Question Sapphire nitro+ series: best bang for buck? (with my local prices)

[dearland]

Hi,

I am building a new PC and dead set on buying a Sapphire NITRO+. Considering my local prices (screenshot below), which one is a better deal? Any of those 4 works for me, don't mind paying more if the gap in performance is justified (i.e. if a 20% increase in price for 30% in performance).

Thanks!

PS: Judging from a few YT comparisons between cards, it seems the 6650 is the best bang for buck (even if the 6950 gets 50% more fps in some games, it's almost 100% increase in price)

 

[bill001g]

Its hard to say with pricing not stable on stuff.

Generally the latest video cards are considered over priced by most people. The MSRP prices were pretty close to a 10% increase in price only got you a 10% gain in performance.

This article tries to do what you ask but the pricing seem out of date even though it is new. Like the 6800 costing a lot more than the 6950. In addition there are many variations of each model number even from the same vendor depending on what cooler they are using and if they overclocked the card.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/graphics-card-values-ranked-jan-2023

 

[Avro Arrow]

Hi,

I am building a new PC and dead set on buying a Sapphire NITRO+. Considering my local prices (screenshot below), which one is a better deal? Any of those 4 works for me, don't mind paying more if the gap in performance is justified (i.e. if a 20% increase in price for 30% in performance).

Thanks!

PS: Judging from a few YT comparisons between cards, it seems the 6650 is the best bang for buck (even if the 6950 gets 50% more fps in some games, it's almost 100% increase in price)

I think that you shouldn't just assume that the RX 6650 XT is the best value because of some because of some YouTube comparisons. I can tell you just from looking at your list that it isn't. I'll show you what I mean.

According to TechPowerUp's GPU database... <-click to look at it
The RX 6750 XT is 21% faster than the RX 6650 XT on average.
588 ÷ 440 = 1.336
You'd be paying 33.6% more for 21% more performance.
Therefore, the RX 6650 XT is better value than the RX 6750 XT.

The RX 6800 XT is 63% faster than the RX 6650 XT on average.
709.90 ÷ 440 = 1.613
You'd be paying 61.3% more for 63% more performance.
Therefore, the RX 6800 XT is better value than the RX 6650 XT.

The RX 6950 XT is 87% faster than the RX 6650 XT.
839.90 ÷ 440 = 1.908
You'd be paying 90.8% more for 87% more performance.
Therefore, the RX 6650 XT is better value than the RX 6950 XT.

The TechPowerUp GPU database is generally accepted as the last word when it comes to comparing video cards because TPU looks at several reviews (including their own) and averages them all out to give a more accurate metric.

Ok, so there's no question here that the RX 6800 XT is the best value . It is, on average, 63% faster than the RX 6650 XT but only costs 61% more. It won't limit you in games and will be viable for far longer than the RX 6650 XT, especially considering that it has literally double the VRAM (16GB vs 8GB).

Having said that, this really also depends on what it is you're looking for. You have to take into account the monitor that you're going to use. If it's only a 1080p/60Hz display, then the RX 6650 XT is the way to go because you won't be able to leverage the extra performance offered by the RX 6800 XT. Your experience will therefore be exactly the same with both cards, limited by the capabilities of your monitor.

What makes the RX 6800 XT so desirable here is that it breaks the rule of diminishing returns. Generally, the more that you go up in performance, the more that the value of a card will go down. This is because as you go up, you're not just paying X amount of Euros per frame, you're also paying extra for the card's overall increased capability, longevity and VRAM. You're paying for the ability to be less limited in what settings you can game with. However, in this case, the RX 6800 XT is a better value than a card that's WAY down the ladder from it.

Overall, I'd say that the RX 6800 XT wins big in this comparison and it is definitely the card that I'd choose. Oh wait, that's right, I DID choose it! As the owner of an RX 6800 XT, I can say quite truthfully that you'll love it if you buy it.

 

[dearland]

I think that you shouldn't just assume that the RX 6650 XT is the best value because of some because of some YouTube comparisons. I can tell you just from looking at your list that it isn't. I'll show you what I mean.

According to TechPowerUp's GPU database... <-click to look at it
The RX 6750 XT is 21% faster than the RX 6650 XT on average.
588 ÷ 440 = 1.336
You'd be paying 33.6% more for 21% more performance.
Therefore, the RX 6650 XT is better value than the RX 6750 XT.

The RX 6800 XT is 63% faster than the RX 6650 XT on average.
709.90 ÷ 440 = 1.613
You'd be paying 61.3% more for 63% more performance.
Therefore, the RX 6800 XT is better value than the RX 6650 XT.

The RX 6950 XT is 87% faster than the RX 6650 XT.
839.90 ÷ 440 = 1.908
You'd be paying 90.8% more for 87% more performance.
Therefore, the RX 6650 XT is better value than the RX 6950 XT.

The TechPowerUp GPU database is generally accepted as the last word when it comes to comparing video cards because TPU looks at several reviews (including their own) and averages them all out to give a more accurate metric.

Ok, so there's no question here that the RX 6800 XT is the best value . It is, on average, 63% faster than the RX 6650 XT but only costs 61% more. It won't limit you in games and will be viable for far longer than the RX 6650 XT, especially considering that it has literally double the VRAM (16GB vs 8GB).

Having said that, this really also depends on what it is you're looking for. You have to take into account the monitor that you're going to use. If it's only a 1080p/60Hz display, then the RX 6650 XT is the way to go because you won't be able to leverage the extra performance offered by the RX 6800 XT. Your experience will therefore be exactly the same with both cards, limited by the capabilities of your monitor.

What makes the RX 6800 XT so desirable here is that it breaks the rule of diminishing returns. Generally, the more that you go up in performance, the more that the value of a card will go down. This is because as you go up, you're not just paying X amount of Euros per frame, you're also paying extra for the card's overall increased capability, longevity and VRAM. You're paying for the ability to be less limited in what settings you can game with. However, in this case, the RX 6800 XT is a better value than a card that's WAY down the ladder from it.

Overall, I'd say that the RX 6800 XT wins big in this comparison and it is definitely the card that I'd choose. Oh wait, that's right, I DID choose it! As the owner of an RX 6800 XT, I can say quite truthfully that you'll love it if you buy it.

Thank you, I appreciate the breakdown. 6800XT it is, then (1080p 120hz, but I'll probably update the monitor down the line).

 

[zakalweocp]

Thank you, I appreciate the breakdown. 6800XT it is, then (1080p 120hz, but I'll probably update the monitor down the line).

I found you can get the 6800 XT nitros on aliexpress for about £300, planning to get one - it's replacing a very old R9 290x.

 

[Avro Arrow]

Thank you, I appreciate the breakdown. 6800XT it is, then (1080p 120hz, but I'll probably update the monitor down the line).

You can't go wrong with that card. I still laugh at the people who paid so much more for the RTX 3080 and got like, 3% more performance. They all whine about RT performance but I if they're being honest, you can't tell RT on vs RT off when gaming, except that sudden stuttering because your FPS just tanked. I also laugh at the people who paid more for the RTX 3080 because, you know, only 10GB of VRAM. Yeah, that card's not going to age well at all, BUT YOURS WILL!

With 16GB of VRAM, the RX 6800 XT will long out-live the RTX 3080 and when you're paying serious money for a card like that, longevity should be a factor. When the RTX 3080 was released and I saw that it had only 10GB on-board, I started laughing because 8GB cards were already having trouble with not enough VRAM at 4K. How long until the RTX 3080 is completely incapable of 4K?

People don't seem to understand that a card with only 10GB is a horrible choice when its performance-counterpart is less expensive and has 60% more VRAM. Oh well, like Forrest Gump said... "Stupid is as stupid does, sir!" 🤣

 

[Avro Arrow]

I found you can get the 6800 XT nitros on aliexpress for about £300, planning to get one - it's replacing a very old R9 290x.

That price is too good to be true. I'm not saying that you're lying, but I'm willing to bet that those are the RX 6800 XTs that have had their GPUs crack. It turned out that it wasn't the drivers, it was because they were used for mining in a hot and humid climate. Do you have a link? I'd like to check that out.

 

[dearland]

That price is too good to be true. I'm not saying that you're lying, but I'm willing to bet that those are the RX 6800 XTs that have had their GPUs crack. It turned out that it wasn't the drivers, it was because they were used for mining in a hot and humid climate. Do you have a link? I'd like to check that out.

I wouldn't chance it on aliexpress for a GPU (even if that price was real for a new card).

The only one I found is this (6800XT used for 561€).

 

[Avro Arrow]

I wouldn't chance it on aliexpress for a GPU (even if that price was real for a new card).

The only one I found is this (6800XT used for 561€).

Honestly, I don't think that it's worth saving 149€ because there's no warranty and a card like this should last a LONG time. I'd rather spend 561€ on a weaker new card. After all, 561€ isn't too far off of the RX 6800 XT's original MSRP. This is clearly a case of a miner trying to get you to pay for their profits.

Now, I actually did order a video card from China but it was an RX 580 2148P for well under $100 CAD. It's not for me, but for my mother's HTPC because right now she's using an R9 Fury that I gave her. I never intended for her to keep using it because no HTPC requires a 275W triple-fan gaming card. I know that the 2148SP is a de-tuned card but it's only 150W and has HDMI 2.0 instead of the R9 Fury's HDMI 1.4 so it would be better as an HTPC card anyway.

The way I see it, if there's a problem, it's not much money so I'm not risking a lot. An RX 6800 XT however, there's no chance that I'd risk that kind of money.

 

[logainofhades]

I would probably choose the 6800xt. Ideally, you want to get the best GPU, that you can afford, as a high end card will tend to last longer, before an upgrade will be needed.