Sapphire Nitro+ RX 470 OC Graphics Card Review

Final Thoughts
Well the Radeon RX 470 is here and Sapphire’s Nitro+ RX 470 OC is a great choice for anyone looking at getting an RX 470. The biggest thing about this card is that it is not a reference-designed card. That means you have a custom PCB with quality components, factory overclock, and custom cooling solution. That should make this an obvious choice over a a reference card. With the custom design Sapphire has gone with a sleek and stylish look that will fit into any system. The Sapphire logo on the side of the card and adds even more bling to your system, it has different settings and can be turned off if you like.

The DUAL-X cooling solution does a great job keeping your overclocked Polaris 10 GPU nice and cool and is not that loud either. The two 95 mm fans are removable, which makes them easy to clean and replace if needed. This cooling solution should be more than enough if you plan to overclock this card even further. Even better is when you do not have full load on your GPU the fans turn off, saving energy and of course keeping your system nice and quiet.

When it comes to performance since this is a factory overclocked card it is going to perform better than a reference card. The 1260 MHz boost clock competes pretty well with other custom cards out there as well. In our testing the GPU did not throttle at all, so you are going to get that full 1260 MHz at all times in your games. This card will be able to play the latest games in 1080p no problem with the highest settings, even 1440p gaming can be done if you turn the quality down a bit.

The only real let down with this card is that Sapphire’s TriXX software currently does not support AMD’s RX Series graphics cards. So we cannot adjust fan speeds, voltages, or clock speeds. Also the new version of the software should include settings for the RGB backlit logo on the side of the card. Sadly this new version of the software is not done and no word when it will be available.

Currently a reference Radeon RX 470 sells for $179, the Sapphire Nitro+ RX 470 OC is $209.00. So for $30 more you are going to get better components, a better cooling solution, factory overclock, and better performance. We think the $30 is worth it. Overall ThinkComputers awards the Sapphire Nitro+ RX 470 OC Graphics Card our Recommended Award.

TC award recommended

Pros:
– Custom-designed PCB
– Quality components
– Factory overclock
– Fans are removable
– Dual BIOS
– RGB-lit logo

Cons:
– Sapphire’s TriXX software is currently incompatible

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