Gaming Bliss at 60% Usage: AMD 7900 XTX Powering 4K Like a Champ
I’ve been using the RX 7900 XTX Black for about a month now, and I wanted to share my experience with it, particularly in comparison to the Nvidia 4080. My decision to go with the AMD 7900 XTX was influenced by several factors:
Cost Consideration:
The AMD 7900 XTX is currently more budget-friendly compared to the Nvidia 4080, making it a more economical choice for my new PC build with an Intel i5 13th-gen processor.
User Interface and Driver Performance:
I found the UI and drivers of the AMD card to be superior. I had encountered issues with the Nvidia control panel disappearing on my previous RTX 2060S, possibly due to conflicts between Microsoft and Nvidia in Windows 10.
Ray Tracing Priorities:
Since I’m not particularly interested in ray tracing, the absence of this feature in the AMD card didn’t affect my decision.
Power Efficiency with Radeon Chill:
Enabling “Radeon Chill” and limiting the frame rate to 60fps significantly reduced power consumption to below 350W. I noticed no discernible difference in performance when compared to higher frame rates on my Samsung 75″ Q85A TV, set to the smoothing “soap opera” effect. This setup allowed me to run demanding games like RDR2 and modded GTA5 at 4k with around 60% usage, maintaining a cool and quiet system.
In an update, I encountered some issues while playing Elden Ring with enhanced graphics settings, leading to high temperatures and loud fan noise. After investigating, I discovered that thermal paste pump-out was causing the problem. I resolved this by using PTM7950, which I ordered from Amazon. This replacement not only fixed the thermal issues, with hot spots now staying below 90c and a reduced delta of 15, but it also allowed me to avoid the need for an RMA. Interestingly, the XFX warranty did not consider the repaste as voiding the warranty. While I was disappointed that I had to perform this maintenance, the new thermal paste has restored the card to its original performance level. I’m left wondering why this high-quality paste isn’t used in the factory, whether due to installation difficulties or cost constraints.
