ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB OC Graphics Card Review

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

AMD and ASRock have done some nice things with this card, AMD with their GPU and ASRock with their implementation.  This 8GB card, while shorter than most (PCB wise) has extended it’s footprint rather than promoting a smaller card (potentially catering to the ITX form factor) extends it’s heatsink, helping to keep the card cool while keeping noise levels down.  The open card design allows heat to rise through the card upwards naturally without exhausting it sideways allowing for higher default GPU clock speeds.

You can check out the entire review in video if you prefer

I reviewed previously the Sapphire Pulse RX 5500 XT 8GB card, and it did very well but sadly I cannot compare the 2 since I used older drivers and had to return the Sapphire card.  The 2 traded blows if you could correctly compare 2, maybe I can compare them together at a later point.

One thing I did like about Sapphire is TRIXX Boost.  While kind of cheating, TRIXX Boost allows you to get in between resolutions to get more performance out of the card. ASRock provides ASRock Tweaker utility that allows you to overclock and it does a pretty decent job, both TRIXX and Tweaker get you performance.  The problem with TRIXX is that while it does work on a lot of games, it won’t work on all, a good overclock will work on everything.

Without saying more, let’s jump into the Pros and Cons and get back to my thoughts afterwards.

 Pros

• Tons of ports to fit almost any monitor (except DVI and of course VGA but you can buy adapters)
• 8Gigs is a bit much, but more is better right?
• Supports 4 Simultaneous displays
• FreeSync2 Support
• Supports DX12 Ultimate and Vulkan
• 0DB Fan mode
• Dual BIOS support
• Great performance from a budget card
• Ideal for 1080P gaming
• Short Metal Backplate
• Shortened card (PCB wise) but with 2 fans and longer heatsink allows for better cooling
  • ASRock does offer and ITX version but with 1 x fan.
• Current pricing is one of the most affordable RX 5500 XT 8GB cards out there.

Cons

• No RGB (Not included in final results but had to mention it)
• Cost to performance might be a little high.
• Does not include VGA or DVI adapters (but that may bring up the cost)

8Gigs on a budget 1080P card might be overkill, but it does allow for room to throw in more eye candy at a lower performance cost.  Lack of RGB might be bad for some, but it’s OK with me.  While I don’t have DVI on my monitors any longer, it is a budget card, so DVI might be in someones line up.

The open air design to me is a great option, since it allows for quicker heat dissipation, but it does add length to the card.  The length allows for that second fan to be there, so that is a bonus.  The temperatures and overclocking represented above show you that there is room to overclock and room to get hotter if needed, but you can just throw in a more aggressive fan curve.

With all that taken into account I feel I should give the ASRock Challenger D Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB OC Graphics Card a 9.3, Editors Choice award.  Congratulations ASRock.

One of the more affordable RX 5500 XT solutions out on the market with a great design and performance to match.  I am very price sensitive, but this one just got everything right.

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Iggy Castillo

I have spent many years in the PC boutique name space as Product Development Engineer for Alienware and later Dell through Alienware’s acquisition and finally Velocity Micro. During these years I spent my time developing new configurations, products and technologies with companies such as AMD, Asus, Intel, Microsoft, NVIDIA and more. The Arts, Gaming, New & Old technologies drive my interests and passion. Now as my day job, I am an IT Manager but doing reviews on my time and my dime.