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A week on from the launch of the Founders Edition RTX 2060, today we have been able to test our first aftermarket RTX 2060 card in the form of the ASUS ROG RTX 2060 Strix OC. I have to say, it is probably one of the finest graphics cards I have ever tested. This is only part of the conclusion however.
A big part of its appeal is the raw clock speed ASUS has been able to deliver with the Strix 2060. We saw it average over 2GHz under load, giving it a real-world clock speed advantage of about 180MHz over the Founders Edition. This means it performs a good amount faster in games, being on average 5.1% faster than the Founders Edition at 1080p, and 4.5% faster on average at 1440p.
On top of that, the dual-BIOS functionality – a staple of ASUS ROG's RTX 20-series Strix cards – gives the card some real versatility depending on whether you want low temperatures or low noise levels. With the performance BIOS, for instance, I did not see my card run hotter than 55C – while switching to the quiet BIOS means noise output becomes essentially inaudible.
Other features we have come to expect from ASUS' high-end cards are also present, including the impressive 3-zone RGB lighting, stealthy matte black shroud design, while there are also additional fan and RGB headers placed on the Strix's PCB.
It's simply an all-round excellent graphics card. The one area where it didn't do so well was when we came to manual overclocking – but considering it was already running at over 2GHz before we started doing any manual tinkering, this is less of an issue for the Strix than it would be for a slower card.
By far and away the main thing holding this card back, however, is pricing. ASUS is simply pushing some very high prices for its RTX 20-series cards, and it really does hurt them. We're writing this before any official retail listings have gone live with confirmed pricing, but having spoken with ASUS we have been told the MSRP for this card is £455.
I'm sorry ASUS, but as good as your card is, that is just silly. It's more expensive than even some RTX 2070 models, and as fast as it is for a 2060, it's still not as fast as a 2070.
That means I can only recommend this card in good faith if you find it on offer at a more reasonable price. Even at £400 – which is still a lot for an RTX 2060 when you consider that the Founders Edition is £329 – I think this card would do well as it is just an all-round excellent option. When its priced higher than some RTX 2070s, though, something has definitely gone wrong.
We don't yet have a buy-link for the ASUS ROG RTX 2060 Strix OC but we will update this review when we have one.
Update: The Strix 2060 is now available for pre-order from Overclockers UK for £469.99 HERE.
Pros
- Average operating frequency was over 2GHz.
- Peak temperature of just 55C using the performance BIOS.
- Quiet BIOS is practically inaudible.
- Effective RGB implementation.
- Extra on-board RGB and fan headers.
- Stealthy matte black shroud.
Cons
- Limited manual overclocking headroom.
- MSRP is more than some RTX 2070s on the market.
KitGuru says: The ASUS ROG RTX 2060 Strix OC is probably the finest graphics card I have ever tested. However, when you take an RTX 2060 and price it like an RTX 2070, it just doesn't make any sense from a consumer standpoint. As it is, I can only recommend this card if you find it on sale with a lower price.
