Video card prices are still skyrocketing, with average figures 83% higher than those recommended due to supply problems that do not seem destined to improve until well into 2022, but the new releases do not stop and continue to enrich an offer that now features a new AMD Radeon designed to combine 1080p and high efficiency.
This is what emerged from the review of the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE, economic model of the new entry level option of the RDNA 2 family which is available starting today, only in custom versions, with a recommended price starting from 329 dollars. Not low, then, given the $ 50 more than the launch price of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, but we hope it's worth it.
Hardware features
The AMD Radeon RX 6600, PCIe 4.0 and equipped with HDMI 2.1 like its big sisters, sits on the bottom rung of the RDNA 2 GPU hierarchy with a 23 stream processor Navi 1792 chip. It is therefore satisfied with 28 compute units against the 32 of the AM Radeon RX 6600 XT, consequently losing 4 ray accelerator and braking also on the frequencies that in the case of the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE stop at 2044 MHz in the case of the game clock, resulting in more than 300 MHz lower than those of the older sister. In boost, however, the clock can reach 2491 MHz, reaching less than 100 MHz away from the reference design of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. Furthermore, the 32 MB of Infinity Cache and the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on the 128-bit bus do not change, albeit in this case at 14 Gbps instead of 16 Gbps.
The bandwidth of 224 GB / s, however, should be more than enough for a card inevitably inferior to the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, given the 14% fewer stream processors which is consistent with a 13% lower price. But given the reduced frequencies we would have expected a lower price. In fact, we are talking about a solution that ends up in the low end of the 300 dollars and that in Italy, increases due to the lack of chips excluded, goes to the high range of 300 euros, making it even less convenient than the already unmissable AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. However, it stands out in terms of consumption with a TBP of 132 W which is 21% lower than that of its older sister.
In fact, the new entry level option AMD focuses on a very high efficiency with a declared ratio between consumption and performance that is much higher than that of the other latest generation cards. Precisely for this reason, it must be said, it could attract the attention of cryptocurrency miners, but in promising minimum noise and low consumption it could also appeal to many players who aim for compact and silent systems designed for 1080p.
In length, it should be noted, the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE is not exactly one of the dimensions contained. In fact, it reaches 28.2 centimeters which can give some problems in the case of some compact houses. But it stops at 4.1 centimeters in thickness, it is very light and promises very low temperatures given the three fans combined with a low consumption chip. It also does not lack dual HDMI 2.1 ports, as well as dual DisplayPort 1.4 and meets the minimum requirements of virtual reality, making it useful even in a multi-screen system with four-screen Multiview and maximum 8K resolution.
In addition to this the card's baggage includes full support for the latest generation technologies that include AMD Smart Access Memory, which takes advantage of Resizeable BAR technology to ensure full access to all GPU memory, and FidelityFX technologies, first of all the Super Resolution which thanks to a rather sophisticated upscaling algorithm guarantees a good performance gain in relation to the loss of image quality and is available in Far Cry 6, Deathloop and World War Z: Aftermath. Also note the evolution of the Radeon Adrenaline software with a new automatic overclock for all AMD systems and full support for Windows 11.
GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE data sheet
- Core frequencies: Boost fino a 2491 MHz, game clock fino a 2044 MHz
- Steam Processor: 1792
- Interface: PCI-E 4.0
- Memory: 8GB GDDR6 14 Gbps con bus 128-bit (224 GB/s)
- FIRE: DirectX 12 Ultimate / OpenGL 4.6
- Resolution: Digital max resolution 7680x4320 (Multiview x4)
- Ports: 2x displayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1
- Total board power: 132W (500W recommended power supply)
- Auxiliary power supply: 8-pin PCIe connector
- dimensions: 282 x 113 x 41 mm
- Advised price: dollars 329
design
While being thinner, lighter and slimmer, the card remains the same aesthetics of the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 XT EAGLE. We are therefore talking about a gray plastic armor that extends from the front, all broken lines to surround three fans of the same size, up to the blackplate where we find a grille that uses a short PCB to increase air circulation inside the board. .
Excluding the blue EAGLE writing on the back, the only hint of color comes from the other EAGLE writing, at the top of the front, behind a section of the transparent plastic armor that suggests lighting. This, however, is missing, but this does not surprise us since we are talking about an economic model of a medium-low range card, all in all well-finished in appearance despite the obvious savings.
Performances
In terms of raw power, the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE, which is an entry level Radeon RX 6600, is very close to the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, at least according to the 3DMark Time Spy Fire Strike Ultra benchmark, finishing about 17 percentage points away from the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. However, it consumes 21% less and enjoys sufficient performance to guarantee, with the graphics settings at maximum, the 1080p at discrete framerate with the heaviest titles, the 1080p at sustained frame with the latest generation titles optimized and the 1080p at high framerate with the competitive ones. Furthermore, in several cases it gets along well even in 1440p and, as anticipated, can leverage the upscaling FidelityFX Super Resolution, obviously in the titles that support it. Going into the details of the in-game tests, the brute power of the GPU and the optimizations of the RDNA 2 architecture are felt with the card finally showing the performance advantage over the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, even detaching it by 20% and running Gears 5 , obviously at maximum detail, at 80fps on average in 1080p and 54fps in 1440p. Enough to play both resolutions without problems, which is also valid in the case of Dirt 5, despite the ray tracing applied to the vehicles, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, with its endless map.
Things get more difficult in Watch Dogs: Legion's London, but we are still talking about 55 fps in 1080p and 41 in 1440p, always with the settings at maximum, excluding ray tracing. The GPU's few ray accelerators can't handle the heavy application of physics-based lighting that squeezes performance up to 7fps in 1080p. The same, even if in this case the images per second rise to 16, we can say it for Cyberpunk 2077, which among other things runs at 41 fps in 1080p even without advanced lighting, but not for Control which in Full HD runs at 46. fps with ray tracing on, reaching 86 fps in 1080p and 49 fps in 1440p without activating the advanced lighting. The problem does not arise instead with Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition, which does not enjoy support for ray tracing with AMD GPUs, and for Godfall which instead enjoys support for ray tracing but also the implementation of the FidelityFX Super Resolution, reaching 112 fps in 1080p and 80 fps in 1440p despite the enhanced lighting. This, however, is also manageable by replacing the FSR with the CAS, which improves the visual rendering, given the 74 fps achieved with the title Counterplay Games in 1080p, but the AMD technology is quite important, since it allows you to play at high framerates. to Far Cry 6, not exactly a featherweight also due to ray tracing, and Deathloop.
Basically a card like the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE is enough to enjoy 1080p without compromise even with demanding titles, as long as you don't expect a massive application of ray tracing without upscaling to compensate, and it only slips on Cyberpunk 2077, however playable. even with the graphics settings pushed. However, it highlights how the newborn AMD is a card that cannot promise extreme longevity, except for competitive titles that run with double-digit fps on such a card, and that to survive with the heavier titles coming in the future will depend probably from the diffusion and the quality of the implementation of FidelityFX Super Resolution.
To this must then be added overclocking margins not excelled, unless you push on consumption, given the 1% more performance achieved by pushing the core of 100 MHz and the memory to 15 Gbps. Also, when weighing the AMD GPU, we have to consider a 4% gap between price drop and performance decrease that reduces the affordability, albeit slightly, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT.
Temperatures and noise
The three fans of the GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 EAGLE, as promised and as expected, are effective and above all quiet. So much so that they are almost inaudible from inside a case, even under stress. On the other hand, they don't have to do a particularly demanding job. The GPU does not exceed 32 degrees during normal desktop use, with the fans stopped in 0dB mode, and it's not difficult to keep below 60 degrees in game, even with Cyberpunk 2077 with active ray tracing and the GPU under constant strain.
Pushing the card in overclocking the noise becomes slightly higher, but remains very low, on a par with that of a silent CPU cooler like the Scythe Mugen 5. It therefore moves, like the temperatures, with a gaming compact or in any case with a configuration destined to end up in small or quiet spaces.
Comment
Resources4Gaming.com
7.5
The GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 XT EAGLE does not betray promises and premises related to the new entry level GPU of the AMD Radeon RDNA 2 series, doing well with 1080p gaming in the face of low power consumption, moderate temperatures and minimal noise. But it moves on the razor's edge and risks struggling with the next generation of titles, without guaranteeing savings capable of making you forget the limits, already visible with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, in terms of ray tracing performance and ratio. between price and performance. However, it comes out at a time when there is a hunger for video cards and found at the right price can still represent a great opportunity.
PRO
- Good 1080p performance, even with demanding titles
- Silent and subtle
- Excellent temperatures, even in overclocking
- High price in relation to the overall capacities
- The small number of ray accelerators can be heard
- Minimal overclocking gains
