AMD's unreleased Radeon RX 9070 reference design pictured and tested

AMD launched its first pair of RDNA 4 GPUs earlier this month with the Radeon RX 9070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT. However, unlike previous Radeon GPU generations, the company didn't release a reference design, meaning that all cards made available to the public and media were partner models like various RDNA 4 GPUs we've reviewed from GIGABYTE, ASUS, Sapphire, ASRock, and others.

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An unreleased Radeon RX 9070 reference design has appeared, image credit: Chiphell.

Promo material for RDNA 4 showcases what looks like a reference design with the disclaimer that it was "for presentation only and not available for sale. " It turns out that AMD did create a number of these reference models, including the one for the Radeon RX 9070 pictured here.

A user on the Chinese-based Chiphell forums (via Videocardz) recently showcased the model we see here. The dual-fan design is reminiscent of AMD's reference designs for the RDNA 3-powered Radeon RX 7000 Series. Various applications and benchmarking software also recognize the compact 2.5-slot thick GPU, including 3DMark TimeSpy and Furmark, which points to it being a pre-release sample created by AMD for OEM use.

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In the screenshot of the Furmark benchmark, the GPU temperature reaches 67 degrees Celcius after around 8 minutes of stress testing with a hotspot temperature of 84 degrees. With a plastic shroud and what looks like a very basic sticker with an older AMD Radeon logo, odds are that this design was never meant for mass production or public release. Our best guess is that a Radeon RX 9070 for AMD's various partners could be used for pre-release testing and validation for software support and tweaking performance.

With very few MSRP models and almost all Radeon RX 9000 Series stock sold out in most regions, we'd love to see AMD create custom RDNA 4 designs that could sell directly to customers. The odds are that the Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT will be popular options for PC gamers for a while, so it's not too late.

• Read more: AORUS Radeon RX 9070 XT ELITE Review - AMD Strikes Back
• Read more: SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 9070 XT NITRO+ Review - RDNA 4's Most Impressive GPU
• Read more: GIGABYTE Radeon RX 9070 GAMING OC Review - Fantastic Performance, Questionable Value
• Read more: ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9070 OC Edition Review - RDNA 4 Impresses, But the Price Doesn't