AMD has returned to problem Nvidia with its entry-level RX 6600 XT. This $379 (on paper a minimum of) card is constructed on the identical RDNA 2 structure that AMD is utilizing for its high-end playing cards, nevertheless it’s designed to spice up 1080p gaming as an alternative of reaching the heights of 4K gaming.

Nearly 70 p.c of PC gaming on Steam is still at 1080p, so in case you’re one of many tens of millions having fun with 1080p gaming with an older card just like the GeForce GTX 1060, this newest RX 6600 XT is perhaps a tempting improve when it launches on August eleventh.

It sits at $50 extra (once more, on paper) than Nvidia’s RTX 3060, and $20 lower than the RTX 3060 Ti. AMD claims the RX 6600 XT ought to carry out round 15 p.c higher than an RTX 3060 at 1080p, for the additional $50.

But AMD’s newest RDNA 2 playing cards have barely registered on Valve’s newest Steam {hardware} survey, suggesting that Nvidia is producing much more RTX playing cards in comparison with AMD. So even when AMD can beat Nvidia on the entry degree, it must make playing cards that folks can truly purchase for it to matter.

Hardware

AMD isn’t creating its personal RX 6600 XT, so it’s counting on board companions like ASRock, Asus, Biostar, Gigabyte, MSI, PowerColor, Sapphire, XFX, and Yeston to provide playing cards. I’ve been testing Gigabyte’s model of the RX 6600 XT.

This explicit RX 6600 XT has three followers, with the fan within the center spinning in an other way to assist with cooling. There’s a metallic again plate that features a cutout for the air to dissipate from the heatsink beneath.

As the RX 6600 XT solely attracts round 160W of energy, it solely wants a single eight-pin PCIe energy connector. The beneficial minimal energy provide is 500W, so that is ultimate for these not desirous to improve their complete methods.

At greater than 11 inches lengthy, Gigabyte’s model is a surprisingly huge card for an entry-level GPU, nevertheless it’s light-weight to carry so it shouldn’t put any pressure in your motherboard. The card can be a conventional dual-slot width, regardless of its cumbersome look.

Gigabyte has geared up its RX 6600 XT with an RGB mild system that lights up its emblem on the aspect of the GPU. By default, this can cycle by a rainbow of colours, however with 16.7 million colour choices and the flexibility to sync to different Aorus gadgets, there are many choices for customizing this.

At the rear of the RX 6600 XT there are two HDMI 2.1 ports and two DisplayPort 1.4 ports. The card additionally helps PCI Express 4.0 and consists of 8GB of GDDR6 reminiscence.

1080p testing

I’ve been testing the RX 6600 XT with Intel’s newest Core i9 processor. For each 1080p and 1440p assessments, I’ve paired this GPU with a 32-inch Samsung Odyssey G7 monitor. This monitor helps refresh charges at as much as 240Hz, in addition to AMD’s FreeSync assist.

I wasn’t capable of take a look at the RX 6600 XT instantly towards Nvidia’s RTX 3060 as I don’t personal certainly one of Nvidia’s entry-level playing cards, however you’ll be able to see how properly the RTX 3060 carried out in my colleague Sean Hollister’s evaluate. I’ve been testing the RX 6600 XT towards AMD’s RX 6700 XT to see simply how a lot efficiency you get for $100 much less.

I examined a wide range of AAA titles, together with Microsoft Flight Simulator, Gears 5, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and Control. All video games had been examined at excessive or extremely settings on the RX 6600 XT with resizable BAR enabled, and most comfortably exceeded 60fps at 1080p.

Death Stranding topped out at a powerful 150fps on common, whereas Gears 5 managed 105fps at extremely settings. Even Microsoft Flight Simulator practically managed 60fps, because of a latest replace that has drastically improved how the sport runs on all {hardware}.

Where I actually noticed the 6600 XT battle was in ray tracing efficiency. Watch Dogs: Legion solely managed a pathetic 6fps with ray tracing settings maxed out, nevertheless it held at 60fps with out ray tracing turned on. There seems to be some points with this card and Watch Dogs: Legion, although. AMD provided a brand new driver for testing halfway by the evaluate interval to particularly assist with Watch Dogs: Legion, nevertheless it didn’t enhance ray tracing efficiency in my assessments.

“We are aware of some lingering performance issues when DXR is enabled at max settings in Watch Dogs: Legion,” says an AMD spokesperson. “In our findings, reducing quality settings with DXR enabled delivers a better user experience.”

Control appeared to run properly with ray tracing enabled, however you’re chopping efficiency in half if you’d like this visible high quality and there’s no DLSS, or FSR in AMD converse, to make up for it but. Metro Exodus was virtually unplayable with ray tracing and settings maxed out, averaging 24fps.

So this isn’t a ray tracing card, however for an entry-level finances GPU, I wasn’t actually anticipating it to be. For every part else, it performs properly for its value level at 1080p. When you evaluate it to the RX 6700 XT, with its $100 value premium, you’ll get round 20 p.c extra efficiency in case you’re keen to pay further.

Performance in Gears 5 was 18 p.c higher on the RX 6700 XT over the RX 6600 XT, ranging all the best way as much as 29 p.c higher in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and 31 p.c with Watch Dogs: Legion. Given the problems with Watch Dogs: Legion on the RX 6600 XT, that’s a niche that could be closed with driver updates, although.

Where issues get actually fascinating is when you think about Nvidia’s RTX 3060 Ti. At a $20 value premium (in concept a minimum of) over AMD’s RX 6600 XT, you’ll get between 10 p.c and 25 p.c higher efficiency within the majority of video games. There are some uncommon exceptions the place video games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla are clearly optimized for AMD, nevertheless it’s actually price paying further if pricing and availability is real looking.

1440p testing

While AMD is perhaps advertising and marketing the RX 6600 XT at 1080p, plenty of PC avid gamers are nonetheless contemplating the transfer to 1440p, even on the entry-level aspect of the market. I additionally examined the RX 6600 XT at 1440p to see if it may stretch to this decision, and to be sincere… the outcomes had been higher than I anticipated.

Gears 5 manages 70fps on common at extremely 1440p settings, and Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla hits 62fps. I used to be stunned that Control didn’t handle higher throughout my assessments at 1440p, although. While it hits 60fps on common, it dropped to the 30fps vary at extra demanding elements of the sport. If you allow ray tracing in Control at 1440p, it makes the sport actually unplayable in plenty of spots.

AMD’s RX 6700 XT manages 81fps on common in Control; that’s a stunning 42 p.c efficiency leap over the RX 6600 XT. Elsewhere, the efficiency hole ranges from Death Stranding working at 21 p.c higher on the 6700 over the 6600, as much as Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla with a 32 p.c hole.

Still, Fortnite managed 75fps on common with every part maxed out, and Death Stranding obtained all the best way as much as 107fps throughout my assessments. There’s actually room right here to play at 1440p with this card, however you’ll possible want to regulate picture high quality to get there in a number of titles. Metro Exodus was unplayable in plenty of elements of the sport at excessive settings and 1440p, and Watch Dogs: Legion crawled alongside at simply 3fps with ray tracing enabled (clearly as a consequence of some driver points).

I wouldn’t suggest this card for 1440p gaming, neither is it actually designed for it. As extra demanding video games arrive this 12 months and subsequent, you’ll undoubtedly have to hold adjusting settings down in case you actually wish to pair an RX 6600 XT with a 1440p monitor.

If you’re keen to stretch one other $20, in case you can truly get a card at retail value, then Nvidia’s RTX 3060 Ti excels at 1440p compared. There’s a good hole of 25 p.c or extra in most video games, and body charges are nearer to 60fps or above within the majority of video games.

AMD’s new FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) may assist with the longevity of the RX 6600 XT both approach. Much like Nvidia’s Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), AMD’s FSR goals to upscale video games from a decrease decision to offer smoother body charges with out a noticeable compromise in picture high quality.

It’s actually early days for FSR, so not one of the video games we’ve been testing for this evaluate have FSR assist. FSR is off to a promising early begin within the video games that do assist it, providing greater body charges on the flick of a change. But you shouldn’t essentially count on it to assist at 1080p: like Nvidia’s DLSS, the machine-learning upscaling method appears to supply worse picture high quality at decrease resolutions. If something, FSR may assist push the RX 6600 XT into 1440p territory, however provided that AMD manages to get widespread assist for its know-how into video games.

AMD may also should match that widespread assist for FSR with extra widespread availability of its GPUs. As I discussed earlier, the most recent Steam {hardware} survey means that AMD’s struggling to provide sufficient GPUs, and whereas it’s not probably the most correct approach of monitoring GPU gross sales, it does present how properly Nvidia’s RTX 30-series playing cards are making their approach into PC avid gamers’ arms regardless of a world chip scarcity.

With the exception of ray tracing efficiency, AMD is now competing with Nvidia each in entry-level GPUs and on the $599 value level. There are loads of gaps elsewhere in AMD’s lineup, however the $379 RX 6600 XT fills an fascinating one between the $329 RTX 3060 and the $399 RTX 3060 Ti. If you’re capable of spend the additional $20 on an RTX 3060 Ti (if it’s even obtainable at that value) then it can outperform AMD’s entry-level card within the majority of video games. AMD nonetheless packs a bunch on the entry degree right here, however provided that its board companions can create sufficient playing cards to make the RX 6600 XT a possible possibility for these on a finances.