Best RX 6500 XT Graphics Card

Out of the entire AMD RX 6000 series, the RX 6500 XT got the most criticism because of its unsatisfactory specifications. Only 4GB VRAM, 64-bit memory interface, 144 GB/s bandwidth, and many other constraints.

However, despite these drawbacks, the RX 6500 XT can be a fitting GPU pick for many people with a limited budget simply because the alternatives can be considerably more expensive.

If you’re going down this route, we want to ensure that you get the maximum possible value out of your budget and the best thermals/performance out of the RX 6500 XT.

Let’s see precisely which RX 6500 XT variants are the best out of the bunch.

Pricing

The MSRP of the RX 6500 XT is $200. However, aftermarket cards from Sapphire, Asus, Gigabyte, etc., typically come with a steeper price tag.

Unfortunately, none of these companies have specified an MSRP for their models, so we can only estimate their approximate cost.

Pulse variants from Sapphire always provide outstanding results out of the box, so we have hopes for this Sapphire Radeon RX 6500 XT Pulse too. Expect a price of $20 to $40 higher than the MSRP.

Either way, a card like the RX 6500 XT doesn’t need a significant heatsink or coolers to keep it cool.

Let us have a look at the varied factors.

Design

The Sapphire Radeon RX 6500 XT Pulse is a compact card weighing almost 500 g and 19.5 cm in length. It takes the identical Pulse design we’ve seen on other RX 6000 cards.

There is a backplate. That is unusual on lower-end cards like these, and it is made out of metal, so it won’t hinder thermals.

It’s a shame that it’s limited to only one HDMI and Display Port. However, that constraint is on AMD, not Sapphire.

Performance And Overclocking Capabilities

Reference RX 6500 XT boost clock is 2815 MHz, while Sapphire’s boost clock is 2825 MHz. No significant difference there. But let’s see how it performs in-game.

In Cyberpunk 2077, TechPowerUp recorded an average GPU clock speed of 2742 MHz and 2234 MHz for memory clocks. A bit slower than the advertised speeds, but that’s nothing extraordinary, so let’s move over to overclocking.

Overclocking the RX 6500 XT Pulse takes the GPU clock speeds up to 2940 MHz and 2400 MHz memory overclock. Not shabby at all.

Real in-game performance enhancements would be around 6% to 7%.

Enough about that; take a glance at the temperature figures below.

Thermals And Acoustics

While gaming, the GPU heats up to about 68 degrees Celsius and hovers around that mark. But, since this is a reasonably efficient card, Sapphire is cooling it with a very gentle fan curve with an average RPM of 826. Overall, noise levels stay at around 23 dBA.

That’s very silent, even for an entry-card GPU.

ASUS’ TUF Gaming coolers have proved to be adequate enough for both RTX and RX high-end GPUs, so we’re confident that it will be enough for this RX 6500 XT too.

We expect seeing it somewhere around the $240 price point.

Let’s examine how this card performs!

Design

The TUF Gaming has quite a simple design. With the exception of a few brandings here and there, the entire shroud covering the PCB is black. It’s a bit longer (25cm) and bulkier than the Sapphire card, but it’s still compact since it has only two fans.

There is a backplate, and fortunately, it is made of metal, so it won’t be trapping heat as some plastic backplates we’ve seen on other cards.

Performance And Overclocking Capabilities

The ASUS Radeon RX 6500 XT TUF Gaming specifications show no factory overclock, so the boost clock is set at 2825 MHz.

However, in Cyberpunk 2077, the clock speeds average around 2900 MHz which is unquestionably a bit higher than the reported boost clock (again, based on TechPowerUp’s extensive review).

Overclocking the card isn’t as impressive, though, unfortunately. TechPowerUp’s maximum GPU clock overclock is 2870 MHz and a memory clock of 2400 MHz. However, AMD probably has overclocking limitations set in place, so going higher than this might be impossible.

Thermals And Acoustics

This powerful Gaming card has two BIOS options. One is a performance preset (P-mode), while the other is a quiet preset (Q-Mode or Quiet BIOS).

With the P-Mode BIOS, the temperature average is around 51°C, but at the expense of noise and fan speed. Fan RPM jumps up to 1600 RPM and noise levels to 33 dBA. So definitely a very chilly card, but we suggest switching to the quiet BIOS. Why?

Well, in this mode, even though the average temperature jumps to 59°C, fan speeds drop to 1150 RPM, and noise levels down to 25 dBA. Still chilly while significantly quieter.

PowerColor often has premium offers for AMD’s card, but since this is a very low-end card, the PowerColor RX 6500 XT Fighter is basic as it can get.

We expect this card to be priced at no more than $20 than AMD’s suggested retail price.

Design

This PowerColor variant of the RX 6500 XT is quite the straightforward card. It’s compact in size, the fans are smaller than usual, and it doesn’t even have a backplate.

No fancy features like a BIOS toggle or anything like that.

That’s all, so we’re presenting the card’s effectiveness results.

Performance And Overclocking Capabilities

Like the previous two cards in this article, this too is clocked entirely the same as AMD’s reference card at 2825 MHz. In-game, boost clocks are also near to that stock figure.

However, when it comes to overclocking, the PowerColor Fighter puts up a sturdy fight with an overclock up to 2950 MHz which is higher than the Sapphire. With this kind of OC, expect a 7% to 8% performance boost.

Thermals And Acoustics

It’s a small card, so we can’t expect anything remarkable regarding thermals and acoustics.

During heavy loads, this PowerColor card heats up to 63 degrees Celsius and noise levels up to 33 dBA. So, definitely cooler than the Sapphire, but marginally louder. However, this can certainly be addressed by adjusting the fan curve in AMD’s software.

The Gigabyte RX 6500 XT Eagle is a relatively basic GPU like the PowerColor Fighter. Slim heatsink, small fans, and an overall compact GPU.

We also speculate this one should go only $10 or $20 above AMD’s MSRP. Anything above that is not really worthwhile.

Design

Not only is this card in a minuscule package, it is also the tiniest card out of the group. Therefore, if you want to create a small mini-ITX PC, this could be a good option.

Design-wise, it’s fairly straightforward. A flat, rectangular grey shroud covers the entire GPU with no backplate on the back.

Performance And Overclocking

Clock speeds are rated the same as the reference specifications, but in Cyberpunk 2077, they average around 2878 MHz. Not bad.

Overclocking brings the typical GPU clock speed to 2957 MHz, which is the greatest result compared to the rest of the GPUs.

Thermals And Acoustics

At stock settings, while gaming, the GPU peaks at just 60 degrees Celsius, which is actually impressive considering the card’s small form factor.

Even at that temperature, the fan speed is just around 1280 RPM, based on KitGuru’s review. Noise levels were measured at 33 dBA.

Overall, a frosty and serene card.

Which RX 6500 XT Should You Get?

So, out of these four RX 6500 XT variants, which one should you acquire?

It is a difficult choice as all of these cards are very similar in many ways, but we have to pick one.

We want to give the Sapphire Radeon RX 6500 XT Pulse the Best Overall award because of its remarkably quiet cooling, good design, and significant overclock.

Our second-best overall choice is the Gigabyte RX 6500 XT Eagle because it is affordable and performs in every aspect.

PowerColor and ASUS’ suggestions are also worth considering if you can’t get your hands on the Sapphire GPU.