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.

 

[RetroZombie]

I saw the video, but also reports of this are on the internet in other forums also.

And in the same video they also explained how to solve the problems. What I'm missing?

 

[guachi]

Same here, I normally couldn't care less about consoles but the value proposition of PC hardware is so out of whack these days that it's hard to justify the additional costs over whatever the PS5/XSX would cost.

I'll add that if the consoles really are good then I would only recommend a "gaming PC" if you already have a PC you do stuff on, anyway. That way, the only incremental cost is the GPU. I wouldn't really consider the gaming performance of a CPU (or any other part aside from the GPU) as long as it's "good enough". A "gaming CPU" isn't really a thing, IMO. Get a 3600 or a bargain 2600 unless you have some productivity uses.

 

[Glo.]

I don't know about you guys, but 100% I would rather have buggy(sometimes) drivers than consistent GDDR6 memory failures on the GPUs.

Unless we look at GDDR6 failures as a feature.

 

[Stuka87]

I saw the video, but also reports of this are on the internet in other forums also.

The majority of those are from early versions of the drivers. More recent reports are most likely from people that either have not updated to the most recent drivers, need to run DDU, or might actually be one of the few people that have one of the few remaining issues which impact very specific setups.

 

[RetroZombie]

better performance in old DX9/OpenGL games is worth that little extra

How did I missed this gem.

You should know that amd cards FRAG nvidia in ms dos games:
5 reasons AMD beats Nvidia for Retro Games


amd cards can do up do 9999fps in ms dos and FULL SCREEN, nvidia cards can't get past the lazy 300 fps range and you get black borders and blurry image...

In the comments you have a huge list of issues with nvidia cards with older games.

 

[Mopetar]

Broken how? The numbers on the right for H264 are wrong? If they are how do they dare to publish them?!
View attachment 16097

I'm not sure what're you're trying to say with this, but from looking at it the blue bars seem to represent some kind of CPU or CPU/GPU combination and the orange GPU only. There aren't an orange bars with the Navi configurations which seems to imply you can't do a GPU only render with Navi. The last two sets of bars (R9 + 2080 Ti and R9 + 5700XT) suggest that a Ryzen CPU can make use of Navi in some fashion to get better results (or the bars wouldn't be so far apart) but that the GPU isn't capable of doing it by itself. Essentially something is missing or "broken" that prevents that Navi GPU from handling the H.264 encode by itself.

Maybe I'm wrong on this, but I was under the impression that streamers wanted to (or at least they used to want to, which may have changed) use CPU encoding because the quality was better. If you're using a Threadripper or some Intel HEDT processor you've almost assuredly got cores to spare. To some degree I think that makes the whole argument rather stupid. But my takeaway is that H.264 is "broken" with Navi in some fashion, but it may not really matter.

 

[Stuka87]

I'm not sure what're you're trying to say with this, but from looking at it the blue bars seem to represent some kind of CPU or CPU/GPU combination and the orange GPU only. There aren't an orange bars with the Navi configurations which seems to imply you can't do a GPU only render with Navi. The last two sets of bars (R9 + 2080 Ti and R9 + 5700XT) suggest that a Ryzen CPU can make use of Navi in some fashion to get better results (or the bars wouldn't be so far apart) but that the GPU isn't capable of doing it by itself. Essentially something is missing or "broken" that prevents that Navi GPU from handling the H.264 encode by itself.

Maybe I'm wrong on this, but I was under the impression that streamers wanted to (or at least they used to want to, which may have changed) use CPU encoding because the quality was better. If you're using a Threadripper or some Intel HEDT processor you've almost assuredly got cores to spare. To some degree I think that makes the whole argument rather stupid. But my takeaway is that H.264 is "broken" with Navi in some fashion, but it may not really matter.

From what I have read, Navi is not broken with H.264 encoding, but it is kind of bad at all (No clue when that graph posted was done, that could have been a release day thing). However, its really fast as H.265 encoding.

 

[CHADBOGA]

This Q & A at the 12:47 mark should give you an explanation of the driver issues and how to prevent them.

That seems like some sound advice, I wonder what percentage of problems would be solved by this?

AMD have just released a beta set of drivers that apparently fix a slew of problems, so it would appear that the solution(s) the Hardware Unboxed guys suggested, wouldn't have taken care of every issue.

 

[insertcarehere]

No it isn't. MSRP $279 vs $299. I know you're posting from another country, but can you tell us what the MSRP is in your country? Just because a certain vendor or retailer has it listed at a higher price doesn't mean it's accurate or representative of anything other than a local bubble of the global economy.

Are the versions with the new BIOS (the thing that makes the 5600XT competitive) actually going to be $279 MSRP? To quote both TPU and Anandtech:

Just days ago, AMD revised the limits for the RX 5600 XT custom designs.

Now, to be sure, AMD has not changed the reference specifications for the Radeon RX 5600 XT

I take those statements to mean that reference designs are going to be stuck with the old clocks while the custom cards will get the new BIOS. From what I am seeing, those custom designs start at $289 MSRP and can go significantly above $300 in some cases.

 

[Stuka87]

Are the versions with the new BIOS (the thing that makes the 5600XT competitive) actually going to be $279 MSRP? To quote both TPU and Anandtech:





I take those statements to mean that reference designs are going to be stuck with the old clocks while the custom cards will get the new BIOS. From what I am seeing, those custom designs start at $289 MSRP and can go significantly above $300 in some cases.

All of them will have the new vBIOS. With the possible exception of models already shipped. But the vBIOS will be a free download and flash (just like all updated vBIOS's).

There is no reference design for the 5600XT, AIB cards only.

 

[Glo.]

Are the versions with the new BIOS (the thing that makes the 5600XT competitive) actually going to be $279 MSRP? To quote both TPU and Anandtech:





I take those statements to mean that reference designs are going to be stuck with the old clocks while the custom cards will get the new BIOS. From what I am seeing, those custom designs start at $289 MSRP and can go significantly above $300 in some cases.

Yes, they are the same prices. That upgrade is "free" from AMD. You would pay the same price for those GPUs on old BIOS, as you would on new.

 

[insertcarehere]

All of them will have the new vBIOS. With the possible exception of models already shipped. But the vBIOS will be a free download and flash (just like all updated vBIOS's).

There is no reference design for the 5600XT, AIB cards only.

Fair enough, but the original post I was responding to was comparing the AMD quoted $279 MSRP to the RTX 2060s $299 MSRP. This makes little sense if AIB cards are the only shot in town and they (at least seen in reviews thus far) by and large not listing at $279 MSRP.

 

[guachi]

Yes, they are the same prices. That upgrade is "free" from AMD. You would pay the same price for those GPUs on old BIOS, as you would on new.

About the only potential issue are any models with coolers designed for the low power original BIOS. I'm not aware of any, though. The Sapphire Pulse looks to have the same cooler as the 5700, for example, and easily handles the higher power.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I guess, why couldn't / didn't AMD "think ahead", and simply develop two VBIOSes, one "Performance", and one "Power-Efficient", and ship with BOTH, with a BIOS switch (fairly common feature on recent AMD-vintage cards of the last 3-5 years, at least the nicer ones, my XFX RX 570 had a "mining", and a "gaming" BIOS setting), and then, IF NVidia pulled something, then AMD would simply instruct their AIB partners to "flip the switch" to the "Performance" BIOS. Or even, just include instructions to the end-user / systems-integrator, to set the switch appropriately.

Additionally, "Miners", generally prize efficiency and performance/watt over pure performance like gamers do, so for them, the "efficiency" BIOS (like my XFX "mining BIOS"), would actually be preferable to those users. "Forcing" the upgrade to a "Performance" BIOS, would make the card(s) less attractive to the "mining" segment of customers.

A switch, would have allowed pleasing both groups of customers, and avoided what are going to be some tech-support calls and even some RMAs to flash BIOSes and recover from bad end-user flashes.


Edit: And before someone replies that you can just use WattMan to adjust clocks/voltage/fans, to approximate the "efficiency" BIOS on cards that ship with the "Gaming/Performance" BIOS, not all Miners run Windows, some run their own dedicated mining OS, of which, the proper BIOS (they often flash custom ones, or ones with custom P-state tables, but that may not be possible now if they are encrypted from the factory, hence "AMD Power Play" or whatever that 3rd-party program is for adjusting the P-states in Windows is) is essential.

 

[Stuka87]

I guess, why couldn't / didn't AMD "think ahead", and simply develop two VBIOSes, one "Performance", and one "Power-Efficient", and ship with BOTH, with a BIOS switch (fairly common feature on recent AMD-vintage cards of the last 3-5 years, at least the nicer ones, my XFX RX 570 had a "mining", and a "gaming" BIOS setting), and then, IF NVidia pulled something, then AMD would simply instruct their AIB partners to "flip the switch" to the "Performance" BIOS. Or even, just include instructions to the end-user / systems-integrator, to set the switch appropriately.

Additionally, "Miners", generally prize efficiency and performance/watt over pure performance like gamers do, so for them, the "efficiency" BIOS (like my XFX "mining BIOS"), would actually be preferable to those users. "Forcing" the upgrade to a "Performance" BIOS, would make the card(s) less attractive to the "mining" segment of customers.

A switch, would have allowed pleasing both groups of customers, and avoided what are going to be some tech-support calls and even some RMAs to flash BIOSes and recover from bad end-user flashes.


Edit: And before someone replies that you can just use WattMan to adjust clocks/voltage/fans, to approximate the "efficiency" BIOS on cards that ship with the "Gaming/Performance" BIOS, not all Miners run Windows, some run their own dedicated mining OS, of which, the proper BIOS (they often flash custom ones, or ones with custom P-state tables, but that may not be possible now if they are encrypted from the factory, hence "AMD Power Play" or whatever that 3rd-party program is for adjusting the P-states in Windows is) is essential.

They do ship with two vBIOS's, but both of them were updated.

Fair enough, but the original post I was responding to was comparing the AMD quoted $279 MSRP to the RTX 2060s $299 MSRP. This makes little sense if AIB cards are the only shot in town and they (at least seen in reviews thus far) by and large not listing at $279 MSRP.

The Sapphire Pulse that was reviewed by many outlets is $289, so $10 over the "base MSRP" isn't bad.

 

[tamz_msc]

Broken how? The numbers on the right for H264 are wrong? If they are how do they dare to publish them?!
View attachment 16097

Do you even read your own graphs? There is no orange H.264 bar for the 5700 XT.

 

[tamz_msc]

I don't know if you listened or saw the video, but in the video they both said that had ZERO issues.

Great! I don't have any issues which mean that nobody else does. Are you aware that on r/AMD their driver team is asking for feedback on black screens and there are nearly 400 replies on that thread?

 

[Stuka87]

Great! I don't have any issues which mean that nobody else does. Are you aware that on r/AMD their driver team is asking for feedback on black screens and there are nearly 400 replies on that thread?

Nobody has said the drivers are issue free, only that it impacts specific setups. AMD has stated they are working to resolve the issue, but because it is not common, it makes it harder to replicate.

 

[Arkaign]

Yes, they are the same prices. That upgrade is "free" from AMD. You would pay the same price for those GPUs on old BIOS, as you would on new.

I've seen reports from a couple of different YouTube tech reviewers (I believe including the new GN video guide to VBios updating) that mentions that some may never get the update, it's essentially a sub-segmentation of the 5600XT lineup, I guess to hit multiple price points, but it's a little confusing for consumers.

I believe once the initial cards get sold through, and we also get better AIB models, that things could improve. I think a well built OC model could be pretty killer outside of the Vram being tiny. I'd still rather spend a few extra bucks and get even a budget 5700.

 

[Arkaign]

Guide: How to Flash AMD GPU VBIOS for RX 5600 XT and Navi Video Cards

In today's content , we’re going to help you flash 5600 XT cards to unlock the full performance, assuming your card has made such a VBIOS available. This will also apply to other AMD video cards. -

www.gamersnexus.net

" The update came in the form of a VBIOS flash that can increase performance upwards of 11%, but not all the shipped cards have the VBIOS applied, meaning customers will be buying cards that perform worse than what reviews show. Worse still, some cards will never have that VBIOS available, with some partners splitting their 5600 XT into two SKUs."

Just .. ugh.

 

[mohit9206]

Guide: How to Flash AMD GPU VBIOS for RX 5600 XT and Navi Video Cards

In today's content , we’re going to help you flash 5600 XT cards to unlock the full performance, assuming your card has made such a VBIOS available. This will also apply to other AMD video cards. -

www.gamersnexus.net

" The update came in the form of a VBIOS flash that can increase performance upwards of 11%, but not all the shipped cards have the VBIOS applied, meaning customers will be buying cards that perform worse than what reviews show. Worse still, some cards will never have that VBIOS available, with some partners splitting their 5600 XT into two SKUs."

Just .. ugh.

That's pathetic from AMD. Those unfortunate buyers of 5600XT should be eligible for refund or replacement with new version.

 

[Arkaign]

That's pathetic from AMD. Those unfortunate buyers of 5600XT should be eligible for refund or replacement with new version.

It's definitely suboptimal. For those who are more dedicated and follow tech news closely, get in depth with the stuff, it's not much worse than researching a handful of partner models for a particular card to get the one that we prefer.


But for the more casual buyer who is going into Micro Center or just nabbing something on Amazon for themselves or perhaps buying one for their kiddo who is getting into the PC scene **, it could very well lead to disappointing results and feeling like you got bait and switched. Even more experienced PC gamers often have never messed with GPU (or maybe even Mobo) BIOS flashing before. Again, this should iron out after the initial wave gets gone, beyond those things stinking up resale market afterwards lol.

** - Slight tangent here, but I think it bears mentioning : PC gaming owes a big thanks to the rise of popular online streamers like Markiplier, JackSepticEye, etc, who have really focused on showcasing PC gaming from AAA to indie horror, and bringing the fun to a new generation.

 

[happy medium]

The 5600 is a decent card but.....
Last time I looked nvidia cards will overclock much better than AMD'S cards in general.
In fact an overclocked rtx2060 vs a overclocked 5700, the 2060 wins.
If AMD already upped the clocks on their 5600 bios,they will surely overclock less and lose to a overclocked 2060.

As an overclocker, I would pick the rtx2060 all day over a 5600 for $25 more.

 

[tamz_msc]

How did I missed this gem.

You should know that amd cards FRAG nvidia in ms dos games:
5 reasons AMD beats Nvidia for Retro Games
View attachment 16100

amd cards can do up do 9999fps in ms dos and FULL SCREEN, nvidia cards can't get past the lazy 300 fps range and you get black borders and blurry image...

In the comments you have a huge list of issues with nvidia cards with older games.

How about we keep things relevant? Here is Dishonored 1 where you can see the aggressive downclocking on the RX 5700. GPU clocks are in the 200-450MHz range:

which makes it barely better than an RX 580 at the same/higher settings, where there is no downclocking:

 

[Stuka87]

Guide: How to Flash AMD GPU VBIOS for RX 5600 XT and Navi Video Cards

In today's content , we’re going to help you flash 5600 XT cards to unlock the full performance, assuming your card has made such a VBIOS available. This will also apply to other AMD video cards. -

www.gamersnexus.net

" The update came in the form of a VBIOS flash that can increase performance upwards of 11%, but not all the shipped cards have the VBIOS applied, meaning customers will be buying cards that perform worse than what reviews show. Worse still, some cards will never have that VBIOS available, with some partners splitting their 5600 XT into two SKUs."

Just .. ugh.

I saw GN mention this, but I have not seen any AIB's actually do this yet. Sapphire, ASUS, XFX, ASRock, Gigabyte, and PowerColor all have downloads for their launch cards with no mentions of only some of their cards accepting this (I just went to every one of their sites and verified).

MAYBE they will segment down the road, but as of right now, its not the case.

And I am not sure we can place this blame on AMD. AIB's are allowed to make whatever BIOS changes they want (This goes for nVidia cards too). This is how we get various OC cards and such.