AMD Unveils the Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB & RX 7700 XT 12GB at Gamescom, Priced at $499 & $449 Respectively

Gamescom has been underway for a few days and AMD, as leaked previously, has finally showcased its mid-ranged RDNA3 offerings. Based on the Navi32 GPU, AMD has unveiled the Radeon RX 7700 XT and the Radeon RX 7800 XT.

Navi32, MCM For the Masses

The launch of RDNA3 was initiated with Navi31, featured on the Radeon RX 7900 series. After that, we saw the budget RX 7600, which is makes use of Navi33, a monolithic GPU. The price delta between these two classes has been substantial.

As such, AMD is now launching its first GPUs based on Navi32. Going into the details, Navi32 doubles down on AMD’s chiplet approach with 1xGCD surrounded by 4xMCDs. The highest configuration goes up to 60 Compute Units with support for 256-bit GDDR6 memory.

• Navi31 – Chiplet – Radeon RX 7900 XTX | Radeon RX 7900 XT | Radeon RX 7900 GRE
• Navi32 – Chiplet – Radeon RX 7800 XTX | Radeon RX 7700 XTX
• Navi33 – Monolithic – Radeon RX 7600

Much like Navi31, the GCD is built using TSMC’s N5 process technology with the MCD resorting to N6.

Radeon RX 7800 XT

AMD’s Radeon RX 7800 XT makes use of the full-fat Navi32 die with all 60 Compute Units enabled. This GPU is the direct successor to the renowned RX 6800 XT, which surprisingly packs 12 more CUs. Either way, AMD has opted for a 256-bit memory bus design translating to 624GB/s of effective bandwidth (19.5Gbps memory).

Speaking of the memory, the RX 7800 XT has 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM, making it a perfect 1440p gaming card. The GPU clocks at 2.12GHz and can go up to 2.43GHz on boosting. The TBP (Total Board Power) is rated at 263W, 40-ish watts lower than the 6800 XT.

In terms of pricing, the RX 7800 XT will have a price tag of $499 and will hit shelves by the 6th of September. AMD touts the 7800 XT as a better alternative to NVIDIA’s RTX 4070. While costing less, the 7800 XT manages to perform ‘up to’ 23% better than its NVIDIA counterpart.

Radeon RX 7700 XT

Going further down the stack, we have the RX 7700 XT with 54 Compute Units. Across a 192-bit bus, the effective bandwidth stands at 432GB/s. AMD went for a 12GB configuration for the RX 7700 XT, similar to the RX 6700 XT from RDNA2.

The GPU clock speed is rated at 2.17GHz and 2.54GHz (Boost). It does consume more power (245W) than its predecessor, so the overall efficiency will take a hit. Priced at $449, the Radeon RX 7700 XT will be available starting from the 6th of September.

The RX 7700 XT rivals the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB and manages to come out on top in almost every scenario. The VRAM deficiency will tank performance in memory-bound titles, though 12GB should be sufficient for 1080p gaming.

How Do They Perform?

AMD put up the Radeon RX 7800 XT and Radeon RX 7700 XT against the two generation old RTX 2070 Super. This is a rather weird comparison, but still both RDNA3 GPUs stomp the 2070S.

RX 7800 XT

The Navi32 flagship or the RX 7800 XT trades blows with the RTX 4070 across a wide range of titles. In some scenarios, it is 23% faster where in others it falls short of the competition by 18%.

Interestingly, AMD has put some RT (Ray Tracing) tests into the mix. The 7800 XT loses in many, if not all RT-enabled titles but turns out to be 4% faster in Far Cry 6 (RT). One thing to note is that the RX 7800 XT consumes 30% more power than the RTX 4070.

If you’re an efficiency-conscious individual, this GPU may not be to your liking. However, that can be compensated by a lower MSRP and higher performance.

RX 7700 XT

The ‘budget-oriented’ RX 7700 XT 12GB crushes the RTX 4060 Ti across the board. Apparently, all titles were tested at 1440p. This alone should net the RTX 4060 Ti a significant gain in performance thanks to the extra VRAM, but that’s simply not the case.

The only cases where the RX 7700 XT loses are where Ray Tracing is brought into the equation. In pure raster performance, AMD is at worst 9% faster and at best 31% faster. While all of that is true, the RX 7700 XT consumes 50% more power than the RTX 4060 Ti.

Nonetheless, it is a promising option, though we do recommend you keep an eye out for your electricity bills.

Release Date & Summary

The RX 7800 XT will arrive in the Reference Edition flavor by AMD alongside other AIB variants. Sadly, the RX 7700 XT will remain exclusive to AIBs, though AMD has made a render for marketing reasons. The Reference Edition RX 7800 XT features a dual-fan design with a color tone similar to other RDNA3 models by AMD.

Overall, both Navi32 products are bound to give NVIDIA a tough time. We may see price cuts for the RTX 4060 Ti and the RTX 4070, though that’s speculation. The current RDNA3 lineup stands as follows: