Gameplay Performance
We are going to focus on 1440p gameplay performance with the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB Gaming OC Video Card. We will include DLSS and FSR performance on the same graph in the games that are supported. We will use DLSS on NVIDIA GPUs and FSR on AMD GPUs. Ray Tracing performance will be shown on a separate page.
When comparing video cards in this review, we are using an AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, Radeon RX 6800, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Founders Edition. Keep in mind launch prices by MSRP for comparison, the Radeon RX 6800 XT launched at $649, the Radeon RX 6800 launched at $579, and the GeForce RTX 4070 FE launched at $599. The Radeon RX 7800 XT has a launch MSRP of $499. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB GAMING OC has an MSRP of $549.
Returnal
Returnal was launched on the PC in February of 2023 and is based on Unreal Engine 4. The game supports real-time ray tracing effects, particle systems, and volumetric rendering. We utilize the graphics preset to set EPIC graphics settings with unlocked framerate, and everything is enabled except ray tracing, we have screen-space reflections on. We use the built-in benchmark.
In Returnal, we are playing at 1440p with EPIC settings, and the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ RX 7800 XT 16GB Gaming OC is more than playable at over 100FPS offering a smooth and enjoyable gameplay experience. When compared to the GeForce RTX 4070 the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is 18% faster, which is quite a noticeable uplift. When compared to the Radeon RX 6800 the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is 24% faster which is the closest price competitor from the last generation, so that is the general uplift from the last gen in this game you are looking at. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is also 6% faster than the Radeon RX 6800 XT. Overclocking only improves performance by a minor bit, 3%.
Forspoken
Forspoken was released on January 24th, 2023, on the PC and uses the Luminous Engine. The game supports all upscaling methods and Ray Tracing. We are going to customize the settings and enable the highest graphics settings, including Ultra High Texture Memory. We use the built-in benchmark.
In Forspoken, we are running at the highest possible settings at 1440p and the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC once again allows a more than playable experience, this time at around 90FPS offering smooth gameplay. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC ends up being 6% faster than the GeForce RTX 4070 in this game, and 24% faster than the Radeon RX 6800. It is also 10% faster than the Radeon RX 6800 XT. Overclocking once again has only a minor effect, improving performance by only 2%.
The Callisto Protocol
The Callisto Protocol was released in December of 2022 on the PC and is based on Unreal Engine 4. We run the game in DX12 mode with unlimited framerate, and all graphics settings enabled and at the highest graphics settings. This game supports ray tracing, and FSR upscaling only, we use FSR2 for testing. We use the built-in benchmark.
In The Callisto Protocol, we see some interesting results, first to notice is that in practical terms the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC, GeForce RTX 4070, and Radeon RX 6800 XT are all offering the same gameplay experience and similar performance. Technically the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is slightly slower until we engage overclocking. The GeForce RTX 4070 is an irrelevant 0.2% faster, but when we overclock the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC it is now 2% above the GeForce RTX 4070.
The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is 22% faster than the Radeon RX 6800, so that shows you the performance improvement near the same price point from the last generation. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is 2% faster than the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC, so practically the same performance.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II was released on October 27, 2022, on the PC and uses the IW 9.0 gaming engine. The game supports all upscaling methods, and we use the highest quality option of each. We customize every graphics setting to the maximum value for the best image quality and enable everything. We use the built-in benchmark.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare II is extremely fast on the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC, at 138FPS average, it blows everything away in this game. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC ends up being 35% faster than the GeForce RTX 4070, which is pretty amazing, and it is 44% faster than the Radeon RX 6800. Compared to the Radeon RX 6800 XT it is 20% faster. Overclocking adds only minor performance by 1%.
Chernobylite Enhanced Edition
Chernobylite, based on Unreal Engine 4, was released on the PC in 2021, but the Enhanced Edition update for the game was released in April 2022. The Enhanced Edition provides a visual overhaul of the game with better textures, plus introduces tessellation and ray tracing features. It features raytraced reflections, raytraced translucency, raytraced caustics, and raytraced dynamic diffuse global illumination. It supports upscaling, and we use the highest quality. We use the built-in benchmark.
Chernobylite Enhanced Edition is very playable on the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC at 118FPS gameplay is very smooth and enjoyable. Technically the GeForce RTX 4070 maintains a large performance lead at 12% advantage. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is 20% faster than the Radeon RX 6800 and 3% faster than the Radeon RX 6800 XT. Overclocking improves performance by 3%.
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 was released in February 2022 on the PC and uses Techland’s C-Engine. The game supports Ray Tracing, DLSS, and FSR2. We use the built-in preset to set “HIGH QUALITY” which sets the highest game graphics, without Ray Tracing. We manually enable DX12 and ASYNC Compute. We use the built-in benchmark.
In Dying Light 2 the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC offers a more than playable experience at 124FPS at max settings at 1440p. Here the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is 7% faster than the GeForce RTX 4070 and 15% faster than the Radeon RX 6800 XT. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is on par with Radeon RX 6800 XT performance. Overclocking improves performance by 2%.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December 2020 and uses the REDengine 4. We have the game patched to version 1.62 and utilize the built-in benchmark. We test using the Graphics Preset option to set graphics settings to “Ultra”. We utilize the highest quality upscaling.
In Cyberpunk 2077 the SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC demands a pretty big performance lead over all the other video cards here. At 97FPS it provides a smooth and enjoyable gameplay experience at 1440p and Ultra settings. The SAPPHIRE NITRO+ Radeon RX 7800 XT Gaming OC is 26% faster than the GeForce RTX 4070, which is a pretty big advantage in performance. It is 30% faster than the Radeon RX 6800 and 13% faster than the Radeon RX 6800 XT. Overclocking improves performance by 2%.