AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 vs AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The two benchmark results in the FACT PACK paint a clear picture of overall performance, with the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 winning both head-to-head tests. The largest margin comes in the Geekbench OpenCL test, where the MI60 scores 92,488 against the RX 6600 LE’s 69,229, a delta of 33.6%. That is a substantial lead in raw compute throughput, and it aligns with the MI60’s position as a data-center oriented product. The Vulkan test narrows the gap somewhat, with the MI60 scoring 92,444 versus the RX 6600 LE’s 72,428, a delta of 27.6%. Both deltas exceed 25%, which means the MI60 is not just marginally ahead—it is decisively ahead in both API workloads captured here.

Looking at the average benchmark scores, the MI60’s 92,466 average places it in the 93rd percentile of all GPUs in the database. The RX 6600 LE, by contrast, averages 70,829 and sits in the 91st percentile. While both are high-percentile performers, the MI60’s 21,637-point average advantage translates to a 30.6% lead in aggregate compute performance. This is consistent with the per-test deltas, confirming that the MI60’s advantage is systemic rather than workload-specific. The MI60 also holds a 2–0 wins record in the head-to-head table, with no benchmark where the RX 6600 LE takes the lead.

Interpreting these numbers against the nearest rivals provides additional context. The MI60’s average score is 0.9% above the NVIDIA RTX A4500 (91,671) and 1.5% above the RTX A4500 Mobile (91,134). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro VII (97,131) by 4.8% and the AMD Radeon RX 7900M (97,487) by 5.2%. For the RX 6600 LE, its average sits 1% above the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile (70,140) and 1.2% above the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (69,986), while falling 1.3% short of the AMD Radeon RX 6650M (71,768) and 1.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 8200 (69,870). These deltas show that the RX 6600 LE is competitive with mobile and older workstation parts, but the MI60 operates in a higher performance tier altogether.

Where Each One Wins

The MI60 wins in every benchmark category captured, but the nature of its wins reveals where each card is best suited. In Geekbench OpenCL, the MI60’s 33.6% lead suggests a significant advantage in general-purpose compute workloads that leverage OpenCL. This is reinforced by its hardware configuration: 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and a 4096-bit memory bus with HBM2 memory delivering 1.02 TB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6600 LE, with 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and a 128-bit GDDR6 bus at 224.0 GB/s, is clearly a different class of hardware in terms of raw throughput.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the MI60 leads by 27.6%, but the RX 6600 LE’s narrower margin here is worth noting. Vulkan is a lower-overhead API, and the RX 6600 LE’s RDNA 2.0 architecture with 28 ray-tracing cores may reduce the gap in graphics-oriented workloads. Still, the MI60’s higher FP32 throughput (14.75 TFLOPS versus 8.942 TFLOPS) and its 64 ROPs matching the RX 6600 LE’s 64 ROPs mean that the MI60 remains ahead even in graphics-adjacent tests. The RX 6600 LE does have a higher pixel rate (159.7 GPixel/s versus 115.2 GPixel/s) and a higher boost clock (2495 MHz versus 1800 MHz), but these advantages are insufficient to overcome the MI60’s compute and memory bandwidth advantages.

Where the RX 6600 LE wins is in efficiency and feature set, not raw performance. Its TDP is 132 W versus the MI60’s 300 W, and it requires only a 300 W suggested PSU compared to 700 W. It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, whereas the MI60 supports DirectX 12 (12_1) and Vulkan 1.3. For gaming or consumer workloads that leverage these newer APIs, the RX 6600 LE is the more modern choice. However, in every benchmark score captured, the MI60 is the clear winner.

The Verdict

The data points to a straightforward conclusion: the AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 is the higher-performing GPU in raw compute terms, winning both head-to-head tests with deltas of 33.6% and 27.6%. Its average benchmark score of 92,466 places it in the 93rd percentile, and it outpaces the RX 6600 LE’s 70,829 average by over 30%. If the primary criterion is benchmark performance, the MI60 is the superior card.

However, the choice is not purely about scores. The MI60 is an end-of-life product released in 2018, while the RX 6600 LE is an active product released in 2023. The RX 6600 LE offers modern API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate, Vulkan 1.4), ray-tracing cores, and a significantly lower TDP (132 W versus 300 W). It also has a smaller physical footprint (190 mm length versus 267 mm) and a wider range of display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a versus a single mini-DisplayPort 1.4a). For a workstation or data-center environment where compute density and memory capacity (32 GB HBM2 versus 8 GB GDDR6) matter, the MI60 is the obvious pick. For a consumer or gaming build where efficiency, modern features, and lower power draw are priorities, the RX 6600 LE is the more sensible choice. Strictly from the data, the MI60 wins on performance, but the RX 6600 LE wins on modernity and operational efficiency.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon Instinct MI60 has an average benchmark score of 92,466, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE’s 70,829. The MI60 also holds the higher percentile rank at 93 versus 91.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two cards in a single test?

A: The largest gap is in Geekbench OpenCL, where the MI60 scores 92,488 and the RX 6600 LE scores 69,229, resulting in a 33.6% delta in favor of the MI60.

Q: Does the RX 6600 LE win any benchmark tests?

A: No. The head-to-head record is 2 wins for the MI60 and 0 wins for the RX 6600 LE across the Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan tests.

Q: How does the MI60 compare to its closest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A4500?

A: The MI60’s average score of 92,466 is 0.9% higher than the RTX A4500’s 91,671, making the MI60 slightly faster in aggregate benchmark performance.

Q: How does the RX 6600 LE compare to the AMD Radeon RX 6650M?

A: The RX 6600 LE’s average score of 70,829 is 1.3% lower than the RX 6650M’s 71,768, so the RX 6650M holds a small performance lead.

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The MI60 has 32 GB of HBM2 memory on a 4096-bit bus with 1.02 TB/s bandwidth. The RX 6600 LE has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different architectural generations and design philosophies. The MI60 uses the Vega 20 chip based on GCN 5.1 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It integrates 13,230 million transistors on a 331 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 40.0M per mm². The RX 6600 LE uses the Navi 23 chip based on RDNA 2.0 architecture, also on a 7 nm TSMC process, but with 11,060 million transistors on a smaller 237 mm² die, achieving a higher transistor density of 46.7M per mm².

The MI60’s GCN 5.1 architecture is compute-focused, with 4,096 shading units, 256 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It has no dedicated ray-tracing cores or tensor cores. The RX 6600 LE’s RDNA 2.0 architecture is gaming-oriented, with 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 28 ray-tracing cores. It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), whereas the MI60 only supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Vulkan support also differs: the MI60 supports Vulkan 1.3, while the RX 6600 LE supports Vulkan 1.4. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

The memory subsystems reflect their different purposes. The MI60 uses HBM2 with a 4096-bit bus and 1.02 TB/s bandwidth, which is typical for compute and data-center workloads requiring massive memory throughput. The RX 6600 LE uses GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is more typical for consumer gaming cards. The MI60’s FP32 throughput is 14.75 TFLOPS versus the RX 6600 LE’s 8.942 TFLOPS, and its FP16 throughput is 29.49 TFLOPS versus 17.88 TFLOPS, both at 2:1 ratios. Pixel and texture rates also differ: the MI60 has 115.2 GPixel/s and 460.8 GTexel/s, while the RX 6600 LE has 159.7 GPixel/s and 279.4 GTexel/s.

Specification Differences

The clocks are markedly different between the two cards. The MI60 has a base clock of 1200 MHz and a boost clock of 1800 MHz, with no game clock listed. The RX 6600 LE has a base clock of 1626 MHz, a boost clock of 2495 MHz, and a game clock of 2045 MHz. Memory clocks also differ: the MI60 runs at 1000 MHz with 2 Gbps effective, while the RX 6600 LE runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective.

Power requirements diverge significantly. The MI60 has a TDP of 300 W, requires a 700 W suggested PSU, and uses both a 6-pin and an 8-pin power connector. The RX 6600 LE has a TDP of 132 W, requires a 300 W suggested PSU, and uses a single 8-pin connector. Both are dual-slot cards, but dimensions differ: the MI60 is 267 mm (10.5 inches) long and 111 mm (4.4 inches) tall, while the RX 6600 LE is 190 mm (7.5 inches) long, 110 mm (4.3 inches) tall, and 40 mm (1.6 inches) wide.

The bus interface differs as well. The MI60 uses PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 6600 LE uses PCIe 4.0 x8. Display outputs are also different: the MI60 has a single mini-DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 6600 LE has one HDMI 2.1 and three DisplayPort 1.4a outputs. Production status and release dates distinguish the two further: the MI60 is end-of-life and was released on 2018-11-17, while the RX 6600 LE is active and was released on 2023-12-07. The MI60’s predecessor is listed as FirePro Data Center, while the RX 6600 LE’s predecessor is Navi and its successor is Navi III.