amazon MSI RADEON RX 5500 XT GAMING X 8GB reviews
The exclusive and good performance of the “Twin Frozr 7” cooling solution makes MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Gaming X being one of the standout representatives of the mainstream segment. However, the consequence of these high-end features is the higher price, causing gamers to be confused before making the most effective choice.
While 2K and 4K are becoming more popular, Full HD resolution is still the largest and most important market for Nvidia and AMD. Here, gamers will be interested in performance first, then consider other factors such as design, temperature, power consumption,… Ray Tracing, DLSS, or other advanced features are obviously something extravagant with this user group. For Nvidia, their cards are the GTX 1650 Super, while AMD responds to the Radeon RX 5500 XT.
Specifications of MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X 8GB:
– Graphics chip: Navi 14
– Architecture: RDNA
– Process: 7 nm
– Default clock: 1685 MHz
– Game clock: up to 1737 MHz (AMD default is 1717 MHz)
– Boost clock speed: up to 1845 MHz
– Memory: 8 GB GDDR6 – 128 bits
– Recommended source: 450W and above
– Auxiliary power: 1 x 8 battery
Design: A new, more sophisticated Gaming X
Since the turn of the Navi generation, MSI’s AMD Gaming X series of graphics cards has put on a new design, not too “pitiful” but instead somewhat more elegant and refined. The main color of the graphics card is black and strong gray, “comma” highlight red to create accents.
As mentioned, the RX 5500XT Gaming X version has a more “cool” thermal solution to compensate for the high price compared to its two MECH brothers. The Twin Frozr 7, highlighted by the aerodynamic TORX 3.0 fan design, increases airflow to help the RX 5500XT Gaming X dissipate heat better. In addition, this card also incorporates Zero Frozr technology, do not run the fan when the temperature is below 60 degrees C to minimize noise during operation.
Under the TORX 3.0 dual fans is a “big” heat sink system with 4 Nikel-plated copper pipes. More details on the cooling capacity of the graphics card will be mentioned at the bottom of the article.
Above is the familiar MSI logo, which has integrated RGB that you can customize through Mystic Light software. This is also another advantage of the RX 5500 XT Gaming X over the MECH series.
The card uses an 8-pin auxiliary power supply. According to the specs, the RX 5500 XT Gaming X has a heat dissipation (TDP) capacity of 130W, on par with the reference version of AMD. A minimum 450W power supply is recommended for this graphics card.
Despite being a product aimed at general users, the RX 5500 XT Gaming X is still equipped with a solid, solid aluminum backplate, the scratch-resistant dual-tone design looks very nice, has increased durability. The product just created a highlight for your computer case.
Regarding the connection port, RX 5500XT Gaming X is quite “generous” with 3 DisplayPort 1.4 ports and 1 HDMI 2.0b port. The absence of a Type-C port is an acceptable consideration given the price of the product. It should be noted, AMD’s generation of Navi graphics cards no longer supports the CrossFire feature.
Regarding software, you can monitor and control the RX 5500 XT Gaming X through the “genuine” software Dragon Center. Here, you can activate Gaming Mode, change the User Scenario to optimize performance based on your needs, and customize the LED light via Mystic Light.
where can you get a MSI RADEON RX 5500 XT GAMING X 8GB online
MSI Gaming Radeon RX 5500 XT Boost Clock: 1845 MHz 128-bit 8GB GDDR6 DP/HDMI Dual Torx 3.0 Fans Crossfire Freesync VR Ready Graphics Card (RX 5500 XT MECH 8G OC), Model:: Buy it now
MSI Gaming Radeon RX 5500 XT Boost Clock: 1845 MHz 128-bit 8GB GDDR6 DP/HDMI Dual Torx 3.0 Fans Crossfire Freesync VR Ready Graphics Card (RX 5500 XT Gaming X 8G): Buy it now
Scales good game Full HD resolution, but VRAM 8GB is not really useful
Testing the performance of MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X, BiaReview uses a familiar system including:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Video Card: MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X
Motherboard: MSI B450m Mortar MAX
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro RGB DDR4-3000 16GB
Storage: Colorful SL500 1TB
Source: Antec EDGE750 80 Plus Gold
Radiator: Corsair Hydro H100i RGB Platinum SE
Case: Vitra NEFERTITI X9
OS: Windows 10 1903 64 bit
Driver: Adrenalin 20.2.1
Performance benchmark
3DMark
– Fire Strike: Benchmark DirectX 11 gaming simulator Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels)
– Fire Strike Extreme: Benchmark Directx 11 game simulator with 2K resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels)
– Time Spy: Benchmark DirectX 12 game simulator with 2K resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels)
– Unigine Valley and Unigine Superposition: Measuring the ability to handle graphics in scenes with many different effects
Gaming
– Devil May Cry 5
– Battlefield V
– Far Cry 5
– Final Fantasy XV
– Metro: Exodus
Other tests
– Ability to overclock
– Temperature
In the performance benchmarks, the MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X 8GB performed well when the score was slightly better than both the GTX 1660 Gaming X and GTX 1660 Super, which are in the higher-end product line. This card proved to be “short of breath” on two benchmarks, TimeSpy and Unigine Valley, but it was also only about 10% inferior.
In terms of gaming performance, BiaReview selected three games with a “genuine” benchmark tool: Far Cry 5, Final Fantasy XV and Metro: Exodus, and tested actual gaming with two Assassin’s Creed games: Odyssey and Battlefield V.
The performance of the MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X 8G in Final Fantasy XV was somewhat disappointing, with only the standard at the High graphics setting, which is an acceptable frame rate per second (fps). GTX 1660 Gaming X and GTX 1660 Super meet “fairly high” or “high” standards.
Switching to Far Cry 5 set to Ultra graphics, the MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X 8G was higher than I expected. Average at 85 fps, you will play this game well in Full HD resolution
Metro: Exodus launched early 2019 is a huge challenge for every graphics card, not just MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X. At Extreme settings, the average fps of this card is only 13, you will have to reduce Set down much if you want to play smoothly
Practical experience, biaReview uses the Radeon Relive tool to return to the playing process. Vsync/ Freesync or other frame bounding features have been disabled. Test results are recorded by biaReview in the videos below, readers can click on each video to track details.
As a result, the MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X perfectly meets these games in Full HD resolution.
However, one thing to note is that although the selected games are “close” to today’s top hardware, the level of VRAM used only ranges from 2.5 to 3GB. Although I always advise people not to “regret” when talking about VRAM, but 8GB on a popular card like the MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X is too redundant, the performance does not increase significantly. Balancing the budget, cutting VRAM to save in this case is worth considering.
The overclocking capability of MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X is on par with competitors in the same segment. Using MSI’s main tool, Afterburner, increased the Power Limiter by 20%, I could pull the card clock speed to 2,000 MHz (Dynamic boost, then drop to 1950 Mhz), memory clock to 1860 MHz ( the limit AMD places on this card line). The overclocking performance of the card increases by 5-7% compared to the clock rate of the manufacturer.
In terms of temperature when used, the Twin Frozr 7 cooling solution with two TORX 3.0 fans keeps the fan cool, never exceeding 70 degrees C even when overclocking, the air-conditioned room temperature is 27 degrees Celsius. In the default setting, the fan only runs when the temperature exceeds 60 degrees C, but even when the maximum temperature is reached, the fan speed is only 25%. If the noise level is not a problem for you, you can increase the fan speed in Afterburner to make the card work cooler.
Conclude
With that said, the MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X deserves a brilliant alternative if you want to “trade wind” from Nvidia to AMD. Inheriting the strong points of the Gaming X series, this card possesses an eye-catching design and efficient heat dissipation. Performance, the most concerning factor on popular graphics cards, is not a problem, as the MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X is on par with the GTX 1660, even the GTX 1660 Super.
The biggest problem with this card is probably the 8GB of RAM in excess of demand, and the price is high compared to competing products in the same segment. The MSI RX 5500 XT Gaming X is a great value-for-money card, but clearly budgeting towards buying/ upgrading other case components is a must.