ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend specifications and in-depth review

ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend

Manufacturer: ASRock

The ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend is a graphics card based on AMD's RDNA 4.0 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process node with 53,900 million transistors. It ships with 16GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus and carries RGB lighting as part of its Steel Legend aesthetic. The card operates at a base GPU clock of 1660 MHz, reaching a turbo frequency of 2970 MHz under load, and draws up to 304W as defined by its thermal design power rating.

On the technical side, the RX 9070 XT Steel Legend delivers 48.66 TFLOPS of floating-point performance alongside a texture rate of 760.3 GTexels/s and a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s, backed by 4096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 128 ROPs. Memory runs at an effective speed of 20,000 MHz, yielding a maximum bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, OpenCL 2.2, ray tracing, AMD FSR4, and AMD SAM, and connects to up to four displays via one HDMI 2.1b port and three DisplayPort outputs. It connects to the system through a PCIe 5.0 interface and measures 298 mm in length and 131 mm in height.

Pros
  • Supports up to four displays simultaneously through a combination of one HDMI 2.1b port and three DisplayPort outputs
  • 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM across a 256-bit bus provides a substantial memory pool for demanding workloads
  • ECC memory support adds a degree of data integrity useful for compute-oriented tasks
  • FSR4 upscaling and ray tracing are both supported, covering two key modern rendering features
  • AMD SAM is included, allowing the CPU to access the full VRAM pool for improved throughput
  • RGB lighting is built in, offering visual customization without requiring additional hardware
Cons
  • A 304W TDP places notable demands on system power delivery and case airflow
  • No water cooling support is offered, leaving thermal management entirely dependent on the included air cooler
  • DLSS and XeSS are not supported, limiting upscaling options to AMD FSR4 only
  • Multi-GPU configurations are not supported, ruling out any future scaling via a second card
  • No USB-C output is present, which may limit connectivity with certain modern displays and devices
Who is this for?

This card is well matched to users who work across demanding rendering and compute workloads, given its 48.66 TFLOPS of floating-point performance, DPFP support, and ECC memory capability. The 16GB GDDR6 VRAM pool and 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth make it a solid fit for those running high-resolution content creation or simulation tasks where memory capacity and throughput are critical. Its four-display output support also suits users who rely on multi-monitor setups for productivity or monitoring purposes, and FSR4 plus ray tracing support make it a reasonable match for those engaged in modern real-time rendering workflows.

Who is this NOT for?

Users seeking a compact or low-profile build will find this card difficult to accommodate, as its 298 mm length and 131 mm height require a spacious case with adequate airflow, and the absence of water cooling support means thermal headroom is constrained to what the air cooler alone can manage. Those invested in ecosystems that rely on DLSS or XeSS upscaling will find neither available here, making the card a poor fit if those technologies are a workflow requirement. Additionally, the 304W TDP demands a robust power supply, so systems with modest PSU capacity or limited power headroom are not well suited to this card.

Performance:

GPU clock speed 1660 MHz
GPU turbo 2970 MHz
pixel rate 380.2 GPixel/s
floating-point performance 48.66 TFLOPS
texture rate 760.3 GTexels/s
GPU memory speed 2518 MHz
shading units 4096
texture mapping units (TMUs) 256
render output units (ROPs) 128
Has Double Precision Floating Point (DPFP)

The Performance section of the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend centers on a base GPU clock of 1660 MHz that scales up to a turbo frequency of 2970 MHz under sustained load. The card is equipped with 4096 shading units, 256 texture mapping units, and 128 render output units, collectively enabling a texture rate of 760.3 GTexels/s and a pixel rate of 380.2 GPixel/s. At its core, floating-point performance reaches 48.66 TFLOPS, supported by a GPU memory speed of 2518 MHz. The card also includes Double Precision Floating Point (DPFP) support, which broadens its suitability for compute-oriented workloads beyond standard rendering tasks.

Memory:

effective memory speed 20000 MHz
maximum memory bandwidth 644.6 GB/s
VRAM 16GB
GDDR version GDDR6
memory bus width 256-bit
Supports ECC memory

The card is equipped with 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM running across a 256-bit memory bus, with an effective memory speed of 20,000 MHz that yields a maximum memory bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. ECC memory support is also present, adding a layer of data integrity for workloads where memory accuracy is a consideration.

Features:

DirectX version DirectX 12 Ultimate
OpenGL version 4.6
OpenCL version 2.2
Supports multi-display technology
supports ray tracing
Supports 3D
supports DLSS
has FSR4
has XeSS (XMX)
AMD SAM / Intel Resizable BAR AMD SAM
has LHR
multi-GPU 0
has RGB lighting
supported displays 4

The RX 9070 XT Steel Legend supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and OpenCL 2.2, covering a broad range of graphics and compute APIs. Ray tracing and stereoscopic 3D are both supported, and AMD FSR4 is available as an upscaling solution, while DLSS and XeSS are not supported. The card includes AMD SAM for memory access optimization, drives up to four displays simultaneously with multi-display support, and features RGB lighting. Multi-GPU configurations are not supported, nor is LHR limiting applied.

Ports:

has an HDMI output
HDMI ports 1
HDMI version HDMI 2.1b
DisplayPort outputs 3
USB-C ports 0
DVI outputs 0
mini DisplayPort outputs 0

The card's output configuration consists of one HDMI 2.1b port and three DisplayPort outputs, offering a total of four display connections. There are no USB-C, DVI, or mini DisplayPort outputs present on this model.

General info:

GPU architecture RDNA 4.0
Thermal Design Power (TDP) 304W
PCI Express (PCIe) version 5
semiconductor size 4 nm
number of transistors 53900 million
Has air-water cooling
width 298 mm
height 131 mm

Built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and fabricated using a 4 nm process node, the card integrates 53,900 million transistors and connects to the system via a PCIe 5.0 interface. It carries a thermal design power rating of 304W and relies on air cooling, with no water cooling option included. The card measures 298 mm in width and 131 mm in height.

Final Verdict

The ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Steel Legend is a capable graphics card built around AMD's RDNA 4.0 architecture, combining a substantial 16GB GDDR6 VRAM pool with 644.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth and broad API support including DirectX 12 Ultimate, ray tracing, and FSR4. Its DPFP capability and ECC memory support extend its relevance beyond conventional gaming into compute and content creation scenarios, while four-display output adds practical flexibility for multi-monitor users. The 304W TDP and reliance on air cooling alone do place real demands on system configuration, and the absence of DLSS and XeSS narrows upscaling options, so it suits best those whose workflows align with AMD's feature ecosystem. For users who can accommodate its power and thermal requirements, the Steel Legend delivers a well-rounded specification set that covers both modern rendering demands and compute-adjacent tasks.

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