Sapphire RX 7700 XT Pure Frostpunk 2 Edition Review

It's always fun to get our hands on unique and special edition hardware, and it has been no different for the Sapphire RX 7700 XT Pure Frostpunk 2 Edition.

Fundamentally we know what this card is all about, as it shares the same core PCB and cooler design as the regular Pure model. However, it is clearly all about the new Frostpunk 2 aesthetic that takes pride of place across the backplate, while curving neatly over the edges of the shroud. I also appreciate the addition of the ARGB LED zone, replacing the red-only LED on the original Pure card.

Buyers also get three enamel pins and ‘FP2' keycaps in the box, as well as a deluxe game code – granting early access as of today, 20th September. If you're not interested in Frostpunk 2 it's hard to say how much appeal the card will have, but either way, Sapphire has certainly created some a bit different to the other 7700 XTs on the market.

The cooler itself is just as effective as we expected, considering it's the same heatsink design as the Pure card. That is to say it runs very cool and very quiet, and while it isn't quite as competitive as the PowerColor Hellhound in terms of noise-normalised thermals, it is still a very capable cooler.

As my thoughts on the RX 7700 XT GPU itself, I still have mixed feelings. On the one hand, this card annihilates the RTX 4060 Ti 16GB, typically coming in 20-25% faster while costing slightly less, so that's a bit of a no brainer. But while 7700 XT pricing has fallen, with this limited edition model is currently listed at £399.95, the pricing of RX 7800 XT has also dropped, and I've seen models as low as £430.

Considering the 7800 XT is generally 15% faster and packs in an extra 4GB VRAM, I still think it makes the RX 7700 XT's existence somewhat complicated as most buyers would be better off spending the extra 10 or-so percent to get the 7800 XT.

However, there will be some for who £400 is a hard limit, and in that case I've always thought the 7700 XT is the best option – as we said, it crushes its closest rival from Nvidia and really isn't far off the RTX 4070 in many cases. With the Pure Frostpunk 2 Edition as well, you get plenty of extra goodies to sweeten the deal.

We found the Sapphire RX 7700 XT Pure Frostpunk 2 Edition on sale for £399.95 from Overclockers UK HERE.

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Pros

• Unique Frostpunk 2 aesthetic.
• Solid cooling performance.
• Very quiet fan speeds.
• New ARGB LED zone.
• Comes with a deluxe game code.
• Fans of the game will appreciate the included enamel pins and FP2 keycaps.

Cons

• RX 7700 XT still offers worse value than the RX 7800 XT, while also shipping with 4GB less VRAM.
• Only small improvements to efficiency versus RDNA 2.
• PowerColor Hellhound offers better noise-normalised thermals.

KitGuru says: It's a unique card and a very capable model. We still think most buyers would be better off with a 7800 XT, but if you love the look or just want something different without spending over £400, this is worth considering.

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