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ASRock Unveils Big and Flashy Radeon RX 6900 XT GPU
If you don't dig AMD's boring reference design of the Radeon RX 6900 XT, ASRock has come up with a more flamboyant proposal. The Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D 16G OC comes with all the prowess of Big Navi, plus a few extras to stand out from the competition.
ASRock's iteration of the Radeon RX 6900 XT features a 2.8-slot design with dimensions of 330 x 140 x 56mm. ASRock has slightly revamped how the shroud looks, but the characteristic Phantom Gaming colors are still present. Under the shroud, you'll find a metal frame that provides structural rigidity to the PCB and a thick, copper heatsink with high-density cooling fins. A metal backplate keeps the PCB from bending while also adding some eye-candy to the graphics card.
A trio of cooling fans dissipate the heat from the heatsink. According to ASRock, the fans feature the brand's Striped Axial design that delivers improved airflow. These are semi-passive fans, so they won't spin up until the graphics card's operating temperature crosses a predefined threshold. Only the middle fan and part of the shroud have ARGB lighting, which is compatible with ASRock's proprietary Polychrome Sync ecosystem. ASRock also added a small switch to the graphics card to turn off the flashy lights if you prefer a more discrete look.
ASRock didn't detail the Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D 16G OC's power delivery subsystem, but the graphics card appears to be made with premium ingredients. The PCB is carved from 2 ounces of copper and boasts a high-density design. The graphics card uses power chokes rated for 90A and Nichicon 12K black capacitors. The clock speeds, however, are still a secret.
The vanilla Radeon RX 6900 XT comes with two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, but the Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D 16G OC is equipped with three of them. This suggests that ASRock's offering should arrive with a generous factory overclock or with enough headroom for overclocking, to say the least. In fact, ASRock recommends a power supply with a minimum capacity of 900W to feed the Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D 16G OC.
ASRock made other changes to the graphics card as well. Instead of following AMD's reference specification, the manufacturer swapped out the USB Type-C port for another DisplayPort instead. As a result, the Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D 16G OC lands with one HDMI 2.1 port and three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs with DSC support.
ASrock didn't share the pricing or availability for the Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D 16G OC.
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Zhiye Liu is a news editor, memory reviewer, and SSD tester at Tom’s Hardware. Although he loves everything that’s hardware, he has a soft spot for CPUs, GPUs, and RAM.
I struggle to understand why every GPU vendor needs 3 or more variations on each card. Do people really spend tons of time staring at the window on the side of their PC case? Seems like you take a photo of the build and then stuff the PC under the desk or somewhere else where you won't hear the fans as much.
I struggle to understand why every GPU vendor needs 3 or more variations on each card. Do people really spend tons of time staring at the window on the side of their PC case? Seems like you take a photo of the build and then stuff the PC under the desk or somewhere else where you won't hear the fans as much.
There is usually a standard version and an overclocked version. Sometimes another one with more cooling for extreme overclocking. They also have ones with more efficient supplies and components that cost more to make. Different flavors for different builders. Do you want Vanilla or Raspberry Chocolate with hot sauce, sprinkles, and a cherry on top? I have my computer on the desk next to my monitor, my kids like watching the RGB colors. The fans aren't that loud and it looks nice.
