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Sapphire has its own GPU tweaking software called Trixx. The Trixx software has come a long way from when it first was launched several years ago, even though it uses the same radial dial icon we all recognize. The latest version, 7.0.1, has an updated GUI with tabs across the top each corresponding to different sections and functions of the software. The top portion with the tabs is a slate blue while the bottom is white with similar blue text. The contrasting colors are easy on the ease and quite legible.
When opening the application you are greeted by the Dashboard tab. On the right are circle charts that display monitoring information. This includes GPU and memory clocks, temperature and load and GPU voltage so you can easily see it a glance. Oddly enough, it seems that overclocking is not available on this version of the software though it was with the Pulse. Also missing is the Settings tab for any adjustments (start on windows, start minimized, etc). Any overclocking will have to be done in Radeon Wattman which is a bit disappointing. Part of the allure of these applications is to overclock with it.
Inside the Hardware Monitor tab are 20 different real-time graphs which cover all the basic and a whole lot more. This includes clock speeds (GPU, Memory and SOC), temperatures (GPU, GPU Hot Spot, Memory, VRMs), voltages (Memory, SOC, GPU) fan speeds, loads and power draw. It even captures CPU temperature and system memory giving users a peak into their system status. This setup works well however, I would like the ability to customize this section and move the charts around. Without a settings tab, this seems impossible in the current version.
Trixx Boost section consists of a resolution scale which allows you to run games at higher FPS rates by reducing the rendering resolution slightly then upscaling the final output. By default, Trixx Boost is set at 85% resolution scale. At 4K, this creates a custom 3264x1836 resolution. As a side note, this only works in DX9, DX12, and Vulkan at this time.
We will not get into testing performance of this feature, but past testing showed notable improvements compared to running at native 4K resolution. The key is deciding if the trade-off in quality is acceptable.
The tab to the right is Fan Health Check. In this section, you click a button which sends the fans into a frenzy. They spin at what seems like their maximum speed for a short time and wind down. The screen then returns a result stating the fan health is OK (or not). In our case, the fans were fine.
Last is the Nitro Glow section where the integrated RGB LEDs are controlled. Trixx includes eight different effects (Runway, Single Color, Rainbow, Serial, Audio Visualization, Custom Color, External Source and Off) along with two sliders for adjusting the brightness and the color changing speeds.
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