Best RX 6600 XT GPU in 2024
The lower end can offer some good performance and hopefully better price
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If you’re in the market for a low-end 1080p card then take a look at the best RX 6600 XT. The card takes on the RTX 3060 head-to-head and even trades blows with the RTX 3060 Ti. So it’s a great performance card even pushing its limits at higher resolutions offering plenty of flexibility on its usage.
With an MSRP of $379, it is a cheaper card on the spectrum of new releases. Getting it at that price or stock is a whole other issue. We take a look at the range of AIB options and evaluate them all to see which are worth buying and considering.
With 25 different options, there is a lot to choose from and we narrow down the options to the best selection of them. There are also other varieties than the standard that might be needed by you so we also choose some other considerations than just the best.
How we choose the best RX 6600 XT
There are a lot of factors to consider when picking out the best of the bunch. With the same PCB provided by AMD, there isn’t too much to change when the manufacturers adapt to their own designs. So there are considerations for how they push those cards to their limits and how they design the outer parts to look.
We go through the product benchmarks to see the performance differences between the AIB’s. Making sure that the performance lasts under heavy duty with the custom cooling solutions used.
All elements are put together into an easy-to-understand guide to help make your decision into which one to buy.
Judging parameters
The AIB manufacturers will give their spin on the graphics card so we have to consider their solutions. So which factors are the most important to consider?
Performance
Even though they are based on the same GPU the solutions can offer up a difference in how well they run. To stand out from the competition some manufacturers will overclock their cards, edging out something else over the others.
With the base clock of 1968MHz, and a boost clock of 2589MHz there is an opportunity for pushing those numbers over the closest hundred. With that, the cards get some performance gains as long as they can keep up the performance.
Cooling
To keep up the performance of the cards they need to keep the temperature down during whatever pressure it’s under. This is important to preserve its life and longevity cards will throttle if they start running too high.
So the design of the cooling solution is important. The heatsink needs to be large enough to accommodate the heat generated by the components. The heatsinks are also important to spread out the heat dissipation throughout the block so it doesn’t accumulate in just one place. And then the fans make sure the heat is dissipated out and not running too loud to sound like a jet.
Combined they should make sure the card performs up to scratch, and even on top allowing some more overclocking. A bigger design allows for even more thermal overheard that running faster would produce.
Price
There can be multiple prices set for a graphics card, with the initial MSRP provided by AMD but then the final one set by the manufacturer. The MSRP set by AMD is $379, but with their added features AIBs can elevate that price.
It tends to be the case for overclocked and more featureful GPUs. The added features add to the cost and so you want to make sure you’re not overpaying for it. It shouldn’t cost as much as the next up card so it is an important factor.
As well as the market being so competitive and price-conscious a lot of thought is put into how much to pay for a card.
What do the specs mean?
There are a lot of terms and numbers involved in searching for the best RX 6600 XT. Trying to understand what they are and how they impact the card can be hard to understand. So we consider the most important and what they mean.
Clock speed
The clock speed is the frequency of the silicon crystal oscillation. This cycling is how fast the GPU can calculate instructions and perform its tasks. It is used to calculate the capability to render graphics. So working along with the texture units, can give a speed of how quickly the pixels can be drawn.
For the RX 6600 XT and most other GPUs, there are three different clocks advertised usually. The base clock is what the graphics card will operate under no high loads. Then there is a game clock and boost clock. The game clock is what it expects to run when gaming and prolonged loads. Whereas, boost is the max achievable and from bursty loads and usually not sustained. These numbers are the main difference between partner cards and where overclocking can change performance.
Video memory
The VRAM is the video RAM (random access memory) and is the fast volatile storage. It is used as a buffer for holding image information. Allowing for a smoother transition between frames for a nicer frametime. Higher VRAM is more important for higher resolutions like 4k and ray tracing needing plenty of space.
Shading units
Also known as stream processors, are small processors in the graphics card that work on different aspects of the image. So having more units means more power to specific processes they are working on. Which put together can render the shading much faster.
Ray accelerators
These processors work on crunching the numbers for working out ray tracing. If looking for better performance in that area, more cores improve the performance with more work being done on the maths.
Best RX 6600 XT GPUs
ASUS ROG STRIX RX 6600 XT GAMING OC
Core Clock Speed
2607MHz Boost, 2064MHz Base
Stream Processors
2048
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
243mm x 134mm x 52 mm (2.6 slot)
PSU Required
500W
- Top factory overclock
- Great cooling solution
- Best performing
- More expensive option
ASUS always offers a great GPU solution and again takes our top spot for the best RX 6600 XT. The ROG Strix solution is a great card all around, starting with the build quality and cooling. The metal shroud is a strong material to keep the card in a strong shape without any deformation over the years of use. But also great for temperature control as a great heat conductor.
The triple-slot card is larger than the other offerings but helps with the performance edge of the Strix. The space of the card is fitted with a heatsink to dissipate all the heat produced by the GPU keeping it under temp. Helped along by the fans of the card, that brings in a large amount of airflow to get rid of all the heat.
With the two working together it gives the card its performance edge. The overclockable to perform well even under the biggest stresses with no worry of throttling. However, all coking together at a cost increase over the other options.
ASRock Radeon RX 6600 XT Phantom Gaming OC
Core Clock Speed
2607 MHz Boost Clock
Stream Processors
2048
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6X
Dimensions
303 x 131 x 45 mm (2.25 slot)
PSU Required
500W
- Comparable overclock
- Great cooling
- Cheaper feeling build quality
The ASRock Phantom is a good challenger for the top spot of the best RX 6600 XT. It does lack the finishing quality of the other options but doesn’t detract from its performance of it. It is clocked to the same frequency as the Strix at a 2607MHz boost and 2064MHz base. Keeping up the top performance for a better price.
The cooling solution should keep the performance going too, with a dual-slot heatsink, and three fans will dissipate plenty of heat produced by the GPU. Even with a thinner heatsink, they have a longer one to compensate and will work very well to keep the card cool. And they even feature an ARGB fan for a more colorful choice over the other options.
The shroud may be plastic and of lower quality but the backplate is metal to also help with the dissipation. Also helps to reduce the cost of the card.
XFX Speedster SWFT 210 RX 6600 XT
Core Clock Speed
2589MHz Boost, 2092MHz Base
Stream Processors
2048
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
241mm x 131mm x 41mm
PSU Required
650W
- Good budget choice
- Still a good design
- No overclock
- Lower quality build
You can find a more budget-friendly option with the XFX Speedster SWFT RX 6600 XT. If you’re looking just for the base performance and don’t require anything on top then there’s nothing wrong with going with the basics. The card will give you the basics but without the quality of higher-priced cards.
However, there is no compromise on performance, even without the overclock, it can still keep up how it performs with the cooling of the card. It features two fans on top of its dual heatsink to dissipate the heat generated by the GPU, which will be sufficient for the standard clock of the card.
In general, the card has a got a fairly simple design but is sleek and mono-colored. Which, will fit nicely into most builds without sticking out or compromising the design.
ASRock RX 6600 XT Challenger ITX
Core Clock Speed
2589MHz Boost, 1968MHz Base
Stream Processors
2048
Memory Size
8GB GDDR6
Dimensions
179mm x 124mm x 40 mm
PSU Required
500W
- Good option for ITX builds
- On the louder side
- Limited performance gains
With the increase in GPU power and TDP, compact cards are harder to come by as they won’t be sufficient to keep working. So having the option for an ITX on the lower end is a nice option if required. The card only measures 179mm x 124mm x 40mm and is strictly dual-slot for the smallest volume area.
It also doesn’t compromise on the specs and performance of the base card. It is limited in terms of overclocking and so it can’t achieve much more than that. With the limited heatsink area and only one fan, it would struggle to get rid of that extra heat. It does also vary on the other choices with the IO featuring two HDMI and two DisplayPort compared to the favored three DP ports.
Final word
There is our best RX 6600 XT, the crown taken by the ROG Strix option for their overall best quality and performance. But if you’re looking for something else too then we hope to have provided enough other options for you to choose from. If you’re looking for a budget or small form factor then there is a choice there. All of these have great performance for the low end, a good choice for your next build or upgrade.
Other GPU guides
Best RX 6600 XT GPU
What is the best RX 6600 XT?
For the best RX 6600 XT, there is the ASUS ROG Strix RX 6600 XT Gaming OC. Which offers both quality and performance. With a great design, the cooling is kept up well to make sure no performance is left behind. Along with great quality to keep it up in the long run.
What is the best budget RX 6600 XT?
For the cheapest and best option, you can opt for the XFX Speedster SWFT 210 RX 6600 XT. It gives you the best choice for the card without anything extra on top. With possible lower quality and not as much performance available on top.
