondering whether you should get the 7700 XT instead of the 7800 XT or consider NVIDIA’s offering instead, check out our XFX RX 7700 XT review below.
XFX Radeon RX 7700 XT Review – Worth the $50 Savings?
Announced in August and released in September, the Radeon RX 7800 XT and RX 7700 XT are designed for 1440p gaming, competing with NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 Ti 16GB. In this review, we’ll focus on the RX 7700 XT since we have already reviewed the RX 7800 XT before. Of course, the benchmark results of the RX 7800 XT are also included for comparison.
The RX 7700 XT boasts 54 compute units, 54 ray accelerators, 108 AI accelerators, and 3456 stream processors. It only comes with 12GB of memory running at 18Gbps, unlike the RX 7800 XT, which has 16GB of GDDR6 memory.
The XFX Radeon RX 7700 XT QICK 319 graphics card offers a slightly faster game clock speed of up to 2,276MHz and a boost clock speed of up to 2,599MHz. It’s just a minor factory overclock compared to the base model RX 7700 XT.
Unlike the RX 7800 XT, XFX only has one variant for the RX 7700 XT, and we have this card here: the Speedster QICK 319 Radeon RX 7700 XT Black Edition. There’s no Speedster Merc 319, which is slightly more premium than the Qick 319 variant.
Below are the key features of the RX 7700 XT GPU, and a specification table is provided before we dive into the graphics card’s performance.
Key Features
- AMD RDNA 3 Architecture: 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 optimized for the latest AI workloads, offering over 2X more performance than AMD RDNA 2 architecture.
- Improved Streaming Quality and Performance: Enhanced AMD encoders for better visual quality during streaming and recording, with AI and machine learning tech for sharper text at lower bitrates and resolutions.
- Ultra-High Definition Encoding: A powerful media engine supporting AV1 encode/decode, wide color gamut, and high-dynamic range for immersive multimedia experiences.
- AMD Radiance Display™ Engine: Supports DisplayPort 2.1 and HDMI® 2.1a-based displays, offering high resolutions and refresh rates for gaming and content creation. It also provides 12-bit HDR and full REC2020 Color Space for stunning color accuracy, even at 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 7700 XT is available on Amazon here.
Other AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT graphics cards are available on Amazon here.
Packaging and Closer Look
The packaging of the XFX Speedster Qick 319 graphics card stands out with a unique design. Unlike other graphics card boxes, it has a rectangular shape with openings at both the top and bottom, resembling the packaging of an SSD but on a larger scale.
You’ll find the graphics card’s model name on the front of the box, with the “RX 7700 XT” logo positioned in the lower corner. Turning to the back of the box, you’ll see a picture of the graphics card and a list of highlighted features of the Radeon RX 7700 XT.
The XFX RX 7700 XT Speedster Qick 319 Graphics Card
The XFX Radeon RX 7700 XT Qick 319 offers a sleek all-black design, free from RGB or LED lighting. This makes it an excellent choice for minimalist builds or if you prefer a graphics card with no lighting at all. It has dimensions of 335mm x 130mm x 52mm, with a plastic cooler shroud on the front and a metal backplate with holes on the back. Notably, the backplate doesn’t have thermal pads, so it doesn’t passively cool the other side of the RX 7700 XT’s PCB or components.
Note that we haven’t removed the film wrap covering the plastic cooler shroud. You may notice some bubbles on the surface of the cooler shroud.
When it comes to output ports, the XFX Qick 319 Radeon RX 7700 XT features three DisplayPort 2.1 ports and one HDMI 2.1 port. You’ll need at least a 700W PSU and two 8-pin PCIe power connectors to power this card.
Despite its lack of lighting, the Qick 319 RX 7700 XT has a dual BIOS feature. You can spot a small switch near the Radeon logo and output ports on the front side. There are no distinct “silent” or “game” mode labels – both BIOS settings are the same, with one serving as a backup in case the other fails or becomes corrupted.
While I haven’t disassembled the graphics card, according to XFX, the Qick 319 RX 7700 XT is equipped with a 14-phase power design, with 8 phases dedicated to the GPU GFX core. Now, let’s dive into the performance of this graphics card.
Test Setup
I’m using an X670E motherboard with an AMD Ryzen 7 7700X to test the RX 7700 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 7700 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 |
For synthetic benchmarks, I used 3DMark’s benchmark suite. I also used the following games to test the graphics card: 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, Watch Dogs Legion and Forza Horizon 5.
Note that Ray Tracing is enabled on Forza Horizon 5, but its ray tracing effect is less intensive and GPU demanding unlike in Cyberpunk 2077. I also tested the RX 7700 XT with Cyberpunk 2077 and The Witcher 3 Next-Gen for the ray tracing-featured games. Below is the GPU-Z screenshot of the Radeon RX 7700 XT.
XFX AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT Benchmarks
Synthetic Benchmark Results
Here are the benchmark results from 3D Mark, with the RX 7700 XT’s score highlighted in red.
The XFX RX 7700 XT sits somewhere in the middle, and it trails behind the RX 7800 XT. It trades blows with the RTX 4070, especially on rasterized games. But when it comes to ray tracing tests, Speed Way and Port Royal, the Radeon cards were noticeably slower than their NVIDIA counterparts.
1080p Game Benchmark Results
Let’s assess the actual gaming performance of the RX 7700 XT with real games next. Here are the 1080p benchmark results, focusing solely on rasterization, except for Forza Horizon 5.
In general, the RX 7700 XT demonstrates better performance compared to the RTX 4060 Ti. But it trails behind the RTX 4070. Although, there are some titles where the RX 7700 XT performs on par with the RTX 4070 or slightly faster. However, compared to the RX 7800 XT, the results show a noticeable performance difference between the two. Let’s see if we see a similar pattern on higher resolution.
1440p Game Benchmark Results
At a 2560×1440 resolution, the results show that the RX 7700 XT generally outpaces the RTX 4060 Ti. We can also see that there are game titles where the RX 7700 XT outperforms the RTX 4070. But there are more game titles where the RTX 4070 beats the RX 7700 XT.
However, the RX 7700 XT doesn’t compete with the RTX 4070. The RX 7700 XT aims to compete and outperform the RTX 4060 Ti. And based on our 1080p and 1440p results, the RX 7700 XT is generally faster than the RTX 4060 Ti and wins the match.
2160p Game Benchmark Results
4K UHD or 2160p isn’t the target resolution of the Radeon RX 7700 XT. But here are the results for those who are curious.
Moving on to 4K resolution, the RX 7700 XT struggles to maintain at least 60fps in this demanding resolution. There are some game titles where it can reach 60fps, and it can achieve more by using FSR and/or lowering the graphics quality. But generally speaking, I don’t recommend the RX 7700 XT for 4K gaming. It will not be a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.
Radeon RX 7700 XT Ray Tracing Benchmark Results
Ray tracing isn’t AMD’s strong suit, and they still need to catch up with NVIDIA in terms of ray tracing performance. Even AMD’s upscaling solution, FSR, falls short in quality compared to NVIDIA’s DLSS. So, I conducted ray tracing tests on the RX 7700 XT in just two game titles.
It does not look good for the RX 7700 XT when ray tracing is enabled, even with the help of FSR. In Cyberpunk 2077, with ray tracing set to Psycho and DLSS/FSR at quality, the RX 7700 XT couldn’t get an average of 60 fps even in 1080p. The same can be said in The Witcher 3.
These two games are graphics intensive, and Cyberpunk 2077’s ray tracing implementation is demanding. Forza Horizon 5 also has ray tracing, but it’s only applied on the surface of the cars. So, the performance penalty is less than Cyberpunk or Witcher III.
Nevertheless, I’d generally avoid an AMD Radeon GPU when playing games with ray tracing enabled. However, I do hope AMD can (finally) catch up with their next-generation GPUs, the “RX 8000” series.
XFX RX 7700 XT Pricing and Availability
AMD’s suggested retail price for the Radeon RX 7700 XT starts at $449. There is no Made by AMD RX 7700 XT, and all RX 7700 XT are from AIC partners. Luckily, XFX is selling the RX 7700 XT at MSRP. However, some RX 7700 XT cards are selling slightly below MSRP. I hope XFX will also discount its RX 7700 XT soon.
Check the latest pricing and availability: (#ad)
XFX Speedster QICK319 RX 7700 XT is available on Amazon here.
Other AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT graphics cards are available on Amazon here.
AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT Review Conclusion
I have mixed feelings about this graphics card after testing and benchmarking the Radeon RX 7700 XT and looking at the numbers. On one hand, it is generally faster than the RTX 4060 Ti, which is AMD’s target for the RX 7700 XT. Depending on the game title, it trades blows with the RTX 4070. It may perform on par with the RTX 4070, especially if the game is an AMD-sponsored title or the game engine performs better with AMD GPUs. However, the RTX 4070 will definitely come on top if we consider all games.
On the other hand, it is being overshadowed by the Radeon RX 7800 XT. And based on the results, the RX 7800 XT is better and faster than the RX 7700 XT in most cases. Also, the RX 7800 XT is just $50 away, and you have a much better 1440p card than the RX 7700 XT. So, I’d definitely pick the RX 7800 XT over the RX 7700 XT if the price difference is just $50.
However, it got a bit complicated upon checking the current retail prices of these graphics cards. Most RX 7800 XT cards sell above $500, with the good ones starting at $530. Meanwhile, the best RX 7800 XT cards, including the premium ones, sell for around $550-$560. As a result, there is now a significant price difference between the RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT. Nevertheless, I’d still like to see the RX 7700 XT’s price drop to around $400 instead of $450 because a few RX 7800 XT cards are selling at MSRP $499.
Overall…
If ray tracing is what you are after, spend a bit more and pick some of the best RTX 4070 instead. I’m still hesitant to fully recommend the RTX 4060 Ti considering its memory configuration and PCIe interface are gimped. But between the RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT, I’d still pick the latter even if I have to add a few bucks. Unless AMD discounts the RX 7700 XT to $400, it’s a bit difficult to recommend the RX 7700 XT wholeheartedly. However, I would like AMD to discount these two GPUs soon. Perhaps we may see some good deals during the Black Friday or Holiday season.
