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Gaming PC Builder, or GPCB, is a blog by and for gamers who take great pleasure in building their own PCs. We work hard every day to create new content that helps builders succeed with their builds, regardless of budget or previous experience. Our regularly updated articles cover a wide range of topics, including but not limited to graphics cards (GPUs), motherboards, processors (CPUs), hard drives, cases and other PC gaming essentials. We also publish the occasional software roundup and not least: performance tuning guides for popular games. Also check out our YouTube and Facebook channels, where we regularly publish interesting stuff about hardware and tweaks that will increase the frame rates in your games. See you there!
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Use Your Phone as WebcamIf you already have a webcam and want another camera for a different angle, or you are not satisfied with the quality of your current camera, you can use your phone as a replacement. Having a phone as your camera for your PC give you flexibility and more control over the position and effects you [...] The post Use Your Phone as Webcam appeared first on Gaming PC...
If you already have a webcam and want another camera for a different angle, or you are not satisfied with the quality of your current camera, you can use your phone as a replacement. Having a phone as your camera for your PC give you flexibility and more control over the position and effects you want on your camera. You can place your phone almost anywhere in your room which you can’t do with a webcam especially a laptop webcam.
Here we will show how to use your phone as your webcam, whether you will use it for your streaming or online meetings. Just remember to connect your phone to a powerbank for long sessions.
DroidCam / DroidCam X
DroidCam is the most popular application that lets you use your android phone as camera for your PC. It comes in FREE and Pro versions and you can use your WiFi or USB cable to connect your phone to your PC. We will use WiFi for this guide as it is more easier and gives you freedom to where you want to place your camera for different angles.
1. On your Android phone, install DroidCam or DroidCam X Pro from Google Play Store. On first use, allow DroidCam to take pictures, and record audio and video.
2. Take note of the Wifi IP and DroidCam Port.
3. On your PC, download and install the PC client for DroidCam from https://www.dev47apps.com .
4. Run DroidCam then click the DroidCam menu and click Start if you don’t see the Connect window.
5. On Connect window, key-in the WiFi IP and DroidCam Port from your phone, click the Video and click the Start button. You can also click the Audio option if you want use your phone as your microphone.
6. You can now select DroidCam as your camera on your application.
7. DroidCam X Pro will give you more controls over your phone like rotate, auto-focus, zoom, and HD resolutions which the free version doesn’t have. To Enable HD resolutions, click HD Mode on DroidCam menu, select the HD resolution then restart your PC.
SplitCam and IP Webcam
1. On your Android phone, search and install IP Webcam from Google Play Store.
2. Open the application and look for Start Server.
3. On first use, allow IP Webcam to take pictures, record audio and video, and access media files.
4. IP Webcam will now use phone’s camera. Click the More… button.
5. Select RTSP/h264/ONVIF urls.
6. Take note of the url. In our example it is “rtsp://192.168.1.3:8080/h264_ulaw.sdp” or “…/h264_pcm.sdp”.
7. On your PC, download and install SplitCam from https://splitcamera.com.
8. After installation, run SplitCam. On Media Layers panel, click the + button to add new source and select IP Camera.
9. Key-in the rstp url provided by IP Webcam on your Android phone and click the Add button.
10. Your phone camera is now added to SplitCam.
11. You can now use it to your camera application. Its name in the selection is SplitCam Video Driver.
DroidCam OBS
DroidCam OBS is a new plugin for OBS that lets you use your android phone (and iPhone soon) as your camera source.
1. On your Android phone, open Google Play Store and search and install DroidCam OBS. After installation, open DroidCam OBS and allow the application to take pictures and record video and audio.
2. Take note of the Wifi IP and DroidCam Port.
3. On your PC, go to http://dev47apps.com/obs/ and download and install the OBS plugin.
4. In OBS, add a source and select DroidCam OBS.
5. Key-in the WiFi IP and DroidCam Port from phone, and click Activate.
6. Image from your phone camera will now show. Click OK.
The post Use Your Phone as Webcam appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
Cyberpunk 2077’s Recommended System Requirements Surprisingly Low
One of the most anticipated titles of 2020 is only a couple of months from release. Now the developer has gone public with the system requirements and it looks like you will be able to run Cyberpunk 2077 on a fairly old system. The Polish developer CD Projekt RED is best known for the hugely [...] The post Cyberpunk 2077’s Recommended System Requirements Surprisingly Low appeared first on Gaming PC...
One of the most anticipated titles of 2020 is only a couple of months from release. Now the developer has gone public with the system requirements and it looks like you will be able to run Cyberpunk 2077 on a fairly old system.
The Polish developer CD Projekt RED is best known for the hugely popular RPG The Witcher 3 and related spinoffs. Next in line from the developer is Cyberpunk 2077, which swaps the medieval environment for a distant future. The game has been delayed several times due to optimization issues and high technical ambitions.
CD Project has showcased a number of technical demos that seemingly put the bar high in terms of appearance. Among other things, it will come with ray tracing support for Nvidia RTX cards and on the whole, it certainly looks demanding enough.
Hence, the minimum and recommended system requirements that were just announced via the game’s official Twitter account look quite meek.
Intel’s eight-year-old Ivy Bridge Core i5-3570K or AMD’s similarly old FX-8310 will be sufficient to run the game. The bare minimum in terms of graphics includes either an Nvidia Geforce GTX 780 or the old mid-range king (and now budget- favorite), AMD’s Radeon RX 470 (which is mostly identical to the RX 570). You are also going to need 8 GB of RAM and 70 GB of available storage space — with a fast SSD being the recommended variety.
Moving up to the recommended level, the game is still not overly demanding. The previous-gen mid-range Geforce GTX 1060 GPU with 6 GB video memory, or a Radeon R9 Fury with 4 GB of memory will do. The recommended amount of RAM increases to 12 GB, and you also need an Intel Core i7-4790 or an AMD Ryzen 3 3200G processor.
Presumably, the minimum and recommended specs refer to 1080p resolution with the details set to Low or High, respectively.
It remains to be seen if the developer will return with more details about what frame rates the listed hardware is capable of. And also, what will be required to make full use of ray tracing and other eye candy. Cyberpunk 2077 will be available on November 19 on PC, Playstation and Xbox.
The post Cyberpunk 2077’s Recommended System Requirements Surprisingly Low appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
The Best Radeon RX 5600 XT Cards & Complete BIOS Status Guide
One of the more interesting GPU launches in recent history (probably ever) was that of AMD’s Radeon RX 5600 XT in 2020. This graphics card was intended to compete with Nvidia’s popular mid-range GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, which it did. What AMD didn’t count on was that Nvidia countered by lowering the price on its [...] The post The Best Radeon RX 5600 XT Cards & Complete BIOS Status Guide appeared first on Gaming PC...
One of the more interesting GPU launches in recent history (probably ever) was that of AMD’s Radeon RX 5600 XT in 2020. This graphics card was intended to compete with Nvidia’s popular mid-range GeForce GTX 1660 Ti, which it did.
What AMD didn’t count on was that Nvidia countered by lowering the price on its reference RTX 2060 Founder’s Edition to less than $300. Not to be outdone, AMD responded by revising the reference specifications for its newly-released mid-range GPU – on the night before the launch.
The revised specs included improved memory (VRAM) speed from 12 Gbps to 14 Gbps, as well as much higher maximum boost clocks (up from 1560 MHz to 1750 MHz). This theoretically put the RX 5600 XT GPU on par with the RTX 2060.
Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, all partner manufacturers could not implement the higher clock speeds on less than a day’s notice and in some cases not ever. For one thing, some of the memory chips on the already-shipped cards didn’t qualify for the higher bandwidth. Some manufacturers solved the problem (sort of) by segmenting their RX 5600 XT models into different performance tiers. Others re-released new revisions of their cards at a later date.
Which brings us to today’s situation, where different models of the mid-range Radeon card differ quite a bit deal in terms of performance. If the VRAM and core clock speed upgrades are both considered, you will often see a 5-10% difference in gaming frame rates.
The Fastest/Best Value Radeon RX 5600 XT Cards
Since most Radeon RX 5600 XT cards are priced about the same – although some are significantly faster than others – it’s even more important than is normally the case to double-check that you are getting the most FPS out of your GPU investment. A few of the highlights from an absolute performance, value, or form factor perspective are:
Last update on 2020-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
If you are looking for the fastest RX 5600 XT card out of the box, the Asus ROG Strix Radeon RX 5600 XT Top is it. This card offers the highest maximum boost clock of all the contenders and ships with 6 GB of GDDR6 VRAM running at 14 Gbps. But while it’s been awarded top scores in the performance department, it is also priced a fair bit higher than most of the alternatives.
The Sapphire Pulse Radeon RX 5600 XT (non-‘BE’) strikes an excellent balance between performance and value. At the time of writing, it’s one of the most reasonably priced RX 5600 XT cards, but nevertheless ships with 14 Gbps VRAM, as well as higher game/boost clocks than competitors such as the XFX RX 5600 XT Thicc II Pro. It also includes a dual BIOS solution for safe flashing and a more-than-decent dual-fan cooler. Note that there’s also a Pulse Radeon RX 5600 XT BE, which is a bit slower out of the box and lacks the dual BIOS feature.
For small form factor ITX builders, the PowerColor Radeon RX 5600 XT ITX is actually your only option if space is limited. This is a very compact, single-fan card with lower clocks than many dual-fan alternatives, but it does come with 14 Gbps VRAM.
All Radeon RX 5600 XT Cards
So, you’re currently in the market for the best RX 5600 XT card based on specs and performance, make sure to read up on whether the card ships with AMD’s updated reference specs out of the box – or can be brought up to speed with a new BIOS. The following is hopefully a complete overview of the currently available models and their status at the time of writing.
If you don’t mind getting a slower version of this card, that is of course also an option, but know what you’re paying for. Everything else being equal, a card that may actually be about 10% slower than the fastest RX 5600 XT models should also cost about 10% less.
Now for a detailed look at what the usual manufacturers have on offer, in alphabetical order.
ASRock
ASRock announced BIOS updates to all of its three initial RX 5600 XT models in the middle of March 2020. When updated, the VRAM is set to 14 Gbps, while the maximum boost clock is set to 1750 MHz. In July 2020, ASRock added the triple-fan Challenger Pro version of the card, which doesn’t need to be updated since it comes with faster VRAM out of the box.
In terms of clock speeds, only the triple-fan Phantom Gaming D3 6G OC stands out with a higher game clock (the expected average clock speed when gaming) at 1670 MHz versus the 1615 MHz you get with the Phantom Gaming D2 6G OC and the Challenger cards.
| Model | BIOS Update (link) | Game Clock / Max. Boost / Mem. Clock (w/new BIOS if applicable) | Fans | Slots/ Length | Outputs | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 ASRock Challenger D RX 5600 XT OC (RX5600XT-CLD-6GO) | Yes | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 9.47 in (24.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 ASRock Challenger Pro RX 5600 XT OC (RX5600XT-CLP-6GO) | Not needed | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot / 11 in (28 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Newegg |
 ASRock Phantom Gaming D2 RX 5600 XT OC (RX5600XT-PGD2-6GO) | Yes | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 9.45 in (24 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 ASRock Phantom Gaming D3 RX 5600 XT OC (RX5600XT-PGD3-6GO) | Yes | 1670 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot/ 11.42 in (29 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
ASUS
The RX 5600 XT comes in all of the usual varieties from Asus, including triple-fan TUF and ROG Strix cards as well as a Dual (fan) model. You can BIOS-upgrade the TUF to 14 Gbps VRAM, but the Dual model stays at 12 Gbps. A somewhat disappointing development is that Asus has opted to keep some Strix cards (e.g. A6G version) at 12 Gbps while offering alternatives that come with 14 Gbps VRAM out of the box (T6G model).
There are also a few other varieties of the Strix lineup, so it’s a good idea to double-check the specs if you want to steer clear of the slower cards.
| RX 5600 XT Model | BIOS Update (link) | Game Clock / Max. Boost / Mem. Clock (w/new BIOS if applicable) | Fans | Slots/ Length | Outputs | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 ASUS TUF 3 RX 5600 XT EVO GAMING OC (TUF-3-RX5600XT-O6G -EVO-GAMING) | Yes | 1660 MHz / 1770 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot / 11.13 in (28.3 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 ASUS ROG STRIX RX 5600 XT GAMING OC (ROG-STRIX-RX5600XT -O6G-GAMING) | Yes | 1670 MHz / 1770 MHz / 12 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot / 12 in (30.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
ASUS ROG STRIX RX 5600 XT GAMING TOP (ROG-STRIX-RX5600XT- T6G-GAMING) | Not needed | 1670 MHz / 1770 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot / 12 in (30.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
 ASUS Dual RX 5600 XT EVO (DUAL-RX5600XT-T6G-EVO) | No | 1660 MHz / 1770 MHz / 12 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11 in (28.3 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
Gigabyte
For now, there is one dual-fan and one triple-fan WindForce RX 5600 XT model from Gigabyte. However, both are available in a few different varieties. Other than the non-OC version of the dual-fan card, all Gigabyte cards come with a slight factory overclock and either 14 Gbps out of the box or via a BIOS update. The (very uncommon) non-OC model uses the original RX 5600 XT specs and is therefore significantly slower than the other Gigabyte cards with the same GPU.
Note that the second revision (Rev. 2.0) of these cards have the same SKU but will not require a BIOS update to achieve the higher memory frequencies.
| RX 5600 XT Model | BIOS Update (link) | Game Clock / Max. Boost / Mem. Clock (w/new BIOS if applicable) | Fans | Slots/ Length | Outputs | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 GIGABYTE RX 5600 XT WindForce OC (GV-R56XTWF2OC-6GD) | Yes (Not needed for Rev 2.0) | 1460 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9 in (23 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 GIGABYTE RX 5600 XT GAMING OC (GV-R56XTGAMING- OC-6GD) | Yes (Not needed for Rev 2.0) | 1670 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | Dual-slot / 11.02 in (28 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
MSI
MSI has one of the more convoluted RX 5600 XT lineups. Not only are there several varieties of each card – some have also been added to the lineup post-launch, some of which replace previous models. On the plus side, all of the RX 5600 XT cards should now be either equipped with 14 Gbps VRAM out of the box or eligible for an update.
The original lineup included the Mech (OC) and Gaming (X/Z), which have since been joined by the Gaming M/MX. All are dual-fan cards and the main differentiators are gaming/boost clocks and cooler layout. Due to the broad range of factory overclocks, the out-of-box performance difference between the various MSI cards is quite significant. To update any MSI video BIOS, use the Live Update or Dragon Center utility.
| RX 5600 XT Model | BIOS Update (link) | Game Clock / Max. Boost / Mem. Clock (w/new BIOS if applicable) | Fans | Slots/ Length | Outputs | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 MSI RX 5600 XT GAMING | Yes, (via MSI Live Update) | 1420 MHz / 1600 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
MSI RX 5600 XT GAMING X | Yes, (via MSI Live Update) | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
MSI RX 5600 XT GAMING Z | Not needed | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A (Discontinued) |
 MSI RX 5600 XT MECH | Yes, (via MSI Live Update) | 1375 MHz / 1560 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9.1 in (23.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
MSI RX 5600 XT MECH OC | Yes, (via MSI Dragon Center) | 1460 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9.1 in (23.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 MSI RX 5600 XT Gaming M | Not needed | 1375 MHz / 1560 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
MSI RX 5600 XT Gaming MX | Not needed | 1495 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
PowerColor
PowerColor was one of the first manufacturers that responded to AMD’s last-minute update of the RX 5600 XT specifications. All of the initial cards, including the Red Dragon and Red Devil models received BIOS updates to increase VRAM performance from 12 Gbps to 14 Gbps. At a later date, the manufacturer added a slightly more compact dual-fan card with a plain PowerColor branding, which currently ships in a second revision – also with 14 Gbps VRAM.
If you are looking to build a small form factor gaming PC based on the RX 5600 XT, PowerColor also offers the only single-fan variety of the card. This compact ITX version doesn’t compromise much on performance with its 1560 MHz game clock. Of course, the cooling will not be quite as efficient compared to a dual-fan card, and you also have to do without the third DisplayPort output that’s present on all other RX 5600 XT models.
| RX 5600 XT Model | BIOS Update (link) | Game Clock / Max. Boost / Mem. Clock (w/new BIOS if applicable) | Fans | Slots/ Length | Outputs | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 PowerColor Red Devil RX 5600 XT OC (AXRX-5600XT-6GBD6- 3DHE/OC) | Yes | 1660 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 9.5 in (24 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 PowerColor Red Dragon RX 5600 XT OC (AXRX-5600XT-6GBD6 -3DHR/OC) | Yes | 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9.5 in (24 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 PowerColor AXRX 5600 XT V2 (6GBD6-3DHV2/OC) | Not needed | 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9.06 in (23 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 PowerColor RX 5600 XT ITX (6GBD6-2DH) | Not needed | 1355 MHz / 1560 MHz / 14 Gbps | 1 | Dual-slot / 6.9 in (17.5 cm) | 1x HDMI 2x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
Sapphire
For a change, Sapphire’s RX 5600 XT lineup is easy to keep track of for a change, as it only consists of just one card in two flavors – the Pulse RX 5600 XT and the Pulse RX 5600 XT BE. The main differences between the original and the BE model are that the original (non-BE version) comes with a dual-BIOS solution, higher clocks, and a slightly larger cooling solution with some additional design accents and an LED-it logo.
| RX 5600 XT Model | BIOS Update (link) | Game Clock / Max. Boost / Mem. Clock (w/new BIOS if applicable) | Fans | Slots/ Length | Outputs | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Sapphire PULSE RX 5600 XT (11296-01-20G) | Yes | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 12.5 in (25.4 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 Sapphire PULSE RX 5600 XT BE (11296-05-20G) | Not needed | 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 11.25 in (23.05 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
XFX
Last but not least, XFX’s range of RX 5600 XT cards is probably the hardest to wrap your head around. In terms of design and physical dimensions, there are just three different models. Unfortunately, the dual-fan Thicc II Pro and the triple-fan Thicc III Pro/Ultra come in several versions/SKUs with different specifications. This confusion is due to the fact that XFX reportedly had to re-release its RX 5600 XT lineup, as they couldn’t requalify the memory for 14 Gbps on its original stock. Some of the older 12 Gbps varieties may still be around on store shelves, however, so try to stay aware of what you’re buying.
There are two variants of the Thicc III Ultra – one with 12 Gbps VRAM (RX-56XT6TBD8) and one with 14 Gbps VRAM (RX-56XT6TB48). Both offer the same, rather sizeable factory overclock at 1660 MHz (game clock) and 1750 MHz (max. boost). In addition, there are two Thicc III Pro SKUs that are visually identical to the Ultra varieties. Both come with a 1615 MHz game clock, but again with either 12 Gbps VRAM (RX-56XT6TFD8) or 14 Gbps VRAM (RX-56XT6TF48).
The dual-fan Thicc II is available in three varieties, two of which have 12 Gbps VRAM (RX-56XT626D6 and RX-56XT6DFD6), while a third one has 14 Gbps VRAM (RX-56XT6DF46). Other details, including the clock speeds, are identical.
As for the dual-fan Raw II, this is a budget design that was initially exclusive to Best Buy and is only available in a single, 12 Gbps variety.
Like most other manufacturers, XFX released a range of new BIOS files early on that offer enhanced clock speeds, but none of them will adjust the VRAM. In other words, cards that were originally at 12 Gbps will remain there.
| RX 5600 XT Model | BIOS Update (link) | Game Clock / Max. Boost / Mem. Clock (w/new BIOS if applicable) | Fans | Slots/ Length | Outputs | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 XFX RX 5600 XT THICC II PRO (RX-56XT626D6) (RX-56XT6DFD6) (RX-56XT6DF46) | Yes | 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz / 12/14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 11.02 in (28 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
 XFX RX 5600 XT THICC III PRO (RX-56XT636D8) (RX-56XT6TFD8) (RX-56XT6TF48) | Yes | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 12/14 Gbps | 3 | Dual-slot / 12.83 in (32.6 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
XFX RX 5600 XT THICC III ULTRA (RX-56XT638D8) (RX-56XT6TBD8) | Yes | 1660 MHz / 1750 MHz / 12/14 Gbps | 3 | Dual-slot / 12.83 in (32.6 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
 XFX Radeon RX 5600 XT RAW II PRO (RX-56XT6OFFR) | Yes | 1460 MHz / 1620 MHz / 12 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11.4 in (29 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | BestBuy |
How to Check Your Video BIOS
Most of the RX 5600 XT partner cards now ship with a BIOS that ensures that your graphics card will run at its final VRAM and core clock specifications. However, if you were an early adopter or managed to pick up a card running at the pre-launch specs, you may want to check if a performance-boosting BIOS update is available. The tables and discussions above should provide some hints, but to be on the safe side you should check with the manufacturer’s product and support pages.
Flashing a graphics card’s BIOS is not without risks – applying the wrong BIOS or having a power outage during the upgrade process will likely brick your card. Dual-BIOS cards are an exception, as these will let you choose which BIOS to use via a physical switch. Either way, always follow the manufacturers’ instructions and use their proprietary software when flashing.
To check whether your card might be eligible for an upgrade, you need to know what clocks it is currently running at. There are many ways to find out, but one of the easiest and most accurate methods is to use the lightweight GPU-Z software.
The highlighted part of the GPU-Z screenshot above shows the actual clocks that your GPU is running at. If they seem to match the (possibly updated) official specs, then you are good to go. If they don’t, a new BIOS is likely available. Note that memory (VRAM) speeds listed in GPU-Z are the base and not the effective clocks. In this case, 1750 MHz means that the effective speed is 14 GHz/Gbps, while 1500 MHz means 12 GHz/Gbps.
Manual Overclocking
Even if your card is not eligible for a BIOS update, you will of course still be able to try a manual overclock. Just download an overclocking tool like MSI Afterburner (works with any brand) to get started. Based on the numbers discussed throughout this page, you will have some idea of what the RX 5600 XT is capable of. There are some limitations to GPU overclocking with a standard BIOS, however, such as locked voltages and clock frequency range limits.
But there are still plenty of performance gains to be had if you were lucky in the so-called silicon lottery and ended up with a quality chip. Contrary to some claims, normal overclocking will not permanently damage your GPU or void your warranty, but you will inevitably experience crashes once you reach the GPU’s upper limits. If you take a liking to GPU overclocking in general and MSI Afterburner in particular, also check out our customization guide for Afterburner.
Full List of RX 5600 XT Partner Cards
As a summary, this is a sortable and searchable version of all the above tables combined, with all of the RX 5600 XT cards included.
| RX 5600 XT Model | BIOS Update (link) | Game Clock / Max. Boost / Mem. Clock (w/new BIOS if applicable) | Fans | Slots/ Length | Outputs | Check Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ASRock Challenger D RX 5600 XT OC (RX5600XT-CLD-6GO) | Yes | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 9.47 in (24.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
ASRock Challenger Pro RX 5600 XT OC (RX5600XT-CLP-6GO) | Not needed | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot / 11 in (28 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Newegg |
ASRock Phantom Gaming D2 RX 5600 XT OC (RX5600XT-PGD2-6GO) | Yes | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 9.45 in (24 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
ASRock Phantom Gaming D3 RX 5600 XT OC (RX5600XT-PGD3-6GO) | Yes | 1670 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot/ 11.42 in (29 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
ASUS TUF 3 RX 5600 XT EVO GAMING OC (TUF-3-RX5600XT-O6G -EVO-GAMING) | Yes | 1660 MHz / 1770 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot / 11.13 in (28.3 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
ASUS ROG STRIX RX 5600 XT GAMING OC (ROG-STRIX-RX5600XT -O6G-GAMING) | Yes | 1670 MHz / 1770 MHz / 12 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot / 12 in (30.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
ASUS ROG STRIX RX 5600 XT GAMING TOP (ROG-STRIX-RX5600XT- T6G-GAMING) | Not needed | 1670 MHz / 1770 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | 2.7-slot / 12 in (30.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
ASUS Dual RX 5600 XT EVO (DUAL-RX5600XT-T6G-EVO) | No | 1660 MHz / 1770 MHz / 12 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11 in (28.3 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
GIGABYTE RX 5600 XT WindForce OC (GV-R56XTWF2OC-6GD) | Yes | 1460 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9 in (23 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
GIGABYTE RX 5600 XT GAMING OC (GV-R56XTGAMING- OC-6GD) | Yes | 1670 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 3 | Dual-slot / 11.02 in (28 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
MSI RX 5600 XT GAMING | Yes, (via MSI Live Update) | 1420 MHz / 1600 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
MSI RX 5600 XT GAMING X | Yes, (via MSI Live Update) | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
MSI RX 5600 XT GAMING Z | Not needed | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A (Discontinued) |
MSI RX 5600 XT MECH | Yes, (via MSI Live Update) | 1375 MHz / 1560 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9.1 in (23.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
MSI RX 5600 XT MECH OC | Yes, (via MSI Dragon Center) | 1460 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9.1 in (23.1 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
MSI RX 5600 XT Gaming M | Not needed | 1375 MHz / 1560 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
MSI RX 5600 XT Gaming MX | Not needed | 1495 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 11.7 in (30 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
PowerColor Red Devil RX 5600 XT OC (AXRX-5600XT-6GBD6- 3DHE/OC) | Yes | 1660 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 9.5 in (24 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
PowerColor Red Dragon RX 5600 XT OC (AXRX-5600XT-6GBD6 -3DHR/OC) | Yes | 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9.5 in (24 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
PowerColor AXRX 5600 XT V2 (6GBD6-3DHV2/OC) | Not needed | 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 9.06 in (23 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
PowerColor RX 5600 XT ITX (6GBD6-2DH) | Not needed | 1355 MHz / 1560 MHz / 14 Gbps | 1 | Dual-slot / 6.9 in (17.5 cm) | 1x HDMI 2x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
Sapphire PULSE RX 5600 XT (11296-01-20G) | Yes | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 12.5 in (25.4 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
Sapphire PULSE RX 5600 XT BE (11296-05-20G) | Not needed | 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz / 14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 11.25 in (23.05 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
XFX RX 5600 XT THICC II PRO (RX-56XT626D6) (RX-56XT6DFD6) (RX-56XT6DF46) | Yes | 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz / 12/14 Gbps | 2 | Dual-slot / 11.02 in (28 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
XFX RX 5600 XT THICC III PRO (RX-56XT636D8) (RX-56XT6TFD8) (RX-56XT6TF48) | Yes | 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz / 12/14 Gbps | 3 | Dual-slot / 12.83 in (32.6 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | Amazon, Newegg, Amazon UK |
XFX RX 5600 XT THICC III ULTRA (RX-56XT638D8) (RX-56XT6TBD8) | Yes | 1660 MHz / 1750 MHz / 12/14 Gbps | 3 | Dual-slot / 12.83 in (32.6 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | N/A |
XFX Radeon RX 5600 XT RAW II PRO (RX-56XT6OFFR) | Yes | 1460 MHz / 1620 MHz / 12 Gbps | 2 | 2.7-slot / 11.4 in (29 cm) | 1x HDMI 3x DP | BestBuy |
The post The Best Radeon RX 5600 XT Cards & Complete BIOS Status Guide appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
How to Buy Games on Humble Store Using PayPal
Humble Bundle offers a wide variety of games from indie, classic, and new titles at a very affordable price. They offer flexible pricing with “Pay what you want” model where you can unlock games and bundles at lower prices when you reach a certain amount of payment. For your every games and bundle you buy, [...] The post How to Buy Games on Humble Store Using PayPal appeared first on Gaming PC...
Humble Bundle offers a wide variety of games from indie, classic, and new titles at a very affordable price. They offer flexible pricing with “Pay what you want” model where you can unlock games and bundles at lower prices when you reach a certain amount of payment. For your every games and bundle you buy, a portion of your payment goes to charity, which includes GamesAid, WWF, American Red Cross, and many other foundations and charities. So you are not only enjoying your games at a lower price but you also contribute to the cause of those organizations.
Humble Bundle supports Visa, MasterCard, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club credit/debit cards. They also support PayPal, Amazon Payments, and Yandex. In this article we will guide you using PayPal.
1. Go to www.humblebundle.com and sign in with your account. Sign up here if don’t have an account yet.
2. Go to the store page of the game you want to buy. You can do it throught Humble Store or by searching using the search bar.
3. Click the Add to cart button then it will change to Checkout button and click it.
4. Shopping Cart window will pop. Click the Pay with PayPal button.
5. You will be redirected to PayPal website. Sign in with your PayPal account.
6. Click the PayPal Balance option as payment method then click the Pay Now button.
7. You will be directed back to Humble Bundle site with Order Complete notification.
8. Open your email associated with you Humble Bundle account to redeem the game.
9. Some games need your account linked to other gaming platform to download and activate.
10. You can now download your game from the library of the launcher associated.
Sign up now to Humble Bundle to enjoy games at lower prices and contribute to organization’s cause to have a positive impact in our community.
Check our guides on how to buy games on different gaming client.
The post How to Buy Games on Humble Store Using PayPal appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
Samsung 980 PRO Specs Revealed
A few days ago, a product page featuring the highly anticipated Samsung 980 PRO-series SSDs was accidentally published on Samsung’s website. As far as this NVMe SSD’s specs go, the 980 PRO seems intent on making its current high-end competitors obsolete. The new PRO series marks Samsung’s transition to the PCI Express 4.0 interface, which [...] The post Samsung 980 PRO Specs Revealed appeared first on Gaming PC...
A few days ago, a product page featuring the highly anticipated Samsung 980 PRO-series SSDs was accidentally published on Samsung’s website. As far as this NVMe SSD’s specs go, the 980 PRO seems intent on making its current high-end competitors obsolete.
The new PRO series marks Samsung’s transition to the PCI Express 4.0 interface, which has been available for quite some time now on the latest AMD platforms. So far, all competing PCIe Gen4 drives use the same Phison E16 controller, resulting in largely identical performance of up to about 5,000 MB/s (sequential read). It looks like the 980 PRO will greatly improve on peak transfer rates in, with a claimed 7,000 MB/s (sequential read) for the 1 TB model.
Samsung 980 PRO Specifications (Preliminary)
According to the leaked webpage, storage capacities are limited to 250 GB, 500 GB, and 1 TB – at least at launch.
| Samsung 980 Pro | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 1 TB | 500 GB | 250 GB |
| Max. Sequential Read | 7,000 MB/s | 6.900 MB/s | 6,400 MB/s |
| Max. Sequential Write | 5,000 MB/s | 5,000 MB/s | 2,700 MB/s |
| 4K Random Read | 1,000,000 IOPS | 800,000 IOPS | 500,000 IOPS |
| 4K Random Write | 1,000,000 IOPS | 1,000,000 IOPS | 600,000 IOPS |
| Avg. Active Power | 6.2 W | 5.9 W | 5.0 W |
| SKU | MZ-V8P1T0BW | MZ-V8P500BW | MZ-V8P250BW |
The greatly improved performance figures are made possible by the PCI Express (PCIe) 4.0 interface, which already seems to be more or less saturated (when overhead is considered) by the 980 PRO and its custom Elpis controller. At 7,000 MB/s sequential read speeds and 5,000 MB/s sequential write speeds, the new Samsung drive easily surpasses today’s Phison E16 Gen4 SSDs.
This only applies to the 1 TB version of the Samsung 980 PRO. As usual, the smaller 500 GB and 250 GB capacities will run at more modest speeds due to the reduced amount of parallelism.
What’s also interesting here is Samsung’s use of the PRO designation. To date, all Samsung PRO-series SSDs such as the 970 PRO have used MLC memory, which normally means two bits per cell NAND. However, the memory type is listed as “3-bit MLC”, meaning that these drives actually use the cheaper and less durable TLC memory type – like the 970 EVO (Plus).
Design & Heat Management
In terms of design and heat management, Samsung has equipped the devices with a nickel-plated heat spreader over the SSD controller. A thin copper film is also applied to the front and back of the PCB. The units also use Samsung’s “Dynamic Thermal Guard” technology to manage heat generation.
Unsurprisingly, Samsung views the transition to PCIe 4.0 as the biggest news with this generation of SSDs. The 250 GB model is said to be able to reach 500 MB/s transfer speed under IOmeter with TurboWrite activated. For the 500 GB variant, this increases to 1,100 MB/s, and for the largest 1 TB model, the speed should be able to reach up to 2,000 MB/s.
Unfortunately, the short-lived product page didn’t reveal any specific launch date or pricing information for the Samsung 980 PRO series. It is probably a safe bet that it will be a bit more expensive than the current Phison E16-based PCIe Gen4 SSDs, which currently sell for around $200 for 1 TB.
Via: Wccftech
The post Samsung 980 PRO Specs Revealed appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
The Best Mid-Range Graphics Cards Below $300 in September 2020
Earlier in 2020, AMD released its brand new mid-range GPU, the Radeon RX 5600 XT – and at the $279 price point (MSRP), it instantly became a price/performance leader. Only days later Nvidia countered by lowering the price on its ray tracing-enabled GeForce RTX 2060 Founder’s Edition to $299. In yet another twist, AMD announced [...] The post The Best Mid-Range Graphics Cards Below $300 in September 2020 appeared first on Gaming PC...
Earlier in 2020, AMD released its brand new mid-range GPU, the Radeon RX 5600 XT – and at the $279 price point (MSRP), it instantly became a price/performance leader. Only days later Nvidia countered by lowering the price on its ray tracing-enabled GeForce RTX 2060 Founder’s Edition to $299.
In yet another twist, AMD announced a new official video BIOS configuration to enhance the RX 5600 XT’s performance to compete with the RTX 2060. Unfortunately, all third-party manufacturers were not able or willing to implement the upgrade, so the situation in the mid-range GPU segment is somewhat confusing at this point.
On this page, we intend to clear things up, because as of August 2020 it’s actually easier than ever to secure 60 FPS/1080p (or even 1440p) for less than $300 for your gaming PC.
To help you pick the right card, we have sifted through every relevant spec sheet and professional review out there. We will also compare some more affordable as well as some more expensive cards to help you get your bearings on the current GPU market around the $300 mark.
On this page:
NVIDIA Vs. AMD
Best GPU below $300: Radeon RX 5600 XT
Best Nvidia alternative: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
~$30 More: RTX 2060
~$30 Less: GTX 1660 Super
Summary and notes
CPU Pairing and PSU Requirements
NVIDIA Vs. AMD Below $300
Some gamers prefer AMD and others prefer Nvidia for a variety of reasons. AMD has not been particularly involved in the high-end market in recent years, but thanks to its new RDNA (Navi) architecture and the RX 5600 XT, there is once again some healthy competition in the mid-range segment.
Last update on 2020-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Nvidia’s advertised $299 RTX 2060 Founder’s Edition has barely ever been in stock throughout 2020, but some aftermarket cards with the same GPU have temporarily been priced below $300. EVGA’s RTX 2060 KO was offered at an introductory $299 and Zotac recently lowered the pricing on its compact 2060 Twin Fan model, which is suitable for Mini-ITX builds.
Check today’s price on the EVGA 2060 KO: Amazon, Newegg
Several aftermarket varieties of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT are available for less than $300. And thanks to the last-minute BIOS updates requested by AMD, some versions of this card (but not all) offer about the same performance as an RTX 2060. Interestingly, these BIOS updates also resulted in some Radeon RX 5600 XT cards being almost as fast as the RX 5700, so AMD is now competing with itself in this price range. In addition, these cards are practically always faster than the previous mid-range favorite GTX 1660 Ti.
To put the RX 5600 XT, RTX 2060, and GTX 1660 Ti into some perspective, here’s an indication of how they perform (without ray tracing) compared to some adjacent cards.
Bottom line: Since the RTX 2060 is difficult to find for less than $300, the AMD RX 5600 XT is the fastest GPU below $300 at this time (our complete guide to RX 5600 XT cards is available here). Although it used to be a mid-range favorite, there are several reasons why the GTX 1660 Ti is a less viable choice today. It lacks the RTX features (ray-tracing, DLSS) of its higher-end siblings and also performs worse on average than the RX 5600 XT. Also, the GTX 1660 Super is currently a much better deal than the Ti, since it’s only slightly slower and usually a lot more affordable.
Best GPU Under $300: Radeon RX 5600 XT
AMD’s Radeon RX 5600 XT GPU was launched in early 2020 and is based on the Navi (RDNA) architecture, which replaces the much less efficient Vega and Polaris architectures. The first new cards to roll out were the higher-end RX 5700 and 5700 XT, later followed by the entry-level RX 5500 XT and the mid-range RX 5600 XT, i.e. this card.
This GPU was initially intended to compete with Nvidia’s mid-range GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. But in a surprise move, Nvidia lowered the price on its faster, ray tracing-enabled GeForce RTX 2060 to compete directly with the RX 5600 XT. This prompted AMD to radically improve the specs of the 5600 XT to help it stay competitive. As a result, the RX 5600 XT is almost as fast as the RX 5700 – and considerably faster than the GTX 1660 Ti that it was originally meant to compete with.
Now, with similar performance as the GeForce RTX 2060, the RX 5600 XT stands out as one of the two most attractive graphics cards around $300 from a price/performance perspective (the other one being the RTX 2060). What you likely want to make sure before buying is that you get a card with faster memory (VRAM), or one that you can update with a new BIOS that will improve its performance significantly. Some cards are not eligible for this update, but the following are (listed specs are post-update):
| Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 5600 XT | XFX RX 5600 XT THICC II PRO | PowerColor Radeon RX 5600 XT |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |
| Clock: Core / Gaming / Boost | 1400 MHz / 1615 MHz / 1750 MHz | 1465 MHz / 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz | 1355 MHz / 1560 MHz / 1620 MHz |
| Memory Speed | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 8,064 GFLOPS | 7,465 GFLOPS | 7,465 GFLOPS |
| Memory Bandwidth | 336 GB/s | 336 GB/s | 288 GB/s |
| Recommended PSU | 350 W | 350 W | 350 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 3x DP | 1x HDMI 3x DP | 1x HDMI 3x DP |
| Price from* | $322.26 | $299.99 | $279.99 |
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
All of the RX 5600 XT cards use the same GPU of course, meaning that it has 2,304 shaders and 10.3 billion transistors. It’s paired with 6 GB of GDDR6 video memory (VRAM), with a 192-bit memory bus. The main differences between the aftermarket cards are the cooling solutions and the core/boost clocks. Unlike Nvidia, AMD now specifies a “game clock”, which indicates what clock speeds to expect during normal gaming loads.
Again, it’s important to be aware of the differences between the aftermarket RX 5600 XT cards. You should make sure that you are getting a card with improved VRAM bandwidth out of the box (or via a BIOS update). The cards mentioned above are either already at the faster 14 Gbps, or will get there via an update. You can find these updates on the manufacturers’ support pages. A new BIOS for Sapphire’s Radeon Pulse XT is available here, for PowerColor’s Red Devil/Dragon here and Gigabyte’s card here.
Best NVIDIA Alternative: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti
As mentioned previously, AMD’s RX 5600 XT was originally intended as a competitor to Nvidia’s former mid-range king, the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti. For the reasons mentioned above, that did not happen, so the 1660 Ti now finds itself at a slightly lower market position.
While the GTX 1660 Ti is still a good mid-range GPU that will handle any AAA game in 2020 with ease at 1080p, it lacks the ray-tracing features from the RTX lineup. And in terms of relative performance, the RTX 2060 and RX 5600 XT are about 15% faster.
When it comes to the price/performance calculation, the GTX 1660 Ti is also challenged by Nvidia’s own GTX 1660 Super, which is only slightly slower but usually much more affordable.
| GIGABYTE GTX 1660 Ti OC | EVGA GTX 1660 Ti XC | MSI GTX 1660 Ti Gaming | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |
| Clock: Core / Boost | 1500 MHz / 1800 MHz | 1500 MHz / 1845 MHz | 1500 MHz / 1800 MHz |
| Memory Clock (Effective) | 12 GHz | 12 GHz | 12 GHz |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 5,530 GFLOPS | 5,668 GFLOPS | 5,530 GFLOPS |
| Memory Bandwidth | 288 GB/s | 288 GB/s | 288 GB/s |
| Recommended Power Supply | 450 Watt | 450 Watt | 450 Watt |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 3x DisplayPort | 1x DVI 1x HDMI 1x DisplayPort | 1x HDMI 3x DisplayPort |
| Price from* | $317.95 | $295.24 | $328.34 |
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
The 1660 Ti is available in every conceivable size and many are factory overclocked, but rarely by amounts that motivate a significantly higher cost. If you can fit a full-size card in your build, a card with a dual-fan (or triple-fan) cooler is normally the best choice even if it’s priced slightly higher.
~$30 More: GeForce RTX 2060
Nvidia has been a comfortable performance and efficiency leader for several years and launched the RTX lineup in 2019. The overall performance lead is still intact thanks to the high-end RTX 2080 Ti and 2080 Super. However, AMD is definitely back in the fight up to the upper mid-range GPU market.
To better compete with AMD, Nvidia opted to lower the price tag on its lowest-tier card in the RTX range, the reference GeForce RTX 2060 Founder’s Edition to $299. Like the RX 5600 XT, the RTX 2060 is a superb graphics card for 1080p gaming, and it will perform very well at 1440p as well.
As it’s an RTX card, you also get the RTX-exclusive ray-tracing and DLSS features. In addition to its 1920 shading units, the RTX 2060 comes with 30 ray-tracing (RT) cores and 240 Tensor Cores. You should however be aware that the RTX 2060 is not quite powerful enough to provide a consistent 60 FPS with “RTX on” in most games, but if you’re OK with lower frame rates, real-time ray tracing is clearly a very nice visual bonus.
Other parts of the RTX 2060’s specs are quite similar to the Radeon RX 5600 XT, with 6 GB of GDDR6 video RAM and a 192-bit memory bus that offers the same bandwidth. At this time, the $299 RTX 2060 Founder’s Edition is almost impossible to find, but a limited number of aftermarket models are available at a slightly higher price point.
| ZOTAC GeForce RTX 2060 6GB | EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 KO | MSI GeForce RTX 2060 Ventus XS OC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |
| Clock: Core / Boost | 1365 MHz / 1680 MHz | 1365 MHz / 1680 MHz | 1365 MHz / 1710 MHz |
| Memory Clock (Effective) | 14000 MHz | 14000 MHz | 14000 MHz |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 6,451 GFLOPS | 6,451 GFLOPS | 6,566 GFLOPS |
| Memory Bandwidth | 336 GB/s | 336 GB/s | 336 GB/s |
| Recommended PSU | 450 W | 450 W | 450 W |
| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin | 1x 8-pin |
| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 3x DP | 1x HDMI 1x DP 1x DVI | 1x HDMI 3x DP |
| Price from* | $339.99 | $336.72 | $339.99 |
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
At this time you will not be able to find any factory-overclocked, premium models of the RTX 2060 at prices close to $300, but the effect of these overclocks are normally small at any rate. For the time being, the entry-level Zotac and EVGA models are usually the most reasonably priced.
~$30 Less: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super
Since the launch of the more affordable GTX 1660 Super (or 1660S), the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is in an awkward price/performance position. The 1660S actually uses the same GPU as the regular GTX 1660, but the 1660S has been paired with faster GDDR6 video memory. This has resulted in a level of performance that’s behind the 1660 Ti by only single-digit percentages.
Considering that the GTX 1660 Super is a great deal more affordable, this card offers much better value than both the Ti model and the original 1660. While it can’t compete with the RX 5600 XT or RTX 2060, opting for the 1660S should save you $30 at the very least.
| EVGA GTX 1660 Super Sc Ultra | Asus TUF GTX 1660 Super OC | ZOTAC GTX 1660 Super TF | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Image |  |  |  |
| Stream Processors | 1408 | 1408 | 1408 |
| Base Clock / Boost Clock | 1530 MHz / 1830 MHz | 1530 MHz / 1845 MHz | 1530 MHz / 1785 MHz |
| FP32 Theoretical Performance | 5,153 GFLOPS | 5,196 GFLOPS | 5,027 GFLOPS |
| Max Memory Clock | 14 GHz | 14 GHz | 14 GHz |
| Memory Size | 6 GB GDDR6 | 6 GB GDDR6 | 6 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bandwidth | 336 GB/s | 336 GB/s | 336 GB/s |
| Recommended Power Supply | 350 Watt | 350 Watt | 350 Watt |
| Price from* | $264.99 | $363.61 | $249.99 |
| Product Link | View on Amazon | View on Amazon | View on Amazon |
*Prices are updated automatically every few hours but are subject to change between updates. See ‘Last update’ information at bottom of the page.
RX 5600 XT Vs. RTX 2060 Vs. RX 5700
Here’s a video from the web comparing actual performance in a number of games including Battlefield V, Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, Metro: Exodus and others. What makes this particularly interesting is that the resolution is 1440p, instead of the 1080p resolution that these graphics cards are intended to target.
Summary and Recommendations
Right now you get better value at the mid-range $300 price point than just a few months ago. AMD has finally replaced its – by today’s standards highly inefficient – GCN (Graphics Card Next) architecture with RDNA (Radeon DNA). The newer cards offer some very tough competition for Nvidia in the mid-range segment, and that’s especially true for the Radeon RX 5600 XT (when outfitted with the right BIOS).
Unless the GeForce RTX 2060 is temporarily priced lower, the RX 5600 XT currently offers the best performance below $300.
Nvidia’s driver stability and RTX features, including real-time ray tracing and DLSS, still make the RTX 2060 a compelling option if priced right.
None of the Nvidia cards at this price range supports SLI, i.e. multi-GPU setups, which might otherwise be an upgrade route down the line. The corresponding AMD Crossfire/CrossFireX technology is enabled for the RX 5700 and RX 5600 XT, on the other hand. Unfortunately, AMD’s driver support for multiple GPUs has historically been somewhat lacking compared to Nvidia, meaning that this sort of upgrade is not overly attractive.
As for graphics cards from previous generations, the closest one from Nvidia would be the GeForce GTX 1070, which offers about the same performance as a GTX 1660 Ti. But it’s also less efficient and usually more expensive. And the AMD alternatives are even worse. There are very few reasons if any, to invest in a Radeon RX Vega 56 or Vega 64 today. These cards are considerably less efficient than the RX 5600 XT or RX 5700, on top of which the prices are still high.
Some of the video cards listed above come with a slight factory overclock compared to the reference clocks. In most cases, factory overclocks are in the single-digit percentages and only marginally improve performance. This is generally not worth a hefty premium over a non-overclocked card. How much a GPU can be overclocked by the user mainly depends on individual chip quality — otherwise known as the “silicon lottery”.
On the other hand, larger cooling solutions with additional fans can be a worthwhile investment. All other things being equal, more fans keep temperatures as well as noise to a minimum. It will also be of help when overclocking. If you are building in a roomy ATX case, as opposed to an mITX or mATX, consider a dual- och triple-fan card.
CPU Pairing and PSU Requirements
Both the Radeon RX 5600 XT and GeForce RTX 2060 require a single 8-pin connector.
To get the most out of your new mid-range GPU, the rest of your PC build should correspond reasonably well to your choice of video card. However, in terms of gaming performance, you won’t gain much by opting for an expensive high-end CPU.
In our view, a good baseline CPU pairing is the AMD Ryzen 5 3600, or an Intel Core i5-9600K. You may need a better CPU for other reasons than gaming, but in terms of frame rates, you will get diminishing returns beyond what you get with one of those processors. To have your games run faster, your money is better spent on a faster GPU.
As for the power supply (PSU), some third-party manufacturers recommend a 350W minimum for the RX 5600 XT (AMD’s PSU recommendation is 550W) and 450W for the RTX 2060. The TDP (Thermal Design Power) for the graphics cards is 160W in both cases. A 350W PSU is definitely on the low side, leaving you with very little headroom for overclocking and other components, but 500W should be more than sufficient for most builds.
Any such power supply on the market will provide you with the single 8-pin PCIe power connector (or more likely two) that you need to hook up to your GPU.
Building with a tighter budget? Then check out our guide to the top GPUs below $200.
The post The Best Mid-Range Graphics Cards Below $300 in September 2020 appeared first on Gaming PC Builder.
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