AMD Announces Radeon RX 6600 XT Graphics Card
AMD Targets High-FPS 1080p Gaming with New GPU
AMD has unveiled their latest graphics card in the RX 6000 Series family, with the new Radeon RX 6600 XT positioned as the new entry-level RDNA 2 solution when it goes on sale next month through board partners. And this is a partner-only launch, meaning there will be no reference card.
“Offering 32 MB of high-performance AMD Infinity Cache, 8 GB of high-speed GDDR6 memory, AMD Smart Access Memory and other advanced features, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT graphics card is built for the ever-increasing demands of modern games. It also supports the new cutting-edge AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution open-source spatial upscaling solution, which is designed to boost framerates and deliver high-quality, high-resolution gaming experiences.”
“The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT graphics card offers up to 15 percent higher performance on average with max settings across select AAA titles compared to the competition1. It also provides 125 FPS on average across a wide range of modern AAA titles, pushing the boundaries of mainstream gaming by enabling incredible, high-refresh rate 1080p performance and breathtaking visual fidelity.”
AMD included basic specs in their press release, and this is what the RDNA 2 family looks like as of this launch:
| AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT | AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT | AMD Radeon RX 6800 | AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT | AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compute Units | 32 | 40 | 60 | 72 | 80 |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR6 | 12GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 128 bit | 192 bit | 256 bit | 256 bit | 256 bit |
| Game Clock | 2359 MHz | 2424 MHz | 1815 MHz | 2015 MHz | 2015 MHz |
| Boost Clock | Up to 2589 MHz | Up to 2581 MHz | Up to 2105 MHz | Up to 2250 MHz | Up to 2250 MHz |
| Infinity Cache | 32 MB | 96 MB | 128 MB | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Total Board Power | 160W | 230W | 250W | 300W | 300W |
| Launch Price | $379 | $479 | $579 | $649 | $999 |
| Launch Date | 8/11/2021 | 3/18/2021 | 11/18/2020 | 11/18/2020 | 12/8/2020 |
Key aspects of the RX 6600 XT’s specs includes its 32 CUs, 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, and Infinity Cache of 32MB. The card is positioned as a 1080p solution rather than the 1440p target of the RX 6700 XT, and if nothing else the reduction in Infinity Cache (down from 96MB with the RX 6700 XT) points to this.
Pricing will start at $379 – though without a reference card it seems likely that we will primarily see street prices just a bit higher than this. Launch is slated for August 11 from various partners:
“AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT graphics cards are expected to be available from AMD board partners including ASRock, ASUS, BIOSTAR, Gigabyte, MSI, PowerColor, SAPPHIRE, XFX and Yeston at global etailers/retailers beginning August 11, 2021, starting at an SEP of $379 USD. Pre-built systems from OEMs and system integrators are expected to be available beginning in August 2021.”
Looking purely at SSPs, you’ve got to wonder how much of this pricing the market can take before people jump ship to the consoles. This is $100 more than the launch price of the 5600 XT, and pushes it firmly into the mid range. I guess when the supply returns to normal maybe we might get some better value cards at better SSPs. Until then, I’m getting my Amiga out of the loft.
$379.00 USA dollars just for a mid -range GPU card. FORGET IT. I lived in Canada so it would, in theory, cost me around $476.oo CND dollars. Nope again.