Sapphire Nitro+ RX 480 OC 8GB Graphics Card Review

John Williamson / 8 years ago

A Closer Look

The Sapphire Nitro+ RX 480 OC is based on an elegant design philosophy and the understated theme looks sublime. Instead of trying to infuse far too many colours together in a haphazard way, Sapphire decided to keep things simple and uphold the notion that less is more. This neutral colour scheme widens the product’s appeal and it should fit in a number of builds. Honestly, the graphics card’s unique appearance is refreshing and makes many competing models appear almost childish. The indentations scattered all across the matte gunmetal shroud is an ingenious idea and contributes to a more distinctive appearance without detracting from the subtle styling. On another note, the Nitro branding is implemented without being overbearing and the silver fan stickers compliment the black shroud.

The graphics card features a custom PCB, dense fin array aluminium heatsink and four nickel plated copper heat-pipes. Not only that, the company’s Black Diamond Chokes 4 reduces coil temperatures by 15% compared to the previous version. Sapphire’s no-compromise approach to cooling is admirable and the new compact but efficient system is worthy of praise.

While the front section looks absolutely breathtaking, the backplate takes things to a completely new level. In my opinion, this is the best-looking backplate ever created and by a considerable margin. Without using any hyperbole, I can assure you that the backplate’s construction and styling cannot be improved upon. I particularly love the gorgeous colour coordination and sleek lines. Even the Nitro logo is positioned perfectly and Sapphire’s design team have excelled themselves. Unfortunately, words or pictures cannot do the backplate’s aesthetic the justice it deserves.

Sapphire’s updated cooling fans offer 85% longer lifespan than the previous generation. Even more impressive, these 95mm dual bearing fans are 10% quieter and can easily be replaced just in case any technical problems arise. Removing each fan couldn’t be simpler and involves unscrewing a single screw which holds them firmly in position. Sapphire employed this method to prevent users from accidentally uncoupling the fans when handling the graphics card. Furthermore, some users might find it too satisfying when using a clicking mechanism and remove the fans too often.

Of course, the ability to remove the fans improves RMA times and means the end-user doesn’t have to ship the entire graphics card at their expense just to replace a faulty fan. This makes sense because the fans are the most likely element to fail over time. Sapphire is also working on a huge update to their overclocking software and a new feature provides information on fan health and directs you to an adviser if they’re not detected as fully functional. Once again, this ensures the customer is taken care of and any mishaps are dealt with in a swift manner. The fans can be removed and cleaned to reduce dust build-up which has the potential to impact on fan efficiency. Thankfully, Sapphire’s fan removal system allows you to clean the two fans without invalidating the warranty period.

In a similar vein the R9 Nano, the 8-pin power connector has been positioned at a side angle. Evidently, this is an upgrade compared the reference 6-pin connector and allows the end user to leverage an extra power threshold at higher clock speeds. I quite like the idea of the power connector on the side and it demonstrates a high-level of thought when designing the custom PCB layout.

As previously mentioned, the Sapphire Nitro+ RX 480 OC features a BIOS switch with the option to cycle between silent and boost modes. I’ve always preferred a manual switch instead of relying on software because many people dislike being forced to install vendor programs just to access different profiles. Thankfully, Sapphire have maintained a simple approach and selecting the BIOS you wish to use is effortless. Sapphire’s Nitro Glow technology contains a host of RGB lighting options including static, rainbow shift, change colour by fan speed, and PCB temperature.

If you find these colours a bit over-the-top, it’s possible to disable the lighting. By default, the graphics card uses a static blue colour which fits in with Sapphire’s branding. Unlike many implementations, the lighting isn’t too ostentatious and compliments the graphics card’s theme. This is vital because the last thing you want from such a lovely aesthetic is to ruin it with lavish effects. Please note, the update to Sapphire’s TriXX 3.0 software will include lighting customization upon release.

Here we can see the graphics card’s attractive appearance and it’s bound to fit pretty well with a huge range of cases, especially if they have a tinted tempered glass panel.

When it comes to connectivity, the graphics card houses a dual-link DVI-D port, two DisplayPort 1.4 and two HDMI 2.0b. Please note, the Polaris architecture supports HDR and 4K h.265 encode/decode. Sapphire even developed optimised air vents in the I/O section to maximise airflow and reduce thermal loads.