Two Sapphire RX 9070 XT units tested — Pulse performs better than Nitro+. Bad silicon or normal variance?
Hey everyone,
I wanted to share something interesting I noticed while testing two Sapphire RX 9070 XT cards , the Nitro+ and the Pulse. Based on specs you’d expect the Nitro+ to perform slightly better, but in my case the opposite happened.
🔍 Test Results (Furmark / Same system, same ambient, same case)
| Model & settings | Score | Power draw |
|---|---|---|
| Nitro+ stock | 14 234 | 334W |
| Nitro+ -80mV | 16 096 | |
| Nitro+ -100mV | 16 243 | 334W |
| Nitro+ -10% PL | 15 037 | 304W |
| Nitro+ -20% PL | 13 751 | 260ishW |
| Model & settings | Score | Power draw |
|---|---|---|
| Pulse stock | 14 623 | 304W |
| Pulse -80mV | 15 213 | |
| Pulse -100mV | 15 209 | |
| Pulse -100mV +10% PL | 16 183 | 334W |
Not to mention, Pulse -100mv is actually stable in games however Nitro+ was stable at -80mv. Is this just normal silicon lottery variance, or could my Nitro+ have been a “bad” unit (not defective, but poorly binned)?
Yeah, Pulse does run a bitt hotter (on vrm and also hotspot temps) and a bit louder too. But in my case, Pulse is a nobrainer for the price.
Posted Nov 14, 2025, 7:00 PM UTC
036