Allen
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Joined: Oct 1999
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Ohio USA
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Sapphire Radeon RX Vega 64 Nitro+ Review
Conclusion
Unfortunately, we can only speculate right now about real availability, and whether Sapphire's pricing proves realistic. The Radeon RX Vega 64 Nitro+ is nonetheless a great graphics card. Though, at a price of $660, enthusiasts will no doubt be divided in their willingness to pay so much money with GeForce GTX 1080s selling for almost $150 less. Given a general shortage of Vega cards right now, though, don't expect to find partner boards selling at any kind of discount.
Therefore, our Editor's Choice award represents true appreciation for Sapphire's technical implementation of a GPU that has proven somewhat problematic for other manufacturers, and not necessarily purchasing advice. If you really must have a decked-out Radeon RX Vega 64, it's going to be because you're a die-hard AMD enthusiast with a penchant for exclusivity, and not because we give it a thumbs-up or -down. In the end, there's nothing wrong with paying a premium on this card if you're one of the lucky ones who can get one...
Besides being an AMD fan, I'm also a low key Sapphire fan. Sapphire specializes in AMD products. Theirs seem to be the most advanced in many cases. The article seems to think they've done it again.
Its nominally faster, quieter, uses less power than the AMD RX Vega 64 Reference card.
If one is interested in a card, one should read the article. Its nuanced. In only a couple games, the new card blows away the Nvidia 1080 Ti in minimum framerate (the important framerate). Of course, the 1080Ti remains fastest overall.
In a couple games, the reference RX Vega 64 card is a bit faster than the new Custom card. The authors put it on the current AMD drivers -- not the card. We must wait for updated drivers to get all the power from this card.