The Sapphire Radeon RX Vega 56 Nitro + has become a serious individual

After a long time, the reference Vega graphics cards are finally starting to go extinct, and the unique models that arrive in their place may already be wearing the gloves that have been lying on the ground so far. Expectations for Sapphire are quite high, the Radeon RX 580 Nitro + has set the bar high, and the Fury R9 Tri-X OC has also done well.

AMD's most important partner did not save material, and with the cooling spread over the three slots, the card weighed 1,6 kg - which is why a support is included. The triple number (unfortunately) also comes back at the power connectors, as the lucky customer will need that many 8-pin PCIe power cords. By now, RGB lighting is no longer a curiosity, but a must. 

The authoritative PCB is 13 cm wide and 31 cm long.

Let's take some more time to cool down. The Vapor Chamber system is, of course, in direct contact with the GPU, the accumulated heat is transported from here by three eight- and six-millimeter-diameter heat pipes, and two also six-millimeter heat pipes pass through the power supply department. The indefinitely sized aluminum rib has 9,5 cm air vents on either side and a smaller but still small 8,5 cm fan in the middle. The middle one rotates clockwise, the two edges counterclockwise, so the heated air leaves quickly in all directions. Of course, the speed of the dust mixers can be parameterized as desired, and in the event of a failure, Sapphire will take care of their replacement. The graphics card can control two more fans, the speed of which will vary depending on the temperature data reported by the sensors on the PCB. The PCB is otherwise nearly as long as the cooling system, and the reinforced 14-phase power supply is sure to provide enough stability. VGA improves usability with two optimized BIOS - an energy-saving profile and a high-performance profile.

If you don't regret the time, it can be parameterized extremely well!

The default BIOS is sharpened to a higher pace, but we don’t think it’s a good choice. Sharpened settings for energy efficiency provide more modest speeds with just one breath, while drastic reductions in consumption have pleasant returns; quieter and cooler operation. For fine tuning, the driver provides three additional options: balanced, maximum, and energy efficient. It is worth experimenting, because on the one hand we get wide limits, and on the other hand Vega reacts very spectacularly to even a minimal amount of clock reduction. Maximalists can obviously target the capabilities of the larger model with a faster pace, not even out of a chance based on measurements. 

There are two DisplayPorts and the same number of HDMI outputs on the back. 

There will be no complaints about the RGB system either, the brightness can be changed in two steps, the colors can change depending on the temperature of the PCB or according to the fan control, and even the rainbow effect is given. Fortunately, the lights can be turned off.

Unfortunately, potential buyers still have to be a little patient, the Sapphire Radeon RX Vega 56 Nitro + can only appear in online stores after Christmas, and its price can be as high as € 600 with a three-year warranty.

The detailed test a Computer Database and the Bit-Tech can be read on its website.