AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE vs AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT Comparison

# Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT decisively outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 6600 LE in every shared benchmark, with the data showing a clean 2-0 sweep. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 6850M XT scores 85,040 against 69,229 for the RX 6600 LE, a 22.8% advantage. That is a substantial gap, placing the RX 6850M XT firmly ahead in compute workloads that leverage OpenCL acceleration. The margin widens considerably in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 6850M XT posts 99,483 versus 72,428 for the RX 6600 LE — a 37.4% lead. This nearly two-fifths performance advantage in a modern graphics API underscores how much faster the RX 6850M XT is when the rendering pipeline is fully utilized.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the RX 6850M XT also holds a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,257, a result the RX 6600 LE does not have a comparable entry for in the data. The RX 6850M XT’s average benchmark score of 78,940 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 6600 LE’s average of 70,829 sits just one percentile lower at 91. The percentile difference is modest — only one point — but the raw score gap of 8,111 points (roughly 11.5%) is meaningful for demanding workloads.

The RX 6850M XT’s nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79,396 average, -0.6% delta), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79,605, -0.8%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (79,842, -1.1%). Notably, the RX 6850M XT actually edges out the RTX 5090 by 1.1% in average benchmark score, an impressive result for a mobile-part GPU. It also leads the RTX 5090 D by 1.6% (77,712 average for the rival). On the other side, the RX 6600 LE’s closest competitors are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M (71,768, -1.3% delta), the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile (70,140, +1.0%), and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (69,986, +1.2%). The RX 6600 LE trails the RX 6650M by 1.3% while edging out the RTX A3000 Mobile and Quadro P6000 by 1.0% and 1.2%, respectively.

# FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins in Geekbench Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT wins decisively with a score of 99,483 versus 72,428 for the RX 6600 LE, a 37.4% advantage.

Q: How large is the OpenCL performance gap between the two cards?

A: The RX 6850M XT scores 85,040 in Geekbench OpenCL compared to 69,229 for the RX 6600 LE, giving the RX 6850M XT a 22.8% lead.

Q: What is the average benchmark score difference between the two?

A: The RX 6850M XT has an average benchmark score of 78,940, while the RX 6600 LE averages 70,829 — a difference of 8,111 points in favor of the RX 6850M XT.

Q: How do the two GPUs rank against all other GPUs in the database?

A: The RX 6850M XT sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 6600 LE ranks in the 91st percentile.

Q: Does the RX 6600 LE beat the RX 6850M XT in any head-to-head benchmark?

A: No. In the two shared benchmarks (Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan), the RX 6850M XT wins both. The data shows 2 wins for the RX 6850M XT and 0 for the RX 6600 LE.

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

A: The RX 6600 LE trails the RX 6650M by 1.3% in average benchmark score, with the RX 6650M scoring 71,768 versus 70,829 for the RX 6600 LE.

# Where Each One Wins

The RX 6850M XT is the clear choice for users who prioritize raw graphics throughput across both compute and gaming-adjacent APIs. Its 22.8% lead in OpenCL and 37.4% lead in Vulkan make it the stronger option for rendering workloads, GPU-accelerated compute tasks, and any application that leverages the Vulkan API for modern game engines or professional visualization. The RX 6850M XT also has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,257, indicating solid DirectX 12 Ultimate performance for current-generation titles. With a 92nd-percentile ranking, this GPU sits noticeably above the median, and its ability to outperform the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 by 1.1% in average benchmark score speaks to its high-end positioning.

The RX 6600 LE, while trailing in every shared head-to-head test, still holds a respectable 91st percentile ranking. It is competitive within its own peer group, edging out the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile by 1.0% and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 by 1.2%. For users who do not require the absolute maximum performance, the RX 6600 LE offers lower power consumption (132 W TDP versus 165 W for the RX 6850M XT) and a dual-slot form factor with standard display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), making it more adaptable to conventional desktop builds. The RX 6850M XT, by contrast, is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with portable-device-dependent outputs, meaning it is designed for laptops or specialized mobile platforms rather than standalone desktop installation.

In terms of memory configuration, the RX 6850M XT provides 12 GB of GDDR6 across a 192-bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6600 LE offers 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, with 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth — roughly half the memory bandwidth of its larger sibling. For memory-intensive workloads such as high-resolution textures or large compute buffers, the RX 6850M XT’s additional capacity and bandwidth give it a clear edge. The RX 6600 LE’s smaller 190 mm length and 110 mm height make it a more compact solution for small-form-factor builds, but the performance trade-off is substantial.

# Specification Differences

The two cards diverge sharply on memory. The RX 6850M XT comes with 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, while the RX 6600 LE has 8 GB on a 128-bit bus. Memory bandwidth tells the same story: 432.0 GB/s for the RX 6850M XT versus 224.0 GB/s for the RX 6600 LE. Clock speeds also differ, with the RX 6850M XT running a base clock of 2321 MHz, a boost clock of 2581 MHz, and a game clock of 2463 MHz. The RX 6600 LE operates at a base clock of 1626 MHz, a boost of 2495 MHz, and a game clock of 2045 MHz. Effective memory speed is 18 Gbps on the RX 6850M XT versus 14 Gbps on the RX 6600 LE.

Compute resources are heavily skewed toward the RX 6850M XT. It packs 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 40 ray tracing cores. The RX 6600 LE has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 28 RT cores. Both have 64 ROPs. Pixel rate is nearly identical — 165.2 GPixel/s for the RX 6850M XT versus 159.7 GPixel/s for the RX 6600 LE — but texture rate diverges: 413.0 GTexel/s versus 279.4 GTexel/s. FP32 throughput is 13.21 TFLOPS for the RX 6850M XT and 8.942 TFLOPS for the RX 6600 LE, with FP16 at 26.43 TFLOPS and 17.88 TFLOPS respectively (both at 2:1 ratio).

Power and physical specifications differ as well. The RX 6850M XT has a 165 W TDP, an IGP slot width, no power connectors, and portable-device-dependent display outputs. The RX 6600 LE has a 132 W TDP, a dual-slot design, a single 8-pin power connector, a 300 W suggested PSU, and fixed display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a). The bus interface also changes: PCIe 4.0 x16 for the RX 6850M XT versus PCIe 4.0 x8 for the RX 6600 LE.

# Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on AMD’s RDNA 2.0 architecture and use TSMC’s 7 nm process node, but they are distinct chips. The RX 6850M XT uses the Navi 22 die, while the RX 6600 LE uses the Navi 23 die. Transistor counts reflect the size difference: Navi 22 packs 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 51.3 million per mm². Navi 23 has 11,060 million transistors on 237 mm², for a density of 46.7 million per mm². The larger die on the RX 6850M XT enables its higher shading unit count, more TMUs, and additional RT cores.

The RX 6850M XT belongs to the Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) generation and lists its predecessor as Polaris Mobile. The RX 6600 LE is from the Navi II (RX 6000) generation, with a predecessor of Navi and a successor of Navi III. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API feature coverage is identical. Neither card has tensor cores. The RX 6850M XT is marked as end-of-life with a release date of January 3, 2022, while the RX 6600 LE is still active, released on December 7, 2023.

# The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT is the superior performer in every measured category. It wins both head-to-head benchmarks by wide margins — 22.8% in OpenCL and 37.4% in Vulkan — and holds a higher average benchmark score (78,940 versus 70,829). Its 12 GB memory buffer and 432.0 GB/s bandwidth double the RX 6600 LE’s 224.0 GB/s, making it the better choice for high-resolution gaming, content creation, or any memory-hungry application. The RX 6850M XT’s 92nd-percentile ranking and its ability to outperform the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 by 1.1% in average score place it in elite company.

That said, the RX 6600 LE is not without merit. It is a compact, dual-slot card with standard display outputs, making it far easier to integrate into a conventional desktop PC. Its 132 W TDP is lower, and it uses a single 8-pin connector with a 300 W suggested PSU, which simplifies power delivery. It also remains an active product with a 2023 release date, whereas the RX 6850M XT is end-of-life from early 2022. For a user building a small-form-factor rig or upgrading an existing desktop with modest power headroom, the RX 6600 LE offers a reasonable 91st-percentile performance level that competes well against the NVIDIA RTX A3000 Mobile and Quadro P6000.

Ultimately, the choice hinges on platform. The RX 6850M XT is an IGP designed for portable devices, with no discrete card form factor and no user-facing display outputs. It is the right pick for a high-end laptop or mobile workstation where maximum GPU compute is required. The RX 6600 LE is a self-contained desktop GPU that prioritizes accessibility and efficiency over raw speed. If raw performance is the sole criterion, the RX 6850M XT wins outright by 11.5% in average score and by 37.4% in Vulkan. If form factor and ease of integration matter more, the RX 6600 LE is the pragmatic selection, albeit with a significant performance penalty that the benchmark data makes impossible to ignore.