AMD has expanded its RDNA 4 workstation lineup with two new professional GPUs, and now its board partners are rolling out their own custom versions. The big theme across these new releases is clear: passive, fanless cooling aimed at professional environments where reliability, low noise, and rack-friendly airflow matter more than flashy aesthetics.
The latest wave of cards includes custom editions of the Radeon AI PRO R9700S and Radeon AI PRO R9600D, both based on the Navi 48 platform. While these GPUs share the same core workstation focus, board partners are differentiating them with slightly different shrouds, slot thickness, port layouts, and power connector choices.
PowerColor’s take is the most minimalistic of the bunch. Its Radeon AI PRO R9700S 32G-P goes with an understated black shroud that skips prominent branding, giving it a clean, workstation-first look. It uses a dual-slot passive cooler and includes a backplate for added rigidity. For displays, it offers four DisplayPort 2.1a outputs, which is ideal for multi-monitor professional setups. Power is delivered through a 16-pin connector located at the end of the card.
Sapphire is offering two 32GB models, one for the Radeon AI PRO R9700S and one for the Radeon AI PRO R9600D. The styling remains professional and restrained, but with a bit more visual detail than PowerColor’s design, including subtle accents and visible Radeon and Sapphire branding. On the R9700S version, Sapphire includes four DisplayPort 2.1 outputs, along with a 12V-2×6 connector positioned at the end of the PCB.
The Radeon AI PRO R9600D from Sapphire takes a different physical approach with a single-slot design, making it attractive for dense workstation builds and systems where expansion space is limited. Interestingly, this version is outfitted with just one DisplayPort 2.1 output and still uses the 12V-2×6 power connector. The use of a 16-pin style power connection on a 150W-class GPU may raise eyebrows, but it should be far less stressful than the power demands seen on today’s top-tier mainstream graphics cards.
ASRock is going in a more distinctive design direction while still sticking to passive cooling for both GPUs. Its Radeon AI PRO R9700S Passive PS 32G and Radeon AI PRO R9600D Passive PS 32G come with a grey shroud and white accents, helping them stand out in a sea of black workstation hardware. Most specifications align with what other partners are doing, but ASRock makes one notable change: its R9600D variant is equipped with four DisplayPort 2.1a ports rather than a single output, which could make it a more flexible choice for professionals running multiple high-resolution displays.
Overall, these custom RDNA 4 professional GPU designs show board partners leaning hard into practicality: passively cooled heatsinks, workstation-friendly form factors, and modern DisplayPort 2.1/2.1a connectivity. For users building AI-focused workstations, content creation rigs, visualization systems, or quiet professional desktops, these new Radeon AI PRO options add more variety in port configurations and physical layouts—without drifting from the reliability-first mindset expected in professional hardware.
