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MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC Review: 1080P Gaming At Its Best

MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC

We’ve finally got our test build PC up and running, and the kind folks at AMD were generous enough to loan us a unit of the MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC for review.

We must say that AMD had some last minute changes with the BIOS for the RX 5600 XT, so this review will be based on the old BIOS. We’ve tried checking AMD’s Radeon software, and updating the BIOS on MSI Live Update, but the updater just kept telling us our BIOS is already the latest. However, the latest version should be the 322 version, but we’re running on the 320 version.

MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC Review: 1080P Gaming At Its Best 13

Alright, with that out of the way, let’s get right into the GPU itself.

The MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC (I wish AMD would shorten their product names) is an all-class custom graphics card from the folks at MSI. It features a Navi GPU, 6GB of GDDR6 memory, everything AMD packed into the RDNA architecture, and more. Compared to the other custom RX 5600 XT cards, their performance is pretty similar, so it’d most likely come down to personal brand preference when you’re in the market for one.

Specifications

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Here’s the official detailed spec sheet from MSI’s official website. It runs on the PCIe 4.0 inteface and has a base clock of 1,235Mhz, and can be boosted up to 1,620MHz. There’s 6GB of GDDR6 memory on board, with 192-bit memory bus, and 12Gbps memory speed.

Cooling Tech

The MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC GPU utilises MSI’s TORX Fan 3.0 system that has minimal trims on the fan blade itself. This helps create a focused airflow, which in turn is pushed down by the dispersion fan blades for more static pressure. There are 6mm copper heatpipes that has direct contact to improve cooling efficiency.

MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC
MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC Review: 1080P Gaming At Its Best 15

There are also thermal pads being applied on not just the VRM modules, but the GDDR6 memory modules as well. This is to help with transferring heat to the heatsink for effective cooling.

Detailed Look

The MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC GPU has a fairly minimalist design to it. For its backplate, there isn’t much to it. It’s sturdy and firm to help strengthen the graphic card, while complementing the overall design. That being said, I wished MSI would’ve thrown some form of RGB lighting to it. It could even be a small simple light strip on the side, or an illuminated MSI logo.

That would’ve made it look much better. However, if RGB isn’t your thing, then this GPU would fit just nicely in your setup, going more for performance than looks. But, if you are an RGBae, then you could consider the Radeon RX 5600 XT Gaming X gpu that is already fully furnished with RGB goodness.

There’s no trace of MSI red whatsoever on the entire GPU, just simple black on the brushed aluminium, a splash of silver on the heatpipes, and a dash of gold on the PCIe connectors. Connectivity wise, you do get three DisplayPort ports, and a HDMI 2.0b output port. To connect the GPU, you’re gonna need a single 8-pin PCIe power connector.

Test System Specs

MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC

Thanks to the generous folks at PCByte Malaysia, we were sent this GPU test bed for benchmarking and PC component reviews. We have the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 processor with its stock Wraith Stealth cooler on the Asrock B450M Steel Legend motherboard. There’s the beautiful G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16GB RAMs, and 512GB M.2 SSD by Adata XPG. It’s running on Windows 10 Pro, powered by a 600W power supply from FSP, and all housed in the Tecware Vega mid-tower chassis.

MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC
CPUAMD Ryzen 5 2600
CoolerWraith Stealth (Stock)
MotherboardAsrock B450M Steel Legend
RAM16GB G.Skill Trident Z RGB (2 x 8GB)
SSD512GB Adata XPG SX8200 PRO
PSU600W FSP HyperK 80+ White
ChassisTecware Vega
OSWindows 10 Pro. 64-bit

Benchmarks – Synthetic

MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC

For synthetic benchmarks, we’ve decided to use 3DMark as it has been a staple benchmarking go-to for as long as I can remember. It’s the perfect tool to see if your CPU and GPU is performing as it should.

Another test we decided to put the GPU through is the Superposition test from Unigine. Most will still use Unigine Heaven, but we’ve decided to go with a more updated test to push the GPU to its limits. It has great for getting your GPU to a 100% for both power and noise testing.

Since we don’t have our own test results or reviews of other graphics cards. We’ve decided to cross reference and compare with other graphics cards stats from TweakTown’s library. The MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC definitely outperforms the Nvidia GTX 1660 series but slightly lacks behind AMD’s own RX 5700 series.

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MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC Review: 1080P Gaming At Its Best 16

3DMark FireStrike

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3DMark FireStrike – Extreme

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3DMark FireStrike – Ultra

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3DMark TimeSpy

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3DMark TimeSpy – Extreme

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Superposition 1080p Extreme

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The graphics card performed spectacularly in 1080p, even on extreme settings.

Superposition 4K Optimized

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Surprisingly, the MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC performed rather well in Superposition’s 4K test. The image and details were all still smooth at an average of 40 frames per second.

Superposition 8K Optimized

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I know that the card isn’t exactly for or capable of 8K, but I decided to give it a go as well just to see how it would fare. The RX 5600 XT processing 8K was a real task. Image was choppy and the lag was real.

Benchmarks – Gaming

Devil May Cry 5

Prior to this, with the limited graphics power I had with my laptop, I spent most of my time on my PS4 instead. But ever since I received the test bench and this MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC, I immediately set out to purchase Devil May Cry 5. The game looks spectacular with everything turned up to the maximum settings. Every setting was either on ultra or high, and my fps was averaging at 125.

Dota 2

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On Dota 2, it was an easy game for the MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC to process. With the graphics settings maxed out, the game was smooth and we achieved an average fps of 140.

PUBG

When it comes to PUBG, I’m still a newbie to the game cause I’ve never really played it on desktop, but the experience was quite pleasant. With the settings all the way up, I was averaging at 90 to 110 fps. Visuals were smooth and details were crisp. If I had any gripes, it would be with the game (laggy Internet connection) and not the visuals.

Conclusion

MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC

The MSI Radeon RX 5600 XT Mech OC GPU did a buttery smooth performance in the 1080p gaming region, thanks to its boost it got from the GDDR6 memory speeds. While it didn’t perform too bad in 1440p, it got quite punished when it comes to 4K. For video editing, the GPU does take a while (10 minutes or so), to render a 4-minute 30fps 1080p video.

That being said, if you’re getting one of these for yourself, make sure to check if your BIOS is updated to the latest. As the new BIOS update would definitely increase its performance. At first glance, it may look miniscule, but overall, it could improve the gaming experience, operating temperatures, and power efficiencies.

If you’re not too sure about it, you can always ask the store representative if it already has the new BIOS updated, or whether they can do it for you. Otherwise, you can always opt for the Gaming X version that already has the new BIOS installed right out of the box.

At the end of the day, it comes down to brand preference, graphics card design, and how much bang you’re getting from the buck you’re giving. Priced at RM1,459, we’d definitely recommend this to anyone who’s looking for that sweet spot in that 1080p nest.

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Chief Content Developer at The AXO

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