RX 5700 vs RX 6600: Which Graphics Card Should You Buy?

The RX 5700 and RX 6600 deliver nearly the same frame rates, so the right pick depends on your build rather than speed. Choose the RX 6600 for a new or compact 1080p PC: it draws about 50 W less, is much shorter, and supports hardware ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate, which some newer games now require. Choose the RX 5700 only if it is clearly cheaper used and you mostly play older or esports titles, especially at 1440p, where its wider memory bus can give it a small edge. The newer RX 6600 is not faster. It is a sidegrade with better features and efficiency.

The Short Version in Numbers

The RX 5700 (RDNA 1, July 2019, $349) and RX 6600 (RDNA 2, October 2021, $329) both carry 8 GB of GDDR6. The RX 5700 has more shaders (2,304 vs 1,792) and a 256-bit bus with 448 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6600 counters with a much higher 2491 MHz boost clock, 32 MB of Infinity Cache, and a narrow 128-bit bus at 224 GB/s. Two very different designs end up in nearly the same place on performance charts.

MSI Gaming Radeon RX 5700 Boost Clock: 1750 MHz 256-bit 8GB GDDR6 DP/HDMI Dual Torx 3.0 Fans Crossfire Navi AMD Radeon FreeSync Graphics Card (RX 5700 MECH GP OC) (Renewed)

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ASRock AMD Radeon RX 6600 Challenger D 8GB GDDR6 DisplayPort 14Gbps HDMI 0dB Silent Cooling 128-bit 7680 x 4320 Dual Fan Graphics Card PCI Express 4.0 x8 8-pin

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XFX Speedster SWFT 210 Radeon RX 6600 CORE Gaming Graphics Card with 8GB GDDR6 HDMI 3xDP, AMD RDNA 2 RX-66XL8LFDQ

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Full Specifications

Benchmarks: Practically a Draw

TechSpot’s RX 6600 launch review summed up the newer card as delivering roughly RX 5700 or RTX 2070-class performance. Game by game, the RX 6600 ranged from matching the RX 5700 (Death Stranding at 1080p) to trailing it by about 7% in other titles. At 1440p it kept pace in some games, such as Rainbow Six Siege, but the 5700’s extra bandwidth helped elsewhere.

• 1080p: Within about 0-7% of each other, usually with the RX 5700 marginally ahead. Expect roughly 60-80 fps in modern AAA games at medium-high settings on either card, depending on settings, CPU and patch.
• 1440p: The RX 5700 tends to hold a slightly larger lead. Its 256-bit bus suffers less when data spills past the RX 6600’s 32 MB cache.
• Esports: Both easily drive 144 Hz monitors in titles like Valorant, CS2 and Fortnite on competitive settings.

In everyday use, very few players would notice the difference without a frame counter.

VRAM Budget at Each Resolution

Both cards carry 8 GB, so they hit memory limits at the same point. As a rough guide for recent AAA games:

• 1080p medium: about 5-7 GB, comfortable on either card
• 1080p high/ultra: about 7-9 GB, borderline in the newest releases, where lowering texture quality one notch usually fixes stutter
• 1440p high: about 8-11 GB, beyond both cards in many new games, so medium textures are the realistic target

When a game spills past 8 GB, the RX 6600 suffers slightly more on older boards because of its narrower PCIe link, covered below. On a PCIe 4.0 platform the two behave much the same.

Ray Tracing, DX12 Ultimate and Upscaling

This is where the RX 6600 earns its place. RDNA 1 has no ray-tracing hardware and no DirectX 12 Ultimate support. A handful of recent games, including Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Doom: The Dark Ages, require RT-capable GPUs and will not run on the RX 5700 at all. The RX 6600 can run them at low-to-medium 1080p settings. Its RT performance is too weak to make optional ray-traced effects worthwhile in most other games.

Upscaling and frame generation:

• FSR 2 / FSR 3.1 upscaling: Works on both.
• FSR 3 frame generation: Available in supported games on both, though AMD positions RX 6000 and newer as the recommended hardware.
• AFMF driver frame generation: RX 6000 and newer only. The RX 6600 gets it, and the RX 5700 does not.
• FSR 4: Officially aimed at RX 9000 cards. Do not expect it on either.
• XeSS: Runs on both.

Power, PSU and Case Fit

The RX 6600’s efficiency is its strongest everyday advantage. It runs at a 132 W TDP from a single 8-pin connector, while the RX 5700 needs 180 W from a 6-pin plus an 8-pin.

PSU Sizing Example

• RX 5700 + 105 W CPU: 180 + 105 + 150 = 435 W, so a quality 500-550 W unit is recommended.
• RX 6600 + 105 W CPU: 132 + 105 + 150 = 387 W, so a quality 450 W unit is enough.

Length is the other big difference. At 190 mm, the RX 6600 fits mini-ITX cases and slim office towers that a 268 mm RX 5700 cannot. That makes the 6600 the go-to choice for upgrading prebuilt PCs with limited space and modest power supplies, provided the PSU has an 8-pin PCIe lead.

One caveat: the RX 6600’s PCIe 4.0 x8 link loses some bandwidth on PCIe 3.0 motherboards. When games overflow 8 GB of VRAM, this can cost a few percent extra on older platforms. The RX 5700’s x16 link avoids that issue.

Cost per Frame

Treating the RX 6600 as 100 and the RX 5700 as roughly 104 (a midpoint of TechSpot’s 0-7% range):

• RX 5700 at launch: $349 / 104 = about $3.36 per performance point
• RX 6600 at launch: $329 / 100 = $3.29 per performance point

At launch the two were essentially equal value. TechSpot was critical of the RX 6600’s pricing for that reason, since two years of progress brought almost no improvement in performance per dollar. The 6600 did, however, soon fall well below MSRP and became one of the most popular budget cards.

Buying Used

Both cards are now mostly bought used. A used RX 5700 usually sells for roughly $90-$130, and a used RX 6600 usually goes for around $140-$180. Some RX 5700 cards can be flashed to RX 5700 XT firmware, but that carries a risk and should not be part of a purchase decision. Many RX 5700s ran for years in mining rigs, so check fan health and temperatures. RX 6600s are newer and generally carry less wear.

Which One Fits Your Build?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the RX 6600 faster than the RX 5700?

No, they are roughly equal, and the RX 5700 is often slightly ahead. TechSpot found the RX 6600 ranging from matching the RX 5700 to trailing it by about 7% depending on the game. The RX 6600’s advantages are efficiency, size and modern features rather than speed.

Can the RX 5700 run games that require ray tracing?

No. The RX 5700 lacks ray-tracing hardware and DirectX 12 Ultimate support, so games that require an RT-capable GPU will not run. The RX 6600 meets that requirement, although its RT performance is modest.

What PSU do I need for an RX 6600?

A quality 450 W unit with one 8-pin PCIe connector is enough for most builds with a mainstream CPU. That figure comes from the 132 W TDP, about 105-125 W for the CPU, and roughly 150 W of headroom. The RX 5700 needs a bit more, ideally 500-550 W with both a 6-pin and an 8-pin connector.

Is 8 GB of VRAM enough on these cards?

For 1080p at medium-to-high settings, mostly yes, but some recent releases need texture quality lowered to avoid stuttering. Neither card has an advantage here, since both have 8 GB. Buyers planning to keep a card for several years should consider 12 GB or 16 GB options.

Will the RX 6600 fit in a small case?

Very likely. At 190 mm long and two slots wide, it fits most mini-ITX and slim cases. The RX 5700 is 268 mm, which rules out many compact enclosures.