SAPPHIRE designed a card that took the Navi core and wrapped it in its design that not only performs as expected but does so at a whisper, unlike the reference model. Coming in at only a $10 premium over there reference edition it may not be made of solid aluminum nor had a dent in it, but at this point, I can’t imagine any reason, outside of the absolute need for a blower or plans to watercool, why anyone would even consider the reference model.
At $409 for the SAPPHIRE PULSE RX 5700XT and $359 for the 5700 non-XT variants, SAPPHIRE has completely shifted the focus off the reference models in the best way possible