AMD’s Radeon RX 5600 XT used to be a bit of of a complex mess. The firm pushed out a final-minute vBIOS change that unlocked higher clock speeds and memory speeds for its GPUs. And that intended you would possibly maybe maybe interrogate drastic differences in efficiency from one 5600 XT to the next, searching on whether or no longer the manufacturer packed in the upper tool. That left me recommending each person stride for the Sapphire Pulse RX 5600 XT. Lend a hand in January, it used to be the absolute top most likely card that I knew would enjoy the sooner vBIOS out of the box. But now, AMD is working with partners to tackle that confusion. And that led to merchandise admire the as a lot as this point PowerColor Crimson Dragon Radeon 5600 XT, which has 14Gbps memory urge (in want to 12Gbps) out of the box.

The Crimson Dragon 5600 XT is in the market now for $300.

To be obvious, whereas PowerColor is updating its Crimson Dragon, this product peaceful experiences the identical points the RX 5600 XT had at launch. AMD’s as a lot as this point tool obviously caught firms admire PowerColor unprepared. And now it’s making an are attempting to appropriate that. But here is peaceful an RX 5600 XT, so don’t quiz a extreme order over something admire the Sapphire Pulse.

So, what whereas you occur to quiz? Ideally, I’d scheme end to interrogate the Crimson Dragon ship Sapphire Pulse-admire framerates and thermals. That would maybe maybe tag it more uncomplicated to counsel the card. And that’s heavenly mighty what I got from this GPU.

PowerColor Crimson Dragon has the RX 5600 XT efficiency it’s good to

The 5600 XT is an pleasing 1080p GPU. Love I acknowledged in my overview, it has bigger than enough vitality at that resolution. It also fares respectably at 1440p. And in actuality, it’s at 1440p the build the sooner memory goes to tag a mighty bigger incompatibility. So for my trying out, I establish the Sapphire Pulse and Crimson Dragon head-to-head at 1440p. I largely are searching to interrogate that the PowerColor card is in the identical vary because the Sapphire card.

I tested with the following rig:

  • i9-10900K
  • Z490 Aorus Grasp
  • 32GB HyperX Predator memory @ 3200MHz
  • NZXT E850 PSU
  • 500GB Samsung 860 Evo Sata SSD

Additionally, to pressure extra of the burden onto the GPU, I tried to max out settings at 1440p. In benchmarks admire Gears Ways, that establish 100% of the burden onto the video card one day of the test. Of route, that you would possibly maybe likely flip down lots of these graphical aspects if the utilize of the 5600 XT at 1440p. So don’t quiz these numbers to exactly deem how the game will tag. I’m real making an are attempting to interrogate how one card compares to the next.

Here are the outcomes:

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In Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, the PowerColor Crimson Dragon came out earlier than the Sapphire Pulse. It is 10% sooner in phrases of the common framerate. On the opposite hand it also has an total extra get framerate, which that you would possibly maybe interrogate from the 1% and zero.1% lows.

But in the the leisure of the video games, the Sapphire Pulse finished out in front. Once in a while the Sapphire card is loyal around 2% sooner (Hitman 2), but in Gears Ways it used to be a whopping 19% sooner. Whereas maybe something else goes with the game in that occasion, it’s obvious the Sapphire Pulse is peaceful the RX 5600 XT to beat.

And that is sparkling. Whereas the Crimson Dragon got the memory boost to 14Gbps, it doesn’t enjoy the identical boost to clock speeds because the Sapphire Pulse. The historic can consistently boost as a lot as a game clock of 1560MHz, whereas the latter hits 1615MHz.

Above: Faster is sooner.

Image Credit: GamesBeat

Conclusion

I’d peaceful counsel the Sapphire Pulse over the Crimson Dragon. But I’ll concede that the 5600XT landscape is a bit of much less complex than it used to be, and I deem that used to be AMD’s impartial. Whereas you stride out to grab a 5600XT this present day, you’ll peaceful enjoy to operate your learn. Be obvious that you’re getting that 14Gbps memory urge in the specs sheet. But discovering that is more uncomplicated now than it used to be in January and February.

I deem you’re presumably pushing each of these playing cards too a ways if your impartial is 1440p gaming. But at 1080p, either one is overkill. And it’s a legitimate signal that the Crimson Dragon does so successfully in a large Ubisoft game admire Odyssey.

In phrases of thermals and noise, each playing cards are large. Again, the Sapphire has the brink, but I had no complaints referring to the Crimson Dragon — especially when it came to fan noise.

At $300, the PowerColor card is extra dear than its Sapphire counterpart. But if Pulse sells out, the Crimson Dragon is a stunning change.