Specifications and PCB:
The architecture :
This Powercolor RX 6950 XT Liquid Devil is the first card we are testing that is part of the AMD refresh. It still benefits from the RDNA2 architecture but is distinguished by the name of its chip, which is an «XTXH». This is a “bonned” chip that has a higher boost frequency. This is the third card with this chip that we have welcomed to the lab. We have already tested the Powercolor RX 6900 XT Red Devil Ultimate and recently the MSI RX 6900 XT Gaming Z Trio.
This RX 6950 XT is equipped with a Navi 21 XTXH GPU on a 7nm manufacturing process by TSMC. The size of the chip is very impressive with its 519 mm², it’s not nicknamed “Big Navi” for nothing… The chip has 26.8 billion transistors. Compared to the RX 6800 XT chip, this RX 6950 XT has 100% enabled units and a full memory bus. On the next page we will explain where the differences with the RX 6900 XT version lie via the GPU-Z screenshots.
The bundle :
As you might expect, the box is quite large, measuring 380 x 295 x 120 mm. The box is opened from the bottom to reveal the inside and what the bundle is made of. First of all, there is a cardboard sheet containing the information and characteristics of this version. Once this is removed, we discover a first box with the reference « Liquid Devil Dye Pack ». This is a series of 3 bottles of dye to choose the colour that suits you best. This will allow you to colour your coolant loop. This is a kit comparable to the EK-CryoFuel Dye Pack.
Next, Powercolor provides you with a few accessories, a 6 mm Allen key and two plugs that are needed when installing your cooling loop. The waterblock has 4 connection possibilities, and only needs one input and one output, so you will need to plug two of them. We will come back to this point in detail when installing the liquid cooling loop.
Finally, there is a card inviting you to join the private club of Powercolor graphics card owners and the installation guide. The graphics card is located underneath the bundle, perfectly protected by a pre-cut foam to ensure that it is delivered to you in the best possible condition.
Cooling :
This “Liquid Devil” version is equipped with a waterblock to keep the GPU, the memory chips and the power stages cool. The waterblock is a model from EK and customised for the occasion by Powercolor. A large part of the internal maze is hidden by the “Devil” logo and the EK logo can be found at the bottom right. The logo has an RGB backlight that can be set using the Devil Zone RGB software. By default, the card will be illuminated in red.
A switch on the top of the card allows you to choose either the “OC” BIOS or the “Unleash” BIOS when the card is powered up- we will look at the difference between these two BIOSes in GPU-Z, even if we already know which one we will use… By default, the “OC” BIOS is selected.
Recently we tested the ROG RTX 3090 Ti Strix LC OC. This model comes with an AIO cooling system already pre-installed. In the case of this Liquid Devil version, the buyer will have to design it. As we had already done with the AlphacoolEisblock Aurora Acryl GPX-N RTX 3090 HOF, we opted for the Alphacool Eisbaer Extreme Liquid CPU Cooler 280 AIO, which we had tested on the website of our colleagues Vonguru.
Powercolor has also fitted a backplateto stiffen the PCB and prevent it from twisting. There is enough space between the PCB and the backplate to ensure good air circulation.
Connectors :
To power the card, there are three 8-pin connectors. AMD recommends using a 1000 watt power supply for your configuration if you opt for an RX 6950 XT. Finally, you should know that the card has three DisplayPort 1.4a video outputs as well as an HDMI 2.1 port.
Finally, the use of a waterblock allows this model to take up the thickness of only two slots, ideal for tighter spaces.
