The Radeon RX 6600 is AMD’s performance-segment graphics card that was officially launched on October 13th, 2021. The card features a Navi 23 XL graphics chip, which is based on the RDNA 2.0 architecture, and is capable of delivering ultimate 1080p gaming experience. The card also supports ray-traced rendering, meaning it’s able to provide adequate performance across a wide range of contemporary video games.
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Just like its more powerful sibling, the Radeon RX 6600 XT, the non-XT model also features 11.06 million transistors, but comes with fewer shading units (2,408 vs. 1,792), as well as with fewer compute units and raytracing cores (32 vs. 28). Fortunately, the card features the same amount of VRAM, namely 8 GB, and can boast with 8.9 TFLOPS of compute performance. Despite the fact that the card supports PCIe 4.0 interface, it can only utilize up to 8 lanes.
The reference Radeon RX 6600 sports a base GPU clock speed of 1,626 MHz, and a boost clock speed of 2,491 MHz. Compared to the previous generation Radeon RX 5600 XT, the new Radeon RX 6600 features very high core clocks. Speaking of its power consumption, this is a very energy-efficient graphics card, since it consumes only around 135 W under full load, and requires only one 8-pin power connector to work properly.
Performance-wise, the Radeon RX 6600 is on par with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, and is around 10% slower than the GeForce RTX 3060. As such, the Radeon RX 6600 is primarily targeted towards gamers who game at 1080p resolution, and want an affordable graphics card to achieve smooth gaming experience on ultra settings. The Radeon RX 6600 can deliver more than 60 FPS in the latest AAA titles such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Cyberpunk 2077, and Watch Dogs: Legion at Full HD resolution on ultra settings, and up to 100 FPS in games like Battlefield V and Call of Duty Warzone at 1440p resolution. Although the card supports raytracing, its performance falls short of expectations as the card struggles to deliver favorable performance with raytracing enabled, and is around 50% slower compared to the RTX 3060 in raytraced rendering.
The Radeon RX 6600 is very poor card for mining cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum or Ergo. Although its power efficiency is quite good (it can deliver 28 MH/s on Ethash algorithm for a power consumption of only 70 W), its ROI is quite bad, since the card is rather expensive, and its mining speed leaves a lot to be desired.
The Radeon RX 6600 is only available in AIB variations. However, because each variant has different cooling and GPU clock speeds, we’ve created a list of the top aftermarket models to assist you in choosing the perfect card. To view more, scroll down.
Best Overall:
Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 8GB PULSE
Best Cooling:
Gigabyte Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE 8G
Best RGB Lighting:
PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 8GB Hellhound
Best Overall: Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 8GB PULSE
Boost Clock: 2491 MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 2 x DP, 1 x HDMI, 1 x USB Type-C
If you are looking for an affordable, yet powerful 1080p graphics card, then you’ll like the Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 PULSE. This card is able to deliver outstanding performance even under most demanding situations, thanks to its efficient dual-fan cooling solution. Also, the card itself is very quiet under full load, which is ideal for gamers who don’t want to be disturbed by an excessive amount of noise coming from their PC while gaming. Even during most intense gaming sessions, this card never goes above 75 degrees of Celsius, and its power consumption never exceeds 120 W.
Speaking of its performance, the RX 6600 PULSE features default base and boost clock speeds, meaning it isn’t factory overclocked. Despite that, the card features a pretty decent overclocking headroom, which allows you to increase its performance by additional 6%. Although the card supports raytracing, its performance is quite underwhelming, but is still useful for “fooling around”. Overall, this is a nice entry-level graphics card, which won’t cost you a fortune, and will still be able to provide good performance.
Best Cooling: Gigabyte Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE 8G
Boost Clock: 2491 MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 2 x DP, 2 x HDMI
If you are looking for a custom designed Radeon RX 6600 with the best cooling performance, then the Gigabyte Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE 8G should be the first pick on your list. Featuring a huge triple-fan cooling system with alternate spinning fans, the EAGLE 8G is able to provide top-notch cooling performance, and keep the Navi 23 XL GPU running at temps below 58°C, even under full load. The only downside is that the card is pretty noisy, which some gamers may not like.
Just like the majority of custom designed RX 6600 cards, this one also comes with default base and boost clock speeds. However, with simple tweaking, the card can be overclocked in order to deliver 5-7% better performance, and its memory can be overclocked to 15.2 Gbps without any drawbacks. It’s also worth saying that this card doesn’t feature RGB lighting, yet it still looks amazing despite that.
Best RGB Lighting: PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 8GB Hellhound
Boost Clock: 2491 MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 2 x DP, 1 x HDMI, 1 x USB Type-C
The PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 Hellhound is a powerful but cool beast. The card features two 100 mm fans, as well as clean and sleek shroud with silver accents. However, this timid and low-key appearance quickly fades away when you boot your PC, since then the card’s LED lighting starts to shine in bright blue color, and gives the card a new, more sinister appearance.
Besides good looks, the RX 6600 Hellhound can also boast with top-notch PCB components. The card features a 5+1 power phase VRM design for optimized power delivery, high polymer solid capacitors, and three nickel-plated heatpipes in order to deliver optimal cooling performance. There is also a reinforced back plate which prevents the card from bending, and also gives it a nice aesthetic touch. Featuring good overclocking potential and great cooling performance, this card is one of the best custom designed RX 6600 cards, however, it is also one of the most expensive, which is why we don’t recommend it to everyone.
Best Budget: XFX Radeon RX 6600 8GB Speedster SWFT 210 Core
Boost Clock: 2491 MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 2 x DP, 1 x HDMI, 1 x USB Type-C
The XFX Radeon RX 6600 8GB Speedster SWFT 210 Core is a custom designed RX 6600 card with an awfully long name. Despite that, this is probably the best budget RX 6600 card currently available on the market, as it retails at prices far lower then cards made by other brands such as Sapphire, or Gigabyte. You may think that this is due to lower build quality, but you are wrong. In last few years, XFX has started to aggressively compete with other AIB manufactures to gain more market share, which is why the company sells its products at prices lower than its competitors.
But enough about marketing strategies. Let’s talk about the RX 6600 Speedster SWFT 210. The card features a dual-fan cooling solution, as well as a protective backplate, and stylishly designed heatsink. Performance-wise it is on par with the GeForce RTX 3060, although its raytracing performance falls short of expectations. Nevertheless, the card also supports AMD’s FSR technology, as well as FreeSync technology.
Under full load, this card does heat a lot, which is its biggest drawback, but it isn’t serious enough to sound the alarm. Overall, this is a nice budget 1080p graphics card, which is perfect for gamers who want to achieve better performance, and don’t care much about cooling, and additional features, such as RGB lighting.
Best Premium: ASUS Radeon RX 6600 8GB DUAL
Boost Clock: 2607 MHz | Memory: 8GB GDDR6 | Power Connectors: 1 x 8-pin | Outputs: 3 x DP, 1 x HDMI
ASUS is known for producing high-quality products, so it’s no surprise that the Radeon RX 6600 8GB DUAL made its way to our list. This is one of the best premium custom designed RX 6600 cards, and if you are in the market for a high-quality 1080p graphics card, then this one might suit your needs. The RX 6600 DUAL comes with two axial-tech, dual-ball bearing fans, and it features a nice-looking heatsink shroud and protective backplate made of brushed aluminum.
Under the hood, the card features a Navi 23 XL chip that runs at stock base and boost clock speeds. The card is very quiet, which is no surprise given the fact that is made by ASUS, and it stays below 50°C even under full load. Performance-wise, the card can run games such as Red Dead Redemption 2 and Cyberpunk 2077 at stable 60-70 FPS on 1080p resolution, and can even run VR games in up to 5K at 90 FPS. Although the card is slightly more expensive than other custom designed RX 6600 cards, it is well worth the price.
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