XFX Custom Radeon RX 5700 Navi Graphics Card Leaks With Dual Fan Cooler
The initial batch of Radeon RX 5700 XT and Radeon RX 5700 graphics cards have all been built around AMD's reference blueprint, including both the stock clockspeeds and cooling solution. Not to worry though, custom cards are coming. As for what they will look like, a leaked pictured shows a potential design that XFX might use on a custom Navi card.
XFX's design has been compared to a "burnt taco," though if going that route, a Choco Taco would be a more flattering description. If you look at it just right, you can see a face, or at least I'm seeing one—the fans are giant eyeballs, the groove at the top is a parted hairline, and the outline at the bottom forms a mouth and chin.
It's like a geek version of the Rorschach test, though you will have to draw your conclusion as to what it says about you. In my case, I guess it says I'm not craving a taco at the moment.
The folks at TechPowerUp posted the leaked image, but it's not clear where it actually originated from—there is no source mentioned, and it is described as a "possible custom design." Regardless, we know that custom Navi cards are en route, because AMD has already said as much. So have some of its hardware partners.
Generally speaking, custom Navi cards will start to arrive around the middle of August. This will vary by vendor. ASUS, for example, has said it plans on revealing more about its own custom Navi lineup in September, not August.
These will include models that ship with factory overclocks, and also custom cooling solutions that deviate from the blower-style shroud found on reference cards. In this case, XFX has apparently gone with a dual axial fan solution. Blower-style shrouds have the advantage of escorting hot air directly out of a case, but in my experience, axial fan coolers generally do a better job of lowering GPU temps while simultaneously running quieter. These traits vary by model, of course.
In any event, look for custom Navi models to land on store shelves withing the few weeks.
