AMD RX 7600 specs vs RX 6600 XT – how do they compare?

AMD RX 7600 specs vs RX 6600 XT – how do they compare?
Romilly Cotta Updated on by

Posted in Tech

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We’re comparing the RX 7600 XT vs RX 6600 XT graphics cards to see which could be best for gaming.

The RX 7600 has arrived, making a name for itself as the most affordable RDNA 3 GPU to date. Though its sub $300 price tag hasn’t stopped gamers from grumbling about the minimal 8GB, it could still prove popular as an entry-level graphics card, specifically geared towards 1080p gaming and esports.

So, how does AMD’s unannounced graphics card compare to their previous gen RX 6600 XT? The 6600 XT was released in 2021 and delivers a fantastic 1080p performance. Like Nvidia’s RTX 3060 Ti, the 6600 offers a strong balance between price and performance, and is currently cheaper than its Nvidia GPU equivalent via Amazon. It’s generally regarded as a very power efficient graphics card, and is definitely a popular choice for gamers in 2023.

This comparison will involve a speculative breakdown of specs, performance and price between the two graphics card, so let’s jump to it. This is RX 7600 vs RX 6600 XT.

RX 7600 vs RX 6600 XT – specs comparison

SpecsRX 7600 specs RX 6600 XT specs
ArchitectureRDNA 3 RDNA 2
Cores2,0482,048
Base Clock (MHz)2,2501,968
Boost Clock (MHz)2,655 2,589
Memory8GB GDDR68 GB GDDR6
Memory Bus128-bit128 bit
Memory Bandwidth288GB/s256GB/s
TDP165W160W

In a nutshell, the RX 7600 XT has the edge when it comes to performance and takes the lead when it comes to power efficiency. This is a feature for newly released graphics cards, and is in part thanks to advancements in GPU architecture. Indeed, the RX 7600 enjoys RDNA 3 along with the other AMD 7000 graphics cards. Though we’ll go into further depth later, RDNA 3 has the advantage of a higher L2 cache of 6MB compared to RDNA 2’s 4MB.

Both graphics cards share the same somewhat disappointing 8GB GDDR6 VRAM. With many gamers rightfully asking whether 8GB is enough for PC gaming, it might be worth assessing all your options before committing to an 8GB graphics card. That being said, if you’re happy with 1080p resolution, then the 6600 XT is a sound choice in 2023. The bandwidth for both cards is pretty decent too at 256.0GB/s. As a general rule, the higher the bandwidth, the more graphic data can be transferred, and the less likely bottlenecks will occur.

Interestingly, both cards share the same amount of Cores. In case you’re unfamiliar, cores are responsible for the acutal rendering of the graphics. Though we might have hoped for a more dramatic difference between the 7600 and RX 6600 XT core counts, the fact that they are built on different architecture also plays an important role here.

RX 7600 vs RX 6600 XT – architecture

Both RDNA 2 and 3 are good for gaming, though naturally, RDNA 3 comes out on top. When RDNA 2 was first introduced by AMD, it was popular thanks to its Infinity Cache which dramatically increased a graphics card’s performance in higher resolution by minimizing the need to access the graphics cards external memory. Since the introduction of RDNA 3 with AMD’s 7000 series graphics cards, we’ve seen AMD focus specifically on power efficiency. The architecture also features a ‘next-gen’ Infinite Cache which will make it even better for gaming.

RX 7600 vs RX 6600 XT – performance comparison

The RX 7600 is amongst the best GPUs for 1080p. In fact, with the help of RDNA 3, we’re expecting the RX 7600 to also deliver the standard for 1440p gaming. As a more mid-range card though, we think it’s unlikely the RX 7600 will be suited to 4K gaming, so if that’s what you’re looking for, check out our best GPUs for 4K gaming instead.

And what about the RX 6600 XT’s performance? Well, as a desirable mid-range graphics card, you can expect a fantastic 1080p performance with ultra high graphics settings. Its 1440p performance is decent, though don’t expect to be pushing a 144Hz display in most games. It has slightly less powerful ray tracing cores with RDNA 2, though it still delivers a great all-round performance.

So which card’s performance will be better? While we feel slightly let down by the 8GB VRAM on both the RX 7600 and the RX 6600 XT, both graphics cards offer great value when it comes to a decent all round performance.

RX 7600 vs RX 6600 XT – price

Currently on Amazon, you can get the RX 6600 XT for less than $300 which puts it in a very similar ballpark to the RX 7600. If you are planning on buying one of these two cards, definitely go for the RX 7600. It has an MSRP of $269 with the added benefit of RDNA 3.

RX 7600 vs RX 6600 XT – final word

Choosing between two graphics cards is ultimately a balancing act between price and performance. Both of these cards are strong contestents in the mid-range GPU range, offering a very high performance in 1080p. If we had to pick one, we’d recommend going for the slightly newer card. For what could be a similar price, you’re GPU will enjoy up-to-date architecture and be significantly more power efficient. Though the 8GB VRAM will inevitably be a letdown for some, we think the RX 7600 will make enough games to make it a worthy purchase in 2023.