XFX Radeon RX 6800 XT Merc 319 review: Lastly, an fanatic option for AMD fans

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Final week the $650 Radeon RX 6800 XT hit the streets and straight away set aside Nvidia’s $700 GeForce RTX 3080 on trace. For the predominant time in a really long time, AMD’s graphics playing cards can dangle sophisticated with Nvidia’s most highly effective offerings. The first wave of Radeon RX 6800-series graphics playing cards caught to AMD’s (vastly improved) reference manufacture, however personalized versions of the Radeon RX 6800 and 6800 XT hit the streets Wednesday to show us what “Mountainous Navi” is ready to with even more present an explanation for engineering backing it up.

The $800 XFX Radeon RX 6800 XT Merc 319 (from the firm’s recent “Speedster” series) doesn’t retain encourage as XFX’s subsequent-gen flagship. This drool-inducing graphics card packs one amongst the most mountainous coolers we’ve ever viewed. All that heavy metal helps the Speedster preserve fully silent no topic a hefty manufacturing unit overclock that brings its out-of-box speeds successfully previous the 2GHz barrier. Care for every RX 6800 XT, XFX’s model packs ray tracing capabilities, the ability to salvage even sooner when paired with Ryzen CPUs, and a gigantic 16GB memory buffer that dwarfs what you search on rival GeForce GPUs.

But is XFX’s custom jog value a large $150 more than the reference Radeon RX 6800 XT? Let’s dig in.

Additional Radeon studying:

• 5 key stuff that you just may maybe additionally have to know about AMD’s Radeon RX 6800 and 6800 XT
• AMD Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT review: A exquisite return to high terminate gaming
• RDNA 2 deep-dive: What’s inside AMD’s Radeon RX 6000 graphics playing cards
• AMD Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT: 3440×1440 ultrawide benchmarks

XFX Radeon RX 6800 XT Merc 319 specs and aspects

Brad Chacos/IDG

Below the hood, the XFX Merc 319 is constructed across the same “Navi 21” graphics chip as all Radeon RX 6800 XT objects. It’s no longer the paunchy 80-compute-unit version of the GPU—that’s being reserved for the $999 Radeon RX 6900 XT coming in December—however it unquestionably’s shut, with every of the 72 CUs including a ray accelerator dedicated to precise-time ray tracing effects.

Right here’s a judge at the reference specifications for the Radeon RX 6800 XT, alongside the RX 6800 and final-generation’s RX 5700 XT:

AMD

XFX applies a solid manufacturing unit overclock out of the box. The Speedster Merc 319 comes with dual BIOS switches. The default “Balanced” BIOS on the final note is rated for fashioned Game Clock speeds of 2090MHz (+75MHz vs. reference) and maximum Boost Clock speeds of 2340MHz (+90MHz vs reference). Flipping over to the “Rage” BIOS on the left adds one other 20MHz to those speeds, alongside with elevating the energy restrict by one other seven watts to support push performance even additional.

XFX

XFX’s Rage BIOS takes its title from the recent “Rage” energy tuning preset in AMD’s Radeon Software program, which is on hand entirely on the sooner XT versions of the Radeon RX 6000-series graphics playing cards. Enabling Rage mode in Radeon Software program cranks the energy restrict even additional—and ramps up the cardboard’s fan speeds to compensate.

The XFX-equipped chart at correct reveals how the 2 BIOSes on the Merc 319 behave with the a ramification of tuning presets in Radeon Software program. When you’re hoping to push performance as a lot as which that you just may maybe additionally factor in, flipping on both the Rage BIOS and Rage mode in Radeon machine will up the final energy restrict by a fundamental 25 watts. That’s sooner than you raise out any manual tinkering to clocks or voltages.

Brad Chacos/IDG

The XFX Speedster Merc 319 fuels that energy the usage of a pair of 8-pin energy connectors, same because the reference Radeon RX 6800 XT. It moreover aspects the identical verbalize outputs because the reference model, with dual Displayports, a USB-C port that can even be frail with shows and successfully matched VR headsets alike, and a single HDMI 2.1 reference to variable refresh price enhance. When you’re connecting the XFX Merc 319 to a high-terminate TV that involves adaptive sync technology, it’ll work correct as successfully as a FreeSync observe due to the HDMI 2.1’s inclusion.

XFX Radeon RX 6800 XT Merc 319 manufacture

It’s the custom cooling manufacture of the XFX Radeon RX 6800 XT Merc 319 that lets in those increased speeds and energy limits.

Brad Chacos/IDG

This card is enormous. XFX’s precisely named Thicc playing cards had been enormous final generation, however the Merc 319 is even more huge. (Thicc-er?) It measures a sizeable 13.39 x 5.47 inches, and over two slots deep. Snatch sure you may maybe maybe even dangle room on your case sooner than procuring for it, however that’s in level of fact the case with nearly any high-terminate custom card at the 2d.

This GPU is see you later, we in level of fact needed to bustle our energy cables over it from our case’s wiring prick-outs, rather than from below as we in general raise out. You’d without pickle be in a place to rerun your cables to lead decided of that in a typical PC that isn’t continually switching out graphics playing cards, even though.

XFX

XFX supports that heft with a solid aluminum backplate, an aluminum-solid shroud, and an aluminum “tray” between the PCB and heatsink, all intended to amplify the cardboard’s rigidity and fight ability GPU sag. On the GeForce aspect of things, creators of immense honking high-terminate graphics playing cards enjoy the MSI RTX 3080 Gaming X Trio and EVGA RTX 3080 FTW 3 dangle began to incorporate GPU enhance brackets within the box. XFX relies on the rigid constructing of the Merc 319 as a substitute.

XFX devotes all that rental to a cooler that runs fully silent. You may maybe maybe well’t hear it over our test system’s case fans and CPU cooler, even all the plan thru intense gaming hundreds.

Brad Chacos/IDG

The XFX Radeon RX 6800 XT Merc 319 aspects a paunchy-length heatsink with a copper coldplate over the GPU and no longer one, no longer two, no longer three, however seven 6mm heatpipes snaking all the plan thru. Three axial fans with 13 blades design air into that heatsink—dual 100mm fans bracket a rather smaller, a shrimp offset 92mm fan within the center. Swiping a web page from Nvidia’s RTX 30-series Founders Version manufacture, a little prick-out within the backplate on the terminate of the cardboard lets in air to blow natty thru the heatsink, maximizing airflow.

Brad Chacos/IDG

When photography of the cardboard regarded online, some online commentators had been afraid about the place of the plastic “gentle bar” that holds the illuminated Radeon RX 6800 XT logo on the outer edge of the XFX Merc 319. From the aspect, it looks as even though the plastic bar significantly blocks airflow on that aspect of the cardboard, which can maybe hinder cooling efforts. Anguish no longer! XFX protrudes the bar by about a third of an run to allow air to proceed, and the warmth sink is unfettered on the reverse aspect. Ditching it’ll also presumably beef up cooling, however that will moreover dangle an effect on the swish shimmering this card objectives for. Finally, the cooler is efficacious adequate that the cardboard runs unheard.

XFX

Moderately than the usage of AMD’s default PCB for the Radeon RX 6800 XT, XFX in level of fact geared up the Merc 319 with the circuitry intended for the step-up Radeon RX 6900 XT for better energy shipping, and constructed the cardboard with a 14+2 energy section manufacture rather than the stock 10+2. The firm moreover applied 20 various thermal pads over various interior system to beef up temperatures for the 16GB of GDDR6 memory, voltage regulation, and more.

Brad Chacos/IDG

You may maybe maybe well look just some of the thick pads having a judge into the edge of the cardboard, as confirmed above. That involves striking thermal pads on the rear of the PCB, permitting the aluminum backplate to double as a heatsink—a convention we’ve viewed on some various playing cards.

XFX is well-known for its aggressive-having a judge designs. Final generation’s Thicc objects, as an illustration, evoked the feel of muscle cars of yesteryear. The Merc 319 refines that shimmering. I enjoy the industrial shadowy-and-silver vibe of this card, and RGB haters won’t accumulate an ounce of unicorn puke any place.

The XFX and Radeon RX 6800 XT emblems on the aspect are illuminated even though, and in an incredibly striking vogue. Their white lights (red, for the “RX” lettering) shine some distance more cleanly and clearly than the emblems raise out on rival graphics playing cards—kind of enjoy the distinction between fashioned vehicle headlights and LED headlights. These photography don’t expend how good it looks.

Brad Chacos/IDG

Then there’s the stamp. XFX emblazoned the note “Merc” in enormous, stylized white letters across the break of the backplate. It positively suits the vibe of the cardboard, as successfully as XFX’s fashioned branding, however if you decide your hardware to examine much less “edgy,” that you just may maybe additionally no longer love it. There’s no intention to lead decided of seeing it if your case involves a tempered glass aspect panel. Me? I dig it. Your mileage may maybe maybe vary. And what does “Merc 319” mean, anyway? Right here’s what XFX instantaneous me:

“MERC stands for Mercury (no longer mercenary), and 319 pertains to fan configuration. 3 = Preference of Followers, 1 = 100mm, 9 = 90mm. If we had been to dangle a 2 fan model with 100mm fans the volume may maybe maybe well be 210. So there’s just a few reasoning within the encourage of the title, and it’s no longer a random quantity. For the foreseeable future MERC will doubtless be our flagship model with all most effective aspects and upgrades.”

But adequate chit-chat. Let’s salvage to the benchmarks.

Next web page: Our test system, benchmarks launch

• XFX Radeon RX 6800 XT Merc 319

  The Merc 319’s imposing custom cooler delivers spectacular outcomes with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, however XFX bills a in level of fact steep top price for this no-compromises graphics card.

  Mavens

  • Completely silent
  • Improbable 4K and 1440p gaming
  • 16GB memory capacity
  • Efficient, comely custom cooler
  • Dual-BIOS swap, increased energy limits, upgraded energy shipping for overclockers
  • Gets sooner when paired with Ryzen 5000

  Cons

  • Completely huge
  • Very steep top price over MSRP
  • Ray tracing is sooner on GeForce GPUs
  • Aggressive “Merc” logo may maybe maybe flip some folks off