ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC review: Cool & efficient!

The ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC is a new graphics card that aims to offer strong performance in games, good looks, and reliability, all for a reasonable price. ASRock’s Steel Legend line is known for its solid build quality and appealing design, and this card continues that tradition. With AMD’s latest RDNA 4 technology, 16GB of VRAM, and a top-notch cooling system, it’s designed to handle modern games smoothly. I’ve spent the past week testing this card with games and benchmarks to see if it lives up to its promises. Let’s find out if this Radeon RX 9070 is the right choice for your gaming setup:

ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC: Who is it good for?

This graphics card is a great choice if you want:

• Smooth gaming at 1440p and sometimes even in 4K resolution
• A graphics card with a low power consumption
• Better ray tracing performance than older-generation AMD GPUs
• Support for AMD FSR 4 (FidelityFX Super Resolution 4)
• A powerful GPU that runs cool under load and stays quiet
• Reasonable launch-day price

Pros and cons

This is what I like about the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC:

• Great gaming performance at 1440p and even 4K
• 16GB of fast VRAM (video memory) for modern games
• Better ray tracing than older AMD cards
• Quiet, cool, and energy-efficient (~245W max)
• Attractive white design with RGB lighting
• Needs only two 8-pin power connectors

Things I don’t like as much:

• Large size, especially in length (298 mm long)
• Ray tracing performance is still weaker than what NVIDIA has to offer

Verdict

After testing the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC, I found it to be an outstanding graphics card that delivers solid performance at high resolutions and marks a significant upgrade over AMD’s previous generation. In gaming tests, it easily outperformed the older Radeon RX 7900 XT. While NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5070 Ti still holds an edge in ray tracing, the Radeon RX 9070 has considerably closed the gap, thanks to the advancements in AMD’s RDNA 4 architecture. Additionally, the ASRock’s Steel Legend implementation runs noticeably quieter and cooler than competitors due to its large, highly effective cooling solution. If you want smooth gaming at 1440p or even 4K resolutions, along with a sleek, white design with RGB lighting that breaks away from the typical black, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC is a great option, especially if it falls in the $549-$599 range.

Unboxing the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend

Unboxing the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC is a straightforward experience. The card arrives in a sturdy box featuring the Steel Legend logo and a graphical pattern that matches the card’s design. Inside, the graphics card is safely packed in foam and an anti-static bag to ensure it arrives without damage.

The box showcases the GPU’s design pattern

The first thing you notice after opening the box is the large triple-fan card itself: it definitely grabs attention. Although the sample I got didn’t include anything in the box other than the card, ASRock may provide a quick start guide and some warranty information in the packages available in stores.

Inside the box, I got only the card

The unboxing experience isn’t spectacular and all you get is the graphics card, without any extras.

Design and hardware specifications

The Radeon RX 9070 uses AMD’s latest RDNA 4 technology, offering better efficiency and more power than previous generations. It has 56 Compute Units (CUs) and reaches boost speeds up to 2700 MHz, slightly lower than the Radeon RX 9070 XT model (64 CUs at 2970 MHz). It also includes 56 Ray Accelerators for ray tracing and 112 AI Accelerators for advanced tasks like AI-based upscaling. With 128 Render Output Units (ROPs), this card should very smoothly handle games played at high-resolution.

Details about the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC, in GPU-Z

The Radeon RX 9070 comes with 16GB of fast GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing plenty of bandwidth (640 GB/s). AMD added a 64 MB Infinity Cache directly to the GPU to further boost performance and reduce latency. This means games with large textures run without issues at high settings.

The card features a white design with translucent fans

ASRock’s Steel Legend card features an eye-catching white and gray camouflage design, matching their popular motherboard series. The three fans have translucent blades with RGB lighting. All this makes it perfect for white-themed gaming PCs.

The graphics card looks great when running

Cooling is excellent thanks to a large triple-fan cooler with aluminum fins, heatpipes, and a copper base to efficiently transfer heat. ASRock’s unique fan design improves airflow and keeps temperatures low. The fans remain silent during idle or light tasks, only spinning when needed.

A closer look at the fans

The card is quite big, measuring almost 30 cm (11.7 inches) in length and taking up roughly three slots in a PC case. Although it’s slightly shorter than some competitors, it still requires a large case. The sturdy metal backplate helps prevent sagging caused by the card’s size and weight.

Keep in mind that this is a large graphics card

For connectivity, it has three DisplayPort 2.1a outputs and one HDMI 2.1b, supporting up to four high-resolution displays, including 4K and even 8K monitors.

For output, you get DisplayPort and HDMI

The Radeon RX 9070 supports the latest graphics technologies, including DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan, hardware-accelerated ray tracing, and AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution 4. FSR 4 stands out as a major selling point of RDNA 4 cards, offering AI-powered upscaling and frame generation similar to NVIDIA’s DLSS. This technology enables the card to render games at a lower internal resolution and upscale them with minimal quality loss, resulting in a significant boost in frame rates.

The board support AMD FSR 4

Image source: AMD

The card draws about 245W under load and requires just two 8-pin power connectors, simplifying cable management. ASRock recommends a 700W power supply.

The card requires the use of two PCIe power connectors

For more technical details, visit the official ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC webpage.

Overall, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC offers an impressive mix of performance, modern features, and stylish design. It’s a strong choice for gamers wanting smooth gameplay at high resolutions, excellent cooling, and great aesthetics.

Using the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC

Installing this Radeon RX 9070 card was straightforward, though it needed a lot of space. Here’s the test setup used:

The GPU required removing two case slot covers and ensuring cables stayed clear of the fans. The two power connectors are placed at the top-rear of the card, which is the usual and the most convenient spot for them.

The power connectors are found in the top-right corner

TIP: Another GPU model worth keeping your eyes on is the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi 16GB OC. This version addresses enthusiasts looking for a blend of premium aesthetics and enhanced performance. With its factory overclock and bold design, the Taichi version provides a higher-end experience, but keeps the efficient cooling and power management you also find in the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend.

The ASRock AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT Taichi 16GB OC is a great choice also

Having said that, I could fit the card easily in my large case, but if your case is smaller or has front-mounted radiators, you may want to check the measurements carefully beforehand. After powering up, the RGB lighting beautifully illuminated the fans and side text in a colorful rainbow. If RGB isn’t to your liking, there’s a physical switch on the card that you can use to turn the lights off.

The RGB colors on the white GPU look great

In everyday use, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC is quiet and cool. Fans remain off during typical tasks like web browsing, video streaming, or office work, keeping the GPU nearly silent and around 56-58°C (132.80-136.40°F).

The GPU is extremely quiet in daily use

Gaming performance on my system has been fantastic. I played demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p, and even with ray tracing turned on, everything ran smoothly. AMD’s FSR 4 made a noticeable difference, giving me higher frame rates without hurting visual quality. Star Wars: Outlaws was especially impressive: I ran it at 4K, using Ultra visual settings, and I constantly got around 90-100 FPS without any stuttering, thanks to AMD’s FSR and the 16GB of VRAM on the Radeon RX 9070. Oh, and I can’t stress it enough: not only do games run great, but my computer stays quiet, with the graphics card’s fans barely audible even during intense gameplay.

I loved playing games on this graphics card

Overall, daily use of the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC is smooth and reliable, delivering powerful gaming performance without excessive noise or heat.

Performance in games and benchmarks

To test the Radeon RX 9070, I played several games at their highest graphical settings, including ray tracing when possible. I compared it against similar GPUs: the Radeon RX 9070 XT, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, and AMD’s previous-gen Radeon RX 7900 XT to see improvements.

I began with Cyberpunk 2077: in it, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC performs well at RT Ultra settings, especially in 1440p resolution, achieving about 87% of the performance of the Radeon RX 9070 XT and roughly 76% of what the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti has to offer. At 4K resolution, performance drops noticeably, providing around 84% of the Radeon RX 9070 XT performance and 68% of the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.

Benchmark results in Cyberpunk 2077

In The Callisto Protocol, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC shows strong performance at Ultra settings with ray tracing. At 1440p, it performs just 6% lower than the ASUS PRIME Radeon RX 9070 XT and about 5% better than the ASUS PRIME GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. At 4K resolution, performance drops notably, running about 7% below the ASUS Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU and roughly 14% below the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. Overall, gameplay remains very smooth at 1440p but I experienced significant performance loss at 4K.

Benchmark results in The Callisto Protocol

The ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend GPU delivers decent performance in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Next-Gen Update at RT Ultra settings too. In 1440p resolution, it performs about 11% lower than the ASUS PRIME Radeon RX 9070 XT and roughly 25% lower than the ASUS PRIME GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. At 4K, its performance decreases further, running approximately 10% behind the ASUS Radeon RX 9070 XT GPU and about 21% lower than the RTX 5070 Ti. Overall, the GPU maintains playable frame rates at 1440p but, once more, faces a noticeable performance drop at 4K resolution.

Benchmark results in The Witcher 3: Wild Hund Next-Gen Update

In Total War WARHAMMER III at Ultra settings, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend GPU shows excellent performance. At 1440p, it’s 11% slower than the ASUS PRIME Radeon RX 9070 XT and about 4% compared to the ASUS PRIME GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. At 4K resolution, its performance is roughly 9% lower than the one of the ASUS Radeon RX 9070 XT and the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics cards. Overall, it offers very high performance at 1440p and very good frame rates even at 4K, though with a slight performance drop compared to other current-gen GPUs.

Benchmark results in Total War WARHAMMER III

In Assassin’s Creed Mirage at Ultra High settings, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC performs about 13% lower than the Radeon RX 9070 XT and approximately 7% lower than the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at 1440p. At 4K resolution, performance declines a bit further, with the Radeon RX 9070 running about 13% behind the Radeon RX 7900 XT GPU and approximately 7% below the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. Despite these drops, the GPU still maintains very high frame rates in all resolutions, including 4K.

Benchmark results in Assassin’s Creed Mirage

In Resident Evil Village, I witnessed top-notch performance from the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC graphics card. Using the Max visual quality settings with ray tracing, at 1440p resolution, the board performs only about 12% slower than the ASUS PRIME Radeon RX 9070 XT. At 4K, its performance decreases, but the end result is still amazing: over 100 frames per second. Overall, it offers strong performance at both 1440p and 4K.

Benchmark results in Resident Evil Village

In F1 22 at Ultra High settings with ray tracing enabled, at 1440p, the reviewed graphics card runs about 14% slower than the ASUS PRIME Radeon RX 9070 XT and roughly 16% behind the ASUS PRIME GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. At 4K resolution, its performance is about 14% lower than the one of the Radeon RX 9070 XT and approximately 17% lower than the one of the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti. Despite these decreases, the GPU still maintains high frame rates at both 1440p and 4K resolutions.

Benchmark results in F1 22

In Starfield on Ultra settings, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend GPU performs, surprisingly, about 1% above the ASUS PRIME Radeon RX 9070 XT and roughly 2% above the ASUS PRIME GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at 1440p. At 4K, its performance drops around 10% compared to the Radeon RX 9070 XT and 9% compared to the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.

Benchmark results in Starfield

I also ran a few synthetic benchmarks to complete the performance picture. In the 3DMark Time Spy Extreme test, the Radeon RX 9070 scored over 12000 points, a few percent (4%) higher than the previous-gen Radeon RX 7900 XT. In 3DMark’s Speedway, a DirectX test with ray tracing, the Radeon RX 9070 was around 26% slower than the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, as expected considering NVIDIA’s still better at ray tracing, yet it still beat the older Radeon RX 7900 XT by approximately 14%, indicating a significant generational uplift. Meanwhile, in the 3DMark Port Royal test, which focuses on ray tracing performance, the Steel Legend scored roughly 17-18% lower than the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, yet also almost 18% ahead of the previous generation Radeon RX 7900 XT, showing that AMD has made significant progress in narrowing the ray tracing gap with RDNA 4.

Benchmark results in 3DMark

Regarding thermals and power consumption, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC runs cooler than its rivals, around 18% cooler than the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and about 22% cooler than the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT. This confirms my personal experience with using this graphics card: as I said earlier, the fans are barely noticeable in regular use, as well as while gaming.

Maximum temperature readings

The card also draws significantly less power compared to the other graphics cards listed, consuming about 245 Watts at maximum load. That’s 22% less than the ASUS Radeon RX 9070 XT and approximately 19% less than the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti! Paired with the excellent results I got in the benchmarks, this suggests an extremely efficient graphics card, one that manages to deliver satisfying performance while keeping energy consumption remarkably low!

Highest power draw in full load

Overall, the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC offers competitive performance, consistently better than the previous-gen Radeon RX 7900 XT. Although behind the Radeon RX 9070 XT and the GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (especially in ray-tracing-heavy titles), the Radeon RX 9070 should be a better choice than NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 5070 (non-Ti). Oh, and something very important: this GPU excels in efficiency, providing lower temperatures and considerably lower power draw compared to its peers, making it a balanced choice for high-quality gaming at 1440p on maximum settings and even 4K with FSR turned on and a bit of graphics settings tweaking.

What’s your opinion about the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC?

Having reached the end of this review, it’s clear that the ASRock Radeon RX 9070 Steel Legend 16GB OC is a fantastic all-around graphics card. It offers good gaming performance, and does so while staying cool, quiet, and stylish. ASRock’s design touches, the white aesthetic, and its ARGB lighting make it an attractive component for those who also care about looks. What do you think about this card? Are the cooling and design features of the Steel Legend series appealing to you? Would you choose this over an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070, considering its performance and price? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.