Noob’s Guide: Power Color Red Dragon RX550 2GB

December 21, 2018 0 By Reyjon Oregas


Entry-level graphics cards don’t get the attention they really need and deserve most of the time. So, on this ‘Noob Guide’ we’ll check out an RX 550 graphics card from a brand that is gaining its pace slowly but surely in the graphics cards race, Power Color.
Power Color’s Red Dragon RX 550 is a two slot solution that needs no external power connectors to get it to work. It pulls the power it needs from the motherboard PCIe lane. So, if you’re worried about that, then you may want to tick that off now. And being under the entry-level banner, it doesn’t weigh much either, due to the heatsink size and choice of materials for the cooling system. Having a thin heatsink and opting for low-cost materials don’t mean that performance is also poor, because Power Color’s RX550 handles heat dissipation very well.
So, to give a better picture of what one can get with the Power Color RX 550, we give you its official specifications and the details that noobs need to know below:

Architecture Polaris 10
Video Memory 2GB GDDR5
Stream Processor 512 Units
Engine Clock up to 1190MHz with boost
Memory Clock 1750MHz x4 (7.0Gbps)
Memory Interface 128bit
DirectX® Support 12
Bus Standard PCIE 3.0
Standard Display Connectors DL DVI-D/ HDMI/ DisplayPort


Capable, but not able

The RX 550, like what we’ve said at the onset, is an entry-level card. With that in mind, some would think that it could not run big titles from the big names in the gaming industry. But, it’s well capable of doing that.

Games such as the Witcher III, GTA V, and the new Final Fantasy XV are loved by gaming enthusiast and are in the must-have list of upcoming amd veteran PC gamers. Tho, not capable of pushing graphics quality upwards in the game titles mentioned, the RX 550 can give an enjoyable playing time if graphical details and resolution are to be toned down. On the other hand, eSports titles such as Dota 2, LOL, Realm Royale, and Paladins could be enjoyed with a lively graphical settings on 1080p resolution.

As an entry-level card, the Power Color RX 550 is able to handle triple A games, but with the cost of toning down graphical details and lowering resolution for a much enjoyable experience. As for eSports titles, the RX 550 can push up to 60 and above frames per second easily. However, up until today, PUBG seems to love stomping on entry-level cards. So, we suggest lowering the resolution and opting for the lowest setting is the way to go if you want to enjoy a chicken dinner.

Enough to cool, but not cool


A life support of a graphics card is its cooling system. Just like a car’s engine, one would want it to be supported with cooling components that would be able to handle extreme heat in long runs. That same principle is implemented in graphics cards. One should want a cooling system that would be able to handle temperatures in extreme gaming conditions.

Though built with a rather thin heatsink for heat distribution and a single fan for dissipation, Power Color’s RX 550 is capable of handling loaded temperatures and is well equipped to keep the numbers at a tolerable level.

Even though it only has a single fan for heat dissipation, it is able to quickly lower the temperature in loaded state to its minimum value once the intensive work was done. Overall, the single fan setup was able to keep the temperatures at bay, and would be able to handle such temperatures even at longer operations.

No show offs


We never did fancy RGB, and it’s a good thing. We do believe that, having RGB or not having them are all but the same. We all have different preference when it comes to this kinds of things. So, let’s just leave it that way.

As an entry-level card, the Power Color RX 550 doesn’t sport RGB lightings or any other subtle lighting feature. It prides itself with a black and simple shroud design that can blend in any themed setup. The design is somehow similar to the transformation belt of a Kamen Rider. I know you know what that is.

Ultimately, the Power Color RX 550 is a card that puts its money on performance, not on flashy lightings that don’t add anything in a graphics card’s performance. But, if you do want a graphics card that’s built with RGB feature, then you might want to look at the higher tier graphics card shelf of Power Color.

Noob’s note:

Power Color’s RX 550, as you now know, is an entry-level graphics card that would let you enjoy AAA games, but with a toned down graphical settings and in lower resolutions. While, esports titles can be enjoyed even at 1080p resolution.

Design is not a big factor in the entry-level graphics card market, but it’s good to have what you don’t need today than need it and don’t have it in the future (words by Mac Suba of Back2gaming.com). But then again, if you have an RGB-fied setup, then most probably, you’ve got a pocket full of sunshine that’s meant for higher tier graphics card.

The Power Color RX 550 is a good starting graphics card for PC gaming adopters who are currently working with limited budgets. It’s also a good choice for a starting iCafe that opted for lower resolution monitors, and is plagued with a lot of esports players daily.