Asus Unveils Hybrid Cooled ROG Strix RX 6900 XT With Navi 21 XTXH
Asus launches 'a liquid-cooled leviathan'.
Asus has introduced its highest-performing AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT-based graphics card to date, the ROG Strix LC RX 6900 XT Top Overclocked Edition. The board features an out-of-box boost clock of 2525 MHz and uses a hybrid air / liquid cooling system to lower temperatures and maximize overclocking potential.
Asus were among the first vendors to introduce an AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT-powered graphics card with a hybrid cooling system, so the new 'Top Overclocked Edition' with the same cooler is almost certainly based on AMD's Navi 21 XTXH silicon that has 5,120 stream processors, no limitations when it comes to clock rates and which has set an absolute GPU frequency record of 3225 MHz.
Asus' hybrid cooling system is actually pretty regular: it uses a blower-type fan to cool-down VRM and a closed-loop liquid cooling system featuring a large cold plate (that covers both GPU and memory) as well as a 240-mm radiator with two fans. Since the graphics card is designed for enthusiasts who sometimes use large EATX cases, the LCS uses 600 mm tubing to enable compatibility with such chassis. Meanwhile the card itself is not large and measures 27.7×13.1×4.36 cm.
The board has four display outputs: two DisplayPort 1.4a, one HDMI 2.1, and one USB Type-C. It also supports the HDCP 2.3 technology for compatibility with content that uses it.
The product relies on a custom-designed printed circuit board (PCB) with an enhanced voltage regulating module (VRM) that uses quality components like inductors, solid-state capacitors, and high-current power stages. The board features three eight-pin auxiliary PCIe power inputs that can deliver up to 450W of power and in the technical specs we note that Asus recommends an 850W PSU.
Traditionally for ROG Strix-badged products, the ROG Strix LC RX 6900 XT Top Overclocked Edition has numerous addressable RGB LEDs.
World's Fastest Radeon RX 6900 XT Graphics Cards
Row 0 - Cell 0 | Sapphire Toxic Radeon RX 6900 XT EE | PowerColor Liquid Devil Ultimate RX 6900 XT | Asus ROG Strix RX 6900 XT Top | ASRock RX 6900 XT OC Formula | Radeon RX 6900 XT |
Base | ? | ? | ? | 2125 MHz | 1825 MHz |
Game | 2375 MHz | 2305 MHz | 2375 MHz | 2165MHz | ? |
Boost | 2500 MHz | 2375 MHz | 2525 MHz | 2295 MHz | 2250 MHz |
Performance Game | 2525 MHz | 2480 MHz | - | 2365 MHz | - |
Performance Boost | 2730 MHz | 2525 MHz | - | 2475 MHz | - |
Cooling System | Hybrid | Custom LCS | Hybrid | Triple-Fan | Triple Fan |
High out-of-box clocks and the 'unlocked' processor are the key selling points of the new ROG Strix LC RX 6900 XT Top Overclocked Edition graphics card as Asus has been formally offering an a Radeon RX 6900 XT with a hybrid cooling system for quite a while now.
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Just like other makers of graphics cards these days, Asus does not talk about recommended pricing of its latest product since its real-world price tag will differ significantly from its MSRP.
Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom’s Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.