Sapphire Nitro+ VEGA 64 Graphics Card Review

A Closer Look

The design of the graphics card is impressive, and builds upon the redesign we saw for the RX5xx series of GPUs. The main difference is that everything is now a lot bigger.

The heavy-duty design looks stunning, with the bulk of the shroud finished in a stylish matte black, and some clear acrylic top sections, which allow for custom RGB lighting.

Extra Cooling

On the back of the card, you’ll find a 4-pin fan header. With this header, you can hook up an external chassis fan, and the GPU can basically request more airflow when it needs it.

There are two larger fans on the edges of the card, with a smaller one located in the middle. They use an array of sensors and smart fan technology, meaning the card can stop all the fans in low-load (under 50c) and fire up any fan as required (above 55c).

Connectivity

At the rear, you can see just how thick and wide this GPU really is. It towers above the standard two-slot design, which could limit Crossfire support on some motherboards, so check your spacing! There are two HDMI ports, and two DP, making it perfect for multi-monitor setups, and VR gaming rigs.

Backplate

On the rear of the card, there’s a thick full-size backplate, that adds a lot of strength and helps improve the overall cooling of the PCB/hardware.

Nuclear Reactor Not Included

Holy power delivery Batman! That’s right, three 8-pin GPU connectors required to power this absolutely freaking monster of a graphics card… I hope you pay a low rate for your electricity!

Another RGB lit logo tucked into the back of the GPU. I’m eager to show you the lighting, so let’s get this card plugged in and rocking!

Light it Up!

The stunning glow of the fans looks amazing when powered up. I was worried about lighting uniformity, but clearly, that’s not an issue.

Around the back, the Nitro logo lights up, as do two light strips that I never even noticed before powering it up.

The edge of the card looks like a mirror until you power it on. As if by magic, a lovely Sapphire logo lights up the side of the card.