Packaging

The Card

Visually, XFX's card looks very similar to earlier THICC models we reviewed last year, although there are subtle differences. For example, on the second photo (back of the card) you see ventilation holes near the bottom. On the RX 5700 XT, these were closed, so airflow is improved now. The dominant colors are black and gray, with a high-quality metal backplate on the back in matching colors.


Dimensions of the card are 31.5 x 13.0 cm.


Installation requires two slots in your system.


Display connectivity options include three standard DisplayPort 1.4a and an HDMI 2.0b.


XFX is including a dual-BIOS feature with their card; the default BIOS is called "performance," and the second BIOS is "quiet." The switch is much easier to reach now compared to the RX 5700 XT Series.


The board uses one 8-pin and one 6-pin power connector. This input configuration is specified for up to 300 watts of power draw.


AMD's Navi generation of GPUs no longer supports CrossFire. DirectX 12 does include its own set of multi-GPU capabilities, but the implementation requires game developers to put serious development time into a feature only a tiny fraction of their customers might ever use.

Disassembly

XFX is using four heatpipes and a copper base on their cooler. This piece of the cooler also provides cooling for the memory chips and VRM circuitry. Note how the memory cooling pads sit on a separate metal piece, which leads to higher, but perfectly safe memory temperatures. Compared to earlier 5700 XT Series cards, this memory cooling plate has been upgraded to copper and no longer has a separating foil between it and the main heatsink. Compared to the XFX RX 5600 XT THICC II Pro, the cooling setup is identical but for the longer main heatsink, which provides a little bit of extra area for heat dissipation.


XFX has designed a very nice cooler configuration that partially wraps around the card, which gives it a more solid, industrial look and feel.


The backplate is made out of metal; it adds to the card's aesthetic and protects components on the PCB when handling the card.