Sapphire Radeon Nitro+ Rx 580 8gb Special Edition Review

At a Glance

Practiced's Rating

Pros

Great 1080p, adept 1440p, and solid VR gameplay
Compelling price to performance
Sapphire'due south Nitro+ customizations expect and work great

Cons

Lags far behind GTX 1060 in power efficiency
Basically a rebrand of the RX 480 with slightly college clock speeds

Our Verdict

The Radeon RX 580 is basically the Radeon RX 480 with a new name, but that all the same makes it the best mainstream graphics card around. Sapphire'due south custom Nitro+ design is stellar.

Best Prices Today

$229.99

When AMD's Radeon RX 480 launched just under a year ago, it redefined what was possible with a $200 graphics menu, delivering uncompromising 1080p gaming, darn skilful 1440p functioning, and fifty-fifty the power to play VR games—none of which was ever available in a graphics carte du jour that affordable before.

But it wasn't quite a flawless victory, and not just because Nvidia's comparable (yet pricier) GeForce GTX 1060 launched presently after. The Radeon RX 480 suffered from a power-draw controversy that AMD fixed with beauteous speed. Stocks of the carte were limited for months, which led to inflated pricing and countless ache in enthusiast forums. The 4GB Radeon RX 480 was hands-down the all-time "sweet spot" graphics card you lot could buy, but information technology had some luggage in Google searches.

Enter the Radeon RX 580, appear today as function of AMD's balmy Radeon RX 500-serial refresh.

The Radeon RX 580 release sweeps away all of that controversy—and gives AMD new Radeon 500-series GPUs to sell alongside its new Ryzen 5 processors. Merely these "new" graphics cards aren't really new at all, relying on the aforementioned underlying graphics processors as the RX 480, but with slightly boosted clock speeds granted by a yr of process optimizations. With so niggling changed, and Nvidia'southward GeForce GTX 1060 likewise matured, is AMD'southward offering yet the mainstream graphics card champion?

Let'due south find out.

See the Radeon RX 580

Here's a look at the reference specs for the Radeon RX 580 and RX 570 (which PCWorld also reviewed). Even though the chart says the RX 570 packs 4GB of memory and the RX 580 has 8GB, that's only AMD'south recommendation. Both cards will be offered in both capacities.

In that location'due south not much difference from the RX 480, honestly. You'll notice minor bumps to peak compute speeds and memory bandwidth, only the only major tweak is the RX 580'southward clock speed. AMD'due south up to the second generation of optimizations on the Polaris architecture, which allow the company crash-land the speeds up from the RX 480's 1,120MHz base and 1,266MHz boost clocks to 1,257MHz/1,340MHz on the Radeon RX 580. The Radeon RX 580's base clock is now effectively the same every bit the RX 480's heave clock. Pretty nifty, though at that place'southward unfortunately no bump tomemory speeds or capacity.

Cranking clocks requires cranking power, though. The Radeon RX 580 is rated for a 185W TDP, compared to the RX 480'southward 150W, then look the cards to demand an viii-pivot power supply. AMD'south likewise allowing board makers to build cards with both an 8-pin and a 6-pivot power connectors to push things even farther.

chill — Radeon Arctic now supportsLeague of Legends andDota two.

AMD's offsetting that power increase with the introduction of a new power land that reduces free energy usage when you're idle, using multiple monitors, or watching videos. The company's also stressing the tremendous ability- and temperature-savings of Radeon Chill, a wonderful characteristic introduced in Radeon Crimson ReLive. Chill's disabled by default, though, and but compatible with 19 games—though they're 19 of the most-played games effectually, and coinciding with the Radeon RX 500-series reveal, AMD also announced that Dota 2 and League of Legends at present work with Arctic.

The company won't release a reference version of the Radeon RX 580 though. Instead, all of the cards that hit the streets—today—will exist customized models by AMD hardware partners like Sapphire, XFX, PowerColor, et cetera.

Speaking of which, the card we're reviewing today is the 8GB Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+ ($250 on Newegg), which cranks clock speeds all the mode upwards to 1,411MHz, or 69MHz faster than Sapphire's older RX 480 Nitro+.

But it tin go even further! While the older card relied on a unmarried 8-pin power connector, the Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+ adds an optional 6-pin connector to the mix, so the board can provide plenty of juice if you wind upwards winning the silicon lottery with a GPU that overclocks similar a gnaw. That'south augmented by Sapphire's black diamond chokes, which filter and clean up the card'southward electrical signals.

Sapphire'due south RX 580 needs two power connections.

The Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+ maintains a tweaked version of the superb Dual-X cooling system from its predecessor. That'due south fine by us. Dual-X'south dual fans and estrus pipe-infused heat sink work well—equally y'all'll see in the temperatures department—and Sapphire has re-engineered the cooler'due south design to run much quieter than before. Plus, the look of Sapphire'southward card remains stunning.

While many modern graphics cards rock vivid colors, angular designs, and RGB everything that cater to the edgy so-called "gamer" artful, the RX 580 Nitro+ sticks to sleek silver-and-blackness simplicity that looks groovy in our GPU testing arrangement. The Sapphire logo on the side all the same lights up, but in a tasteful blue hue by default (you can manually alter the color with Sapphire's Trixx utility). The perforated black shroud looks elegant despite being hard plastic, especially paired with the Nitro+'s gorgeous (and redesigned) metal backplate.

The Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+'s fans won't commencement spinning until y'all toss a decently heavy graphics load at your PC. They're also held in by a single screw for easy replacement in case of failure—no need to send your unabridged GPU back. Sapphire's same Trixx software even includes a Fan Wellness feature that, uh, checks the health of your fans and can connect you with Sapphire back up if ane craps out.

Finally, the Nitro+ includes dual DisplayPorts, 2 HDMI 2.0 connections, and DVI-D. The DVI port will be a approval for folks with older monitors, while the pair of HDMI ports should come up in handy for early on virtual-reality adopters, as the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive each utilize an HDMI connection.

Plenty talk. Let's benchmark!

Next folio: Test system configuration, benchmarks begin

Our test system/Division results

We tested Sapphire's Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ on PCWorld's dedicated graphics card benchmark system. Our testbed's loaded with high-finish components to avoid bottlenecks in other parts of the system and prove unfettered graphics performance.

Intel's Core i7-5960X with a Corsair Hydro Series H100i closed-loop water libation ($120 on Amazon).
An Asus X99 Deluxe motherboard ($230 on Amazon for an updated version).
Corsair's Vengeance LPX DDR4 retention ($130 on Amazon), and 1,200-watt AX1200i power supply ($310 on Amazon).
A 480GB Intel 730 series SSD ($280 on Amazon).
Phanteks' Enthoo Evolv ATX example ($190 on Amazon).
Windows 10 Pro ($158 on Amazon).

We're comparison the $250 Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ against its natural competitors. Since this is an overclocked model, information technology'll get up confronting an overclocked RX 480—MSI'south ferocious 8GB Gaming X, specifically. We too tested EVGA's overclocked 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 SSC ($250 on Amazon) and stock-clocked 3GB GeForce GTX 1060 ($190 on Amazon), as well as Gigabyte's overclocked $180 Aorus RX 570 to show how the RX 580's little blood brother holds upwardly.

AMD's marketing materials compare the RX 580 to the older R9 380 and GTX 970, pushing the "upgrade with Ryzen" angle, simply we're not going to do that here. Frankly, the RX 480 already outpunched those cards, every bit covered in PCWorld's year-old RX 480 review—especially the older Radeon.

Each game's tested using its in-game criterion at the mentioned graphics presets, with V-sync, frame-charge per unit caps, and all GPU vendor-specific technologies—like AMD TressFX, Nvidia GameWorks options, and FreeSync/G-Sync—disabled.

The Division

The Division, a gorgeous 3rd-person shooter/RPG that mixes elements ofDestinyandGears of War, kicks things off with Ubisoft'due south new Snowdrop engine. We test the game in DirectX 11 mode; The Sectionalisation recently rolled out an update that adds DirectX 12 support, only the performance is virtually identical to the DX11 results.

The overclocked EVGA GTX 1060 and MSI RX 480 cards deliver near identical performance here. The Sapphire RX 580 Nitro's bolstered clock speeds eke out a few actress frames but it'south a pretty small-scale increase. The roughly xiii percent lead the RX 580 maintains over the RX 570 is plenty to firmly push it past 60fps at 1080p, and deliver a noticeably smoother 1440p feel. There's a big divergence betwixt frame rates in the lower- and upper-40s.

Side by side page: Hitman

Hitman

Hitman'southward Glacier engine historically favored AMD hardware. It's no surprise;Hitman's a flagship AMD Gaming Evolved title. That said, GeForce cards certainly don't slouch after contempo driver optimizations. Nosotros exam in both DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 with SSAO disabled.

The Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ again delivers a mere few frames-per-second increase compared to its predecessor, and a sizable lead over the RX 570, though it draws fairly even with the overclocked 6GB GTX 1060.

Bated from the RX 580'due south paltry performance uptick, the nearly noticeable affair here is the 3GB GTX 1060's DirectX 12 performance. DX12 tends to hit retentiveness pretty hard, and it shows in cards with less than 4GB of RAM. EVGA's 3GB bill of fare stutters heavily when you flip the DX12 switch, which in turn drags down its overall frame charge per unit.

Next page: Rise of the Tomb Raider

Ascent of the Tomb Raider

WhereasHitmanadores Radeon GPUs,Ascent of the Tomb Raiderperforms much amend on GeForce cards—and it'south absolutely gorgeous. We merely examination the game's DirectX 11 mode, as DX12 results can exist erratic.

The Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+'south actress oomph helps it close the gap on Nvidia'due south contender here, specially at 1440p resolution, which flirts with the 60fps gold standard—unlike the Aorus RX 570. The gulf widens at 1080p but that'due south to exist expected with this game.

Adjacent page: Far Cry Primal

Far Cry Primal

Far Cry Primalis another Ubisoft game, but information technology'south powered by a different engine than The Division—the latest version of the respected Dunia engine.

One time once again, the RX 580 outpunches the RX 480 by such a slim margin that your eye could never really see the difference. And once more, the EVGA 6GB GTX 1060 and Sapphire RX 580 Nitro+ trade blows depending on the graphics preset and resolution tested.

Adjacent page: Ashes of the Singularity

Ashes of the Singularity

Ashes of the Singularity, running on Oxide's custom Nitrous engine, was an early standard-bearer for DirectX 12, and many months later on it'showever the premier game for seeing what next-gen graphics technologies have to offer. We test the game using the High graphics setting, every bit the wildly strenuous Crazy and Extreme presets aren't cogitating of real-world usage scenarios.

Surprise! Information technology's a draw yet again—if yous're on Windows 10. The Radeon card only ties Nvidia's results if you enable DirectX 12, which isn't possible if yous're on Windows 7 or eight.1. If you're on an older operating system, GeForce is the clear winner here.

Next page: Constructed benchmarks and more

Synthetics, VR, power, and heat

We likewise tested the Radeon RX 580 Nitro+ and its rivals using 3DMark's highly respected DX11 Fire Strike and Burn Strike Ultra synthetic benchmarks, also equally 3DMark'due south Time Spy criterion, which tests DirectX 12 performance at 2560×1440 resolution.

Everything falls about where you'd wait based on prior operation results.

SteamVR

Valve'south SteamVR operation examination considers all competitors ready for use with the HTC Vive, with the 6GB GeForce carte du jour head-and-shoulders above the rest. The Radeon RX 580 tin still deliver solid VR at a solid price—though I'd be nervous about the 3GB GTX 1060'due south 3GB retentivity buffer, no affair what Valve's test says about its VR capabilities.

These cards should do just fine with the Oculus Rift every bit well, thanks in role to Oculus' astonishing Asynchronous Spacewarp technology.

Next page: Power and heat

Power

Nosotros test ability under load by plugging the unabridged organization into a Watts Upwards meter, running the intensiveDivision benchmark at 4K resolution, and noting the peak power draw. Idle power is measured later on sitting on the Windows desktop for three minutes with no extra programs or processes running.

No surprises hither. Nvidia'southward Pascal GPU architecture is still vastly more than power efficient than AMD's Polaris, and that lead'southward merely extended at present that the Radeon RX 500-serial cranked upwardly clock speeds. Both are a huge improvement over the power draw of yesteryear's graphics cards.

The power optimizations AMD promised during idle usage are reflected here too. While we didn't measure it here, Radeon Arctic tin indeed bring down your power utilize and temperatures significantly—but merely in the whitelisted games, and y'all have to manually enable information technology. (Which you should!)

Heat

We test heat during the same intensiveDivision criterion at a strenuous 4K resolution, past running SpeedFan in the background and noting the maximum GPU temperature in one case the run is complete.

Here's proof that the custom cooling designs by graphics bill of fare makers matter. The 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 SSC sucks down much less power than the Radeon RX 580, only Sapphire'south Nitro+ keeps AMD's GPU chillier under load. It runs sliiiightly louder than the EVGA bill of fare as a result, but nonetheless damned quiet, fifty-fifty while gaming—and again, Radeon Chill tin work wonders hither if you use it.

Next folio: Bottom line

Lesser line

The Radeon RX 580 is about a mirror image of its predecessor, and so our buying advice remains the same. Modernistic graphics cards built using the 14nm or 16nm manufacturing process evangelize huge performance increases over older models from the same toll segment. If you're using a Radeon R9 380 or GeForce GTX 960—or anything released earlier those—the Radeon RX 580 is a worthwhile upgrade.

The $200 4GB Radeon RX 480 is still the best mainstream graphics card you lot can buy today. The experiences it unlocks for that price are still remarkable: no-compromises 60fps-plus gaming at 1080p, darn satisfying 1440p gaming in many games, and fifty-fifty virtual reality. This review didn't cover a 4GB RX 580, simply since the new lineup hews and so closely to RX 480 performance, I'm comfy giving it my stamp of approval. If you're gaming at 1080p buy this over whatever GeForce GTX 1060.

The $170 Radeon RX 570 likewise kicks butt at 1080p, 60fps gaming for even less coin, admitting with x to 15 percent less performance, which makes it less futurity-proof. Pairing either the RX 570 or the RX 480 with an affordable FreeSync variable refresh monitor delivers a stellar gaming experience, and unlike Nvidia G-Sync monitors, FreeSync doesn't skyrocket the cost of a display. FreeSync's a major selling point for Radeon cards in this price range.

The $230-plus 8GB Radeon RX 580 is a trickier proposition. It'southward near tempting if you lot're planning on 1440p gaming or you call up the cheaper model's 4GB buffer won't concord up well over the corporeality of time y'all programme on keeping the graphics card. But its price bespeak puts the 8GB RX 580 head-to-head against Nvidia's 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 and they're almost equals in terms of sheer performance.

Both of the cards are neat, and AMD and Nvidia accept both been killing it with software and drivers recently. If you value the actress 2GB of memory and affordable FreeSync monitors, go for the Radeon card. The GeForce GTX 1060 offers much meliorate power efficiency, Nvidia's wonderful Ansel tech, and typically sky-high overclocking potential. It's a button.

If you exercise decide to go with an 8GB RX 580, Sapphire's customized $250 RX 580 Nitro+ should exist on your shortlist for consideration. It's gorgeous, cool, and extremely quiet without existence gigantic, and the extra power connexion should come in handy if you plan on overclocking. The $250 cost point is comparable to other highly customized 8GB RX 580s being released by other graphics card vendors, and Sapphire'southward optimizations are stunning.

But my advice is not to buy the Radeon RX 580 if y'all're reading this someday near the card's launch. Every bit far equally refreshes go, the Radeon RX 500-series is incredibly disappointing: Memory speeds and capacity weren't touched whatsoever, unlike with AMD's R300-series rebrands, and the slightly college clock speeds just result in a performance uptick of a few frames per 2d. Leftover Radeon RX 480s can be establish at deep price discounts as I'g writing this. On Newegg, several custom 4GB models tin can be had for $180, and Gigabyte's RX 480 Windforce is merely $170 later rebate. Heck, several 8GB RX 480s are hovering around $200—including Sapphire'south own RX 480 Nitro+.

Go with the older RX 480 cards if they're available and you want to salve some greenbacks. You won't notice the performance difference. Only at its core, the Radeon RX 580 is still the same Polaris GPU we're used to from before, so one time the cheap Radeon RX 480s dry up, the 4GB version of this newer refresh is still the best $200 graphics card you can buy.

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Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/406448/sapphire-radeon-rx-580-nitro-review-amd-battles-for-pc-gamings-sweet-spot-again.html#:~:text=The%20Sapphire%20RX%20580%20Nitro%2B%20maintains%20a%20tweaked%20version%20of,run%20much%20quieter%20than%20before.