AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 6700S Comparison

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture: the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the dominant performer in this pairing, winning 10 of 11 head-to-head benchmarks. Its average benchmark score sits at 19,765, while the RX 6700S posts a higher average of 22,154, a 12% advantage for the mobile part. This inversion is significant: the RX 6700S, despite its lower raw performance in most individual tests, has a higher overall average score, likely due to its exceptional showing in one compute-heavy workload. The RX 6650 XT, however, is the consistent choice for gaming and general graphics tasks, as it leads in every DirectX test, both PassMark gaming metrics, and Vulkan. The RX 6700S is a specialized tool, winning only the OpenCL compute test by a staggering margin. For a desktop user seeking broad performance across APIs, the RX 6650 XT is the definitive pick. For a portable system prioritizing raw compute throughput, the RX 6700S has a distinct, albeit narrow, edge.

Architecture Differences

Both cards share the same foundational architecture: RDNA 2.0, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, using the Navi 23 chip. They also share the same 11,060 million transistors and a 237 mm² die size, resulting in a transistor density of 46.7M / mm². This is where the similarities end. The RX 6700S is a mobile-focused part, part of the Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) generation, while the RX 6650 XT belongs to the Navi II (RX 6000) desktop generation. The RX 6700S is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with no power connectors, while the RX 6650 XT is a dual-slot card with a single 8-pin connector and a suggested PSU of 450 W. This directly points to their intended use cases: one for thin, portable devices, the other for a traditional desktop tower.

The two chips differ in their configured resources. The RX 6700S has 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 28 ray tracing cores. The RX 6650 XT, in contrast, has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ray tracing cores. Both share 64 ROPs and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. The RX 6700S runs at a lower clock speed: a base of 1700 MHz, a boost of 2000 MHz, and a game clock of 1890 MHz. The RX 6650 XT is much faster, with a base of 2055 MHz, a boost of 2635 MHz, and a game clock of 2410 MHz. This clock disparity is the primary driver of their performance difference in most tests.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in raw gaming performance?

A: The RX 6650 XT. It wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test (1859 vs 1451) and the Passmark G3D test (17166 vs 15066), and leads in every DirectX API benchmark from 9 through 12.

Q: Why does the RX 6700S have a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 6700S has an average score of 22154, versus 19765 for the RX 6650 XT. This is due to its massive win in the Geekbench OpenCL test (70965 vs 10111), which skews its average upward despite losing most other tests.

Q: How does the RX 6700S compare to its closest rival, the RX 5700?

A: The RX 6700S is nearly identical, with a delta of -0.1% compared to the RX 5700's average score of 22170. Its performance is practically indistinguishable from that older card.

Q: Is the RX 6650 XT a good match for the RTX 5060 Mobile?

A: The data does not show a direct comparison. The RX 6700S is 1.3% slower than the RTX 5060 Mobile. The RX 6650 XT is not listed in that rival group, so a direct comparison is not available in the database.

Q: Which card has a higher pixel rate?

A: The RX 6650 XT has a much higher pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s, compared to 128.0 GPixel/s for the RX 6700S. The texture rate is also much higher for the RX 6650 XT (337.3 GTexel/s vs 224.0 GTexel/s).

Q: What about memory bandwidth?

A: The RX 6650 XT has a higher memory bandwidth at 280.3 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s for the RX 6700S, despite both using an 8 GB GDDR6 configuration on a 128-bit bus.

Specification Differences

The recorded data shows these key differences between the two cards:

• Generation: The RX 6700S is listed as Navi Mobile (RX 6000M), while the RX 6650 XT is Navi II (RX 6000).
• Base Clock: 1700 MHz (RX 6700S) vs 2055 MHz (RX 6650 XT)
• Boost Clock: 2000 MHz (RX 6700S) vs 2635 MHz (RX 6650 XT)
• Game Clock: 1890 MHz (RX 6700S) vs 2410 MHz (RX 6650 XT)
• Memory Clock: 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) for the RX 6700S vs 2190 MHz (17.5 Gbps effective) for the RX 6650 XT
• Shading Units: 1792 (RX 6700S) vs 2048 (RX 6650 XT)
• Texture Mapping Units: 112 (RX 6700S) vs 128 (RX 6650 XT)
• Ray Tracing Cores: 28 (RX 6700S) vs 32 (RX 6650 XT)
• Pixel Rate: 128.0 GPixel/s (RX 6700S) vs 168.6 GPixel/s (RX 6650 XT)
• Texture Rate: 224.0 GTexel/s (RX 6700S) vs 337.3 GTexel/s (RX 6650 XT)
• FP32 Performance: 7.168 TFLOPS (RX 6700S) vs 10.79 TFLOPS (RX 6650 XT)
• FP16 Performance: 14.34 TFLOPS (RX 6700S) vs 21.59 TFLOPS (RX 6650 XT)
• TDP: 80 W (RX 6700S) vs 176 W (RX 6650 XT)
• Slot Width: IGP (RX 6700S) vs Dual-slot (RX 6650 XT)
• Power Connectors: None (RX 6700S) vs 1x 8-pin (RX 6650 XT)
• Suggested PSU: Not specified for RX 6700S vs 450 W for RX 6650 XT
• Display Outputs: Portable Device Dependent (RX 6700S) vs 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a (RX 6650 XT)
• Release Date: 2022-01-03 (RX 6700S) vs 2022-05-09 (RX 6650 XT)
• Predecessor: Polaris Mobile (RX 6700S) vs Navi (RX 6650 XT)
• Successor: None (RX 6700S) vs Navi III (RX 6650 XT)
• Launch MSRP: Not available for RX 6700S, 399 USD for RX 6650 XT

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RX 6650 XT wins the vast majority of performance tests. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 1859 against 1451, a 21.9% advantage. The Geekbench Metal test shows a similar gap: 97969 for the RX 6650 XT against 72864, a 25.6% lead. Vulkan performance is closer, with the RX 6650 XT winning 81306 to 76150, a 6.3% margin. In the PassMark suite, the RX 6650 XT dominates across all graphics APIs: DirectX 10 (109 vs 87, 20.2% ahead), DirectX 11 (169 vs 134, 20.7% ahead), DirectX 12 (62 vs 58, 6.5% ahead), and DirectX 9 (215 vs 195, 9.3% ahead). The 2D test also favors the RX 6650 XT, with a score of 918 versus 739, a 19.5% difference. The 3D test shows a 12.2% lead, 17166 vs 15066. The GPU compute test is also won by the RX 6650 XT, scoring 7532 versus 5990, a 20.5% lead.

The single win for the RX 6700S is in Geekbench OpenCL. It scores 70965 versus 10111 for the RX 6650 XT, a staggering 601.9% difference. This is the only test where the RX 6700S comes out ahead, and the margin is so large that it pushes the RX 6700S's average benchmark score higher than the RX 6650 XT's.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6650 XT is the winner for all standard graphics workloads. Its lead in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 and PassMark G3D tests shows it is better for gaming and general 3D rendering. It also leads in every DirectX API test, from the older DirectX 9 to the modern DirectX 12, making it the more compatible and broadly-performing card for gaming. Its higher texture rate (337.3 GTexel/s vs 224.0 GTexel/s) and pixel rate (168.6 GPixel/s vs 128.0 GPixel/s) support its superiority in these tests. The RX 6650 XT is also the clear choice for memory-intensive tasks, with a higher bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. The data indicates that for any consumer workload, from gaming to 2D desktop usage, the RX 6650 XT is the superior product.

The RX 6700S, while losing most benchmarks, has a clear and specific strength: raw compute throughput in OpenCL. Its score of 70965 is nearly seven times higher than the RX 6650 XT's 10111. This suggests that for applications which rely heavily on OpenCL compute, such as certain non-gaming workloads, the RX 6700S is the better choice. The RX 6700S also has a lower TDP of 80 W compared to 176 W, which is a significant advantage in terms of power efficiency, though the RX 6650 XT has a suggested PSU of 450 W. The RX 6700S is an integrated part of a portable device, so its lower power draw is its main advantage. The data suggests that if the workload is compute-heavy and power limits are a concern, the RX 6700S is the winner. For everything else, the RX 6650 XT is the clear choice.