AMD continues to release the entry-level graphics card Radeon RX 5600 XT, which is designed to be between the RX 5500 XT and the RX 5700 with powerful 1080p performance and is priced at $ 279. Like many graphics cards recently released, preparations for the release were not smooth sailing, and both AMD and Nvidia have repositioned their graphics cards in an attempt to take a decisive advantage in the important price category below $ 300.
AMD originally announced the 5600 XT as a competitor to the GTX 1660 Ti, offering higher frame rates at the same price. In response, Nvidia lowered the price of the next graphics card, the RTX 2060, bringing its entry-level ray tracing GPU to $ 299. Now we are seeing the reaction of AMD-the Red Team did not reduce the price to maintain its value leadership, but chose to improve performance.
This takes the form of a new BIOS update available on some overclocked RX 5600 XT models, which has significantly higher core and memory clocks, but at the cost of a nominally higher TDP. As you can see in the table below, these upgrades go far beyond what we usually see from overclocking cards, and the performance boost is expected to bring the RX 5600 XT OC to almost the same level as the $ 349 RX 5700.
| Old BIOS | New BIOS | |
|---|---|---|
| Game clock | 1560 MHz | 1615 MHz |
| Boost clock | 1620 MHz | 1750 MHz |
| Memory clock | 1500MHz (12Gbps) | 1750MHz (14Gbps) |
| Technology Development Plan | 150 watts | 160 watts |
The new BIOS will be available on a range of "selected" overclocking models from manufacturers, including the Sapphire Pulse device, which we sent for review. However, it is unclear which other RX 5600 XT models will get the new BIOS and how it will actually be communicated to customers. Currently, the best option seems to be to check the official specifications of each card on the manufacturer's website, where a 1750MHz boost clock, a 14Gbps storage speed, and a 160W TDP indicate that the card has been upgraded. If you have a new BIOS, you need to download and flash it using the AMDVbFlash tool-fortunately, this is a very simple process that involves selecting the downloaded BIOS file, clicking the program button, waiting for the flash to complete and then restarting the computer. Before you start, make sure to save the card's current BIOS file to your computer, and carefully check whether the BIOS file you want to flash is suitable for your specific model before you start.
BIOS changes have made testing the RX 5600 XT a bit difficult-we should look at the reference specs that can actually be used at the $ 279 quote point, or the upgraded "performance" specs to show that it is okay when pushed into the RX card doing what. limit? Given the scope and scale of the changes between these two extremes, it makes more sense to treat them as two separate graphics cards-so this is exactly what we did in this review. Results labeled "RX 5600 XT" are based on a reference "silent" BIOS, while results labeled "RX 5600 XT OC" use an overclocked "performance" BIOS.
Before we get the benchmark results, which includes a series of latest and old titles from 1080p to 1440p and 4K, let's show exactly what we are testing.
This is a Sapphire Pulse card valued at £ 255, which uses a fairly standard 2.3 slot design with two large axial fans in black, white and red colors. I / O is a common output method in modern times: three DisplayPort 1.4 and one HDMI 2.0, so users of older and / or entry-level DVI-D displays will need to provide adapters. On the back, including a metal back plate. You can use the switch near the I / O on the top of the card to switch between silent and performance BIOS. However, as mentioned above, purchasers of this card may need to manually install an updated BIOS version. Finally, an eight-pin power input is required to meet the 160W TDP, as only 75W can be provided from the PCIe slot alone.
| RX 5500 XT | RX 5600 XT | RX 5700 | RX 5700 XT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| unit of measurement | twenty two | 36 | 36 | 40 |
| Stream processor | 1408 | 2304 | 2304 | 2560 |
| Leaderboard | 5.2 | 7.2 | 7.95 | 9.75 |
| Game clock | 1717 MHz | 1375 MHz | 1625 MHz | 1755 MHz |
| Boost clock | 1845 MHz | 1560 MHz | 1725MHz | 1905 MHz |
| memory | 4GB / 8GB GDDR6 | 6GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory interface | 128-bit | 192 bits | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Technology Development Plan | 130 watts | 150 watts | 180 watts | 225 watts |
| Suggested retail price | $ 169 / $ 199 | $ 279 | $ 349 | $ 399 |
As with previous products, the RX 5600 XT faces serious challenges from Nvidia. Although AMD claims that its graphics cards are capable enough to make the same price GTX 1660 Super and GTX 1660 Ti stand out, the performance of the newly discounted RTX 2060 should be slightly higher, only $ 20 more. The RTX 2060 also has hardware-accelerated ray tracing. Since Microsoft and Sony introduced game consoles with ray tracing at the end of 2020, it is expected to appear in more games in the next few years.
But ending this game before it even started is far from us. The new BIOS upgrade should provide a better chance for the RX 5600 XT, so let's see how these two variants of the card perform in the competition with the two teams' closest competitors.
AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT analysis
