This is later in the cycle for our AMD Radeon RX 5700 and RX 5700 XT reviews and we explained the reason in our launch timeframe review updates. We gave AMD a quarter to mature their compute graphics and are now publishing reviews for compute performance, starting with our XFX Radeon RX 5700 XT review. Now it is time to turn to the AMD Radeon RX 5700. Specifically, we are testing a Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 model that follows the reference design. This GPU is the next step down in AMD’s SKU stack from the XT version shedding some performance for a lower price tag. Let us proceed with the review.

AMD Radeon RX 5700 GPU Overview

The retail box for the Sapphire AMD Radeon RX 5700 we are testing is different than the XFX branded XT version. Oriented upright which perhaps makes it more noticeable on the retail shelf.

The AMD Radeon RX 5700 card itself looks very much like the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 with a light gray finish instead of blue. We also see the common fans used across many AMD Radeon graphics fans. The blower-style cooler is a boxier design than on the XT version.

Unlike the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT Graphics Card which sports a backplate, the RX 5700 does not, perhaps because of a lower TDP of 180watts vs. the RX 5700 XT at 225watts the extra cooling is not needed. We still prefer backplates both for cooling but also for additional structural rigidity and card safety.

At the output end of the AMD Radeon RX 5700, we see an 8-pin and 6-pin power connectors and no air vent at the end of the card.

Video outputs include a single HDMI port and 3x DisplayPort 1.4 ports which is the same as the RX 5700 XT.

The remainder of the backplate is dedicated to providing a lot of airflow for cooling purposes.

Next, let us take a look at the AMD Radeon RX 5700 key specifications and continue on with our performance testing.