RX 5700 Aftermarket Card List – 9 AIB Cards Compared

AMD’s recently released RX 5700 graphics card based on the ‘Navi’ GPU has brought AMD back to the competition against Nvidia and their mid-range RTX 2060 Super – offering on-paper and benchmarks some seriously impressive performance numbers for it’s $350 retail price. Right now, only the reference edition of the RX 5700 is available to consumers, with manufacturers such as PowerColor, ASRock, XFX, Sapphire and MSI set to release aftermarket, or AIB, versions of the RX 5700 to consumers as early as August.

Similar to our RX 5700XT AIB card article we just updated, this is a reminder that the RX 5700 AIB cards are long-awaited and just like with the big brother 5700XT (although perhaps to a slightly lesser extent), these custom cards should do much to improve the two biggest problems of the reference cards (thermals and noise). However, they are also being released slowly, and each partner has a different time table. BIOS updates are also arriving frequently to fix many reports of BSOD bugs or other issues, and these may have an impact on performance.

In this guide, we have collated all currently announced or confirmed RX 5700 aftermarket models set to be released in August, and have compared all known specifications for the aftermarket RX 5700 cards currently accounted. We will keep this guide updated as much as possible as new boards are released and reviewed, so remember that this guide is for what is available and announced at this time, but that things will change quickly and you should always see what is available before buying!

With that out of the way, here are our recommendations for the RX 5700 AIB cards, depending on your situation:

RX 5700 Aftermarket Card List (so far)

Best RX 5700 Aftermarket Cards – My Recommendations

Best RX 5700 Card	Design	Recommendation
Best Budget (and Overall) RX 5700 Aftermarket Card		Sapphire RX 5700 Pulse
Alternative Budget RX 5700 AIB Card		Gigabyte RX 5700 Gaming OC
Best Mid-Range RX 5700 Aftermarket Card		PowerColor Red Devil RX 5700
Best High-End/Performance RX 5700 Aftermarket Card		ASUS ROG STRIX RX 5700
Best RX 5700 for SFF/Mini ITX Builds		MSI RX 5700 Mech

Best Budget (and Overall) RX 5700 Aftermarket Card

Just like with the higher-end 5700XT, at the entry-level side of the RX 5700 AIB card spectrum, we see no reason to recommend anything other than the Sapphire RX 5700 PULSE at $369 (at launch, we expect it to come down around $10 once stock stabilizes). There are rumors of cards that cost similar or even $10 less, but the Sapphire name and warranty make it worth the extra couple bucks, even in the budget/value category.

For those that have used AMD GPU’s in the past, the Sapphire Pulse line should be familiar. The less expensive card in the Sapphire lineup (the more expensive usually receiving the Nitro+ moniker), Pulse cards are known for strong dual-fan cooling, unobtrusive but still interesting designs, and reasonable price points. This card is no different and offers the same appealing but subtle design with noticeable improvements over reference in cooling performance and noise levels, even if the 5700 reference blower cards were not quite as loud or warm as the 5700XT versions. This card also offers a modest factory overclock when compared to the reference cards, and should be able to sustain its boost/game clock levels better with the improved cooling, so we would expect a modest but not insignificant performance increase compared to the reference cards at much better noise/thermal levels.

The reason we say this is the best overall card for the 5700 is that the budget range makes the most sense for this graphic card and its position in the overall GPU hierarchy. Once you start getting to the mid-range or higher level, your prices begin getting really close to a budget level 5700XT card and no matter how strong the cooling is on a 5700, if you can get the 5700XT for the same price or nearly the same price, it will always be the better buy. So for a 5700 partner card, the Sapphire Pulse 5700 is hard to beat.

Honorable Mention: Gigabyte RX 5700 Gaming OC

If you have a larger case and want a triple-fan card (or just prefer the aesthetic/brand), another solid budget option is the Gigabyte RX 5700 Gaming OC. At $359 and with a beefy triple fan design, plus a reasonable factory OC, this card should perform very well for its price point. The only reason we prefer the Sapphire Pulse is that Gigabyte had some issues with its Vega AIB cards producing artifacts in their initial batches, but overall the Gaming OC line has a very strong reputation.

Best Mid-Range RX 5700 Aftermarket Card

Right above the entry-level cards sit the mid-range cards from most partner manufacturers. These cards typically offer an out-of-the-box overclock that is modest but can boost performance slightly, include beefier custom cooling designs, and sometimes include custom PCBs with either improved VRM performance or some space-saving improvements over the reference design. For the mid-range RX 5700 aftermarket cards, the price point begins to approach that of the reference RX 5700XT, which will have better performance but will also run hotter, be louder, and consume more energy.

For this category, we have to balance the step-up in custom features with the price (keeping in mind the difference with budget level 5700XT that will always perform better). Unfortunately, there are not many choices in this range right now. To strike that balance, we are again following a similar recommendation to our RX 5700XT choices (which makes sense as the coolers/features are very similar), and recommending the PowerColor Red Devil RX 5700. At $389, this card is cheaper than 5700XT aftermarket cards, more than our budget range 5700 cards, and gives you a few more features along with a strong triple fan design for $40 more than reference.

Similar to Sapphire and its Pulse line, PowerColor is a well-respected AMD GPU manufacturer and the Red Devil line has been around for previous generations of AMD graphics cards. Its reputation is great, and the reviews so far for this iteration are no different. The triple fan design and custom PCB are welcome upgrades from the reference blower card, the integrated backplate has an interesting design, and the overall aesthetic of the card is more flexible eliminating the very red accents in previous versions that turned off some buyers. In addition, the Red Devil includes some nice RGB around the logo and front of the card. All-in-all, very similar to its big brother PowerColor Red Devil RX 5700 XT.

We would love to see this card end up costing around $379 ($10 less than we see now) to really separate it from the RX 5700XT cards, but even at its current MSRP of $389, this card is a good choice for a mid-range 5700 GPU. For a fuller review on this card, check out GURU3D’s review here to get additional information.

Best High-End/Performance RX 5700 Aftermarket Card

While we could provide a recommendation for some of the most expensive RX 5700 cards and give you reasons why they will perhaps beat the rest of the 5700 partner cards, we will not be recommending any card in this price range for this article. To be perfectly honest, it makes very little sense to buy a 5700 card that is more expensive than our mid-range recommendation.

Once you start getting into the $420 range, you should be buying a 5700XT or 2060 Super, and not a 5700. While a high-end partner card might offer better performance than the reference or a budget aftermarket card, it will not offer the same performance as stepping up to the 5700XT.

So our recommendation for this category is to avoid it! If you absolutely need an RX 5700 for some reason but feel like spending as much as a better card, the ASUS ROG STRIX RX 5700 offers plenty of RGB and a pretty strong factory overclock. But unless you have a very very good reason to do otherwise, at this price point, we would recommend to either save some money and stick with the budget/value cards or the mid-range cards, or get yourself a 5700XT.

Best RX 5700 for SFF/Mini ITX Builds

This article feels very similar to the 5700XT guide because manufacturers tend to re-use designs between GPUs. And again, for this category, we are in a similar situation for the 5700 to the 5700 XT. As of now, there are no single-fan design 5700 AIB cards announced. So we cannot recommend a truly SFF style card that will fit in most ITX builds.

Similar to the 5700XT, there is the MSI RX 5700 Mech that offers a more compact package but is not quite a true SFF GPU.

Exact dimensions are 232mm long by 46mm thick by 126mm wide, which are almost the same as its RX 5700XT equivalent, so it is not the same as a true ITX build.

We recommend keeping an eye out for a true ITX mini-card if you want the absolute smallest card possible, as they should be announced sometime soon. And with any SFF component, always be sure to measure carefully before buying as whether it fits will depending heavily on other components and the PC case.

Conclusion

Best RX 5700 Card	Design	Recommendation
Best Budget (and Overall) RX 5700 Aftermarket Card		Sapphire RX 5700 Pulse
Alternative Budget RX 5700 AIB Card		Gigabyte RX 5700 Gaming OC
Best Mid-Range RX 5700 Aftermarket Card		PowerColor Red Devil RX 5700
Best High-End/Performance RX 5700 Aftermarket Card		ASUS ROG STRIX RX 5700
Best RX 5700 for SFF/Mini ITX Builds		MSI RX 5700 Mech

As we said above, the partner cards are just starting to make their way out to reviewers and the general public, so be sure to check back regularly and to read full reviews before making a final decision. But if the AIB partner cards offer increased performance and improve the thermals and noise, the two biggest complaints about the AMD reference RX 5700 card, they could be strong competitors for the Nvidia RTX 2060 Super cards.

As a reminder, when buying a 5700, we really recommend looking hard at the budget/value options. If you are planning on spending $390 or more, it is almost always better to get a 5700XT, even if it means going for a slightly lower-end partner card. A budget 5700XT partner card will always beat a high-end 5700 aftermarket card, so if their prices are similar, go with the 5700XT.

We still need AMD to get their act together and release stable BIOS that stop the complaints of BSODs and other difficulties, but once that is accomplished, these 5700 cards should be a contender for the new price-performance kings.