ASUS Dual RTX 5070 EVO: compact 2.5-slot GPU for SFF builds

February 24, 2026
Author: Kate Chu
4 min read

ASUS shrinks the RTX 5070 to 2.5 slots with the new Dual EVO series. At 229mm long and 50mm thick, it targets ITX and SFF builders who've been waiting for compact Blackwell options.

ASUS just dropped the Dual RTX 5070 EVO series. The numbers: 229 x 120 x 50mm. Compare that to the standard Dual at 249 x 126 x 50.6mm. Twenty millimeters shorter. Doesn’t sound like much until you’ve spent an evening trying to close a side panel that won’t quite close.

The thickness? 2.5 slots. Down from 2.53 technically. Nobody will notice that 0.03-slot difference. I certainly won’t. What matters is staying under that psychological barrier where SFF cases draw the line.

Cooling – the part that worries me

Here’s the thing about compact GPUs. Less space means less heatsink. Less heatsink means more heat. Physics doesn’t care about marketing.

ASUS equipped this card with axial-tech fans – supposedly more durable than standard blades. They also included 0dB mode for light loads. I’ve used this on previous ASUS cards. Works fine. Complete silence at the desktop, fans kick in when you actually need them.

The backplate has ventilation cutouts. Sounds minor. It’s not.

In sandwich-style ITX cases your GPU sits millimeters from the side panel. Solid backplate? Heat pools. Vented backplate? Air moves. Real difference in tight spaces.

Power comes through a single 16-pin 12V-2×6 connector. ASUS says 850W PSU. Also 750W. Depends which spec sheet you read. The inconsistency tells me either works fine. These cards pull around 220W under load – not exactly power hungry by modern standards.

Two models, barely different

ASUS is launching two variants:

Dual RTX 5070 EVO

Base boost: 2512 MHz
OC mode: 2542 MHz

Dual RTX 5070 EVO OC

Base boost: 2542 MHz
OC mode: 2572 MHz

That’s a 30 MHz difference.

You will never see this in any game. Ever. The OC model exists for people who want factory overclocks without touching software. Fine. But don’t pay more than $20 extra for it. Not worth it.

Why SFF builders should care

The RTX 5070 launch was rough for compact PC people. Reference cards? Huge. Most AIB cards? Also huge. Triple-slot monsters that laugh at your FormD T1.

This changes things. Not dramatically. But enough.

At 229mm this card clears the 230mm limit in cases like the Meshlicious, NR200, and FormD T1. The 2.5-slot thickness works in most sandwich layouts. Still a substantial card – we’re not talking slim by any stretch – but doors that were closed are now open.

My concern? Thermals. ASUS hasn’t published numbers yet. A 220W GPU in a compact cooler inside a restricted-airflow case… I want to see real data before recommending this for builds where the GPU bakes in its own heat. Less mass. More heat. Simple.

Price and availability – the usual mystery

No pricing announced. No release date. Classic GPU launch behavior at this point.

Based on previous Dual EVO cards: probably $20-40 over MSRP. The OC version adds another $20-30. These are guesses. Could be wrong.

Regional availability is the real question mark. SFF building is huge in Asia and parts of Europe where apartments are small and desk space is precious. Will ASUS ship there first? Or stick with the usual US-priority distribution?

No idea. They’re not saying.

ASUS Dual RTX 5070 EVO: quick answers

Will the Dual RTX 5070 EVO fit in my ITX case?

At 229 x 120 x 50mm (2.5 slots), it fits most SFF cases with 230mm+ GPU clearance. Check your case specs against these exact dimensions before buying. Sandwich-layout cases need 2.5-slot support minimum.

How does cooling compare to larger RTX 5070 cards?

ASUS uses axial-tech dual fans with 0dB idle mode and a vented backplate. Thermal performance in restricted SFF cases remains untested. Expect slightly higher temperatures than triple-fan models in open airflow cases.

What power supply do I need for ASUS 5070 EVO?

ASUS recommends 750-850W, though the card uses a single 16-pin connector and draws around 220W. A quality 650W unit would likely work, but SFF power supplies often have less headroom, so the 750W recommendation makes sense for those builds.

Is the OC model worth the extra cost?

The 30 MHz clock difference between standard and OC versions won’t produce noticeable performance gains. Buy whichever is available at a reasonable price. The OC model might use a slightly better-binned chip, but real-world differences will be minimal.

Sources: ASUS Official, ITHOME, Nvidia RTX 5070 specifications