More than a yr after this era of graphics playing cards launched, the stage is lastly set for a correct 1080p showdown, with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 in a single nook and the freshly launched AMD Radeon RX 6600 within the different. Will the RX 6600 comply with within the footsteps of its larger sibling, the Radeon RX 6600 XT, and put up a stable combat versus its GeForce rival? Which is the best graphics card on your wants and finances? We’ll have a look at efficiency, availability, and value to find out if it has what it takes!
RTX 3060 vs RX 6600: Price
Both of those graphics playing cards sport an an identical $329 price ticket, a minimum of ostensibly, and at that value the RTX 3060 could be the clear winner—however you’re impossible to search out both GPU on the market at MSRP. Real-world pricing is significantly larger for each graphics playing cards because the brutal chip shortage continues. The Radeon RX 6600 appears to have a extra reasonable price ticket. Many customized variations are hovering within the $400 to $500 vary when yow will discover them on retailer cabinets, with a chart-topping Asus mannequin going for $499. But the GeForce RTX 3060 fares even worse, typically going over $500. In the second-hand market, Nvidia’s GPU typically eclipses even $800. Talk about punching above your weight class!
Historic ranges of demand by each players and crypto-coin miners have led us down this arduous path. The RTX 3060 continues to be troublesome to search out in inventory, no matter pricing. How does the supply of the AMD RX 6600 do? Surprisingly, inventory remained out there even days after launch, however the large caveat right here is that the majority customized board makers slapped the next road value on their GPUs, giving many consumers trigger for pause. And now that the launch is within the rear view mirror, you’re extra more likely to pay from $480 to $550 on secondary markets like eBay or Craigslist.
RTX 3060 vs RX 6600: Performance
The RTX 3060 and RX 6600 XT put up a tricky combat, so how will the much less highly effective RX 6600 do? Spoiler: Not fairly as properly, however that’s much less egregious given the real-world pricing disparity of those graphics playing cards.
It’s price noting that the RX 6600 and RTX 3060 wield completely different quantities of VRAM: 8GB of VRAM for the AMD GPU, and 12GB of VRAM for the RTX 3060. Don’t fear a lot about this discrepancy, nevertheless; these GPUs usually goal 1080p gaming, the place 8GB of reminiscence holds up simply superb. Each additionally has a set of options meant to strengthen their efficiency. On the Nvidia aspect, the much-lauded DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) is a giant optimistic—which, together with ray tracing, supplies stellar visible and body charge efficiency. AMD has an analogous decision scaling function known as FidelityFX Super Resolution, in addition to a killer Smart Access Memory feature that improves efficiency when paired with a supported CPU. Our benchmarks beneath disable all these proprietary bells and whistles to deal with apples-to-apples uncooked efficiency.
Brad Chacos/IDG
In Watch Dogs Legion, the RX 6600 surprisingly runs toe-to-toe with the RTX 3060 in each 1080p and 1440p. It appears to be roughly 10% slower than the RX 6600 XT, nevertheless. DLSS and ray tracing are each disabled for this take a look at, which ranges the taking part in subject for the AMD GPU to reveal its uncooked efficiency. In basic, this efficiency distinction will be anticipated throughout many video games, with some Nvidia-leaning titles giving the RTX 3060 a bit extra of a bump. The Radeon RX 6600 is slower general than the RTX 3060, although it stays an amazing 1080p graphics card able to excessive body charges even with eye sweet cranked to the max in most video games. Well, besides ray tracing.
Brad Chacos/IDG
Speaking of, let’s up the problem and head over to ray tracing spherical. Here, each DLSS and FSR are off with a view to guarantee a good bout. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, we will see how the pure {hardware} ray tracing remains to be higher on the Nvidia RTX 3060. If DLSS and FSR have been activated on a supported recreation, the Nvidia ray tracing lead would develop by a bigger margin. If ray tracing is one thing you’d prefer to expertise, the RTX 3060 is a significantly better alternative. Otherwise, in efficiency the RX 6600 places up a valiant combat in “traditional” rasterized gaming.
Power and different issues to know
The RTX 3060 comes with a TDP of 170W, however that’s outclassed by 132W TDP of the RX 6600. This AMD GPU really sips energy and is spectacular in its effectivity. This is a part of the explanation the RX 6600 XT has turn out to be in style with crypto miners, a lot to the chagrin of players – it’s simply so darn environment friendly! Lower energy additionally results in usually cooler and quieter efficiency, too.
The RX 6600 doesn’t have any manufacturing facility limitations imposed on it because it issues crypto mining, it’s only a decrease clocked however environment friendly GPU. The RTX 3060 technically is restricted in its hash charge, however there have been workarounds to that respect that unleash its mining prowess, so your mileage could differ.
Winner winner, hen dinner goes to..
This is a troublesome match to referee for the reason that real-world availability and pricing of those 1080p duelers is so unpredictable. This will imply your price-to-performance ratio will differ significantly relying on what and when you will get one.
Having mentioned that, the RX 6600 is far simpler to search out at this level than both the 6600 XT or the RTX 3060. If you actually need ray tracing and DLSS in your life at 1080p, you could need to maintain out for an RTX 3060, and even the step-up RTX 3060 Ti. And in case you may really purchase these playing cards on a whim at MSRP costs, the RTX 3060 would simply be the superior choices. But you’ll be able to’t, and that’s key. On the streets, the RTX 3060 nonetheless carries far more of a premium than even the quicker 6600 XT. You’ll probably be capable of discover the RX 6600 extra simply at retailers, even whether it is with inflated pricing.
If you want flat-out 1080p efficiency at a value which may not require taking out a second mortgage, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the winner of this battle. In non-ray tracing roles, it typically runs near the RTX 3060. The largest caveat right here could be in pricing; we’ve seen fashions run the mill from the $329 MSRP to a staggering $499 for the RX 6600, and that’s earlier than the markup you’ll discover in secondary retailers like eBay. You’ll need to be on the decrease finish of that scale, since even $329 is very costly for a 1080p GPU in 2021, chip shortages or no.