AMD has hit a stride with its RX 5000 series of graphics cards. With the launch of the RX 5700, 5700 XT, and most recently the RX 5500 XT, the company aimed to provide the best value for the money in each card’s respective price bracket. Today, we’re looking at the 5600 XT, a card AMD describes as being the “ultimate graphics card for 1080p gaming.” Priced competitively at $279 on the low end, is it finally time to upgrade?
Design and Features
Like the 5500 XT, there is no reference version of the 5600 XT, so graphics card companies have been set free to design their own versions. Options are plentiful. As a gamer, you have your pick of factory overclocks, cooling solutions, and unique looks to match your setup. This approach also means that you’ll have different pricing options that scale up with features and overclocks. As of today, RX 5600 XT prices range from $279 all the way to $309 for larger, triple-fan cards and high-end overclocks.
Even though AMD isn’t selling its own card, the company still released reference specs for vendors to build on. The 5600 XT features 2,304 shader cores and a base clock of 1,130MHz. Under load, it’s able to boost up to 1,560MHz with an expected Game Frequency of 1375 MHz, though this varies from game to game. The 5600 XT comes stock with 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM running at 12GB/s for a total memory bandwidth of 288GB/s. At 1080p, few games demand more memory than that, so you should be able to max out textures without hitting a bottleneck on most games. The version we were sent for testing is the Sapphire Pulse OC. Like most third-party cards, it comes overclocked out of the box. The boost clock on this model can spin up to 1,750MHz under load and has an expected game clock of 1615 MHz. It also features Sapphire’s Dual-X cooling solution which uses two large fans and a radiator to keep its components cool. Because there is no reference model and clock speeds and cooling will vary between cards, the actual performance of different models will vary. Differences shouldn’t be major, but it’s still worth considering your model carefully before buying.
For display support, the Pulse comes equipped with three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and a single HDMI 2.0. Each offers support for high refresh rate monitors and HDR, as well as AMD FreeSync 2 to eliminate screen tearing. The 5600 XT is able to drive up to four displays simultaneously for immersive gameplay experiences. As an RX 5000 series card, it supports Radeon specific features like Radeon Image Sharpening and Radeon Anti-Lag. Radeon’s Image Sharpening is the unstated hero of this generation of Radeon graphics cards, offering noticeable enhancements to the crispness of visuals without the performance hit of increasing the resolution. Radeon Anti-Lag is a boon to competitive gamers, reducing input lag by synchronizing the processing of the graphics card and processor. Another neat feature is Radeon Boost. It increases game performance by dynamically lowering the game’s resolution when in motion. Because the game is in motion when it works its magic, it’s much more difficult to spot. As game demands increase, this feature will help you keep frame rates smooth when they might otherwise stutter.
Performance
To test the performance of the RX 5600 XT, I ran it through our stable of test games. Each game was set to the ultra presets or highest settings where that wasn’t possible and anti-aliasing was disabled. We are currently in the process of updating our test bench, so this card was tested in my personal system. It is currently running a Ryzen 9 3900X with 32GB of 3600MHz G.Skill TridentZ Neo memory, and is free of any bottlenecks that would hinder performance. When the new bench is complete, I’ll be retesting each of the cards below and many more to stay current with driver-based performance improvements. Note: I completed my testing using the latest driver and BIOS version available for the Sapphire Pulse. If you decide to pick up a 5600 XT for yourself, you should check to see if the manufacturer has updates available for your card to achieve the best possible performance.
Based on these results, it’s clear that the RX 5600 XT is an outstanding card for 1080p gaming. In every case except for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it was able to exceed 60 FPS at Ultra presets/max settings. By lowering some of the most performance heavy settings, these results could be increased further. It’s especially interesting to see that the card offers very playable frame rates even at 1440p. Sapphire’s Dual-X cooling also did the trick with the card never exceeding 75 degrees celsius in any game. Staying with Team Red for a moment, the card offers a major upgrade from the 5500 XT. This isn’t surprising since the card is roughly $100 more, but if you’re on the fence and can afford to wait, it’s well worth saving up the extra cash. Compared to its closest competition from Nvidia, the GTX 1660 Ti, things become more heated. The RX 5600 XT consistently trades blows with the GTX 1660 Ti (and to a lesser extent the GTX 1660 Super). With performance results like these, pricing matters more than ever. Our Sapphire Pulse version of the 5600 XT retails for $289.99 while the GTX 1660 Ti can be had for as little as $274.99. For my money, I would still lean toward the RX 5600 XT due to AMD’s software enhancements, but in sheer FPS the 1660 Ti seems to be the better value. The battle for “best value” doesn’t end there, however. Leading up to the launch of the RX 5600 XT, Nvidia lowered the price of the RTX 2060 Founder’s Edition to $299, and worked with EVGA to release a “KO” model for the same price that offers enhanced cooling. The RTX 2060 outperforms the RX 5600 XT in all but rare circumstances and includes the major feature of real time ray tracing, which the 5600 XT lacks. The value proposition is much trickier between these two cards. Ray tracing has the potential to offer much more realistic lighting in games, and both next-gen consoles have also been confirmed to feature it. With support coming on consoles (which often drive PC gaming tech), it’s very likely that ray tracing will become a more major feature than it is today. While investing in the 5600 XT might save a few dollars upfront, if ray tracing is something you eventually want, it may lead to an earlier upgrade than just saving up for the RTX 2060. At the same time, Radeon Image Sharpening offers a definite improvement you can benefit from today. More than most GPU comparisons, this is really a case of what matters most to you, and is worth considering how that might change overtime.
Purchasing Guide
The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is available at a starting price of $279. The specific version of this GPU we reviewed was the Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 5600 XT and it retails for a slightly higher $289 price at Amazon. [poilib element="commerceCta" json="%7B%22image%22%3A%7B%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F01%2F24%2FSapphireRadeon-Pulse-RX-5600-XT1579899506863.jpg%22%2C%22styleUrl%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F01%2F24%2FSapphireRadeon-Pulse-RX-5600-XT1579899506863_%7Bsize%7D.jpg%22%2C%22id%22%3A%225e2b5a76e4b0e6d43845e2f4%22%7D%2C%22url%22%3A%22http%3A%2F%2Fr.zdbb.net%2Fu%2Fbm8i%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22Sapphire%20Pulse%20Radeon%20RX%205600%20XT%22%2C%22store%22%3A%22Amazon%22%2C%22additionalInfo%22%3A%22%22%2C%22ourPick%22%3Afalse%7D"]
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Design and Features
Like the 5500 XT, there is no reference version of the 5600 XT, so graphics card companies have been set free to design their own versions. Options are plentiful. As a gamer, you have your pick of factory overclocks, cooling solutions, and unique looks to match your setup. This approach also means that you’ll have different pricing options that scale up with features and overclocks. As of today, RX 5600 XT prices range from $279 all the way to $309 for larger, triple-fan cards and high-end overclocks.
Even though AMD isn’t selling its own card, the company still released reference specs for vendors to build on. The 5600 XT features 2,304 shader cores and a base clock of 1,130MHz. Under load, it’s able to boost up to 1,560MHz with an expected Game Frequency of 1375 MHz, though this varies from game to game. The 5600 XT comes stock with 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM running at 12GB/s for a total memory bandwidth of 288GB/s. At 1080p, few games demand more memory than that, so you should be able to max out textures without hitting a bottleneck on most games. The version we were sent for testing is the Sapphire Pulse OC. Like most third-party cards, it comes overclocked out of the box. The boost clock on this model can spin up to 1,750MHz under load and has an expected game clock of 1615 MHz. It also features Sapphire’s Dual-X cooling solution which uses two large fans and a radiator to keep its components cool. Because there is no reference model and clock speeds and cooling will vary between cards, the actual performance of different models will vary. Differences shouldn’t be major, but it’s still worth considering your model carefully before buying.
For display support, the Pulse comes equipped with three DisplayPort 1.4 outputs and a single HDMI 2.0. Each offers support for high refresh rate monitors and HDR, as well as AMD FreeSync 2 to eliminate screen tearing. The 5600 XT is able to drive up to four displays simultaneously for immersive gameplay experiences. As an RX 5000 series card, it supports Radeon specific features like Radeon Image Sharpening and Radeon Anti-Lag. Radeon’s Image Sharpening is the unstated hero of this generation of Radeon graphics cards, offering noticeable enhancements to the crispness of visuals without the performance hit of increasing the resolution. Radeon Anti-Lag is a boon to competitive gamers, reducing input lag by synchronizing the processing of the graphics card and processor. Another neat feature is Radeon Boost. It increases game performance by dynamically lowering the game’s resolution when in motion. Because the game is in motion when it works its magic, it’s much more difficult to spot. As game demands increase, this feature will help you keep frame rates smooth when they might otherwise stutter.
Performance
To test the performance of the RX 5600 XT, I ran it through our stable of test games. Each game was set to the ultra presets or highest settings where that wasn’t possible and anti-aliasing was disabled. We are currently in the process of updating our test bench, so this card was tested in my personal system. It is currently running a Ryzen 9 3900X with 32GB of 3600MHz G.Skill TridentZ Neo memory, and is free of any bottlenecks that would hinder performance. When the new bench is complete, I’ll be retesting each of the cards below and many more to stay current with driver-based performance improvements. Note: I completed my testing using the latest driver and BIOS version available for the Sapphire Pulse. If you decide to pick up a 5600 XT for yourself, you should check to see if the manufacturer has updates available for your card to achieve the best possible performance.
Based on these results, it’s clear that the RX 5600 XT is an outstanding card for 1080p gaming. In every case except for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it was able to exceed 60 FPS at Ultra presets/max settings. By lowering some of the most performance heavy settings, these results could be increased further. It’s especially interesting to see that the card offers very playable frame rates even at 1440p. Sapphire’s Dual-X cooling also did the trick with the card never exceeding 75 degrees celsius in any game. Staying with Team Red for a moment, the card offers a major upgrade from the 5500 XT. This isn’t surprising since the card is roughly $100 more, but if you’re on the fence and can afford to wait, it’s well worth saving up the extra cash. Compared to its closest competition from Nvidia, the GTX 1660 Ti, things become more heated. The RX 5600 XT consistently trades blows with the GTX 1660 Ti (and to a lesser extent the GTX 1660 Super). With performance results like these, pricing matters more than ever. Our Sapphire Pulse version of the 5600 XT retails for $289.99 while the GTX 1660 Ti can be had for as little as $274.99. For my money, I would still lean toward the RX 5600 XT due to AMD’s software enhancements, but in sheer FPS the 1660 Ti seems to be the better value. The battle for “best value” doesn’t end there, however. Leading up to the launch of the RX 5600 XT, Nvidia lowered the price of the RTX 2060 Founder’s Edition to $299, and worked with EVGA to release a “KO” model for the same price that offers enhanced cooling. The RTX 2060 outperforms the RX 5600 XT in all but rare circumstances and includes the major feature of real time ray tracing, which the 5600 XT lacks. The value proposition is much trickier between these two cards. Ray tracing has the potential to offer much more realistic lighting in games, and both next-gen consoles have also been confirmed to feature it. With support coming on consoles (which often drive PC gaming tech), it’s very likely that ray tracing will become a more major feature than it is today. While investing in the 5600 XT might save a few dollars upfront, if ray tracing is something you eventually want, it may lead to an earlier upgrade than just saving up for the RTX 2060. At the same time, Radeon Image Sharpening offers a definite improvement you can benefit from today. More than most GPU comparisons, this is really a case of what matters most to you, and is worth considering how that might change overtime.Purchasing Guide
The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is available at a starting price of $279. The specific version of this GPU we reviewed was the Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 5600 XT and it retails for a slightly higher $289 price at Amazon. [poilib element="commerceCta" json="%7B%22image%22%3A%7B%22url%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F01%2F24%2FSapphireRadeon-Pulse-RX-5600-XT1579899506863.jpg%22%2C%22styleUrl%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fassets1.ignimgs.com%2F2020%2F01%2F24%2FSapphireRadeon-Pulse-RX-5600-XT1579899506863_%7Bsize%7D.jpg%22%2C%22id%22%3A%225e2b5a76e4b0e6d43845e2f4%22%7D%2C%22url%22%3A%22http%3A%2F%2Fr.zdbb.net%2Fu%2Fbm8i%22%2C%22title%22%3A%22Sapphire%20Pulse%20Radeon%20RX%205600%20XT%22%2C%22store%22%3A%22Amazon%22%2C%22additionalInfo%22%3A%22%22%2C%22ourPick%22%3Afalse%7D"]
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