AMD RX470 – ASUS Strix and Sapphire Nitro Review

Introduction

There have been a wave of AMD graphics cards released in recent times. No sooner had we got used to the HD7970 than the 290X was upon us, and just as we knew how that performed along came the 390X and then the Fury X. Before the dust had settled here was the RX 480. Gosh it’s been a busy couple of years in the Radeon R&D department. 

Now the RX 480 is a great card for the money, capable of producing smooth gaming in 1080P and most of the 1440P titles that form part of our bench suite. Only last week we tested two RX 480s in Crossfire and found them to be more than a match for the GTX 1080. It seems AMD truly are back on the right path, which is good news for all of us.

If the RX 480 was a little too expensive for your tastes, but you still want the fun of gaming in 1920×1080 then perhaps we can tempt you with the RX 470?

Rather than start with a reference card, something we know nobody actually buys, we’re diving straight in at the deep end with two partner cards sporting fantastic cooling options and a little bit of overclocking in the name of the ASUS RX 470 Strix and the Sapphire RX 470 Nitro.

Technical Specifications

Despite the invention of higher resolution displays, the majority of us still use 1080P for our gaming. The stress a higher resolution places upon your graphics card means that you very quickly require some expensive hardware, whereas 1080P – by virtue of its popularity in consoles – will run on nearly anything.

This lower entry price is the key to any mid-range graphics card, and it is one that AMD have grasped with both hands with the RX 470 and its expected retail price of around £180. Even the two cards we have up today, the Strix and the Nitro, will both be similarly priced despite their vastly superior coolers.

Speaking of great looking cards, let’s get on and take a look shall we.