AMD has released two new graphics cards, the RX 7800 XT ($500) and the RX 7700 XT ($450). One is decently good, and the other is… standard for AMD launches.
The RX 7800 XT
This new $500 options has quite a few things going for it:
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- Excellent 1440p performance, respectable 4K performance
- Draws less power than the 6800 XT that it replaces
- Produces less heat and noise
- Launches at $500, as opposed to the $650 6800 XT launch
There are drawbacks to this card:
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- Performance is practically indistinguishable from the 6800 XT
- The RX 6800 XT price has come down… to $500
All in all, this card is decent. If you bought a 6800 XT for $500, or if you bought the new 7800 XT for $500, you are getting almost the same deal. It is not cheap at all, but closer to reasonable given the performance.
The RX 7700 XT
This card is $50 cheaper, but 15% slower than the 7800 XT. Power draw, heat and noise are all fine… but why the nonsensical pricing?
This is a $400 card. If AMD did not want the new card to compete with old $400 cards, then why launch the $500 7800 XT when there is a $500 6800 XT?
Perhaps AMD will give a price cut when the older $400 cards go out-of-stock. Of course, for the price of $450, it remains a (barely) logical purchase, so we will include it in our chart. But we will also add a warning about the price in the description.
Going Forward
We will add the RX 7800 XT to the Excellent and Outstanding tiers, and the RX 7700 XT as an alternative to the Superb tier.
We will remove the 6800 (no XT) in the USA list, as its price is not logical any more.
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