Published: June 18, 2024 | Source: XFX | Author: Tom Logan

XFX Radeon Magnetic Air RX 7800XT and RX 7900XTX

Introduction and Technical Specifications

Introduction

The 7000 series of AMD cards might be getting a little long in the tooth, with 8000 cards on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t new ideas to be found. XFX are famous for their AMD Radeon graphics cards, and with these new Magnetic Air models they’ve really pushed the boat out. We’ve got two of the four offerings for review. The Mercury RX 7900 XTX and Qicksilver RX 7800 XT. So what do they do that’s so different?

If you have been a regular visitor to these hallowed halls, or merely someone who likes hardware, you’ll be aware of the importance of cooling. We bang on about it endlessly. Better cooling means that you can run your system without going deaf, always a plus. It extends the lifespan of your hardware. Perhaps best of all, cooler temperatures allow the automatic boosting to boost harder, bringing you more performance.

However, you will also be aware that if you run your system for any length of time, or especially hard, then in time you’ll gain dust. Or, worst still, a fan bearing will give up the ghost. Cleaning and replacing system fans is fairly easy. Without being attached to anything in particular beyond your case a replacement/clean is just a screwdriver away. Graphics cards though are more of a headache. Besides the specialist Noctua cooler, all graphics card coolers are one lump. The fans are specialist frameless affairs. Getting the shroud off to clean them requires taking your whole card apart. A very stressful endeavour even for the confident. Getting a replacement fan for one that has died is expensive and, after a certain amount of time, incredibly difficult.

Which is where these new XFX Magnetic Air card designs score big points. Fans that just attach magnetically and can be removed in a moment for cleaning. Are we in heaven? Let’s find out.

Technical Specifications

Both cards are very similarly configured to the other RX cards in the XFX range. Clearly the USP is the new Magnetic Air fan system, but that’s no bad thing. After all, previous XFX cards we’ve reviewed have performed very well.