Characteristics of the amd radeon rx 550 card. Video cards
The new video card from the 500 series of AMD is a modern and affordable device that uses all the company’s advanced technologies, as well as new processor Polaris 12. The company has not released products in the lower range for a long time price segment, and finally, in the spring of 2017, the AMD Radeon RX 550 video card based on the brand’s most advanced processor at the moment was presented to customers. Considering the period of calm, we should expect a noticeable gap with the models released in previous series in all respects.
Radeon RX 550 is perfect for desktop personal computer or home theater. Its distinctive features are good picture quality and support for all the most popular video formats with minimal heating, modest dimensions and reduced power consumption.
The cooling system copes well with the load. On the RX 550 video card the fan does not spin if operating temperature is less than 50°C. As soon as the processor overclocks due to increased loads and the temperature rises, the cooler starts working.
The purpose stated by the manufacturer is games in Full HD at medium quality settings. Unfortunately, it was not possible to make the video card passive, nor could it be done without external unit nutrition. The model is available in two versions: with a memory capacity of 2 Gb and 4 Gb. However, with a rather weak GPU, purchasing 4 GB does not make much sense; the processor will not allow you to use the volume to its full potential.
The main difference and feature of the model is the new Polaris 12 processor, which is part of the fourth generation of the GCN architecture. At this point in time, this is AMD's most advanced development. The RX 550 runs on a truncated version of the processor: of the 10 CUs available on the chip, only 8 are used, which significantly affects performance.
AMD positions new product as a replacement for very outdated video cards that have not been upgraded in the last few years. For this reason, in tests the manufacturer compares the characteristics of the Radeon RX 550 not with the previous 400 series, but with the Radeon R7 250 and the like.
Radeon RX 550 review
AMD's main competitor in the fight for buyers is Nvidia. And the main competitor and analogue of the RX 550 from Nvidia is. This model is closest to the RX 550: it also will not handle powerful games and tasks that require high performance, and will also appeal to undemanding users who prefer e-sports and Full HD movies.
Below is a comparative table of the main differences in technical parameters between the cards:
| Model | Radeon RX 550 | GeForce GT 1030 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of threads. processors | 512 | 384 |
| Number of TMUs | 32 | 24 |
| Number of rendering units | 16 | |
| Core frequency, GHz | 1.183 | 1,227-1,468 |
| Memory bus, bit | 128 | 64 |
| Memory frequency, GHz | 7 | 6 |
| Memory capacity, MB | 4096 | 2048 |
| Power, W | 50 | 30 |
Of course, it is correct to compare quantitative indicators only within one brand. Since the architecture of devices can differ significantly, which means that the “bigger is better” rule does not always work. In order to evaluate which card is better, you need to see both models in action. To do this, let's compare tests conducted in three games: Batterfield 4 and 1, as well as Dota 2.
For comparison, Butterfield 4 took the first mission at the moment after the wall was blown up. Both video cards were tested during a run to an area with thickets, before descending to a construction site. The graphics were in high quality mode with anti-aliasing disabled.
In Butterfield 1, the test was carried out with average graphics quality on the scene from the beginning of the mission “With all our might” at the time of controlling a tank while attacking an enemy position.
Dota 2 was tested while playing a tournament game. For the calculation, a recording of 70 seconds was used, which was played several times for a more accurate result. Testing was carried out at high quality pictures and shadows.
For the final calculation, the peak values of each run were taken, which were then summed and divided by the number of tests to find the arithmetic mean. Based on the results of the comparison in Batterfield 4, the GeForce GT 1030 turned out to be 5-15% weaker than the Radeon RX 550.
In Battlefield 1, the GeForce GT 1030 easily overtook the Radeon RX 550 at standard frequencies. In Dota 2, the GT 1030 outperformed its competitor by 20%.
Thus, the card from Nvidia either shows similar results or is slightly inferior to the RX 550. However, if you consider that the GT 1030 is somewhat cooler in the passive case than the Radeon model and does not have problems with decoding VP9, unlike the RX 550, then the conclusion suggests itself that the GT 1030 still outperformed its competitor, albeit slightly.
Improving mining performance
The low memory bandwidth of the video card, due to the 128-bit bus and low clock speed, leaves practically no options on how to overclock the RX 550 series video card for mining. You definitely shouldn’t expect high profits from using it.
In order to use the Sapphire PULSE video card for mining, you need to download latest update drivers from the manufacturer's website. The process will be carried out using the Ethereum algorithm in dual-mining using Claymore. Heating at full load will be 55-65°C.
In the settings of the MSI Afterburner utility, select the GPU frequency equal to 2000 MHz. With the given settings, the RX 550 produces a speed of 9.8-10.5 megahashes. Considering the budget price of the model, it is quite possible to buy it as inexpensive additional equipment for the farm.
Mining on an AMD Radeon RX 550 video processor manufactured by Gigabyte with 2 GB of memory at maximum core overclock of 1405 MHz and memory frequency of 1750 MHz will produce 79 sols or 270 hashes/sec.
A budget video adapter from Asus with a memory capacity of 4 GB in maximum overclocking mode and a cooler speed of 80% demonstrates a temperature reading of 67°C. Using Claymore on the Ethereum algorithm, it produces an acceptable figure - 10.2-10.6 megahashes per second. For its price, it fully lives up to expectations and allows you to quickly recoup your investment.
Game testing
Radeon Chill technology has been added to the new firmware for AMD video cards, thanks to which the user can significantly reduce the power consumption of the video card and the heating of the GPU without compromising the picture quality and without losing a comfortable gaming mode.
The essence of the technology is that when the player does not perform actions, the program reduces the number of frames, thereby reducing the load on the video card. And as soon as the user returns to active mode, the image update speed returns to normal. All this happens completely unnoticed by the user.
Radeon RX 550 gaming tests demonstrate the technology's effectiveness in CS:GO, Dota 2, League of Legends and other popular eSports games.
In addition to the games already mentioned, the RX 550 will run:
- Batterfield 1, 4;
- Dirt 4;
- Fallout 4;
- Grand Theft Auto 5, etc.
The video card was created with a focus on eSports, so the RX 550 will perform well in online games designed for average resource consumption.
Comparison of parameters and prices from different manufacturers
The table shows comparative characteristics Radeon video cards RX 550 from four manufacturers, as well as the retail price of each of them.
| Model Radeon RX 550 | Gigabyte D5 | ASUS | MSI | Sapphire Pulse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail price, rub. | from 6500 | from 8000 | from 5800 | from 6500 |
| GPU | Polaris 12 | |||
| GPU clock frequency (base), MHz | 1.183 | 1.183 | 1.203 | 1.206 |
| Memory capacity | 2049/4096 MB | 2049/4096 MB | 2049/4096 MB | 2049/4096 MB |
| Maximum resolution | 7680×4320 | 5120×2880 | 7680×4320 | 3840×2160 |
Today, the choice of a video card is influenced not so much by its individual features as by its availability. specific model in the store.
Due to the huge hype around video adapters in the wake of the popularity of mining, many large retail chains and completely excluded this section from their online catalogs. Fortunately, budget models such as the RX 550 were practically unaffected by this problem, and even their prices remained at an acceptable level.
Happy 20th Anniversary to ATI Technologies. Yes, despite the ups and downs, the overall curve was still going up, and the company reached unprecedented heights in terms of scale, volume of capital, etc. At the same time, in terms of the amount of cunning per unit of staff.
Well, tell me, why release the same X600 PRO chip, with the same frequencies, but with a new name? I have already sharply criticized the company in the mentioned article for its love of renaming and trying to sell the same thing twice. There is RADEON X600 PRO on the market with frequencies of 400/300 (600) MHz. There is also X300 - 325/200 (400) MHz. There is also a cheaper X300SE. And this is all in a tiny slice of the $50-$90 market. Why is it necessary to KILL the X600 PRO and instead release the X550, which is the same thing, but with 250 (500) MHz memory.
Does the X700 going down interfere? Well, memory running at 300 (600) MHz is a dime a dozen! Reduce the price of X600 PRO and lower it as you like! But no... It’s not interesting, they won’t buy it anyway... The name is already old. But if the same thing, even with frequencies of 400/250 (500) MHz, is promoted under the new name X550, then you can attract inexperienced users who will think that it’s super new.
From a marketing point of view, the Canadian company simply killed cards for 80 dollars, leaving the X700 at a price above 100, and releasing the X550, which will cost below 70. It’s remarkable that ATI gave a piece of the pie to its competitor with its own hands. By the way, NVIDIA dropped to a lower step: it simply renamed the GeForce 6200 to 6600LE. Yes, yes! Don't expect the 6600LE to be like the 6600 with reduced clocking. No! This is the same NV43 stripped down to 4 pipelines. Previously it was called 6200, but now it is 6600LE, and again it is presented as a new product. Well, yes, of course, SLI support... These cards really need it! Wasn’t it smart enough to extend its support to 6200? Or maybe marketing intervened and forbade driver writers to do this. Why, because ATI decided to cheat, but at the same time flogged itself with a belt... Why is NVIDIA worse? She will flog herself with a whip. And he will simply pass off the old 6200 as a new product.
Well, okay, the X550 at least has a slight difference from the X600 PRO - the memory frequency is slightly lower... And the frequencies of the 6200 and 6600LE are the same.
And now, instead of the previously pleasant line: 6600GT-6600-6200-6200TC, we see: 6600GT-6600-6600LE-6200TC. There is a huge difference between the penultimate and the last, because... and the tire is cut, and the memory is almost not the same...
Yes, if we think logically, then NVIDIA made a mistake not now, but much earlier, when the name 6200 and 6200TC was given. After all, NVIDIA chips (cards) with a reduced number of pipelines have long received the suffix LE, and from this position it is logical to call the cut from 6600 6600LE. But then there was no need to assign the name 6200 to it earlier.
In general, when will they stop mocking the user... When will they stop considering him an ignoramus who can be sold the same thing under different names with impunity? You will be able to fully appreciate the difference between the X600 PRO and X550 in the article in the table of percentages and will understand that the idea of a new name is not worth a penny. Same with the 6600LE.
However, these products were released and went to market. And they will be bought due to their low cost, and therefore they need to be shown what they can give to the user.
I must say that in light of the fact that cards with reduced clocking or a reduced bus, but with the same name as a full-fledged product, periodically appear on sale, the release of the RADEON X550 is even a blessing. Rather than if we saw the X600 PRO with such frequencies.
Today we will study two absolutely identical cards from Sapphire, differing only in their cooling systems. In principle, the RADEON 9600 could easily operate with passive cooling, just like the X300. But it turns out that the X600 PRO (that is, the X550), with a core frequency of 400 MHz, is capable of functioning normally with a large radiator.
Let's look at the cards.
| Interface: PCI-Express x16 128bit Number of vertex pipelines: 3 Number of pixel pipelines: 4 Dimensions: PCB color: red. Output Jacks: d-Sub, DVI, S-Video. VIVO: No TV-out: integrated into the GPU. | |
| Interface: PCI-Express x16 Frequencies (chip/physical memory (memory effective): 400/250 (500) MHz (nominal - 400/250 (500) MHz) Memory bus width: 128bit Number of vertex pipelines: 3 Number of pixel pipelines: 4 Dimensions: 170x90x15mm (the last value is the maximum thickness of the video card). PCB color: red. Output Jacks: d-Sub, DVI, S-Video. VIVO: No TV-out: integrated into the GPU. |  |
| Comparison with reference design, front view | |
|---|---|
| Sapphire RADEON X550 256MB PCI-E | Reference card ATI RADEON X600 XT |
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| Sapphire RADEON X550 Silent 256MB PCI-E | |
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Obviously, both cards are based on the same design, which is somewhat similar to the X600 XT, but only the memory chips are of a different type, and seat under the RAGE Theater moved to the other side. The PCB is quite simple. Therefore, the cost of the boards will be low.
| Sapphire RADEON X550 256MB PCI-E | |
|---|---|
A standard round-shaped cooler with a fan in the center. Made from aluminum alloy, nothing special stands out. Very quiet. It is mounted on the chip using two clips (pins), the thermal interface is a sticky mass that solidifies when cooled. |  |
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| Sapphire RADEON X550 Silent 256MB PCI-E | |
And in in this case passive radiator is used large size. The solution is very successful. The card has become silent, and the heatsink, even at the highest load on the core, does not heat up above 70 degrees. |  |
The GPU already has final markings. Let me note once again that the core is practically no different from the X600 PRO.
Equipment.
Package.
| Sapphire RADEON X550 256MB PCI-E | |
|---|---|
Traditional packaging (this is the so-called Full Retail, I believe that it is unlikely that such cheap cards will be transported to Russia in large boxes, so you need to rely on either OEM or the so-called Light Retail) in the form of a bright glossy super, inside of which there is a box with contents arranged in plastic compartments. This protects the cards from shaking and possible damage during transportation. On the back of the box there is a window through which you can see the card itself. |  |
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| Sapphire RADEON X550 Silent 256MB PCI-E | |
A similar box, the differences from the previous one are only in the inscriptions and drawing. |  |
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Installation and drivers
Test bench configurations:
- Computer based on Athlon 64 (939Socket)
- processor AMD Athlon 4000+ (2400MHz) (L2=1024K);
- ASUS A8N SLI Deluxe motherboard based on the NVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset;
- RAM 1 GB DDR SDRAM 400MHz (CAS (tCL)=2.5; RAS to CAS delay (tRCD)=3; Row Precharge (tRP)=3; tRAS=6);
- hard drive WD Caviar SE WD1600JD 160GB SATA.
- operating room Windows system XP SP2; DirectX 9.0c;
- monitors ViewSonic P810 (21") and Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 2070sb (21").
- ATI drivers version 6.553 (CATALYST 5.7); NVIDIA version 77.77.
VSync is disabled.
Test results: performance comparison
We used the following tools:
- Half-Life2 (Valve/Sierra) DirectX 9.0, demo (ixbt01, ixbt02, ixbt03 Testing was carried out at maximum quality, option -dxlevel 90, presets for card types were removed in the dxsupport.cfg file.
- FarCry 1.3 (Crytek/UbiSoft), DirectX 9.0, multitexturing, 3 demos from the Research, Pier, Regulator levels (launch the game with the -DEVMODE option), testing settings are all Very High.
- DOOM III (id Software/Activision) OpenGL, multi-texturing, testing settings High Quality (ANIS8x). There is an example of automating the launch with an increase in speed and a decrease in the number of jerks (precaching). (DO NOT BE AFRAID of the black screen after the first menu, this is how it should be! It will be for 5-10 seconds, and then the demo should start)
- 3DMark05 (FutureMark) DirectX 9.0, multitexturing, testing settings trilinear,
- F.E.A.R. (Multiplayer beta) (Monolith/Sierra) DirectX 9.0, multitexturing, testing settings maximum, Soft shadows.
- Splinter Cell Chaos of Theory v.1.04 (Ubisoft) DirectX 9.0, multitexturing, testing settings maximum, shaders 3.0 (for NVIDIA cards)/shaders 2.0 (for ATI cards); HDR OFF!
- The Chronicles Of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay (Starbreeze/Vivendi) OpenGL, multitexturing, testing settings maximum texture quality, Shader 2.0.
I express my gratitude Rinat Dosaev (AKA 4uckall) And Alexey Ostrovsky (AKA Ducci) for writing a demo for this game, and thank you very much Alexey Berillo AKA Somebody Else for your help
- 4.1. Far Cry, Research
- PCI-E video cards
- 4.2. Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
- PCI-E video cards
- PCI-E video cards, AntiAliasing+Anisotropy
We thank the company for providing the video cards
The processor for testing was provided by the company
The characteristics, delivery package and appearance of this product may differ from those indicated or may be changed by the manufacturer without being reflected in the NICS - Computer Supermarket catalog.
Information about product prices and configurations indicated on the website does not constitute an offer in the sense defined by the provisions of Art. 435 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.
Reviews
We tried to make the description as good as possible so that your choice would be unmistakable and informed, but... We may not have used this product, but only touched it from all sides, and after you buy it, try it out, your review can make this world a better place, if your review is really useful, we will publish it and give it You have the opportunity to make your next purchase from us using the 2nd column.
There are no reviews yet, yours could be the first!
Performance comparison and test results
To help you make an informed choice, the video card was tested at NICS Computer Supermarket on 11/19/2018. The test results are clearly displayed in a diagram and two tables.
The diagram shows the test results for the selected article (highlighted in red) and 9 more products of similar price. Percentages indicate an approach to the maximum recorded results. That is, if your choice fell on a product with an indicator of 50%, this means that there is an analogue that is 2 times faster (with an indicator of 100%), but, of course, at a completely different price.
The diagram is followed by a table with similar indicators for 10 champion products in their category, in the form of a TOP10 rating.
Using this table, it is easy to determine the place of the video card in the overall “table of ranks”, as well as estimate how expensive it will be to try to improve performance. The selected product is also highlighted in red.
The last plate is simply a list of test results. From these, a percentage ranking is calculated, which was used in the first two reports. By clicking on the name of the test, you can go to a summary table with indicators for all products in the category, including those that are currently out of stock.
Comparisons only use products that are currently in stock.
If you decide to approach the selection of new equipment seriously and responsibly, the full rating, which includes the results of testing of products currently out of stock, will provide invaluable assistance.
Rating of gaming video cards, Comparison of video cards
percentage of the maximum recorded results for all tests
2GbIN once again We are pleased to confirm that AMD has saved the Polaris family of chips from the childhood diseases of the first generation and is ready to fully compete with NVIDIA in the mid-range price category. But don’t forget that the discrete GPU market is not limited to hardware for hardcore gamers. The lion's share of supplies continues to be mass products costing $100 or less. Here AMD has two new proposals - Radeon RX 560 and RX 550. Postponing testing of the RX 560 for now, we will move straight to the Radeon RX 550. Moreover, it is to some extent more interesting than its older brothers - this is the only 500th video card series, which has no analogue in the RX 400 series.
Indeed, while the Polaris 20 and Polaris 21 chips were the result of an update to Polaris 10 and Polaris 11, the Radeon RX 550 is based on a completely new graphics processor that expands the Polaris family towards the most compact and energy-efficient solutions. The main market for such GPUs is mobile computers, but this time the chip debuted in the form of a discrete video card. An update to AMD's laptop range is planned for the second half of the year.
The Radeon RX 550 replaces the retail Radeon R7 350 and several lower-tier OEM entries in the 300 and 400 series. All of them use Cape Verde and Olland GPUs from 2012-2013, produced at 28 nm. As a result, you can expect a major leap in performance and energy efficiency from the Radeon RX 550 due to improvements to the GCN architecture and a new semiconductor process technology. Polaris also contains functional innovations that are in demand in the HTPC (Home Theater PC) niche - support for new image output interfaces and decoding of HEVC and VP9 video formats.
⇡ GPU
At the heart of the Radeon RX 550 is the Polaris 12 GPU. The name of the chip might lead you to believe that it belongs to the first generation of Polaris, along with Polaris 10 and Polaris 11, which were used in the Radeon RX 400 series. However, this is a new GPU, and It’s unlikely that AMD missed the opportunity to incorporate into it all the advantages of optimized circuit design and photolithography that second-generation Polaris chips have.
Since AMD has not been developing the low-end discrete GPU segment for a long time, Polaris 12 represents big step forward and compared to the previous entry-level GPU - Olland. In terms of the configuration of architectural elements (512 shader ALUs and 64 texture mapping units, distributed over 8 Compute Units), Polaris 12 looks like half of the next-ranking GPU - Polaris 11/21. The same resources are available in integrated graphics in older versions of APUs based on Kaveri/Godavari and Bristol Ridge cores. On the other hand, Polaris 12 and Polaris 21 have exactly the same back-end, which includes 16 ROPs and a 128-bit memory bus. Thanks to this, the performance of the Radeon RX 550 is not limited by the bottleneck of dual-channel DDR3/DDR4 memory, which the integrated GPU in the APU is forced to share with x86 cores.
At the same time, it contains a lot of innovations that eliminated the weaknesses of the rendering pipeline in previous iterations of Graphics Core Next.
Polaris 12 contains 2200 million transistors - only 800 million, or 27%, less than Polaris 11/21, and the die area was reduced by only 18%, despite the fact that the number of programmable blocks differs by half. In compact GPUs, fixed-function logic takes up a relatively larger area than in large chips, so it is possible to effectively reduce the transistor budget through shader ALUs only to a certain limit.
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In terms of HTPC capabilities, the Radeon RX 550 is not inferior to older models of new generation accelerators: Polaris 12 contains a dedicated unit that decodes video in the HEVC format with a resolution of up to 4K at 60 frames/s and an alternative high-compression format VP9, which is used by YouTube and other video hosting sites. The display controller supports DisplayPort 1.3/1.4 and HDMI 2.0b high dynamic range (HDR) output.
Note: x Although VP9 support in Polaris was announced from day one, actual dedicated block decoding is still not available in AMD's Windows drivers. Programs that play VP9 (like Chrome browser), so far they can only do this on the CPU or shader ALUs.
⇡ Technical characteristics, prices
The graphics processor in the Radeon RX 550 operates at frequencies of 1100/1183 MHz (base and maximum frequencies, respectively). According to the roughest estimates (peak speed of FP32 operations), such specifications provide the RX 550 with a 50% performance increase compared to the Radeon R7 350 (OEM) - an Olland-based accelerator. At the same time, power consumption was reduced from 75 to 50 W. In fact, the FP32 performance rating in the RX 550 is at the same level as the original version Xbox One(1.21 and 1.31 TFLOPS respectively).
The memory bus, designed for an effective clock frequency of 7 GHz, also speaks in favor of the Radeon RX 550. The standard RAM capacity is 2 or generous for this GPU category 4 GB.
Among discrete video adapters, the Radeon RX 550 plays the role of an intermediate link between more powerful models, on the one hand, and the integrated graphics of the CPU and APU, on the other. However, neither AMD nor Intel are currently selling new processor models with a large graphics core at retail. The last thing available was Intel's Broadwell generation Core i5/i7 chips with Iris Pro 6200 graphics and AMD's A10-7800 series APUs. As a result, there is still a niche for budget video cards like the Radeon RX 550. Compared to the integrated GPUs of Intel desktop processors on Skylake and Kaby Lake chips, the new product has incomparably higher performance, and Ryzen processors do not have an integrated graphics core at all.
| Manufacturer | AMD | |||
| Model | AMD A10-7870K | Radeon R7 350 (OEM) | Radeon R7 350 | Radeon RX 550 |
| GPU | ||||
| Name | Godavari | Holland XT | Cape Verde XTL | Polaris 12 |
| Microarchitecture | GCN 1.1 | GCN 1.1 | GCN 1.0 | GCN 1.3 |
| Technical process, nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | 28 nm | 14 nm FinFET |
| Number of transistors, million | 2410 (with CPU) | 1040 | 1 500 | 2200 |
| Clock frequency, MHz: Base Clock / Boost Clock | —/866 | 1000/1050 | 925/— | 1100/1183 |
| Number of shader ALUs | 512 | 384 | 512 | 512 |
| Number of texture mapping units | 32 | 24 | 32 | 32 |
| ROP number | 8 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| RAM | ||||
| Bus width, bits | 128 | 128 | 128 | 128 |
| Chip type | DDR3 SDRAM | GDDR3/GDDR5 SDRAM | GDDR5 SDRAM | GDDR5 SDRAM |
| Clock frequency, MHz ( throughput per contact, Mbit/s) | 267 (2133) | 900(1800)/1125(4500) | 1125 (4500) | 1750 (7000) |
| Volume, MB | 4096 | 1024/2048 | 2048 | 2048/4096 |
| I/O bus | PCI Express 3.0 x16 | PCI Express 3.0 x16 | PCI Express 3.0 x8 | |
| Performance | ||||
| Peak performance FP32, GFLOPS (based on maximum specified frequency) | 887 | 806 | 947 | 1211 |
| Performance FP32/FP64 | 1/16 | 1/16 | 1/16 | 1/16 |
| Bandwidth RAM, GB/s | 34 | 29/72 | 72 | 112 |
| Image output | ||||
| Image output interfaces | DL DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 | DL DVI-I, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 | DL DVI, HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.3/1.4 | |
| TDP, W | 95 | 75 | 75 | 50 |
| Retail price (USA, excluding tax), $ | 99 (amazon.com) | — | 89 (recommended at the time of release) | 79 (recommended at the time of release) |
| Retail price (Russia), rub. | 7 960 | — | ND | 5,369 (recommended at the time of release) |
The recommended price of the video card is set at $79, which corresponds to the cost of the GeForce GTX 1030, the youngest member of the Pascal family ($80). In Russia, the RX 550 is priced at RUB 5,369. Unlike older accelerators of the 400 and 500 series, the availability of the new product and real retail prices have not suffered from the boom in cryptocurrencies. In Moscow retail you can buy it for only 500-600 rubles. more expensive than recommended price.
We tested the Radeon RX 550 using the PowerColor Red Dragon accelerator, one of the most affordable models with this GPU. The video card received an absolutely symbolic factory overclock - up to 1190 MHz at the maximum GPU frequency. The amount of RAM is 2 GB. The device arrived for testing without any accessories included.
⇡ PowerColor Red Dragon Radeon RX 550: design
This is a fairly large entry-level video card. The fact is that the manufacturer simply uses similar printed circuit boards in their RX 550 and RX 560 models. Most likely, the Polaris 12 and Polaris 11/21 GPUs themselves have identical wiring due to the same 128-bit memory bus. PowerColor also has a more compact accelerator based on Polaris 12 - Red Dragon Radeon RX 550 V2.
AMD couldn't provide us with a reference card, so we're using a partner model from MSI for our review. The RX 550 Aero ITX 2GB is overclocked to 1203 MHz, although the memory frequency corresponds to the base frequency of 1750 MHz.
There is no semi-passive fan mode. MSI chose simplicity, security and, of course, a lower price for the entry-level card.A slight GPU overclock shouldn't have a big impact on performance, especially since we're not sure whether the MSX RX 550 Aero ITX 2GB is capable of maintaining the increased clock speed within AMD's power consumption limits.
Specifications
| MSI RX 550 Aero ITX 2GB | |
| Price in USA, $ | 85 |
| Price in Russia, rub. | From 6130 |
| GPU (code name) | Polaris 12 |
| Shader blocks | 512 |
| Clock frequency (base/Boost), MHz | 1203 |
| Memory clock frequency, MHz | 1750 |
| Memory size and type | 2 GB GDDR5 |
| Memory bandwidth, GB/s | 112 |
| Fans | (1) axial 85 mm |
| Connectors | (1) DVI-D, (1) HDMI 2.0, (1) DP |
| Power connectors | No |
| Dimensions, mm | 155x105x35 |
| Weight, g | 282 |
| Guarantee | 3 years |
Appearance, dimensions and connectors
The RX 550 Aero ITX 2GB is a very light card, only 282 grams. In addition, it is very compact and measures 155 mm in length, 105 mm in height and 35 mm in width. With such dimensions, it occupies exactly two expansion slots. There is no back panel, so you don't have to worry about compatibility issues with other components.
The fan housing is made of injection molded plastic. Its rough surface looks beautiful and is pleasant to the touch. The design of the case displays the characteristic elements of the corporate identity. However, these elements are not metal, as it may seem in the photo, they are simply coated with matte silver varnish.
MSI's RX 550 Aero ITX 2GB card has the company's logo on the top, but there is no additional power connector. There is nothing special at the bottom end, and there is no need for it. You won't see it anyway after installing the card into the case.
The front and rear ends of the video card have grilles for free passage of air flow through horizontally oriented cooling fins - a pretty reasonable solution. The graphics adapter has three display outputs: one dual-channel DVI port, one HDMI 2.0 and a DisplayPort connector.
Power supply and board layout
Compact graphics cards usually have a fairly simple and neat layout, and the MSI RX 550 Aero ITX 2GB is no exception. Nothing to complain about.
The RX 550 Aero ITX 2GB uses Elpida (now Micron) memory chips. The four W4032BABG-70-F modules have a density of 4 Gbit (16x 256 Mbit) with a maximum clock speed of 1750 MHz. The same memory is used in the AMD Radeon RX 570. These chips have little overclocking headroom, especially without active cooling. Previously, they did not cope well with temperatures above their rating.
The voltage supply to the GPU is provided by a three-phase two-channel PWM controller Richtek RT3662AC. The choice of chip is quite interesting - it has more than enough capabilities, and besides, it is more often found on motherboards laptops, and not on desktop video cards. Anyway, it simplifies the board design by using three built-in MOSFET drivers. Each phase has one MagnaChip MDU1514 N-channel trench MOSFET for the high side and one MagnaChip MDU1517 for the low side. These are solid-state chips with a voltage of 30 V, capable of operating without active cooling.
Ferrite coils are used for GPU and memory voltage converters. They stand vertically, since their height does not matter in this case.
Memory supply voltage regulation is implemented using a small uP1529 IC from uPI Semiconductor, which controls one phase consisting of another pair of MagnaChip MDU1514 and MDU1517 transistors.
Cooling system
There is nothing special about the MSI cooler. It is made of extruded aluminum and weighs 120 grams. Due to the diameter of the fan and its 11 blades, it is quite noisy, although we have heard louder ones.
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