Best RX 6600 Graphics Card

The AMD RX 6600 is a solid mid-range GPU. This buying guide showcases the absolute best RX 6600 graphics cards available today.

Finding the right mid-range GPU these days is not easy. Should you get the RTX 3060, RTX 3060 Ti, AMD’s RX 6600 XT or the $329 RX 6600 (Non-XT)? The RX 6600 GPU is a good choice, but which model should you get?

After rummaging through dozens of reviews for this specific card, we have figured out exactly which RX 6600 offers a balance between performance, thermals, and acoustics.

Below, you can find a list of the best RX 6600 graphics cards.

Let’s get right into it!

Table of ContentsShow

The Pros:

  • Good designrnGood combination of HDMI and DP 1.4a

The Cons:

  • No factory overclockrnCheap feelrnLong for an entry-level GPU

Since this card is on the lower end of the spectrum of AMD GPUs, there aren’t many premium picks available. No high-end cooling systems from ASUS, Sapphire, XFX, or others.

The same can be said for Gigabyte too. In fact, Gigabyte has supplied only one variant of this GPU. Gigabyte RX 6600 Eagle.

However, considering this card’s power draw, there’s no need for extreme cooling.

So, let’s see what Gigabyte’s card delivers in terms of price, design, performance, and thermals.

Pricing

The reference design and the Eagle from Gigabyte share the same MSRP of $329.

However, there is usually a good reason why an aftermarket card is the same price as the reference card.

The answer can be found below!

Design

The Eagle design isn’t anything new. We’ve already seen this applied to the RTX 3080, RTX 3060 Ti, and many other GPUs. It’s that same triple-fan Windforce design.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, in any case. If it works, there is no need for Gigabyte to fix it.

Overall, the look and feel of this card are pretty basic. All-around black/grey plastic shroud, three fans on the front, and a bit of branding on the back and the side.

No RGB lighting on this card, however.

Also, keep in mind that this GPU is 282mm long. Check your case’s clearance to ensure it can fit this Eagle card.

Performance And Overclocking Capabilities

Gigabyte advertises a boost clock of 2491 MHz while the average clock speeds sit around 2420 MHz, according to Techpowerup. Although, the GPU does peak up to 2600 MHz which is considerably higher than the advertised max boost.

Additionally, it’s important to note that this is the same clock speed on the reference card. Gigabyte has not applied any factory overclocks to this card, which is uncharacteristic for an aftermarket card.

That is a bit disappointing, but we should also consider that the price is identical to the reference card, too, while you’re getting a better cooling system.

And, of course, for that extra bit of performance, manual overclocking is always available.

According to different reviewers and users, Gigabyte’s Eagle card can boost its overclocking performance up to an average of 2540 MHz, resulting in enhancing gameplay by approximately 6%.

Thermals And Acoustics

In terms of thermals and noise, the Eagle doesn’t deliver anything too impressive. But, that’s expected considering the price.

Temperature-wise, it sits around 65°C while the fans ramp up to 1950 RPM, which raises noise levels to 33 dBA.

The Pros:

  • Solid overclocking capabilitiesrnAdequate cooling

The Cons:

  • No factory overclock

This is another entry-level aftermarket RX 6600 card. Sapphire is a long-time AMD partner, and it is also AMD’s largest supplier of GPUs. So, the expectations for Sapphire cards are usually pretty high.

It’s a no-nonsense, straightforward card. There’s not a whole lot that can go wrong here.

Either way, let’s delve into this Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 Pulse.

Pricing

Like the Gigabyte Eagle, this Sapphire GPU gets the original $329 price, and again, there has to be a reason. Based on what we already know, it’s because there is no factory overclock.

Design

As we mentioned previously, it’s a straightforward GPU. So, we get a simple two-fan setup on the front of the card. Around those fans, there is a primarily black and plastic shroud with a few red lines as accents. That’s the usual design choice for cards carrying the Pulse brand.

There is a bit of red branding on the side of the card and a large pulse line on the back, hinting at the brand name.

Naturally, you won’t get any features such as a dual BIOS or any RGB at this price, but overall, the card feels hefty and of quality. But, again, that’s something that the Eagle card lacked.

It can also fit into much more minor cases, considering it is 193mm long compared to Gigabyte’s 282mm long card.

Performance And Overclocking Capabilities

The Sapphire RX 6600 Pulse also gets the reference card specifications. So, boost clocks are at 2491 MHz while averages sit around 2430 MHz.

We would love to see a factory overclock, but sadly, that’s not the case. So instead, we’ll focus more on this GPU’s overclocking capabilities.

The reviewers that (somehow) got their hands on this Sapphire card managed to boost it up to 2700 Mhz. That’s a 10% clock speed improvement, while in-game performance may increase up to 10%.

Thermals And Acoustics

A low-powered card such as the RX 6600 doesn’t need a beefy heatsink and three fans to cool it. Sapphire’s cooling system is more than enough to keep your PC cool and quiet.

During gaming, this GPU sits around 70°C, which is hotter than Gigabyte’s card, but the fans never ramp up to more than 1300 RPM. This makes for a much quieter experience overall.

The Pros:

  • Quality look and feelrnBeefy heatsinkrnGreat thermals and noise levels

The Cons:

  • No factory overclock

ASUS’ Strix lineup is usually one of the coolest, fastest, and most expensive variants of all GPU options. However, we won’t be getting a Strix for the RX 6600. Instead, we’re getting an entry-level option—the ASUS Dual Radeon RX 6600.

Pricing

We see the same pattern with this ASUS card too. The price is set at $329. So, we’re ready to expect quite similar performance to all cards on this list and the reference GPU.

Design

This is another dual-fan GPU with a pretty simplistic design: a black shroud and a couple of white accents across the entire card. Unfortunately, at this price point, no RGB lighting is available.

We have to note that this one is a bit thicker than the Sapphire and Gigabyte cards, and it’s 243mm long. A thicker card usually means a thicker heatsink, leading to better thermals, quiet running, and better overclocking capabilities.

Let’s check whether that’s the case with this Asus Dual GPU.

Performance And Overclocking Capabilities

Even though factory clock speeds are identical across the three graphics cards on this list, the ASUS Dual GPU held the best clock speed average at 2439 MHz. But this minuscule difference in clock speeds won’t have a significant impact on FPS.

So, let’s check out the OC possibilities which might bring actual FPS improvement.

From user experience, it seems like 2560 MHz is the overclocking sweet spot for the Asus RX 6600. That’s about a 6-7% increase in in-game FPS.

Thermals And Acoustics

A three-fan cooling system (like the Gigabyte Eagle) would probably be more effective than two.

However, because of the heatsink’s bulkiness, the ASUS card runs cooler (around 60°C). The fans ramp up to about 1500 RPM, only 40% of the total fan speed. In other words, the noise levels from this card won’t bother you either. Pretty good.

The Pros:

  • CompactrnSolid peak boost clocks

The Cons:

  • Cheap designrnCheap feelrnNo factory overclock

PowerColor may not be as popular as some other brands on this list, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to quality.

However, this Powercolor RX 6600 Fighter might be the best variant of the bunch. Who knows?

So, let’s see if that’s true!

Pricing

It feels like we’re repeating ourselves now, but this PowerColor variant is also priced at $329, and again, no factory overclock based on the specifications.

To see the card’s true potential, continue reading.

Design

GPU manufacturers seem to favor this two-fan setup, and it makes sense. This is a low-powered card, so there’s no need for a larger heatsink and more fans.

The Fighter is just 200mm long, making it the second shortest card on this list.

However, looks-wise, it’s not anything special. The two fans take up almost the entire space of the front of the card, and there’s no unique design. It’s mostly just a black shroud covering the heatsink, minimal branding, and no backplate.

You won’t be choosing this card for its looks, so the question is: Will its performance justify this purchase?

Performance And Overclocking Capabilities

PowerColor’s RX 6600 Fighter is different from the Sapphire, Gigabyte, or ASUS GPUs because it also doesn’t have any factory overclocks.

The Fighter has an advertised boost clock speed of 2491 MHz—standard reference card clock speeds. However, this graphics card averages around 2440 MHz during benchmarking and peaks at 2578 MHz.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much information surrounding this GPU’s OC potential. However, considering the peak clock speeds at stock, it’s possible to reach that with an overclock.

Thermals And Acoustics

After a 30-minute in-game run, the card’s temperature averaged around 66 degrees Celsius, similar to the Gigabyte Eagle. Fan noise is around 37 dBA which is louder than some GPUs on this list, but that’s still quiet overall.

Which RX 6600 Graphics Card Should You Buy?

Lowering your list of options to just four products makes the GPU choosing process more manageable but not easy. You’ll still have to choose between these four cards.

To make this even simpler, here are our suggestions and accolades:

ASUS Dual Radeon RX 6600 is the Best Overall. Objectively, the design is simple but doesn’t look or feel cheap. In addition, it has a beefy heatsink which is why it has the best acoustics and thermals.

The Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 Pulse is our runner-up choice. It might not aesthetically fit in all PCs, but it is nice to see a bold design even at these entry-level prices.

But don’t shy away from the PowerColor or Gigabyte cards, either. All of the above cards are very similar in performance, noise, and thermal levels. So, whichever one you pick is a good choice.

Actually, the most important aspect here should be the cost. The one nearest to AMD’s original price is the ideal selection.

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Branko Gapo

Keeping up with the incredibly fast evolution of computer technology is impossible. That is why Branko will be using his knowledge on this matter to share news and information on all the latest essential technological innovations and advancements.