AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT

AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT: Review of the Budget Gaming Solution for 2025

April 2025

Introduction

The AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, released in late 2019, remains a popular choice for budget gaming systems. Despite its age, due to driver optimizations and price reductions, it continues to compete in the 1080p segment. This article will explore how relevant this model is in 2025 and who it may suit.

1. Architecture and Key Features

RDNA 1.0 Architecture

The RX 5500 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 microarchitecture — AMD's first step toward increasing energy efficiency and performance per clock cycle. The card is manufactured using TSMC's 7nm process, which has reduced thermal output compared to previous generations.

Unique Features

- FidelityFX Suite: A set of technologies aimed at improving graphics, including Contrast Adaptive Sharpening (CAS) for enhancing image clarity without performance loss.

- Radeon Anti-Lag: Reduces input lag in games, which is critical for esports disciplines.

- FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR): Support for FSR 2.0 has been added via drivers, allowing increased FPS in games with minimal loss in quality (the "Quality" mode offers an up to 30% increase).

Lack of Hardware Ray Tracing: The RX 5500 XT does not have Ray Accelerators, so ray tracing is only possible through software methods, significantly reducing FPS.

2. Memory: Type, Size, and Impact on Performance

- Memory Type: GDDR6.

- Size: 8 GB (there are rare versions with 4 GB, but they are not recommended due to limitations in modern games).

- Bus and Bandwidth: 128-bit bus with a bandwidth of 224 GB/s (memory clock speed of 14 Gbps).

For 1080p gaming, 8 GB of video memory is sufficient even for projects in 2024–2025, such as Starfield or Horizon Forbidden West. However, at 1440p, there may be issues with high-resolution textures, especially when using mods.

3. Gaming Performance

1080p (Full HD)

- Cyberpunk 2077 (high settings, FSR 2.0 Quality): 45–55 FPS.

- Apex Legends (max settings): 90–110 FPS.

- Elden Ring (high settings): 50–60 FPS.

1440p (QHD)

Requires reducing settings to medium:

- Call of Duty: Warzone (medium settings, FSR): 50–60 FPS.

4K (Ultra HD)

Not recommended — even at low settings, FPS rarely exceeds 30 frames.

Ray Tracing: In Quake II RTX with ray tracing enabled, FPS drops to 15–20 frames, making the technology impractical.

4. Professional Tasks

- Video Editing: Supports hardware encoding for H.265 (HEVC) and decoding via the AMF engine. In DaVinci Resolve, rendering a 1080p video takes 20% longer than on the NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super.

- 3D Modeling: In Blender using OpenCL, performance is modest — rendering a scene of medium complexity takes 2–3 times longer compared to the RTX 3050.

- Scientific Calculations: Suitable only for basic tasks due to a limited number of compute cores (1408 stream processors).

5. Power Consumption and Thermal Output

- TDP: 130 W.

- Recommended Power Supply: Minimum 450 W (e.g., Corsair CX450).

- Cooling: Reference models use 1–2 fans. For stable operation while overclocking, it's better to choose cards with a 3-fan system (like the Sapphire Pulse).

- Temperatures: Under load — 70–75°C. A case with 2–3 fans (intake at the front, exhaust at the back) is necessary to avoid throttling.

6. Comparison with Competitors

- NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super: Approximately equal performance in DX11, but lags behind in DX12/Vulkan. Used price — $120–140 compared to $130–150 for the RX 5500 XT.

- NVIDIA RTX 3050 (8 GB): 15–20% faster in games, supports ray tracing, but costs $180–200 (new models).

- AMD Radeon RX 6600: A more modern alternative (RDNA 2.0, 8 GB), 30% more powerful, priced at $200–220.

Conclusion: The RX 5500 XT is relevant only within a budget of $150. In other cases, it’s better to pay extra for the RX 6600 or RTX 3050.

7. Practical Tips

- Power Supply: 450–500 W with an 80+ Bronze certification. Avoid no-name models.

- Compatibility: PCIe 4.0 x8 (backward compatible with PCIe 3.0). Supports AMD AM4/AM5 and Intel LGA 1700 motherboards.

- Drivers: Use Adrenalin Edition 2025 — a stable branch with optimizations for new games. Avoid beta versions.

Important: Update the motherboard BIOS to avoid conflicts with UEFI.

8. Pros and Cons

Pros:

- Low price ($130–150 for new models).

- Support for FSR 2.0/3.0.

- Energy efficiency for its class.

Cons:

- No hardware ray tracing.

- Limited performance in 1440p.

- Outdated RDNA 1.0 architecture.

9. Final Conclusion: Who is the RX 5500 XT For?

This graphics card is an ideal choice for:

1. Gamers with a 1080p/60 Hz monitor who want to play at high settings without upgrading their power supply.

2. New streamers: Hardware encoding will ensure smooth streaming at 1080p.

3. PC owners on a tight budget: At a price of $130–150, it is one of the most affordable new cards of 2025.

However, if you plan to transition to 1440p or want to explore technologies like ray tracing, it would be better to consider the RX 6600 or RTX 3050. Otherwise, the RX 5500 XT proves that even six years after its release, budget solutions can still remain relevant.