As lots of you are not any doubt conscious, AMD's lately released Radeon RX 500 series is essentially a rebrand of the RX 400 series, using the identical 4th-gen GCN architecture (14nm) albeit with a few minor tweaks.

AMD did however take the opportunity to release a fair smaller (101mm2) Polaris 10 GPU, which may be located on the heart of the Radeon RX 550, an extremely-less costly sub-$one hundred access-level card geared toward the eSports and HTPC markets.

With simply 512 SPUs, it packs the same amount as the old Radeon R7 350 (although that chip used first-gen GCN cores), we've been wondering how capable the RX 550 is. Featuring 43% fewer SPUs than remaining technology's RX 460, it seems fair to impeach if the RX 550 can manage even the maximum primary eSports titles the use of modest exceptional settings at 1080p.

It's obviously no heavy hitter, however the RX 550 does have some blessings over previous featherweight pix playing cards. Its cores operate at 1183MHz or better relying on manufacturing unit overclocking, whilst the card's GDDR5 7Gbps reminiscence allows it to boast a as a substitute surprising bandwidth of 112GB/s.

The Asus RX 550 model we've got handy is quite compact and just like the GTX 1050, it doesn't require an outside strength connector. It also packs 4GB of VRAM even though I strongly advise gamers choose the 2GB model -- there may be no way the RX 550 has anywhere near enough horsepower to utilize greater than that.

Right now, at $eighty the RX 550 is absolutely pretty negative in phrases of value. It costs 20% less than the RX 560 despite having 1/2 as many SPUs, so you can count on roughly half the performance, that's with any luck ample for playable performance in eSports titles.

Why the interest on this card in any respect then? It's my desire that we will quickly see the RX 550 promoting for as little as $60, a charge at which it begins making feel, specifically whilst you consider the capability in a $120 combo with the G4560, which is precisely what we're doing right here today.

Assuming it had been to be had for around $60, could the RX 550 be worth pairing with the G4560 for an uber-affordable eSports build?

To answer that, I've queued up seven popular eSports titles to see how this budget blend makes out. For this one, I won't be which include any of the graphs which you guys regularly find in our reviews, even though we are searching into an access-level GPU assessment inside the close to destiny and you can wager that piece can have a slew of charts.

For now, let's have a look at how RX 550 and G4560 get along...

Results

Maxed out using the highest viable excellent settings at 1080p, CS:GO performed at over 100fps always, by and large hovered around 120fps.

Dota 2 become additionally tested with the first-rate settings maxed out at 1080p and right here the Pentium G4560 and Radeon RX 550 combo allowed for around 60-70fps, although at times did drop into the 50s.

Rocket League became likewise tested with maxed settings at 1080p and this price range hardware mixture maintained over 60fps always, often between 70 and 90 fps.

To check StarCraft 2 we watched a seasoned 2v2 fit at everyday velocity and this simulates actual-world overall performance quite nicely. We examined at 1080p the use of ultra best (one step down from severe) and that saw frame quotes sitting round 80fps however occasionally dipping to 60fps whilst things were given heated.

Team Fortress 2 changed into tested using the best viable first-class settings at 1080p, body rates dropped as low as 100fps and might spike as excessive as 200fps. For the maximum element although frame costs have been someplace inside the center.

Maxed out at 1080p, World of Tanks performed between 40 and 50fps, which led to easy performance.

For Overwatch we used the medium nice settings at 1080p and ran a 12-player bot fit. Bot matches are generally a piece greater worrying on system sources than on-line multiplayer with human players. Gameplay become extremely smooth with around 60fps for the most component for the duration of the heavy battles.

What's Not to Like

It shouldn't be lengthy before we see the RX 550 to be had for round $60, at which point it seems like a good buy for each informal and eSports gamers.

Many of the titles had been examined the usage of their maximum in-game excellent settings (or not some distance from it) and the RX 550 powered through them without hesitation at 1080p. Of path, if frame prices ever become an difficulty, there may be masses of room to reduce best settings.

With its cores and 4 threads, the Pentium G4560 makes for a capable eSports platform, specially when paired with a RX 550 and specially if you spot that card for $60 or so, which must be possible soon enough given that the cardboard is presently overpriced and ought to see more competition soon with the approaching arrival of Nvidia's GT 1030.

Shopping shortcuts:

  • AMD Radeon RX 550 on Amazon, Newegg
  • Intel Pentium G4560 on Amazon, Newegg

The G4560 + RX 550 combination comes as an smooth recommendation for everybody seeking the first-class value from a budget gaming construct with out gaining knowledge of or risking money on 2nd-hand hardware.