We can’t talk about performance yet, but these GPUs should fit in most PC cases.
Next week, on December 13, AMD’s Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 7900 XT graphics cards go on sale.
These $999 and $899 GPUs will compete with Nvidia’s $1,200 and up RTX 4000-series and make an effort to fix some of the problems of the departing RX 6000-series thanks to its chiplet-based RDNA3 architecture (lackluster real-time raytracing performance, for one).
The cards are noticeably smaller than existing RTX 4080 and 4090 GPUs, and they don’t use the 12VHPWR connector, which has caused Nvidia some issues. This is one aspect of the cards that may suit users building in smaller cases.
Until our assessment is published the following week, we are unable to say whether the cards’ performance is higher or lower than the RTX 4080’s.
However, we can demonstrate that the 7900 XTX and the smaller 7900 XT are next-generation GPUs that can be used in many of the same applications as current-generation GPUs in the meantime.
Both GPUs use 2.5-slot coolers that are comparable to those seen on several partner cards and the 6900 XT series, although neither uses a two-slot fan and heatsink.
And power is still provided by a pair of 8-pin sockets, so if your PC is already configured to do so, you don’t need to worry about running extra cables or adapters.
The flagship 7900 XTX is 11.34.82.1 inches (287121.953.3 mm) in size, while the 7900 XT is slightly smaller at 10.94.42.1 inches (276.9111.853.3 mm).
The dimensions of the first-party RTX 4090 and 4080 from Nvidia are both 125.42.4 inches (30413761 mm), and the 12VHPWR adapters that are included with them add some additional width.
As a result, some PC cases may find it challenging to accommodate the 4080 and 4090, especially if they are placed next to a large CPU cooler or other components, whereas the 7900 series should fit into any chassis that can accommodate a 6900- or 3090-series card.
Of course, it doesn’t matter how small the Radeon cards are if they can’t compete with the 4080 or 4090; we’ll be going into more detail on performance, heat, and power efficiency when our review is published the following week.