CONS

• Lackluster ray-tracing performance
• A bit power-hungry

POWERCOLOR HELLHOUND AMD RADEON RX 7900 GRE SPECS

Nvidia’s Super graphics cards have arrived, and AMD’s response is not a brand new graphics card, but rather one that was launched last year exclusively in China. The PowerColor Hellhound AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE has now made its way to the United States. This puts it in direct competition with Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4070 and the newer GeForce RTX 4070 Super. While the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE offers great value for its price, often outshining the similarly priced RTX 4070, it falls slightly short in overpowering its Super counterpart, which comes at a slightly higher cost.

PowerColor Hellhound AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is an affordable option for those seeking a budget-friendly RX 7900.

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE may be a recent addition to the North American market, but its design is far from new. As previously stated, the card was released in China last year and is actually modeled after the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX that was introduced towards the end of 2022. This means that the RX 7900 GRE features a chiplet design, with a central Graphics Compute Die (GCD) and multiple smaller Memory Cache Dies (MCDs) housing the GPU’s cache and memory controllers.

The GCD houses all the remaining compute resources, including the RX 7900 GRE which boasts 5,120 streaming processors, 320 texture mapping units, 160 raster operation processors, and 80 ray accelerators. Additionally, there are 160 AI accelerators within the GCD specifically designed for AI operations.

Furthermore, the RX 7900 GRE exhibits a decrease in both core counts compared to the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and RX 7900 XT, as well as a reduction in memory interface and RAM capacity. Unlike the older RX 7900 cards with a 384-bit wide interface, the RX 7900 GRE features a 256-bit interface. Additionally, its video memory is limited to 16GB of GDDR6 instead of the previous 24GB of GDDR6X.

The RX 7900 GRE has slightly less than 2/3 of the RX 7900 XTX’s bandwidth, and even less bandwidth than the lower-end AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT. However, the RX 7900 GRE compensates for this by having a significantly higher core count than the RX 7800 XT. Sufficient bandwidth is crucial for a GPU’s performance, but a more powerful GPU generally has an even greater impact, as you will soon discover.

In addition to the hardware modifications, the primary distinction between the Radeon RX 7900 GRE and the other RX 7900-series cards lies in its pricing. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX is, whereas the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT was initially launched at and has now decreased to. Comparatively, the Radeon RX 7900 GRE is considerably more affordable. Although it may not be as apparent in tests, the RX 7900 GRE also possesses a lower 260-watt (W) board power rating.

The design of the PowerColor Hellhound AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is truly impressive.

Prior to delving into the outcomes of our examination, it is essential to examine our testing prototype. The PowerColor Hellhound AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE showcases a simplistic aesthetic, featuring a plain black shroud and a modestly embellished metal backplate. While it may appear somewhat understated, the absence of unnecessary embellishments gives it a sleek appearance when viewed from a specific perspective.

This particular graphics card, similar to many contemporary models, employs a spacious aluminum heatsink along with numerous copper heat pipes to enhance the cooling process. The heatsink is equipped with three fans to facilitate the airflow, with the middle fan being slightly smaller in size, presumably to prevent the card from becoming excessively lengthy.

The port setup on the card adheres to industry standards, featuring one HDMI port and three DisplayPort connections on the rear I/O panel. Additionally, there are two eight-pin PCIe connections for power.

Test Configuration.

My colleague Francisco La Hoz conducted a test on the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE using our 2022 GPU test bed. This test bed includes an Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero motherboard and an Intel Core i9-12900K processor operating at stock clocks. The processor is equipped with 32GB of Corsair Vengeance RAM running at 5,600MHz, and it is cooled by a Corsair Hydro Series H100X water cooler.

The primary storage device in the system is a 1TB Corsair MP600 Pro NVMe 4.0 SSD, which has Windows 11 Pro installed. Power is provided by a Corsair HX1500i 1,500W 80 Plus Platinum power supply.

The system is equipped with a 1TB Corsair MP600 Pro NVMe 4.0 SSD as its main storage device, running Windows 11 Pro. Power is delivered through a Corsair HX1500i 1,500W 80 Plus Platinum power supply.

The primary contenders challenging the Radeon RX 7900 GRE are the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 and the newly launched Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super. These graphics cards provide stiff competition for the RX 7900 GRE, both in terms of performance and pricing. The RTX 4070 is available for, putting it on par with the RX 7900 GRE in terms of price. On the other hand, the RTX 4070 Super is priced slightly higher at, but it offers additional hardware features that help justify the increased cost.

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT can also be considered as a competitor to the RX 7900 GRE, albeit to a lesser degree. While it may not match up in terms of hardware capabilities, its positions it closely behind the new RX 7900 GRE.

Synthetic Tests.

Synthetic benchmarks should be approached with caution as they do not accurately represent real-world performance and have limited utility in comparing graphics card performance. In the instance of 3DMark, the test outcomes indicated that the RX 7900 GRE performed slightly better than the RTX 4070 in the ray-tracing intensive Port Royal test. Furthermore, it exhibited even greater superiority in Time Spy Extreme, a test that does not incorporate ray tracing, surpassing the performance of the RTX 4070 Super as well.

The Radeon RX 7900 GRE outperformed its competitors in Furmark and Superposition, maintaining its lead in terms of performance. However, it significantly lagged behind in LuxMark.

AMD’s Initial Challenges: Evaluating Ray Tracing, DLSS, and FSR Performance.

AMD’s graphics cards currently face some difficulties when it comes to supporting games with ray tracing. Although they are still capable of running these games, on average, AMD’s GPUs tend to encounter more challenges compared to their Intel or Nvidia counterparts. This observation was once again evident in our findings.

Commencing with F1 22, the RX 7900 GRE outperformed the RTX 4070 across all resolutions. However, the tables turned when the RTX 4070 Super entered the picture, surpassing the RX 7900 GRE at all resolutions. Nevertheless, this advantage vanished once DLSS and FSR were activated, resulting in an undeniable victory for the RX 7900 GRE. Remarkably, in this particular test, the RX 7900 GRE even managed to slightly outperform the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti. The F1 22 testing concluded with a mixed outcome, as the RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 Super regained the lead with DLSS 3 enabled, but only at a resolution of 2,560 by 1,440. At 4K, both cards remained inferior to the RX 7900 GRE.

The performance of AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 GRE in F1 22 was remarkable. However, when it came to playing Returnal, we witnessed the emergence of the well-known problem that AMD faces with ray-tracing games. In this particular game, the RX 7900 GRE fell short in comparison to the RTX 4070 Super, which proved to be considerably faster overall. The RX 7900 GRE only managed to take the lead when the RTX 4070 Super had to resort to using DLSS 3, resulting in a significant decline in its performance.

The RX 7900 GRE continued to struggle in Cyberpunk 2077, as it remained noticeably inferior to both the RTX 4070 and the RTX 4070 Super. Even with the implementation of FSR 2.1 and DLSS 3, the Nvidia cards maintained their superiority. This trend was also evident in Guardians of the Galaxy, albeit without the involvement of DLSS.

The opportunity for the RX 7900 GRE to showcase its capabilities in AAA game testing.

The outcomes of games that are compatible with ray tracing fell short of expectations, indicating that AMD must prioritize enhancing ray-tracing capabilities moving forward. Subsequently, we shifted our focus to games that do not utilize ray tracing, providing the RX 7900 GRE with a more favorable opportunity to showcase its strengths.

The results of games supporting ray tracing were subpar, highlighting the need for AMD to enhance ray-tracing performance in the future. We then evaluated games without ray tracing, allowing the RX 7900 GRE to demonstrate its capabilities more effectively.

In Total War: Three Kingdoms, the RX 7900 GRE proved to be a more suitable counterpart to the RTX 4070 Ti compared to the RTX 4070 Super. Neither the RTX 4070 Super nor the AMD RX 7800 XT could rival its performance at any resolution, although the RTX 4070 Super did come close at 4K. When it came to Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the RTX 4070 Super exhibited superior speeds at 4K and 1440p compared to the RX 7900 GRE, despite the RX 7900 GRE being slightly faster at 1080p. However, the RTX 4070 still fell behind the RX 7900 GRE by a significant margin, indicating that it couldn’t quite match the performance of the AMD card in non-ray-tracing titles.

The most recent AAA game we evaluated was Far Cry 5, however, it proved to be less than ideal for testing the capabilities of modern high-end graphics cards. The test findings indicated a potential CPU or game engine bottleneck, leading to some unusual results. Surprisingly, the RTX 4070 outperformed the RTX 4070 Super in this test. While this outcome is unexpected, it highlights a possible issue with Far Cry 5 affecting the results, so it is advisable to interpret the data cautiously.

Evaluating Legacy Games: Assessing Backward Compatibility.

Driver support plays a crucial role in the performance of older titles. There have been instances where performance decreased or benchmarks failed to run on a new graphics card due to lack of proper driver support. These tests not only assess performance but also ensure card compatibility.

Bioshock Infinite continues to receive relatively good support, and the RX 7900 GRE clearly outperformed the RTX 4070 Super across all resolutions. Additionally, it surpassed the RX 4070 Super at 1080p and 1440p. However, the RX 7900 GRE lagged behind at 4K.

The performance of the RX 7900 GRE in Hitman Absolution was lackluster, and it exhibited a peculiar similarity to the RX 7800 XT. In the majority of games, the RX 7900 GRE outperformed the RX 7800 XT by a significant margin, making any further discussion unnecessary; the statistics speak for themselves. However, in this particular scenario, the two graphics cards were evenly matched. Both managed to surpass the RTX 4070 and RTX 4070 Super in terms of performance, although the RTX 4070 Super showcased superior results at 1440p in this game, it still fell behind at 4K and 1080p.

Sleeping Dogs demonstrates a more limited performance gap between the RTX 4070 Super, RTX 4070, and the RX 7900 GRE. While the RTX 4070 and RX 7900 GRE were closely matched, the RTX 4070 showed slightly superior performance at 1440p. Additionally, the RTX 4070 Super outperformed the RX 7900 GRE at both 1440p and 4K resolutions.

Power Efficiency and Thermal Performance Evaluation: An Efficient Power Consumer.

The power draw of the entire system is assessed by utilizing a Kill-A-Watt monitor to measure power consumption across different cards. Interestingly, the power consumption of the Radeon RX 7900 GRE was found to be nearly on par with the RX 7900 XTX and the RX 7900 XT, despite the fact that the latter two are expected to consume significantly more power.

The power consumption in Guardians of the Galaxy, Furmark, and Returnal was consistently higher than that of Nvidia’s competition. However, PowerColor’s thermal solution proved effective in maintaining the card’s coolness, as the recorded operating temperature never surpassed 61 degrees Celsius throughout our tests.

Verdict: A Card That’s Ready to Compete.

The positioning of AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 GRE in the current graphics card market seems rather peculiar considering its performance and price. It surpasses the Radeon RX 7800 XT with ease, yet it falls behind the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super just as effortlessly.

For those with a budget of approximately  and a preference for AMD graphics cards, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE is the ideal choice. Even if you are indifferent to the manufacturer of your graphics card and cannot exceed, this card remains the top recommendation. Nevertheless, if there is any flexibility in your budget, opting for an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Super would likely be a more advantageous decision.

The RTX 4070 Super does not have a significant performance advantage over the Radeon RX 7900 GRE in most games, only excelling in games that have ray tracing support. Despite not being a clear winner, we believe that the advantages of the RTX 4070 Super justify the additional. If we were to choose between these cards for personal use, the RTX 4070 Super would be our preferred option. However, this decision could be swayed by a substantial discount or other promotional offers such as a game bundle.

It is essential to evaluate each situation individually, and we would only consider that option if the purchase is significant or if the bundled game is one we had planned to buy anyway. Otherwise, we would prefer the RTX 4070 Super. While the RTX 4070 is a strong competitor to the RX 7900 GRE in games that utilize ray tracing, the RX 7900 GRE appears to be the superior choice overall. In games without ray tracing, the RTX 4070 is outshined by the Radeon RX 7900 GRE, as is the case with AMD’s RX 7800 XT.

Both of these cards were highly regarded and held a strong position in the market upon their release. However, circumstances have since evolved. Currently, the RX 7900 GRE offers a significant boost in performance compared to the RX 7800 XT, making it the more preferable choice. On the other hand, the RTX 4070 (non-Super) manages to stay competitive primarily due to its impressive ray-tracing capabilities.

The Radeon RX 7900 GRE’s positioning is impacted by various factors. It falls in a price and performance range that surpasses its lower-priced rivals but falls short compared to its higher-priced counterparts. While a slightly lower price would make the Radeon RX 7900 GRE more appealing, its current competitiveness already allows it to outperform both the RTX 4070 and RX 7800 XT, positioning it as a strong option.