I knew I might have issues trying another AMD GPU. Usually driver related from experience. However it ended even quicker due to hotspot temperature issues. Either the GPU I received was faulty or the reference cooler is very sensitive to location and air flow. Mostly it was a good card and ran the games I wanted to play at the sort of frame rates I wanted. I liked the compact design as it was smaller than my previous Inno3D 3080 and actually looked reasonable in the P500A case. I had some crashes but that could have been down to the overheating issues.
I needed a GPU to replace it and the 4080 FE was in stock so I received it yesterday. The install has gone exactly as I imagined. The GPU is working perfectly with no drivers issues. Temp, clocks and power usage are all rock solid. The 4080 is drawing 50-100W less than the 7900 XTX in the games I'm playing at similar frame rates.
Even better when installed vertically in my P500A case the temps only increased by ~3C when I closed the side panel. I thought I would have to either make a custom side panel or install in the normal horizontal position. I'm still considering a mesh side panel for when ambient temps go nuts again.
I'd rather pay less but I can justify it over the long term if I'm getting use out it everyday just like my car which cost an awful lot more but I enjoy owning and using despite it being far more car than I need.