Review AMD RX 5600XT Review Thread

[Hitman928]

Print Media

The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT Review, Feat. Sapphire Pulse: A New Challenger For Mainstream Gaming

www.anandtech.com

AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT im Test

Mit der Radeon RX 5600 XT platziert AMD eine Grafikkarte auf Augenhöhe zur Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060. Die Effizienz ist sehr hoch.

www.computerbase.de

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.computerbase.de/2020-01/radeon-rx-5600-xt-test/ [translated]

AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT Review: Look out, RTX 2060

1660 Ti-like pricing and better-than-2060 performance!

www.tomshardware.com

Video Reviews

From early reviews it seems like the 5600XT and Nvidia 2060 are basically tied both in performance and power consumption although GN's 12V rail power numbers and Anandtech's system power numbers don't agree, not sure why that is.

 

[Glo.]

Have a look over at r/AMD, most people over there have the same opinion as mine.

That is only Confirmation Bias.

You have made up your mind, and only thing you look for is the data which will confirm your perception.

 

[AtenRa]

Have a look over at r/AMD, most people over there have the same opinion as mine.

It isn't any faster than a 2060 and is certainly not more efficient. There is a graph from TechPowerUp in a post above which shows essentially the same power consumption with the new VBIOS.

And as for features, AMD is certainly not up to par with NVIDIA. Borked drivers and features, broken compute, lack of software optimization and a poor h264 video encoder are documented issues with Navi cards. There are many people who stream/record gameplay and for them NVENC is incredibly important. Same goes for CUDA - if anyone uses any professional apps then it's much more common to find CUDA than OpenCL support. Even Anand Tech says that compute is broken on Navi since launch. Head over to r/AMD to hear about the downclocking bug on Navi which affects older games, which is a big deal - even Steve from Gamers Nexus talks about it in the video review.

Navi is in a mess right now and even though AMD has acknowledged that there are problems, why should anyone get their card when the competition is simply better due to not having any of these issues?

ASUS Radeon RX 5600 XT STRIX TOP Review

The ASUS Radeon RX 5600 XT STRIX TOP uses the same cooler and PCB design as the RX 5700 XT STRIX OC, which makes this a massively overbuilt design. Thanks to a 10-phase GPU VRM paired with low voltages, the card is actually more power efficient than NVIDIA's Turing lineup.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[amrnuke]

It isn't any faster than a 2060 and is certainly not more efficient. There is a graph from TechPowerUp in a post above which shows essentially the same power consumption with the new VBIOS.

Re: the Sapphire Pulse, that 5600XT beats 2060 by 2% at 1080 and 1440, and uses 4W less as its average in gaming, giving it a 4% lead in performance per watt over the 2060. Because the Pulse is $10 cheaper it has a 5% performance-per-dollar lead as well. On the old BIOS its efficiency is insane, if you really care about 35W of average gaming energy consumption.

And as for features, AMD is certainly not up to par with NVIDIA. Borked drivers and features, broken compute, lack of software optimization and a poor h264 video encoder are documented issues with Navi cards. There are many people who stream/record gameplay and for them NVENC is incredibly important. Same goes for CUDA - if anyone uses any professional apps then it's much more common to find CUDA than OpenCL support. Even Anand Tech says that compute is broken on Navi since launch. Head over to r/AMD to hear about the downclocking bug on Navi which affects older games, which is a big deal - even Steve from Gamers Nexus talks about it in the video review.

Absolutely correct on this point. If you are using CUDA, NVENC, encoding - then no doubt Nvidia is the way to go. If all you do is game, it appears the 5600XT offers not just faster performance, but also faster 1%s according to many of the reviews I've seen, which should make a much smoother experience. However, as you mention, the drivers need to be settled.

Navi is in a mess right now and even though AMD has acknowledged that there are problems, why should anyone get their card when the competition is simply better due to not having any of these issues?

Sadly, it is a bit of a mess. I haven't had any issues on 5700 reference, but I understand a large minority have. How was Nvidia when they first released Pascal and Turing? I can't recall. But they also were still using 12nm TSMC process, and likely their architecture quite similar between them. I think the maturity overall of their product stack and consistency in microarchitecture over time has made their drivers much more stable. AMD are still getting their footing for sure. Who knows how it will end up.

 

[uzzi38]

NVENC is a selling point because it lowers the bar for entering into streaming, if you care for that sort of thing.

CUDA is another selling point for those who do run stuff like Blender or Premiere, or those who do development work.

And let's be honest AMD's driver issues are far more severe than just simple random black screens.

And an overwhelmingly large majority of customers will never do a BIOS mod on a 5700 to get XT levels of performance, because they want a strictly hassle-free out of the box experience.

Nothing you've posted actually disagrees with anything I've written.

If you care for streaming, then yes NVENC is great. I said that too. The vast majority of people however don't. It would be nice if AMD improved their H.264 encoding, but lets be real, it's a niche.

As for CUDA - read what I said above. You need a proprietary software stack? Why are you even considering something else? You have real work to do, go buy the trusted and tried one. For those people, it's not even a discussion.

Answer me one thing: why are you proposing these as reasons why everyone should be buying the 2060 instead when they only concern specific people?

As to drivers - did you miss the etc? I understand there's more to it, but check the recent few sets of patch notes. Does it look like AMD are working on just fixing one issue at a time? And lets not forget that while the issues are widespread, and I am not trying to downplay this - do not get me wrong Navi's drivers have been a complete and utter mess, - the number of people with issues are still in the minority.

And I agree, most people won't be buying a 5700 to flash to a 5700XT. But that's not my point, as in any case the 5700 is better than a 2060 in pure rasterisation and can easily be found at $330 just like the 2060 is. You don't need a bios flash for it, I was simply stating how one can get the best bang for their buck.

 

[Glo.]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1219683350257926144

RX 5600 XT models pricing.

Red Dragon and Pulse are best values, overall.

 

[linkgoron]

Have a look over at r/AMD, most people over there have the same opinion as mine.

It isn't any faster than a 2060 and is certainly not more efficient. There is a graph from TechPowerUp in a post above which shows essentially the same power consumption with the new VBIOS.

Except that it is. Not by much, by about ~5%, but it is.

And as for features, AMD is certainly not up to par with NVIDIA. Borked drivers and features, broken compute, lack of software optimization and a poor h264 video encoder are documented issues with Navi cards. There are many people who stream/record gameplay and for them NVENC is incredibly important.

This is from Handbrake's website. Doesn't seem to be that big of a difference. However, I am no expert and I couldn't find any other more recent benchmarks. Either way, I really think that streaming isn't that big of a deal for the common user.

Same goes for CUDA - if anyone uses any professional apps then it's much more common to find CUDA than OpenCL support. Even Anand Tech says that compute is broken on Navi since launch.

As already stated, if you need CUDA then AMD isn't an option for you anyway.

Head over to r/AMD to hear about the downclocking bug on Navi which affects older games, which is a big deal - even Steve from Gamers Nexus talks about it in the video review.

Navi is in a mess right now and even though AMD has acknowledged that there are problems, why should anyone get their card when the competition is simply better due to not having any of these issues?

I've only had one issue so far with my 5700XT (after three months) and that was with Hitman2. I'm not saying that the drivers are perfect, they obviously have problems, but Nvidia also has their own issues (Looking in r/nvidia I see reported recent crashes/issues with RDR2, GTA V, modern warfare and Witcher 3, and I just looked in the driver thread). I think that AMD's issues are usually overblown. However, except for Hitman2, they've been rock solid for me so far. I haven't faced any of the downclocking issues, black screens, or anything else (and I've played multiple older games and DX9 games).

 

[tamz_msc]

Compute is fixed as of the patch last week. Seti@Home etc are working now, and it wasn't even entirely a problem with Navi, which is why these compute programs also require an update now to work.

As per Anandtech's review of the 5600XT, F@H and Compubench still doesn't work.

 

[uzzi38]

As per Anandtech's review of the 5600XT, F@H and Compubench still doesn't work.

They're wrong then. There was a thread on r/AMD on it days ago, it's been fixed on their end to my knowledge. And like I said before, it was also the fault of the creators of the application.

EDIT: According to the posts in that thread, AMD have fixed enough on their side for F@H. A patch on the side of the developers is now needed.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Amd/comments/eqfgz0

 

[Ranulf]

ASUS Radeon RX 5600 XT STRIX TOP Review

The ASUS Radeon RX 5600 XT STRIX TOP uses the same cooler and PCB design as the RX 5700 XT STRIX OC, which makes this a massively overbuilt design. Thanks to a 10-phase GPU VRM paired with low voltages, the card is actually more power efficient than NVIDIA's Turing lineup.

www.techpowerup.com

That Strix card is the 3 fan $339 card. Not $279 or $299 or $320.

 

[DeathReborn]

Re: the Sapphire Pulse, that 5600XT beats 2060 by 2% at 1080 and 1440, and uses 4W less as its average in gaming, giving it a 4% lead in performance per watt over the 2060. Because the Pulse is $10 cheaper it has a 5% performance-per-dollar lead as well. On the old BIOS its efficiency is insane, if you really care about 35W of average gaming energy consumption.


Absolutely correct on this point. If you are using CUDA, NVENC, encoding - then no doubt Nvidia is the way to go. If all you do is game, it appears the 5600XT offers not just faster performance, but also faster 1%s according to many of the reviews I've seen, which should make a much smoother experience. However, as you mention, the drivers need to be settled.


Sadly, it is a bit of a mess. I haven't had any issues on 5700 reference, but I understand a large minority have. How was Nvidia when they first released Pascal and Turing? I can't recall. But they also were still using 12nm TSMC process, and likely their architecture quite similar between them. I think the maturity overall of their product stack and consistency in microarchitecture over time has made their drivers much more stable. AMD are still getting their footing for sure. Who knows how it will end up.

When you use the graph from the EVGA 2060 KO review the 5600XT isn't 2% faster than the "new" 2060, but it is quiter and more efficient. I have 2 Sapphire 5600XT' Pulse's on order, will probably have to flash the BIOS myself though.

EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 KO Review

The $299 EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 KO was announced just days ago, at CES, and is the most affordable entry into RTX gaming. What's surprising is that the KO uses a different GPU than other RTX 2060 Series cards. We take a closer look to see what NVIDIA is bringing to the fight with AMD's RX 5600 XT.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[tamz_msc]

ASUS Radeon RX 5600 XT STRIX TOP Review

The ASUS Radeon RX 5600 XT STRIX TOP uses the same cooler and PCB design as the RX 5700 XT STRIX OC, which makes this a massively overbuilt design. Thanks to a 10-phase GPU VRM paired with low voltages, the card is actually more power efficient than NVIDIA's Turing lineup.

www.techpowerup.com

Which one do I believe - TPU or Gamers' Nexus?

 

[tamz_msc]

Re: the Sapphire Pulse, that 5600XT beats 2060 by 2% at 1080 and 1440, and uses 4W less as its average in gaming, giving it a 4% lead in performance per watt over the 2060. Because the Pulse is $10 cheaper it has a 5% performance-per-dollar lead as well. On the old BIOS its efficiency is insane, if you really care about 35W of average gaming energy consumption.

That's according to TPU. According to GN they're about equal. That's the story I get after perusing a couple of reviews - it's faster in some while slower in others, which makes it on average equal in performance with an RTX 2060.

 

[Mopetar]

While everyone else is squabbling and bickering, I'm just going to be content that the competitiveness has made both companies provide more performance to use as consumers than they otherwise would have.

And for the people incessantly carrying on about whether or not it does one thing well or doesn't have some feature, you're all clearly wrong because this card isn't going to do 4K which is clearly the only use case that matters, so I'm not sure why anyone is wasting words over anything else.

 

[tamz_msc]

Answer me one thing: why are you proposing these as reasons why everyone should be buying the 2060 instead when they only concern specific people?

Let's ignore the additional features that NVIDIA provides. Just $10-30 extra for peace of mind regarding driver issues and performance in older games is enough to convince most people to get the RTX 2060.

 

[SPBHM]

I would have a hard time not choosing the 2060 between the two.

 

[tamz_msc]

I've only had one issue so far with my 5700XT (after three months) and that was with Hitman2. I'm not saying that the drivers are perfect, they obviously have problems, but Nvidia also has their own issues (Looking in r/nvidia I see reported recent crashes/issues with RDR2, GTA V, modern warfare and Witcher 3, and I just looked in the driver thread). I think that AMD's issues are usually overblown. However, except for Hitman2, they've been rock solid for me so far. I haven't faced any of the downclocking issues, black screens, or anything else (and I've played multiple older games and DX9 games).

It's great that you've not faced any major issue, but that isn't exactly reassuring when compared against every other thread that pops up everyday in the AMD Community or r/AMD.

 

[AtenRa]

Which one do I believe - TPU or Gamers' Nexus?

The TPU numbers i posted are for the ASUS STRIX card, GN numbers you are posting are for the Sapphire PULSE card.

But AT review with the Sapphire PULSE also shows the 5600XT to have lower power consumption and higher perf.

The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT Review, Feat. Sapphire Pulse: A New Challenger For Mainstream Gaming

www.anandtech.com

 

[Glo.]

That's according to TPU. According to GN they're about equal. That's the story I get after perusing a couple of reviews - it's faster in some while slower in others, which makes it on average equal in performance with an RTX 2060.

You glanced over two reviews.

I have looked at 10 reviews, youtube, and article reviews. Not only from mainstream ones, but also less mainstream ones.

Average performance delta is 5% for the RX 5600 XT, while drawing less power, and costing less.

 

[tamz_msc]

You glanced over two reviews.

I have looked at 10 reviews, youtube, and article reviews. Not only from mainstream ones, but also less mainstream ones.

Average performance delta is 5% for the RX 5600 XT, while drawing less power, and costing less.

There is a guy on 3DCenter.org who does the tabulation of GPU reviews whenever a new card comes out. I'm sure that once he collates the data the RTX 2060 and the RX 5600 XT will be shown to have equal performance on average.

 

[alexruiz]

Meh, I'd spend the extra $10 and get the RTX 2060. Better drivers, stability, NVENC, CUDA, better performance in old DX9/OpenGL games is worth that little extra.

You are forgetting also "space invaders" and dead RTX cards, that is another "extra" from nvidia...
This "extra" will also make you spend $15 or $20 to RMA it and hope the manufacturer fixes it right

The RX 5600 XT is all around a better card than the RTX 2060. You just don't want admit it.
AMD drivers are as stable as nvidia's

 

[railven]

Also, r/AMD is filled with people who think Navi 10 should have been sold at $250 and that by not doing so AMD are price fixing with Nvidia. There's a reason we nobody sane cares for their opinions.

Considering it was your post over at r/amd that put light to the enhanced sync issue, I find it kind of odd that you'd have this opinion of r/amd.

And of course AMD must be dripping with confirmation bias, considering they too are checking r/amd for feedback.

Only the true AMD fans know whats what!

 

[uzzi38]

Considering it was your post over at r/amd that put light to the enhanced sync issue, I find it kind of odd that you'd have this opinion of r/amd.

?

If I find an issue in the drivers, why wouldn't I post it to the relevent subreddit? I might not like the people there, but I'm not the kind of person that would leave others struggling to find a solution to an issue I know the cause of.

 

[alexruiz]

Now on topic.
The results used for "RX 5700" in all the reviews are for the reference card, right?
This means than a custom cooler RX 5700 will be faster than the RX 5700 numbers shown on these reviews.

While the RX 5600 XT is a very good card, it is too close to the RX 5700 in price.
I would still go with a RX 5700.
A vanilla RX 5600 with 32CU and 150W BIOS would work wonders at around $240

 

[railven]

?

If I find an issue in the drivers, why wouldn't I post it to the relevent subreddit? I might not like the people there, but I'm not the kind of person that would leave others struggling to find a solution to an issue I know the cause of.

So is your opinion worth listening to or not?

There's a reason we nobody sane cares for their opinions.

 

[Glo.]

Only the true AMD fans know whats what!

And you are a fan of which brand that entitles you to call anyone an AMD fan?