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Not sure which GPU pairs best with your Ryzen 5 5600X?
In this guide, I’ll break down the top three GPUs for this budget but still decent CPU. Whether you’re on a budget, seeking premium performance, or looking for the best overall value, I’ve got you covered.
Coincidentally, all three of these GPUs are by XFX, because they genuinely happen to be the best options to go along with the 5600X.
So let’s get started!
Number 3. XFX Speedster QICK308 Radeon RX 7600 – Best Budget GPU For Ryzen 5 5600x
Kicking things off, it makes the most sense to pair the top budget CPU with one of the best budget GPUs – the RX 7600.
It is one of the best 1080p GPUs right now that aims to replace the RX 6600, 6600 XT, and 6650 XT and compete with the likes of the RTX 4060.
The RX 7600 and the Ryzen 5 5600X make a killer combo for a super budget-friendly PC that will last quite a long time.
XFX introduced the RX 7600 in 2 variants – the SWFT 210 and the QICK308.
I prefer the QICK308 because it is built quite a bit better than the SWFT 210. It has a triple fan configuration with a plastic shroud and a metallic backplate with the word “QICK” on it in a large font. On the side, there is an 8-pin power connector and a BIOS switch which is really nice to see on such a low end GPU. Although it is a long triple-fan card, it is slim and does not take more than 2 PCIe slots to fit itself.
It is one of the simplest designs I have ever seen and easily vanishes in any setup because it brings almost no attention towards itself.
In terms of gaming performance, the RX 7600 is perfect for eSports enthusiasts. At 1080p, Apex Legends runs at a consistent 240 FPS at the highest settings. Even more demanding games like Fortnite, Call of Duty Warzone, and PUBG can easily stay above 144 FPS on this GPU. The XFX QICK308’s cooler allows the RX 7600 boost quite a bit higher than the stock RX 7600s allowing it to be almost 10% faster than them.
It is quite similar to last generation’s RX 6650 XT and RX 6700 in terms of performance and with that performance boost, it really tightens the gap with even something like the RX 6700 XT if the game uses less than 8 GB of VRAM.
However that leads me to my biggest frustration – I wish the 7600 had more VRAM because frankly, in 2024, 8 GB is becoming just the bare minimum. I feel like a 10 GB VRAM buffer would’ve made this GPU unstoppable and could’ve easily annihilated the competition, and speaking of competition, the RX 7600 has a lot going for it.
There are far too many options to choose from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia. Almost all of these are previous generation cards like AMD’s RX 6650 XT, Intel’s A750, and Nvidia’s RTX 3060. The latest offering from Nvidia is their RTX 4060 which is just as fast as the RX 7600 but costs way more to be a viable alternative.
The best option out of all of these are the RX 6650 XT and the RX 7600. Although the RX 6650 XT is slightly cheaper, there are much fewer models available for it because it is an entire generation older. Not only will the RX 7600 last a bit longer than the 6650 XT, it also has AV1 encoding. If the price gap had been bigger, I would’ve recommended the RX 6650 XT but since both of these are nearly the same in price, the RX 7600 is an easy choice.
To sum it up, if you need a fast GPU for maxing out games at 1080p with the latest features and excellent video encoding, the RX 7600 is the most compelling option in the sub-$300 price category. Although the 8 GB VRAM may concern some due to the increased demand of modern games, it is still enough VRAM to play games at 1080p.
To sum up what I like is that it’s…
Excellent at 1080p with some room for 1440p
Metal backplate even on a budget
Highest clocking RX 7600
On the downside…
Slim profile but quite long
8 GB VRAM can be a limiter
RATINGS:
PCB Design: 8.5/10
Performance: 8/10
Aesthetics & Cooler design: 9/10
Value for Money: 9.5/10
Overall Rating: 9/10
Number 2. XFX SPEEDSTER SWFT319 AMD Radeon RX 6800 CORE – Best Premium GPU For Ryzen 5 5600x
The Ryzen 5 5600x offers some of the best performance compared to how low its price is. On a similar note, the RX 6800 has become my go-to choice when recommending a GPU to those who want the best possible performance at a reasonable budget.
The design of the XFX Speedster SWFT 319 can be best described as “sober”. It’s a simple tried and true formula that goes well with black-colored PCs. Unlike the MERC 319 and QICK 319, the SWFT 319 has no words written on the backplate which is a plus point. The large branding is too loud for my taste and cheapens the card’s overall look. It also has two 8-pin power connectors but sadly, there is a BIOS switch button missing. XFX should’ve added a BIOS switch considering this was one of the highest-end GPUs of the previous generation.
The specs of the RX 6800 are its strongest talking points. It has a large 16 GB GDDR6 VRAM buffer that is connected to a 256-bit bus and a gigantic 128 MB L3 cache. This nets the card a bandwidth of 512 GB/s so even some 4K gaming is possible on this GPU.
And speaking of 4K performance, some games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and Borderlands 3, run at 4K 70 FPS but games like Cyberpunk 2077 drop down to about 40 to 50 FPS. If you do however use this GPU for 1440p gaming, then it should last you for a very long time as any game would work easily and give out on average 80 to 90 FPS.
With such good AAA performance, it also has top-notch eSports performance and can be used for running any game at 1440p and 120 FPS.
When it comes to alternatives, there are a lot of different options to choose from like the RTX 3080 and AMD’s own RX 7700 XT. In terms of price and performance, all three of these GPUs are nearly identical, especially at 1440p. But the reason why I prefer the RX 6800 every time over the other two is the massive 16 GB VRAM and excellent power efficiency. Surprisingly, the RX 6800 consumes the least power of all of these GPUs. For example, in games like Hogwarts Legacy, the RTX 3080 consumes more than 300 Watts and the RX 6800 consumes just around 190 Watts of power while being only 4 to 5 FPS slower.
There is one area where the RX 6800 is going to lag behind both the RTX 3080 and the RX 7700 XT and that is ray tracing. Keep in mind that this was AMD’s first attempt while both the 3080 and 7700 XT are second-generation ray tracing cards so their performance is undoubtedly going to be better. In some games, the RTX 3080 can be 20% faster, but in others, it can be twice as fast. There are instances when the RX 6800 closes the gap a lot and that is thanks to the significantly bigger VRAM buffer. Ray tracing requires a lot of VRAM and once the game starts hitting the 10 GB limit of the RTX 3080, the RX 6800 quickly catches up.
In conclusion, the RX 6800 is perfect for the Ryzen 5 5600x thanks to its exceptional 1440p gaming performance and low price tag. It should serve anyone well given its 16 GB VRAM buffer and can deliver similar gaming performance as the Xbox Series X in any title.
RATINGS:
PCB Design: 8.5/10
Performance: 9.5/10
Aesthetics & Cooler design: 8.5/10
Value for Money: 9.5/10
Overall Rating: 9/10
Number 1. XFX Speedster SWFT309 AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT – Our Top Choice
The RX 6700 XT has quickly become a legendary GPU thanks to its incredible 1440p gaming performance and budget-friendly price. The XFX Speedster SWFT309 Radeon RX 6700 XT is perfect for those who need something powerful without breaking the bank.
Starting with the design of the card, it has a very simple dual-slot design with 3 fans. It is slim and will fit in any case very easily but since it is a triple-fan card, it is quite long so make sure there is plenty of room in your PC case. The back plate is made of metal while the rest of the fan shroud is made of hard plastic that is trying to replicate the look and feel of metal.
I don’t think the build quality is particularly that impressive, but the cooling performance is excellent. The fans barely spin so they don’t make a lot of noise and even then, they easily keep the GPU temperature at around 72 degrees Celsius during gaming.
In terms of performance, the 6700 XT can easily run demanding AAA games like Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man: Remastered, and Hogwarts Legacy at 1440p Ultra settings at 60 FPS.
Only the most demanding games like Alan Wake 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 will run at 1440p Ultra settings at around 40 FPS, so you will need FSR to increase the framerate to 60 FPS.
Any eSports title will have no issue running at 200+ FPS at medium or high settings in games like Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2, League of Legends, Valorant, and Rainbow Six Siege.
Moving on, the RX 6700 XT is paired with a fast kit of 12 GB GDDR6 VRAM over a 192-bit bus with a massive 96 MB L3 cache. Overall, it is an excellent GPU with almost no complaints and an easy pairing with a any affordable CPU like the Ryzen 5 5600X.
AMD’s biggest competition is ironically AMD themselves. The best GPU that can rival the RX 6700 XT is the RX 7600 XT, which is another fantastic 1440p gaming GPU. However, there is a major problem: The RX 7600 XT is just an RX 7600 with 16 GB VRAM and a higher price tag.
If it had a performance improvement, like the RX 6600 XT has over the RX 6600, then it would’ve been very easy for me to recommend this over the RX 6700 XT. The RX 7600 XT falls short of the 6700 XT, especially in 1440p and the extra 4 GB VRAM buffer isn’t enough of a justification for a nearly 25% increase in price.
As far as Nvidia and Intel are concerned, they also have plenty of options that are either too expensive or lack attractive features. I would’ve loved to recommend the RTX 4060 Ti had it been a much cheaper GPU. It offers decent performance close to the 6700 XT and comes in 8 and 16 GB variants. Sadly, the 8 GB version falls flat when the GPU starts running out of VRAM at 1440p and the 16 GB variant is far too expensive to even consider.
At the end of the day, the RX 6700 XT is quite unmatched when it comes to price-and-performance. At just under $300, it is the most enticing option for anyone looking to play games at 1440p on a tight budget.
To sum up wwhat I like is the…
Excellent 1440p performance
12 GB VRAM buffer
On the downside…
Subpar build quality of the fan shroud
Ray tracing requires FSR to be playable
RATINGS:
PCB Design: 8.5/10
Performance: 9/10
Aesthetics & Cooler design: 8.5/10
Value for Money: 9.5/10
Overall Rating: 9/10
So what do you think? Which of these is the best graphics card for you?
Or do you think another GPU is better?
Tell us in the comments below.
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