PowerColor 7900 XTX HellHound Review

AMD’s new RDNA 3 GPUs are here and if you already checked out our launch day coverage, then you’ll know that I praised the 7900 XTX very highly as it offered up extreme levels of performance for cheaper than the competition. While we took a look at the AMD reference model, today sees the turn of AIB cards and we’re kicking things off with the PowerColor 7900 XTX HellHound. This review may seem a little shorter, but keep in mind, we already discussed various technologies and features in the main launch day review, which you can read here. Or, if you prefer to watch it, check out the video below. If you've already done that, or you just want to find out about the Hellhound, then, by all means, skip ahead to the second video below or move onto the next page if you want to read it. Video If you want to see our full video going through this, you can do so below. A Closer Look So the HellHound 7900 XTX is a pretty stand-out card in terms of its design because, firstly, it’s quite large and secondly while it includes a triple fan cooler, not all of the fans are equal with the outer two being 100mm in size, and the middle fan a tad smaller at 90mm. Couple this with the outer fans spinning in an opposite direction and a lick of colour, and it certainly stands out. Also, the fans are encased in an outer ring and PowerColor claims to have been able to drop the temperatures by around 3 degrees with these new fans. They also utilise an intelligent fan controller which can detect the temperature through a smart chip, therefore reducing the noise and longevity of each of the fans. Now while the card doesn’t have RGB, it does have the ability to sparkle in Ice Blue, or Amethyst Purple, though if you prefer, you can turn it off completely which I feel will be favoured by most as it’s just a bit in your face. Compared to a reference AMD 7900 XTX, PowerColor has gone pretty big at just under 320mm long, 131mm tall including the PCI-Express connector and around 61mm thick, so around 3 slots in thickness. Due to the size of the card, it may cause some issues with case compatibility, but no more so than if you were looking at one of the latest cards from NVIDIA. In terms of weight, it comes in at 1760 grams, which is significantly less than the reference 7900 XTX which came in at 2065 grams. Now I won’t lie, it’s very plasticky and does feel a little cheap, and due to it being on the larger side, that could cause some issues with sag. Though a support arm is included, it’s one of those flag pole-style ones that aren’t as good as an actual bracket. I do think there’s reasoning for this though as the card incorporates a kind of bracket that sits between the rear IO and the PCB itself to add to the rigidity of the card. There isn’t much colour on the shroud itself with just four simple silver lines to just break up the design a bit though I fear that you wouldn’t be buying this card specifically for its design. Sorry PowerColor, but they do have other products in the stack that give that extra design flair if you’re into that. Around the top, we do find the simplistic design flows around with some simple Radeon branding. While some will appreciate the branding and the view of the large heatsink, I get that the design won’t be for everyone, but knowing that it comes with the same MSRP as the reference-based card, it’s not unexpected to see fewer materials used. Also along the top, we find our two 8-pin PCI-Express connectors as standard, an LED switch for changing between the two colours or simply turning things off, and further along, a BIOS switch which allows you to change between silent and OC modes which comes with both different clock speeds as well as different power targets too. For the silent mode, the card will operate with a 291 Watt power target, a game clock of 2270MHz and a boost clock of 2500MHz while in OC mode, the power target is set to 303 Watts with a game clock of 2330MHz and a boost clock of 2525. The backplate on the card is pretty typical of the HellHound series with a pretty large HellHound logo that lights up the same colour as the fans, based on the positioning of the switch on top. Other than that, again, it’s quite simplistic in terms of the design with a brushed metal style and a small cutout for heat to escape near the end of the card. The end of the card looks quite industrious where the shroud, backplate and heatsink all come to an end, with a few holes for mounting a support bracket, not that this card comes with that type, which is a shame to see. Then on the I/O, we find plenty of ventilation, though, with such an open design to the card, I’m unsure as to how much air would be pushed in this direction anyway. Also, unlike the reference card, PowerColor has changed things up slightly with a single HDMI and three DisplayPort ports, while the reference card incorporated USB Type-C instead. Tear Down Taking the cooler apart is pretty simple, though the screws are on various sides, meaning that some need to be taken off the side, to remove the shroud, while the majority of the other screws are on the backplate, which then allows the removal of the main heatsink. Once removed, with a bit of light pressure, you can remove the backplate with the screws that are now visible. The PCB is smaller than the cooling solution, which is pretty typical with GPUs as of late, and the general design is pretty clean with a 20-phase design that’s split between 17 for the GPU and 3 for the memory. The GPU phases are managed by the Monolithic Power Systems MP2857 controller, while the memory is controlled by the Monolithic Power Systems MP2856 controller and all 20 of the phases are all Monolithic Power Systems MP87997 components and are rated for 70 amps of current each. The heatsink is larger than the PCB and is split into three sections where eight nickel-plated copper heatpipes transfer heat away from the core components through the plate which makes direct contact with both the GPU core and the GDDR6 memory for the best cooling performance. Overall, it’s a pretty standard cooler with nothing out of the ordinary, though with these Navi 31-based GPUs really pretty cool anyway, it’s not like it needs a crazy cooling solution like we’ve seen on other cards recently from the competition. Now due to the sheer size of the cooler, I am expecting some pretty decent numbers in terms of cooling potential, while also remaining pretty under control in terms of the fan speed, so let's take a look at the performance, and how it stacks up against other cards. How We Test We continue to update our testing methods around once per year. As such, we re-test older hardware to reflect changes over time. These can be driver updates, Windows updates, game patches, and more; all of which have an impact on performance figures. Furthermore, we update our test benches to newer and more relevant hardware. This means that our new reviews aren’t always comparable to those of older reviews, so please compare the testing methodology on older reviews should you be trying to compare them with newer ones. Replicate Our Results When it comes to our benchmarks in our reviews, the benchmarks are pretty self-explanatory and are kept as simple as possible, although there are a few exceptions. Remember that your choice of a graphics card, CPU, the silicon lottery, and other factors can yield different numbers, and there’s always a margin for error when using any software. Links are provided below, as well as the settings we use. We encourage you to not just look at how one product compares to any other, but how it compares to your own. If you’re looking to build a new system, you should benchmark your current PC using the benchmarks available to you. You should then look at the percentage improvement from your current hardware to the hardware tested here to give you a ballpark figure of how much of an upgrade this will provide you with. Processor Test Systems Test System (GPU) Motherboard ASUS ROG Z690 Maximus HeroBIOS Version 1720 Buy Now Processor Intel Core i9 12900K Review Buy Now GPU Changes Per Review RAM Patriot Viper Venom 32GB (2x16GB) 6200MHz Review Buy Now CPU Cooler NZXT Kraken Z73 RGB Buy Now Power Supply NZXT C1000 Gold Review Buy Now Storage Seagate FIRECUDA 530 1TB Review Buy Now Chassis NZXT H7 Flow Review Buy Now OS Windows 11 Pro Version 21H2 Drivers AMD Graphics: 22.10.1NVIDIA Graphics: 521.90 Additional Hardware Nvidia PCAT Software We use a variety of software from different developers to assist in our testing and to give us the most consistent results possible. Some applications are specifically used for testing, while others are simply used for monitoring and to aid us in making sure that our results are as accurate as possible. Software Used 3DMark FireStrike & TimeSpy (download) Gaming To gauge performance levels which are easily reproduced time after time, by both ourselves and our readers, we now stick strictly to games' default profiles. Given how powerful most modern cards are getting, we've begun using more demanding profiles for most games, but will otherwise state on a per-game basis if we use other profiles beyond High, Ultra, Maximum or their respective equivalent at all resolutions. V-Sync is always disabled in our testing, and all FPS caps that can be removed are. We also enable XMP and Resizable bar technology across all platforms to keep things as fair as possible. Games While we test a lot of games, it's not possible to display all of the data on the website or in our videos. Instead, we include access to all of our testing data for our Patreon members (link), where members get a ton of other benefits as well. What we do, however, is display charts for averages across all game titles to give a better picture of performance across all titles tested. Call Of Duty WarzoneCyberpunk 2077Death StrandingWatch Dogs: Legion Resolutions 4K (3840 x 2160) Some tests will also include features such as NVIDIA DLSS and Ray Tracing. However, these will be clearly labelled and may only appear in reviews for graphics cards that support those features. Power Consumption Not being content on simply reading total system power draw at both idle, we now have the ability thanks to the ElmorLabs PMD-USB device that allows us to measure power draw directly through the EPS power connectors. We test at idle, during gaming load, of which we measure drawing a run of Cyberpunk 2077 and during Cinebench R23 at load too. Temperatures We take temperature readings after 10 minutes of desktop idle with no background programs running, then take the recorded maximum delivered during the same runs as when we measure power consumption, being during our Cyberpunk 2033 run, and during Cinebench R23 at load too. Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II drops players into an unprecedented global conflict that features the return of the iconic Operators of Task Force 141. From small-scale, high-stakes infiltration tactical ops to highly classified missions, players will deploy alongside friends in a truly immersive experience. Available now on Steam. Starting with Call Of Duty Modern Warfare II and we see the Hellhound coming in less than 1% faster than the AMD reference card, though it does come in with 3% better scores in the 1% lows. This could be deemed as a margin of error on the average, though the 1% low, even by such a small amount is still nice to see. Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world, action-adventure RPG set in the megalopolis of Night City, where you play as a cyberpunk mercenary wrapped up in a do-or-die fight for survival. Improved and featuring all-new free additional content, customize your character and playstyle as you take on jobs, build a reputation, and unlock upgrades. The relationships you forge and the choices you make will shape the story and the world around you. Legends are made here. What will yours be? Available now on Steam. In Cyberpunk, things go in the opposite direction with the PowerColor card now giving us the same average FPS as the AMD reference card, but now with slightly lower 1% lows. Death Stranding From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes a genre-defying experience, now expanded in this definitive DIRECTOR’S CUT. As Sam Bridges, your mission is to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America. Can you reunite the shattered world, one step at a time? Available now on Steam. It’s a very similar story in Death Stranding with the PowerColor coming out on top, yet still dipping a little lower in the 1% lows when compared to the AMD model. Again, you could argue margin of error, and at such a high frame rate, you’re not going to notice it anyway. Watch Dogs: Legion Build a resistance from virtually anyone you see as you hack, infiltrate, and fight to take back a near-future London that is facing its downfall. Welcome to the Resistance. Recruit and play as anyone in the city. Everyone you see has a unique backstory, personality, and skill set. Available now on UPlay. Watch Dogs Legion again saw the PowerColor Hellhound come out on top in the averages, and again see similar dips in the 1% lows. Maybe AMD just have a card that is able to maintain a higher level of boost and eliminate those small dips? So across a small selection of games, it’s fair to say that the HellHound card either matched the performance of the AMD reference card or beat it by a margin of error of around 1 frame per second. Normally I’d be a bit upset by this, but as the PowerColor card is coming in with the same MSRP as the AMD reference card, there really isn’t any room to argue. Clock Speeds Now the other area that’s worth looking at with any custom card is how things perform in terms of cooling and power delivery. What we saw here was that the GPU temperature sat consistently at 66 degrees which is around the same temperature that we saw on the reference card from AMD. The memory junction also came in around the same at 90 degrees on the HellHound and the Hot spot remained under control at around 86 degrees which admittedly is 2 degrees warmer than the reference card. The GPU clock saw levels around 2430MHz for the most part with 100% GPU utilization, and during this, the total board power did rise to around 360 Watts with the fans remaining a very quiet 1200RPM though that was overshadowed by some pretty severe coil whine in places. Now in terms of overclocking. RDNA 3 is a fickle mistress. It’s not as simple as moving sliders across and away you go, but instead, requires a little more precision, and after working with both MSI Afterburner and AMD’s own inbuilt controls, the real trick seems to lay within raising the power limit by 15%, undervolting by around 125mV and then increasing the memory slightly while retaining full stability. What this allows is for the GPU to boost at the standard levels for a little longer and give higher boost levels for a longer sustained period of time. What this resulted in was an increased GPU temperature which hovered around 69 degrees, and a slightly higher memory junction temperature too, at 92 degrees, along with the hot spot temperature which also increased to 92 degrees. However, this did result in a much higher boost clock, now sitting just below 2700MHz. The power of the card did increase quite dramatically to 415 Watts, and while the fan speed did increase, at less than 1500 RPM, it was still incredibly quiet. Through overclocking, it did iron out a few smooth spots which saw around a 15% improvement in the FPS, but on the upper end of the performance, there was only around 5% between stock and overclock performance. How Much Does It Cost? Stock and prices are all over the place, as one really expects from a new GPU these days, so it's hard to nail down what you would actually have to pay right now. However, this card should have the same MSRP as the AMD reference card, making it around $999. Overview I’ve got to admit, I’ve probably been a bit harsh on the PowerColor RX 7900 XTX HellHound, but I’d like to think that my criticisms are justified, and that’s not really through any fault of PowerColor, but more that AMD has really stepped up their game with their reference-based cards. I think with NVIDIA going so strong on the FE design of cards that they have, they really set a bit of a precedent that AMD had to take note of and adapt, and with the way that the market is, and margins being smaller than ever, PowerColor still need to be able to make a product and make money doing so which I can’t fault them for. The HellHound isn’t a bad card, don’t get me wrong. It’s able to harness the true potential of the RDNA 3-based GPU and keep it under control at the same time. I think I’d be angry if this card was more expensive than a reference card, but luckily it’s coming in with the same MSRP as AMD’s own GPU and that makes it ok because it gives you as a user some choice. LED Lighting Obviously blue or purple isn’t going to be for everyone and the beauty of that is that it can be turned off if that’s not your cup of tea, so I can't knock that too much. Performance I kind of feel that PowerColor could have done a little more here. Obviously, as I mentioned, the card has a dual BIOS but the OC is still extremely quiet, and I would have much preferred to have seen either a higher clock speed or slightly faster fans which would have resulted in a lower temperature because when looking at the face of it, it’s almost too similar to the reference card. I know it’s a hard one to get right between performance, temperatures, and fan noise so yes PowerColor has done a good job, but I’d like to see a little more, but I guess that’s all part of the course when you have higher SKU models in your stack, and that’s what you’ll pay quite a bit extra for. For an MSRP card, you’d be stupid to dismiss the HellHound, and while I mentioned, the design won’t be for everyone. If you don’t care about that and just want a card that performs, runs moderately cool and is silent, at least in terms of the fan noise, then it’s a winner. Added Value One thing I will say is that it definitely has some stand-out features that I maybe wouldn’t have expected to see on a card that comes in at MSRP pricing, so there’s definitely some added value there, so like I said, maybe I’ve been a bit critical but I’d like to think for good reason. Let me know, do you agree with the points I’ve raised here today. Also, we will be looking at other AIB cards in the coming days, so definitely be sure to stick around for that.

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