SAPPHIRE PULSE AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Review

SAPPHIRE’s Reference-Clocked Design Explored

It has been just over a month since AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 Series GPUs launched, and while availability has been about what we expected (which is to say, limited) AMD says first week sales were “10X higher than previous generations”. Clearly the demand is there, and if gamers had ready access to a Radeon RX 9070 XT (outside of the 19 U.S. states with a Micro Center) in the subsequent weeks, then comparison of available models would begin making sense again.

If you find yourself in the enviable position of not only being able to buy a Radeon RX 9070 XT, but actually choosing which model you want, we present this SAPPHIRE PULSE model for your inspection. We already took at look at the NITRO+ variant of the RX 9070 XT in our launch review, which impressed us not only due to its great performance, but its unique implementation of a 12VHPWR connector (!). Have no fear, anti-12VHPWR reader, this PULSE is 8-pin all the way.

Here’s a look at specs for the SAPPHIRE PULSE Radeon RX 9070 XT (the full page is available here):

The SAPPHIRE PULSE Card

The PULSE AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is a 3-slot design, officially measuring 320 mm (L) x 120.25 mm (W) x 61.6 mm (H). As to power draw, the card is rated for 304 watts TBP (Typical Board Power), and uses two standard 8-pin power connectors.

As to all of the many features of this design, SAPPHIRE provides this list:

• Honeywell PTM7950 Thermal Interface Material (TIM)
• AeroCurve Fan Blade
• Free Flow
• FrameDefense
• Integrated Cooling Module
• Tri-X Cooling Technology
• High TG Copper PCB
• Optimized Composite Heatpipes
• Metal Backplate
• Two-Ball Bearing Fans
• 14-Phase Digital Power Design
• Fuse Protection
• Intelligent Fan Control
• Precision Fan Control
• TriXX Supported
• TriXX Boost

Performance Results

Considering that the PULSE is a “stock” graphics card, and we had previously tested the factory overclocked NITRO+ model, we expected performance from the PULSE to slot in just below that card on our charts. That’s exactly what we ended up seeing, and I won’t belabor the point as just a few charts can illustrate the performance relative to the NITRO+ model:

I think we can stop here, as charts demonstrating differences of 1 – 3 FPS are not very interesting. The Radeon RX 9070 XT remains an extremely impressive GPU. But how did the PULSE design fare when it comes to thermals the noise? Really well, actually.

Using the 3DMark Speed Way 20-run stress test, the PULSE card did not exceed 50 C on the GPU core, with a max hot spot temp of 72 C. Granted the room was a cool ~18 C at the time, but this card didn’t want to get warm – and it never got loud.

The fans never spun up past 34% (1400 RPM), and noise levels were inaudible over the test system’s 360 mm AiO cooler.

Final Thoughts

The SAPPHIRE PULSE is a great option if you can get one. It offers an overbuilt cooler with cool and quiet operation under load, bulletproof 8-pin power connectors, and an understated aesthetic. It may be a “stock” card when it comes to GPU clocks, but it still looks and feels like a premium product. Now you just have to find one in stock…

Of course, there’s still the topic of pricing to consider, as finding a card at – or at least near – its launch MSRP is just about impossible right now (even before the latest tariffs go into effect). I really have no idea where pricing is going, and online availability is still mostly limited to the occasional Newegg Shuffle or the joys of inflated third-party Amazon sellers (I won’t even look at eBay listings). Yes, there is the possibility of Micro Center purchases, which are in-store only, when available, but when only 38% of states have a Micro Center, I have a hard time considering it when discussing wide availability.