I have had the card for a year and a half and I can say that in the beginning with the stock settings it wasn't very good, however after an overclock it completely changed. Although I would recommend someone to spend a little more money and go for a 1660 or even better a 3060, I believe that gaming with this specific card and a Ryzen 5 2600 (which I use) is more than satisfactory. I have never seen temperatures above 70°C even after the overclock and during the summer, which is a very good number considering it has a fan for cooling. Unfortunately, it's not worth more than 200€, I bought it for 190€.

I decide to rewrite this review as the conditions in the graphics card market have changed dramatically.

PERFORMANCE: 30% above 1050ti, 15% below RX570. In short, it is good to excellent for its features. Obviously, e-sports titles like Apex Legends, Fortnite, CSGO are not a problem for the card. It runs them at max graphics with over 60fps easily. As for real games, I have to say Forza Horizon 4 all ultra 70fps, Control at medium 60fps (a demanding title), Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 at high 60fps, Doom Eternal at ultra (doesn't go higher due to low VRam) 80fps. The difference in average fps between the GDDR5 and GDDR6 versions is small but the 1% and 0.1% lows are much higher with the newer memory. (All this with an i5 10400F and 16GB of ram)

OVERCLOCKING: Better than I expected, I must say. Absolutely stable with +160mhz on the core and +600mhz on the memory without touching the voltage, just by increasing the power limit. The 6pin power supply the card receives obviously helps as it can consume much more power than the PCIe can provide. The performance with this OC did not increase dramatically, however, the difference is noticeable.

TEMPERATURES AND NOISE: At stock settings, the card is at 35 degrees at idle and 65 in games. With the OC I did, the card reached 72 degrees, a big difference but still a very healthy temperature for a card. And all these numbers with at least 25 degrees ambient temperature due to summer, so in winter, the temperatures will obviously be much lower. I also don't have the best airflow due to an old case, so you will likely see much better numbers. Don't be alarmed by the single fan, it is huge like the heatsink. It is also quite quiet, certainly not as quiet as more expensive implementations but the noise is not noticeable unless you are literally next to the computer.

SIZE AND APPEARANCE: Bigger than one would expect for a card with only one fan, which is positive because the size is due to its large cooling system. It certainly fits easily in any case with normal dimensions. In my midi tower, even with its very small spaces, I had no issues installing it. Its appearance, on the other hand, is a bit simplistic. The materials are relatively good and quality, and its shape is aesthetically pleasing with the unique angles of its boxy design. But the lack of RGB lighting and backplate (logical since it is a budget implementation) leave a somewhat indifferent impression. Stay away from the V2 phoenix, versions without a 6pin power supply or with GDDR5 memory. Same price, worse performance, higher temperatures, more unstable overclock.

SUMMARY AND PRICE: Do not make the mistake of buying this card for more than 200 euros. It is not worth it and you will save much more money in the long run if you wait until the global silicon shortage ends. However, if you really want a card, wait for the right moment to get the Phoenix. Personally, I would also suggest looking at the 1650 Super and RX570 4GB (the 8GB ones are a luxury due to the mining trend). All these cards sometimes drop below 200 euros if you look at their price developments on Skroutz. They are also sold at quite good prices in the used market. Ideally, you would get your hands on a 1650 Super. If, however, you end up with a 1650, you will not be disappointed at all. If you get this specific implementation in your hands, then even better.

Update 5/7: The card officially supports a 75Hz monitor. Without any OC profile, it runs Rainbow Six Siege, Forza Horizon 4, Ghost Runner, and other games at 75 fps, with occasional drops to 60-65, but that's why the monitor's freesync exists. I changed the paste simply because I had a very expensive one in my hands, the process is easy and DOES NOT affect the warranty unless you cause damage during the change. I should also mention that with the 75hz monitor, the card obviously heats up more since it works more and occasionally hits 73 degrees. Normal temperature, especially when we're talking about summer and a bad case.