AMD Radeon RX 5700 vs AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT Comparison

Where Each One Wins

The benchmark data splits these two AMD cards into distinct roles. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT wins 9 of the 11 recorded head-to-head tests, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 takes only 2. The RX 6600 XT dominates modern API workloads and compute tasks, whereas the RX 5700 shows its strength in a legacy DirectX 9 scenario and one specific DX12 test.

The RX 6600 XT is the clear winner in compute-oriented and contemporary graphics workloads. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 80503 beats the RX 5700's 69603 by 15.7%. Vulkan performance follows the same pattern, with the RX 6600 XT scoring 72417 versus 64166, a 12.9% advantage. In the Passmark G3D suite, which reflects general 3D rendering capability, the RX 6600 XT posts 16461 against 14314, a 15% lead. The Passmark GPU compute test shows a 15.4% gap, with scores of 7520 and 6517 respectively.

For DirectX 11 users, the difference is dramatic. The RX 6600 XT scores 163 in Passmark DX11, which is 61.4% higher than the RX 5700's 101. This is the single largest percentage win for either card in the entire dataset. DirectX 10 also favors the newer card, with a 25.3% advantage (109 versus 87). DirectX 12 performance is closer but still goes to the RX 6600 XT, which scores 61 versus 54, a 13% edge.

The RX 5700's two victories are worth examining. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 5700 scores 1862 against the RX 6600 XT's 1804, a 3.1% difference. This is notable because it contradicts the Passmark DX12 result, suggesting that the specific workload characteristics of Steel Nomad favor the older card's memory subsystem. The RX 5700 also wins in Passmark DirectX 9, scoring 209 versus 194, a 7.2% margin. This legacy API test shows that the RX 5700 retains an edge in older rendering paths.

In 2D performance, the RX 6600 XT leads modestly with a Passmark G2D score of 912 versus 877, a 4% difference. Metal API performance also goes to the RX 6600 XT, which scores 88720 versus 86079, a 3.1% margin.

Architecture Differences

The two cards represent consecutive generations of AMD's RDNA architecture but differ substantially under the hood. The RX 6600 XT uses the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0, while the RX 5700 uses Navi 10 on the original RDNA 1.0. Both are fabricated on TSMC's 7 nm process, but the transistor counts and die sizes tell different stories.

The RX 6600 XT packs 11,060 million transistors into a 237 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 46.7 million per square millimeter. The RX 5700 has 10,300 million transistors on a larger 251 mm² die, resulting in a lower density of 41.0 million per square millimeter. The newer architecture achieves higher density on a smaller chip.

Clock speeds are where the RX 6600 XT pulls ahead significantly. Its base clock is 1968 MHz, boost clock is 2589 MHz, and game clock is 2359 MHz. The RX 5700 operates at 1465 MHz base, 1725 MHz boost, and 1625 MHz game clock. This clock advantage is substantial, with the RX 6600 XT boosting over 800 MHz higher than the RX 5700's boost clock.

The memory configurations differ in a meaningful way. Both cards have 8 GB of GDDR6, but the RX 5700 uses a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 6600 XT uses a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 5700's memory bandwidth is significantly higher, which helps explain its 3DMark Steel Nomad victory. However, the RX 6600 XT compensates with faster memory clocks: 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective).

The RX 6600 XT is the first of the two to include dedicated ray tracing hardware, with 32 RT cores. The RX 5700 has no RT cores. The RX 6600 XT also has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, while the RX 5700 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Despite having fewer shading units and TMUs, the RX 6600 XT achieves higher pixel and texture rates: 165.7 GPixel/s and 331.4 GTexel/s versus 110.4 GPixel/s and 248.4 GTexel/s.

Compute throughput follows the same pattern. The RX 6600 XT delivers 10.60 TFLOPS FP32 and 21.21 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1), while the RX 5700 delivers 7.949 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.90 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The RX 6600 XT is roughly 33% faster in raw FP32 compute.

API support also differs. The RX 6600 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5700 is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 6600 XT's PCIe interface is 4.0 x8, whereas the RX 5700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16. The RX 6600 XT has a lower TDP at 160 W versus 180 W, and requires a single 8-pin connector compared to the RX 5700's 6-pin plus 8-pin arrangement.

The Verdict

The data points decisively toward the RX 6600 XT for most users. Its 9-to-2 win record, combined with a 15% lead in Passmark G3D and a 15.7% lead in OpenCL compute, makes it the stronger all-around card. The RX 6600 XT also holds a 70th percentile ranking among all GPUs, while the RX 5700 sits at the 67th percentile. Its average benchmark score is 24442 versus 22170, a 10.2% overall advantage.

The RX 6600 XT is the better choice for modern gaming and compute workloads. Its DirectX 12 Ultimate support, ray tracing hardware, and substantially higher clock speeds translate into superior performance in current API environments. The 61.4% lead in DirectX 11 is particularly striking, suggesting that the newer architecture handles legacy DirectX paths far more efficiently.

However, the RX 5700 is not without its merits. Its 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, nearly double that of the RX 6600 XT, gives it an edge in memory-intensive workloads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad result demonstrates this, where the RX 5700 beats the RX 6600 XT by 3.1%. Users running applications that rely heavily on memory bandwidth, or those still using DirectX 9 titles, might find the RX 5700 surprisingly competitive.

The RX 5700's nearest rival comparisons show it trading blows with the AMD Radeon RX 6700S (0.1% higher), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile (1.2% lower), and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB (1.4% higher). The RX 6600 XT, meanwhile, sits close to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1630 (0.7% higher), Intel Arc A350M (0.8% lower), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (1.1% higher). These relative positions suggest the RX 6600 XT competes in a slightly higher performance tier.

For most buyers, the RX 6600 XT is the superior product. It offers better compute performance, faster clocks, modern features like ray tracing, and lower power consumption at 160 W versus 180 W. The RX 5700 makes sense only for specific use cases involving memory bandwidth sensitivity or legacy DirectX 9 workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which card is faster overall?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT has a higher average benchmark score of 24442 compared to the RX 5700's 22170, and it wins 9 of 11 head-to-head tests.

Q: Does the RX 5700 have any advantages?

A: Yes, the RX 5700 wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test by 3.1% (1862 versus 1804) and the Passmark DirectX 9 test by 7.2% (209 versus 194). It also has significantly higher memory bandwidth at 448.0 GB/s versus 256.0 GB/s.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: Only the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT includes dedicated ray tracing cores (32 RT cores). The RX 5700 has no RT cores and does not support DirectX 12 Ultimate.

Q: How do their power requirements compare?

A: The RX 6600 XT has a TDP of 160 W and requires a single 8-pin power connector. The RX 5700 has a TDP of 180 W and requires a 6-pin plus 8-pin configuration. Both suggest a 450 W power supply.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between them?

A: The largest difference is in Passmark DirectX 11, where the RX 6600 XT scores 163 versus the RX 5700's 101, a 61.4% advantage.

Q: Which card has better compute performance?

A: The RX 6600 XT leads in all compute-oriented tests. Its OpenCL score is 80503 versus 69603 (15.7% higher), and its Passmark GPU compute score is 7520 versus 6517 (15.4% higher).

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most lopsided result in the dataset is Passmark DirectX 11. The RX 6600 XT scores 163, while the RX 5700 manages only 101, producing a 61.4% delta. This is an enormous gap for two cards from the same manufacturer and suggests the RDNA 2.0 architecture handles DX11 far more efficiently than RDNA 1.0.

Passmark DirectX 10 shows a similarly one-sided outcome, with the RX 6600 XT winning 109 to 87, a 25.3% margin. Legacy API performance clearly favors the newer architecture, which is unexpected given that the RX 5700 wins the DirectX 9 test.

Compute workloads consistently favor the RX 6600 XT. Geekbench OpenCL shows a 15.7% advantage (80503 versus 69603), Passmark GPU compute shows 15.4% (7520 versus 6517), and Geekbench Vulkan shows 12.9% (72417 versus 64166). These results align with the FP32 throughput figures: 10.60 TFLOPS for the RX 6600 XT versus 7.949 TFLOPS for the RX 5700.

The Passmark G3D score of 16461 versus 14314 gives the RX 6600 XT a 15% lead in general 3D rendering. This is consistent with its higher pixel rate of 165.7 GPixel/s versus 110.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 331.4 GTexel/s versus 248.4 GTexel/s.

Geekbench Metal shows a closer contest, with the RX 6600 XT winning 88720 to 86079, a 3.1% margin. Passmark DirectX 12 also goes to the RX 6600 XT, but only by 13% (61 versus 54), which is a modest gap compared to other DX tests.

The RX 5700's wins are narrower. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 1862 against 1804, a 3.1% edge. This is likely attributable to its 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, which exceeds the RX 6600 XT's 256.0 GB/s by 75%. In Passmark DirectX 9, the RX 5700 wins 209 to 194, a 7.2% margin, which is the second-largest percentage win for either card.

The Passmark G2D test rounds out the results with the RX 6600 XT winning 912 to 877, a 4% difference.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every specification category except for memory size, ROP count, slot width, and power supply recommendation.

Process and Die: Both use TSMC 7 nm, but the RX 6600 XT packs 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die (46.7M per mm²), while the RX 5700 uses 10,300 million on 251 mm² (41.0M per mm²).

Architecture: The RX 6600 XT uses RDNA 2.0 with the Navi 23 chip, while the RX 5700 uses RDNA 1.0 with Navi 10.

Clocks: The RX 6600 XT runs at 1968 MHz base, 2589 MHz boost, and 2359 MHz game clock. The RX 5700 runs at 1465 MHz base, 1725 MHz boost, and 1625 MHz game clock.

Memory: Both have 8 GB GDDR6, but the RX 5700 has a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 6600 XT has a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s. Memory clocks are 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) for the RX 6600 XT and 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the RX 5700.

Compute Units: The RX 6600 XT has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 5700 has 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RX 6600 XT adds 32 RT cores; the RX 5700 has none.

Performance Rates: The RX 6600 XT achieves 165.7 GPixel/s and 331.4 GTexel/s. The RX 5700 achieves 110.4 GPixel/s and 248.4 GTexel/s.

Compute Throughput: The RX 6600 XT delivers 10.60 TFLOPS FP32 and 21.21 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1). The RX 5700 delivers 7.949 TFLOPS FP32 and 15.90 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1).

Power and Cooling: The RX 6600 XT has a 160 W TDP with a single 8-pin connector. The RX 5700 has a 180 W TDP with a 6-pin plus 8-pin configuration. Both are dual-slot and recommend a 450 W PSU.

Dimensions: The RX 6600 XT measures 190 mm by 110 mm by 40 mm. The RX 5700 measures 268 mm by 111 mm by 36 mm, making it significantly longer.

Interface: The RX 6600 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RX 5700 uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

Display Outputs: The RX 6600 XT has 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RX 5700 has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a.

API Support: The RX 6600 XT supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5700 supports DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.