[Manuel Calavera]

What Could Go Wrong

So flash and dash right? Hold on there, it's not quite that simple. Sure all the cards that reviewers, including ourselves, got sent out received bios updates, sometimes two, or even a third revision, but it's not quite that simple that everyone should just assume their cards is good to go. The problem comes down to a specification to which the board partners built, and that specification was the same as what was laid out during CES. These cards were built with a TDP and memory specification in mind. Sure there are higher tier cards that are overbuilt that would be okay to handle higher tolerances, but what about those entry-level boards at the $279 price point?

Despite the common perception, MSI has made it very clear that NOT all cards can do 14Gbps memory like many of the BIOS updates are pushing. These cards, even the better ones, were specced for 12Gbps so you're now down almost to the silicon lottery when it comes to the longevity and stability of the card. According to the video by MSI they claim that the memory may be 14Gbps but they were not validated for the speed, only the 12Gbps. But, it is worth noting again that the initial specification did not change the memory speed. MSI even found that there were quite a significant amount of issues after testing with the faster memory on a large number of cards.

What makes the memory speed such an issue is that we are now seeing a mixture of cards that can be flash, and will later ship with, the faster memory mixed in with cards of the slower memory. The problem is with the lack of reviews, kudos to those who included preflash results, that showcase anything but the best-case scenario. If all future cards come with the faster memory, great, if not it's most certainly a buyer beware moment, as Brad Chacos of PC World so elegantly put it.

Thanks to a list compiled by Computer base we can get a snapshot of the market for RX 5600 XT models of which have a BIOS update available and which do not. According to the list, it appears that MSI is taking the safe approach with their Gaming and Mech models by not planning to allow for an update on those models. While Asus is still open the others on the list are allowing for an update to their cards. At this point, I would highly recommend going with a vendor whose warranty is best in your region. Another point of advice will be to find a review of the SPECIFIC card you're looking to purchase because there could be a 10% or better performance swing between RX 5600 XT models, and that's a big enough difference to be in a different performance class.