AMD unveiled its next member of its RDNA 2-based graphics family, their Navi23-based graphics card(s)the 6600 XT. Historically, the 6600 series was positioned between entry-level and mainstream, generally in the 150–200 USD range. You now need to pay 379 USD for a graphics card aimed at the Full HD range. The cards, which are thus positioned as a 1920x1080 offering, and will include a GPU based on NAVI23.
The Navi 23 GPU-based graphics cards are manufactured on a 7nm process and have a maximum of 8 GB of gddr6 memory and are connected through a rather restricted 128-bit memory interface. 8 GB GDDR6 RAM will be used, buffered by a 32 MB Infinity Cache. The series card is projected to perform at the performance marker of the RX 5700 XT and GTX 1080 Ti, making it an excellent card at 1080p or good card at 1440p. The RX 6600 XT features 2048 stream processors, whereas the unknown RX 6600 is expected to include 1792 of them. Numerous firms have stated their own variants and setups of the card. We've mapped the major specs below to help you see what to expect.
The "Navi 23 XT" chip is not new; it is already in use as the Radeon RX 6600M graphics solution for notebooks, which was introduced with the Radeon RX 6800M and 6700M graphics solutions for laptops a few weeks ago. The majority of cards will use a dual-slot dual-fan cooler; they will include a single 8-pin PCI-Express graphics connection with a maximum power consumption of 160 watts. The Radeon RX 6600 XT features 2048 rather than 2560 stream processors or shader units and a memory interface decreased from 192 to 128 bits. AMD will initially offer the 6600 XT cards, followed by the 6600. The Radeon RX 6600 XT is to cost a rather extravagant 379 USD as a base reference product. Thus, you can expect board partner cards with custom designs and cooling to sit well above the 400 USD marker. We can already share that the pricing is the biggest culprit of this product series.
In this particular review, we'll look at the Gaming X model from MSI. It is MSI's "premium" graphics card in this class, even though it is significantly simpler than a high-end model, therefore it only comes close to living up to its name. The famous Gaming-X cooler, for example, was reduced from three Axial fans to two. Aside from the shorter length, the cooler's design is very similar to that of the larger brother. Anyway, onwards into the review, then, let's start with photos and a quick architecture overview.