XFX launches two Radeon RX 6900 XT GPUs that promise overclocking that’s “unlocked past 3000MHz”
XFX launches two Radeon RX 6900 XT GPUs with “Max Overclocking” potential
Before the launch of AMD’s RDNA 2 GPU architecture, 2 GHz Radeon graphics cards were uncommon, especially outside of overclocking circles. With RDNA 2, AMD has dramatically increased the clock speeds of their GPU lineup, so much so that AMD isn’t just pushing past 2GHz, but 3GHz clock speeds are possible for those who have enough cooling to push their graphics cards further.Â
With their new RX 6900 XT Zero WB model, XFX has promised the “highest OC potential”, signalling that their liquid-cooled RX 6900 XT model will feature the highest-binned silicon that AMD-only AIB has access to. At stock, this RX 6900 XT model has a game clock of 2375 MHz, which is 360 MHz above AMD’s reference RX 6900 XT model.Â
To create their RX 6900 XT Zero WB graphics card, XFX partnered with EK to create a custom water block for their highest-end RX 6900 XT PCB, which features a 14_2 phase power design, unique ARGB (Addressable RGB) elements and a dual BIOS.
XFX’s RX 6900 XT MERC 319 Limited Black graphics card features what appears to be the same PCB as XFX’s Zero WB graphics card. This design uses a traditional air-cooled triple-fan heatsink design, like many RX 6900 XT graphics cards. It also features a BIOS that supports 3GHz overclocking, but it doesn’t advertise the “highest OC potential” like XFX’s Zero WB model. Â
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Below we have compiled the known specifications of XFX’s RX 6900 XT Zero WB and MERC 319 graphics cards. We have also compared these specifications to AMD’s reference RX 6900 XT model.Â
In the table below, we can see that XFX’s high-end RX 6900 XT models feature much higher GPU clock speeds than AMD’s reference design, offering users much higher base clock speeds, dramatically higher boost clock speeds and boost clock speeds that sit around 2.5 GHz.Â
These clock speeds should give XFX’s premium RX 6900 XT models a significant performance advantage over AMD’s reference RX 6900 XT model. As mentioned before, the Zero WB model has an out-of-the-box 360 MHz higher game clock speed boost. That is an increase in GPU clock speed of over 17%.Â
| Â | AMD Reference RX 6900 XT |
XFX RX 6900 XT MERC 319 Limited Edition |
XFX RX 6900 XT Zero WB |
| Lithography | 7nm | 7nm | 7nm |
| Architecture | RDNA 2 | RDNA 2 | RDNA 2 |
| CUs | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| Stream Processors | 5120 | 5120 | 5120 |
| Base Clock | 1825 MHz | 2150 MHz | 2200 MHz |
| Game Clock | 2015 MHz | 2325 MHz | 2375 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2250 MHz | 2495 MHz | 2525 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Clock | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps |
| Memory Capacity | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Card Profile | 2,5 Slot | 3-slot | 2-slot |
| Thermal Solution | 3 Fan | 3 Fan | Water Block |
A lot has changed since the days of Vega. The high clock speeds that are achievable by AMD’s RX 6900 XT models highlight the strength of AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture over its predecessors. If AMD can continue with its forward momentum in GPU architectural design, we should have a lot to look forward to when AMD launches RDNA 3, RDNA 4 and future Radeon graphics architectures.Â
You can join the discussion on XFX’s high-end Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics cards on the OC3D Forums.Â
