OVERALL
ALTERNATIVES
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VS AVERAGE
REVIEWS
Scored using Graphics cards Methodology v1.0
Graphics cards Methodology v1.0
Mathematical & Unbiased Scoring
Products in this category are scored under Frontum Graphics cards Methodology v1.0: technical specifications plus authentic consumer ratings, with 0% commercial bias.
Explore Graphics cards Methodology v1.0

MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB Review | 118 Data compared

Avg. price:~£150VRAM:8 GBMemory bus width:128 bitThermal Design Power (TDP):130 W

MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB Review: Compare 118 technical specifications and user reviews to see how this product ranks in the Graphics cards category and whether it is worth buying.

MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB
5.3/10

Overall score

Score
5.3/ 10
✕
What it is
An overall evaluation of the graphics card's quality, based on technical analyses and user reviews.
When it matters
When you need a quick reference to identify the best graphics cards on the market.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 83% of models
Score components

90%

4.9

Technical score

10%

9.1

User score

â–¼Worse than 83% of graphics cards
6.6

Value for money

Value for money
6.6/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the graphics card's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a graphics card that offers a strong balance of performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 78% of models
Score components

70%

5.3

Overall score

30%

9.7

Price

â–¼Worse than 78%
4.9

Technical score

Technical score
4.9/ 10
✕
What it is
An assessment of technical performance for products in the Graphics cards category across these key areas: Performance, Memory, Platform & Features, Connectivity & Media, Power & Cooling, Design.
When it matters
When you want to compare graphics cards based on technical performance and available features.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 85% of models
Score components

44%

3.1

Performance

24%

3.4

Memory

12%

8.4

Power & Cooling

11%

8.3

Platform & Features

5%

8.9

Design

4%

8.7

Connectivity & Media

â–¼Worse than 85%
9.1

User score

User score
9.1/ 10
✕
What it is
A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the graphics card.
When it matters
When you want to understand how a graphics card performs in real use and how reliable it is in terms of performance, temperatures, noise, stability, and long-term ownership.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 87% of models
Score components

70%

9.0

User ratings

30%

9.4

Number of reviews

Based on ratings from across the web.
â–²Better than 87%
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Best rankings
Available: ranking among products currently available (including other versions of this product).All: ranking among all products in the database.
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Technical Specifications of graphics card MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB

Technical score
Technical score
4.9/ 10
✕
What it is
An assessment of technical performance for products in the Graphics cards category across these key areas: Performance, Memory, Platform & Features, Connectivity & Media, Power & Cooling, Design.
When it matters
When you want to compare graphics cards based on technical performance and available features.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 85% of models
Score components:

44%

3.1

Performance

24%

3.4

Memory

12%

8.4

Power & Cooling

11%

8.3

Platform & Features

5%

8.9

Design

4%

8.7

Connectivity & Media

4.9
User score
User score
9.1/ 10
✕
What it is
A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the graphics card.
When it matters
When you want to understand how a graphics card performs in real use and how reliable it is in terms of performance, temperatures, noise, stability, and long-term ownership.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 87% of models
Score components

70%

9.0

User ratings

30%

9.4

Number of reviews

Based on ratings from across the web.
9.1
Popularity
Popularity
9.4/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator based on the number of reviews received by the graphics card.
When it matters
When you prefer a graphics card that has already been chosen and reviewed by many other users.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 87% of models
Popularity:
MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB has a popularity score of 9.4 points, which is higher than that of 87.2% of products in this category.
9.4
Value for money
Value for money
6.6/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the graphics card's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a graphics card that offers a strong balance of performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 78% of models
Score components:

70%

5.3

Overall score

30%

9.7

Price

6.6
3DMark Time Spy benchmark score
5,000 points
Market range: <4k points – >34k points
This graphics card scores 5,000 points in 3DMark Time Spy, which is lower than 84.6% of graphics cards and equal to 0.1% of graphics cards.
3DMark Port Royal score
4,800 points
Market range: <0 points – >25k points
This graphics card scores 4,800 points in 3DMark Port Royal, which is lower than 73.1% of graphics cards.
PassMark (G3D) result
9,081 points
Market range: <7.7k points – >36k points
This graphics card scores 9,081 points in PassMark G3D, which is lower than 86.3% of graphics cards and equal to 0.1% of graphics cards.
PassMark (DirectCompute) result
4,400 points
Market range: <3.1k points – >26.3k points
This graphics card scores 4,400 points in PassMark DirectCompute, which is lower than 84.9% of graphics cards and equal to 0.2% of graphics cards.
Floating-point performance
5.2 TFLOPS
Market range: <4.38 TFLOPS – >57.42 TFLOPS
This graphics card delivers 5.2 TFLOPS floating-point performance, which is lower than that of 86.8% of graphics cards and equal to that of 0.3% of graphics cards.
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VRAM
8 GB
Market range: <4 GB – >24 GB
This graphics card has 8 GB of VRAM, which is less than 57.5% of graphics cards and equal to 25.1% of graphics cards.
Memory type
GDDR6
GDDR version
GDDR6
This graphics card uses GDDR6 memory, which is newer than on 15.9% of graphics cards and equal to 40.3% of graphics cards.
Memory bus width
128 bit
Market range: <64 bit – >384 bit
This graphics card uses a 128 bit memory bus, which is narrower than that of 69.6% of graphics cards and equal to that of 26% of graphics cards.
Maximum memory bandwidth
224 GB/s
Market range: <168 GB/s – >960 GB/s
This graphics card reaches 224 GB/s memory bandwidth, which is lower than that of 83.8% of graphics cards and equal to that of 2.6% of graphics cards.
Show more
PCI Express (PCIe) version
4
This graphics card supports PCIe 4, which is newer than on 22.3% of graphics cards and equal to 52.1% of graphics cards.
PCIe lanes
x8
This graphics card uses x8 PCIe lanes, which is fewer than 76.7% of graphics cards and equal to 22.2% of graphics cards.
DirectX version
12.1
This graphics card supports DirectX 12.1, which is older than on 77.4% of graphics cards and equal to 4.4% of graphics cards.
Vulkan version
1.4
This graphics card supports Vulkan 1.4, which is more advanced than on 20.7% of graphics cards and equal to 79.3% of graphics cards.
OpenGL version
4.6
This graphics card supports OpenGL 4.6, which is more advanced than on 1.9% of graphics cards and equal to 98.1% of graphics cards.
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Max displays supported
4
Market range: <4 – >4
This graphics card supports up to 4 displays, which is more than 8.3% of graphics cards and equal to 88.9% of graphics cards.
Max digital resolution
7680x4320
This graphics card supports a maximum digital resolution of 7680x4320, which is higher than that of 9% of graphics cards and equal to that of 91% of graphics cards.
DisplayPort outputs
3
Market range: <1 – >3
This graphics card offers 3 DisplayPort outputs, which is more than 21% of graphics cards and equal to 76.8% of graphics cards.
DisplayPort version
1.4a
This graphics card supports DisplayPort 1.4a, which is more advanced than on 19.5% of graphics cards and equal to 47.1% of graphics cards.
DisplayPort link rates
16.2 Gbps
Market range: <5.4 Gbps – >80 Gbps
This graphics card supports DisplayPort link rates up to 16.2 Gbps, which is slower than on 58.4% of graphics cards and equal to 2% of graphics cards.
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Thermal Design Power (TDP)
130 W
Market range: <60 W – >360 W
This graphics card has a TDP of 130 W, which is lower than that of 79.2% of graphics cards and equal to that of 3.2% of graphics cards.
Power consumption while under peak load
130 W
Market range: <100 W – >400 W
This graphics card draws 130 W under peak load, which is lower than 80.8% of graphics cards and equal to 3.4% of graphics cards.
Recommended PSU wattage
450 W
Market range: <450 W – >850 W
This graphics card recommends a 450 W PSU, which is lower than that of 84.5% of graphics cards and equal to that of 6% of graphics cards.
Board power limit
130 W
Market range: <100 W – >400 W
This graphics card has a board power limit of 130 W, which is lower than that of 81.6% of graphics cards and equal to that of 3.4% of graphics cards.
PCIe power spec
130 W
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Size
215x 128x 40 mm
Length
215 mm
Market range: <200 mm – >350 mm
This graphics card is 215 mm long, which is shorter than 86.3% of graphics cards and equal in length to 0.2% of graphics cards.
Height
128 mm
Market range: <109 mm – >146 mm
This graphics card is 128 mm tall, which is taller than 55.5% of graphics cards and equal in height to 1.3% of graphics cards.
Slot width
2 slot/s
Market range: <2 slot/s – >3.25 slot/s
This graphics card occupies 2 slot/s, which is slimmer than 53.4% of graphics cards and equal in width to 42.5% of graphics cards.
Weight
705 g
Market range: <500 g – >2k g
This graphics card weighs 705 g, which is lighter than 78.6% of graphics cards.
Show more

MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB vs the average graphics card

246810TotalPerformanceMemoryPlatform & FeaturesConnectivity & MediaPower & CoolingDesign
  • 30.8% lower PSU requirement
    This graphics card has a lower PSU requirement than the average graphics card (450 W vs 650 W). The average graphics card has a PSU requirement of 650 W.
    450 W vs 650 W
  • 39.5% lower TDP
    This graphics card has a lower TDP than the average graphics card (130 W vs 215 W). The average graphics card has a TDP of 215 W.
    130 W vs 215 W
  • 70 mm shorter card length
    This graphics card is shorter than the average graphics card (215 mm vs 285 mm). The average graphics card has a length of 285 mm.
    215 mm vs 285 mm
  • 0.5 slot/s slimmer design
    This graphics card occupies fewer slots than the average graphics card (2 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s). The average graphics card occupies 2.5 slot/s.
    2 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s
  • 42.2% lower board power limit
    This graphics card has a lower board power limit than the average graphics card (130 W vs 225 W). The average graphics card has a board power limit of 225 W.
    130 W vs 225 W
  • 13.9% higher user score
    User score
    9.1/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the graphics card.
    When it matters
    When you want to understand how a graphics card performs in real use and how reliable it is in terms of performance, temperatures, noise, stability, and long-term ownership.
    Score distribution
    â–¼
    â–¼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB
    the average graphics card
    MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB has a higher user score than the average graphics card (9.12 vs 8.000).
    9.12 vs 8
  • 3.53x cheaper
    MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB is cheaper than the average graphics card (£150 vs £530).
    £150 vs £530
  • Better FP64 ratio
    This graphics card has a better FP64 ratio than the average graphics card (1:16 vs 1:64).
    1:16 vs 1:64
  • 13.9% higher user score
    User score
    9.1/ 10
    ✕
    What it is
    A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the graphics card.
    When it matters
    When you want to understand how a graphics card performs in real use and how reliable it is in terms of performance, temperatures, noise, stability, and long-term ownership.
    Score distribution
    â–¼
    â–¼
    <55-66-77-88-99-10
    MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB
    the average graphics card
    MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB has a higher user score than the average graphics card (9.12 vs 8.000).
    9.12 vs 8
  • 3.53x cheaper
    MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB is cheaper than the average graphics card (£150 vs £530).
    £150 vs £530
  • 2.23x more popular
    MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB is more popular than the average graphics card (9.38 vs 4.2).
    9.38 vs 4.22
  • Better FP64 ratio
    This graphics card has a better FP64 ratio than the average graphics card (1:16 vs 1:64).
    1:16 vs 1:64
  • 46.4% smaller GPU die
    This graphics card has a lower GPU die size than the average graphics card (158 mm² vs 295 mm²). The average graphics card has a GPU die size of 295 mm².
    158 mm² vs 295 mm²
  • 30.8% lower PSU requirement
    This graphics card has a lower PSU requirement than the average graphics card (450 W vs 650 W). The average graphics card has a PSU requirement of 650 W.
    450 W vs 650 W
  • 39.5% lower TDP
    This graphics card has a lower TDP than the average graphics card (130 W vs 215 W). The average graphics card has a TDP of 215 W.
    130 W vs 215 W
  • 42.2% lower board power limit
    This graphics card has a lower board power limit than the average graphics card (130 W vs 225 W). The average graphics card has a board power limit of 225 W.
    130 W vs 225 W
  • 66.7% lower idle power draw
    This graphics card has a lower idle power draw than the average graphics card (4 W vs 12 W). The average graphics card has an idle power draw of 12 W.
    4 W vs 12 W
  • 7 °C lower idle temperature
    This graphics card has a lower idle temperature than the average graphics card (30 °C vs 37 °C). The average graphics card has an idle temperature of 37 °C.
    30 °C vs 37 °C
  • 70 mm shorter card length
    This graphics card is shorter than the average graphics card (215 mm vs 285 mm). The average graphics card has a length of 285 mm.
    215 mm vs 285 mm
  • 0.5 slot/s slimmer design
    This graphics card occupies fewer slots than the average graphics card (2 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s). The average graphics card occupies 2.5 slot/s.
    2 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s
  • 128 bit narrower memory bus
    This graphics card has a narrower memory bus than the average graphics card (128 bit vs 256 bit). The average graphics card has a memory bus width of 256 bit.
    128 bit vs 256 bit
  • 40 fewer ray tracing cores
    This graphics card has fewer ray tracing cores than the average graphics card (0 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 ray tracing cores.
    0 vs 40
  • 26.3% lower boost clock speed
    This graphics card has a lower boost GPU clock than the average graphics card (1845 MHz vs 2505 MHz). The average graphics card has a boost GPU clock of 2505 MHz.
    1,845 MHz vs 2,505 MHz
  • No CUDA support
    This graphics card does not support CUDA, the average graphics card does.
  • 4 GB less VRAM
    This graphics card has fewer VRAM than the average graphics card (8 GB vs 12 GB). The average graphics card has 12 GB VRAM.
    8 GB vs 12 GB
  • 18 fewer compute units
    This graphics card has fewer compute units than the average graphics card (22 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 compute units.
    22 vs 40
  • 1 fewer fans
    This graphics card has fewer fans than the average graphics card (2 vs 3).
    2 vs 3
  • No DLSS support
    This graphics card does not support DLSS, the average graphics card does.
  • 8.5% worse value for money
    MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB has worse value for money than the average graphics card (6.63 vs 7.2).
    6.63 vs 7.2
  • 40 fewer ray tracing cores
    This graphics card has fewer ray tracing cores than the average graphics card (0 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 ray tracing cores.
    0 vs 40
  • 26.3% lower boost clock speed
    This graphics card has a lower boost GPU clock than the average graphics card (1845 MHz vs 2505 MHz). The average graphics card has a boost GPU clock of 2505 MHz.
    1,845 MHz vs 2,505 MHz
  • No CUDA support
    This graphics card does not support CUDA, the average graphics card does.
  • 18 fewer compute units
    This graphics card has fewer compute units than the average graphics card (22 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 compute units.
    22 vs 40
  • 96 fewer TMUs
    This graphics card has fewer TMUs than the average graphics card (88 vs 184). The average graphics card has 184 TMUs.
    88 vs 184
  • 57.4% lower texture rate
    This graphics card has a lower texture rate than the average graphics card (162.4 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s). The average graphics card has a texture rate of 381.2 GTexel/s.
    162.4 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s
  • 63.8% lower pixel rate
    This graphics card has a lower pixel rate than the average graphics card (59 GPixel/s vs 163.2 GPixel/s). The average graphics card has a pixel rate of 163.2 GPixel/s.
    59.04 GPixel/s vs 163.2 GPixel/s
  • 144 fewer AI cores
    This graphics card has fewer AI cores than the average graphics card (0 vs 144). The average graphics card has 144 AI cores.
    0 vs 144
  • 32 fewer ROPs
    This graphics card has fewer ROPs than the average graphics card (32 vs 64). The average graphics card has 64 ROPs.
    32 vs 64
  • 77% lower FP32 performance
    This graphics card has a lower FP32 performance than the average graphics card (5.2 TFLOPS vs 22.57 TFLOPS). The average graphics card has FP32 performance of 22.57 TFLOPS.
    5.2 TFLOPS vs 22.57 TFLOPS
  • 14.2% lower base clock speed
    This graphics card has a lower base GPU clock than the average graphics card (1647 MHz vs 1920 MHz). The average graphics card has a base GPU clock of 1920 MHz.
    1,647 MHz vs 1,920 MHz
  • 59.9% lower PassMark score
    This graphics card has a lower PassMark score than the average graphics card (9081 points vs 22653 points). The average graphics card has a PassMark score of 22653 points.
    9,081 points vs 22,653 points
  • 65.9% lower gaming score
    This graphics card has a lower gaming score than the average graphics card (5000 points vs 14678.5 points). The average graphics card has a gaming score of 14678.5 points.
    5,000 points vs 14,678.5 points
  • 47.6% lower ray tracing score
    This graphics card has a lower ray tracing score than the average graphics card (4800 points vs 9166 points). The average graphics card has a ray tracing score of 9166 points.
    4,800 points vs 9,166 points
  • 77.4% lower compute throughput
    This graphics card has a lower compute throughput than the average graphics card (5.2 TFLOPS vs 22.98 TFLOPS). The average graphics card has compute throughput of 22.98 TFLOPS.
    5.2 TFLOPS vs 22.98 TFLOPS
  • 63.6% lower compute score
    This graphics card has a lower compute score than the average graphics card (4400 points vs 12074 points). The average graphics card has a compute score of 12074 points.
    4,400 points vs 12,074 points
  • 65% lower FP16 performance
    This graphics card has a lower FP16 performance than the average graphics card (10.4 TFLOPS vs 29.7 TFLOPS). The average graphics card has FP16 performance of 29.725 TFLOPS.
    10.39 TFLOPS vs 29.725 TFLOPS
  • 2,944 fewer FP32 units
    This graphics card has fewer FP32 units than the average graphics card (1,408 vs 4,352). The average graphics card has 4,352 FP32 units.
    1,408 vs 4,352
  • 128 bit narrower memory bus
    This graphics card has a narrower memory bus than the average graphics card (128 bit vs 256 bit). The average graphics card has a memory bus width of 256 bit.
    128 bit vs 256 bit
  • 4 GB less VRAM
    This graphics card has fewer VRAM than the average graphics card (8 GB vs 12 GB). The average graphics card has 12 GB VRAM.
    8 GB vs 12 GB
  • 50% lower memory bandwidth
    This graphics card has a lower memory bandwidth than the average graphics card (224 GB/s vs 448 GB/s). The average graphics card has a memory bandwidth of 448 GB/s.
    224 GB/s vs 448 GB/s
  • 26.3% slower memory speed
    This graphics card has a lower effective memory speed than the average graphics card (14000 MHz vs 19000 MHz). The average graphics card reaches an effective memory speed of 19000 MHz.
    14,000 MHz vs 19,000 MHz
  • 91.7% smaller L2 cache
    This graphics card has fewer L2 cache than the average graphics card (2 MB vs 24 MB). The average graphics card has 24 MB L2 cache.
    2 MB vs 24 MB
  • 50% smaller L1 cache
    This graphics card has fewer L1 cache than the average graphics card (64 vs 128). The average graphics card has 128 L1 cache.
    64 vs 128
  • No DLSS support
    This graphics card does not support DLSS, the average graphics card does.
  • No ray tracing
    This graphics card does not support ray tracing, the average graphics card does.
  • Fewer PCIe lanes
    This graphics card has fewer PCIe lanes than the average graphics card (x8 vs x16). The average graphics card has x16 PCIe lanes.
    x8 vs x16
  • 40% larger process node
    This graphics card has a higher process node than the average graphics card (7 nm vs 5 nm). The average graphics card uses a process node of 5 nm.
    7 nm vs 5 nm
  • Older encoder generation
    This graphics card uses an older encoder generation than the average graphics card (2 vs 8). The average graphics card uses encoder generation 8.
    2.0 vs 8
  • No mesh shaders
    This graphics card does not support mesh shaders, the average graphics card does.
    No vs yes
  • 4 older
    This graphics card was released earlier than the average graphics card (2019 vs 2023).
    December 2019
    2,019 vs 2,023
  • No DirectStorage support
    This graphics card does not support DirectStorage, the average graphics card does.
  • Older DirectX version
    This graphics card supports an older DirectX version than the average graphics card (12.1 vs 12 Ultimate).
    12.1 vs 12 Ultimate
  • Older OpenCL version
    This graphics card supports an older OpenCL version than the average graphics card (2.1 vs 3).
    2.1 vs 3.0
  • No sampler feedback
    This graphics card does not support sampler feedback, the average graphics card does.
    No vs yes
  • 72.1% fewer transistors
    This graphics card has fewer transistors than the average graphics card (6400 million vs 22900 million). The average graphics card has 22900 million transistors.
    6,400 million vs 22,900 million
  • No AV1 encoding
    This graphics card does not support AV1 encoding, the average graphics card does.
    No vs yes
  • No AV1 decoding
    This graphics card does not support AV1 decoding, the average graphics card does.
    No vs yes
  • Narrower encode codec support
    This graphics card supports narrower hardware encode codec support than the average graphics card (H.264/H.265 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9).
    H.264/H.265 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9
  • Narrower decode codec support
    This graphics card supports narrower hardware decode codec support than the average graphics card (H.264/H.265/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1).
    H.264/H.265/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1
  • Older HDMI version
    This graphics card supports an older HDMI version than the average graphics card (2.0b vs 2.1).
    2.0b vs 2.1
  • Older HDCP version
    This graphics card supports an older HDCP version than the average graphics card (2.2 vs 2.3).
    2.2 vs 2.3
  • 1 fewer fans
    This graphics card has fewer fans than the average graphics card (2 vs 3).
    2 vs 3
  • No dual BIOS
    This graphics card does not include dual BIOS, the average graphics card does.
    No vs yes
  • No fan stop
    This graphics card does not support fan stop, the average graphics card does.
  • 15 °C lower thermal ceiling
    This graphics card has a lower thermal ceiling than the average graphics card (110 °C vs 95 °C). The average graphics card has a thermal ceiling of 95 °C.
    110 °C vs 95 °C
  • 8 °C higher load temperature
    This graphics card has a higher load temperature than the average graphics card (75 °C vs 67 °C). The average graphics card has a load temperature of 67 °C.
    75 °C vs 67 °C
  • 3.6 dB noisier under load
    This graphics card has a higher load noise level than the average graphics card (39 dB vs 35.4 dB). The average graphics card has a load noise level of 35.4 dB.
    39 dB vs 35.4 dB
  • No RGB lighting
    This graphics card does not include RGB lighting, the average graphics card does.

Video reviews

Hands-on testing, unboxing, and real-world video evaluations

Expert reviews

In-depth analysis and verdict from leading tech publications

W
wccftech.com
13/12/2019
Summary of the review
MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT 8 GB GDDR6 Graphics Card Review

Third-party reviews

Based on ratings from across the web.
Reviews last updated: June 2026 · How we calculate this

What we like about MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB

  • Solid 1080p gaming performance, often exceeding 60fps in popular titles like Fortnite and Apex Legends.
  • Quiet operation under load, which users find much improved over older Polaris-based cards.
  • Efficient power consumption due to the 7nm architecture.
  • Included backplate adds rigidity and improves the card's overall aesthetic in custom builds.
  • 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM provides enough overhead for high texture settings in modern games.

What we don't like about MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB

  • Poor value proposition at launch compared to the GTX 1650 Super and older RX 580 models.
  • The 'Mech' series is MSI's entry-level tier, sometimes reported to have lower-quality fan components or potential rattling issues.
  • Relatively large physical size may not fit comfortably in all small form factor (SFF) cases.
  • Performance uplift over the previous generation (RX 580/590) is marginal in some titles.
  • Software and driver stability issues were frequently cited by early adopters.

Verdict

The MSI Radeon RX 5500 XT Mech 8GB is a mid-range graphics card featuring the 7nm RDNA architecture with 1408 shading units and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 128-bit memory bus. It offers reliable 1080p gaming performance with a base clock of 1607 MHz and a boost clock reaching up to 1845 MHz, supported by a dual-fan TORX 3.0 cooling system and a sturdy backplate. Key advantages include its efficient power consumption at a 130W TDP, support for PCIe 4.0, and 14Gbps effective memory speed which provides a bandwidth of 224 GB/s. However, some users have noted that the card can run hot without manual fan curve adjustments and may struggle to maintain high frame rates at 1440p resolutions or higher.

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