Summary
Caractéristiques techniques Configuration Performances 3DMark Red Dead Redemption 2 Assassin's Creed Odyssey Watch Dogs Legion Far Cry 6 Consommation Prix théorique Conclusion Commentaires Voir la fiche produit Disponible à 600 €AMD continues to decline its RDNA 2 architecture on a fairly well-mastered field: that of entry-level graphics cards. Here is our review of the Radeon RX 6600.
Yes, the graphics card market is still facing, like the rest of tech, a great shortage. This does not prevent AMD and Nvidia from following their roadmaps. In this case, it is necessary to gradually replace the old catalog with the new RDNA 2 range from AMD. Without being perfect, the new architecture has already shown that it is a marvel, especially for “classic” 3D computing, without ray tracing.
AMD Radeon RX 6600Caractéristiques techniques
The Radeon RX 6600 continues to use the same AMD Navi 23 chip as the Radeon RX 6600 XT, but downgrades a few features.
- AMD Navi 23
- TSMC 7 nm
- 28 Compute Units
- Fréquence « Game clock » : 2044 MHz
- “Boost” frequency: 2491 MHz
- Memory: 8 GB GDDR6
- Memory bus: 128 bit
- Infinity Cache: 32 Mo
- Consumption: 132W
The advantage is that on paper, the graphics card should consume less. This is also reflected in the cooling circuit chosen by Sapphire for the model we are testing today. The Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 Pulse offers a very small footprint, with a dual slot design with two fans and an 8-pin PCIe connector for the power supply. AMD also highlights the possibility of using its graphics card with a simple 450W power supply.
AMD's promise with this card is to offer sufficient performance for a Full HD display, and to be competitive with Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3060.
AMD Radeon RX 6600 Configuration used
We tested this graphics card with a latest generation configuration, AMD Ryzen 5000 with Smart Access Memory enabled. We're keeping Windows 10 on the test PC for now, pending Windows 11 bug fixes.
- Motherboard : X570 Asus ROG Crosshair VIII HERO (Wi-Fi)
- Processor : AMD Ryzen 7 5800X (3,8 / 4,7 GHz, 8 cœurs, 16 threads)
- Memory : 32 Go de RAM DDR4 2666 MHz (deux kits Corsair Vengeance CMK16GX4M2Z2666C16)
- SSD : Samsung 970 1 To NVMe
- Food : Corsair RM1000X
- Case: In Win 303
- Software : Windows 10 20H2 (with AMD Radeon Drivers 21.30.17.06)
AMD Radeon RX 6600 Benchmark Performance and Results
AMD Radeon RX 66003DMark
After this presentation, it's time to move on to the more concrete results of our tests with this graphics card. We start with 3DMark Time Spy Extreme, a test that uses the DirectX 12 support of the graphics card. We get a comparable score between the graphics cards.
Our Radeon RX 6600 obtains a score of 3811 points which is quite honorable, but below the GeForce RTX 3060. AMD however has the advantage on this test usually with its RDNA 2 cards. It will be necessary on the other tests if this trend is confirmed.
3DMark DirectX Ray Tracing
We now know that the RDNA 2 architecture does not like ray tracing very much. This is the first generation of graphics chips from AMD to offer real-time ray tracing, and on this front, the brand does not obtain results at the level of the competition.
Unsurprisingly, on the test dedicated to ray tracing by 3DMark, it is the Radeon RX 6600 which finishes the march, far behind the GeForce RTX 3060. You should therefore not really hope to activate ray tracing on greedy titles. But the Radeon RX 6600 does not admit defeat for all that.
AMD Radeon RX 6600Red Dead Redemption 2
To have comparable results between all our tests, we benchmark Red Dead Redemption 2 in 4K with the graphics options at maximum. Obviously, the Radeon RX 6600 is not cut out for this kind of request, it is not its role. We then tested the game with a Full HD definition more in line with the promises of this card.
Our comparison shows that the Radeon RX 6600 once again finished at the bottom of the ranking. However, the most interesting thing is in the result obtained: 27,5 frames per second for an entry-level graphics card, in 4K on a very greedy game, it's really not bad. By switching to Full HD, the game then runs at 62 frames per second on average, always with the best graphics settings. *
In other words, Red Dead Redemption 2 is perfectly playable in Full HD with the Radeon RX 6600.
AMD Radeon RX 6600Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Same observation on Assassin's Creed Odyssey that we tested in 4K with the benchmark integrated into the game.
The Radeon RX 6600 clocks in at an average of 31 frames per second, making it far more capable than previous generation consoles. We have a native 4K rendering, with a much better graphic quality, at this famous level of 30 frames per second.
AMD Radeon RX 6600Watch Dogs Legion
As during our test of the Radeon RX 6600 XT, it was impossible to run Watch Dogs Legion under the conditions necessary for our comparison. The benchmark then runs at 2 or 3 frames per second, which is obviously unusable. On the other hand, we were able to run the game at 26 frames per second in Full HD by activating ray tracing, and with high graphics settings.
Still, 26 frames per second on average is too low to be enjoyable in an action game. In the busiest scenes, the fluidity may break down. You will therefore have to compromise on the graphics options to run this game.
AMD Radeon RX 6600Far Cry 6
The big release of the moment comes from Ubisoft with the launch of Far Cry 6. This title manages both ray tracing and AMD FSR technology to compete with Nvidia's DLSS, with much simpler operation.
We were able to run the game in 4K display with maximum graphics settings and ray tracing activated at 63 frames per second on average thanks to the FSR set to efficient. This means that the internal rendering resolution was actually just 1920 x 1080 pixels, which was then upscaled to 4K by the FSR algorithm. As you can see on the images, the result is a bit uneven, and it's even more striking on video.
Overall we have an image that may appear to be of good quality, especially for improved 1080p, but in fact, on certain details we can perceive the limits of the FSR. This can be seen for example on the contours of the vehicle, which are very distinct from the road, or on the display distance of foliage on the image of the edge of the beach.
By setting the FSR to "Quality", the fluidity drops to 53 frames per second, but the image quality is better. The calculation definition is then 2560 x 1440 pixels. Once again, the Radeon RX 6600 shows that it is perfectly capable of handling Full HD games, and with FSR it can even accommodate a higher definition display.
AMD Radeon RX 6600Power consumption and cooling
We noted the consumption of the Radeon RX 6600 during our various test sessions with the HWInfo software.
In all of our tests, we noted a maximum indicated consumption of 101 W for the Radeon RX 6600. This is very light, as is the noise generated by the graphics card, which was imperceptible in an open space. It really is a small product that knows how to be discreet and should not increase the electricity bill.
AMD Radeon RX 6600AMD's RRP
The Radeon RX 6600 is launched on October 13, 2021 at the recommended price of 339 euros. For the launch of the Radeon RX 6600 XT, we were surprised by the stocks and the prices more or less respected by merchants. Hopefully that will be the case again here. On the subject, AMD tells us that stocks should be substantial in Spain.
