ASUS TUF Gaming RX 5600 XT OC Review

The AMD Radeon RX series has seen quite a large overhaul recently. We’ve had their fantastic 5700 XT at the top of the range. A little while ago saw the launch of the more affordable RX 5500 series too. However, today they’re padding out the middle of the range with the new AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. Aimed squarely at the Nvidia RTX 2060 or even the GTX 1660 Ti, AMD has their work cut out before they even get started.

ASUS TUF Gaming RX 5600 XT OC

ASUS isn’t mucking about with their custom card. It features the TUF Gaming X3 design, which offers up a massive heatsink and a superb looking triple-fan cooler design. That means 0dB technology for silent performance in low-load. However, when it comes to maxing out the boost clocks, that 2.7 slots thick cooler should be able to keep the chipset working at its best.

Features & Specifications

It’s certainly a well-equipped graphics card and while it may be a gaming card, it’s also TUF. One of the main features of this is its compatibility and reliability testing. The cards are given a 144-hour validation test running through the latest games, maxing the card and ensuring it’s running within specification. Honestly, I think that’s fantastic.

• Axial-tech fan design features a smaller fan hub that facilitates longer blades and a barrier ring that increases downward air pressure.
• 0dB technology lets you enjoy light gaming in relative silence.
• 2.7-slot Design expands the cooling surface area to make the most of the three powerful fans
• Dual ball fan bearings can last up to twice as long as sleeve bearing designs.
• Auto-Extreme Technology uses automation to enhance reliability.
• A protective backplate secures components during transportation and installation.
• GPU Tweak II provides intuitive performance tweaking, thermal controls, and system monitoring.
• TUF Compatibility Testing ensures TUF Gaming and TUF Gaming alliance components work together flawlessly.
• A 144-hour validation program puts cards through a series of stringent tests to ensure compatibility with the latest games.

A Statement from AMD Regarding this Review

“Based on ongoing testing with our board partners, we have raised the GPU core and memory frequencies for overclocked Radeon RX 5600 XT SKUs to take advantage of increased thermal and electrical headroom built into partner’s custom designs. The updated VBIOS has been made available to our board partners for inclusion in select OC SKUs at launch. AMD is dedicated to disrupting the market with industry-leading compute products, and the new VBIOS makes the Radeon RX 5600 XT an even more powerful contender for high-performance 1080p gaming. Previously announced product specs are unchanged, as they remain AMD’s recommended reference design specs.”

A Statement from eTeknix Regarding this Review

“Unfortunately, at the time of writing (20/01/2020) we hadn’t actually received the BIOS for this specific GPU. This means it was tested on the old bios and as such, this should be taken into consideration with our analysis. We will look to re-test when the BIOS is available, but as of now, our main goal is meeting the product NDA. Of course, we have other GPUs in the office for this launch, and we look forward to bringing you their result, with the latest BIOS) over the next few days. Why bother with the old BIOS at all? Well, it will be interesting to see just how much difference it makes, won’t it!?”