AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data splits these two AMD cards across ten direct comparisons, with the newer RX 7600 XT taking six wins and the older RX 6650 XT taking four. The most dramatic result appears in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 7600 XT scores 92,426 against the RX 6650 XT’s 10,111, a gap of 89.1%. This is not a small edge; it suggests the RDNA 3.0 architecture handles compute workloads in a fundamentally different way, at least under that specific test harness.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 result also favors the RX 7600 XT, with a score of 2,348 versus 1,859, a 20.8% advantage. That is the kind of margin that translates into a meaningful frame-rate difference in modern DirectX 12 titles. The RX 7600 XT also wins PassMark DirectX 12 (65 vs 62, a 4.6% edge), PassMark DirectX 9 (228 vs 215, a 5.7% edge), PassMark G2D (1,030 vs 918, a 10.9% edge), and PassMark GPU Compute (8,987 vs 7,532, a 16.2% edge).

However, the RX 6650 XT is far from obsolete. Its biggest victory comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where it posts 81,306 against the RX 7600 XT’s 48,366, a 68.1% lead. That is a massive reversal, indicating that under Vulkan API workloads, the older card is substantially faster. The RX 6650 XT also takes PassMark DirectX 10 (109 vs 85, a 28.2% lead) and squeaks out PassMark DirectX 11 (169 vs 167, a 1.2% lead). The closest call in the entire set is PassMark G3D, where the RX 6650 XT wins by just 34 points (17,166 vs 17,132, a 0.2% delta), effectively a statistical tie.

Looking at the aggregate averages, the RX 6650 XT holds a higher mean benchmark score of 19,765 versus 17,083 for the RX 7600 XT, despite losing more head-to-head tests. This discrepancy is driven by the RX 6650 XT’s commanding Vulkan score and its stronger legacy DirectX 10/11 results. The percentile rankings reflect this split identity as well: the RX 6650 XT sits at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 7600 XT sits at the 60th percentile. The database’s nearest rival data shows the RX 6650 XT trading blows with workstation cards like the NVIDIA Tesla K40m (0.6% behind) and the AMD FirePro W7000 (0.7% behind), while the RX 7600 XT lands within 0.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, a notable comparison for a mid-range card.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins more benchmark comparisons overall?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT wins 6 of the 10 recorded head-to-head tests, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT wins 4.

Q: Is the RX 7600 XT always faster in modern APIs?

A: No. The RX 7600 XT leads in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 by 20.8%, but the RX 6650 XT leads in Geekbench Vulkan by 68.1%. The results are API-dependent.

Q: How do the two cards compare in raw compute performance?

A: The RX 7600 XT is significantly ahead in PassMark GPU Compute (8,987 vs 7,532, a 16.2% lead) and in Geekbench OpenCL (92,426 vs 10,111, an 89.1% lead). The RX 6650 XT has no compute benchmark win.

Q: Which card has the higher aggregate benchmark score?

A: The RX 6650 XT has a higher average benchmark score at 19,765, compared to 17,083 for the RX 7600 XT, despite winning fewer individual tests.

Q: What is the closest head-to-head result?

A: PassMark G3D is the nearest, with the RX 6650 XT scoring 17,166 versus the RX 7600 XT’s 17,132, a difference of only 0.2%.

Q: How does each card rank against all GPUs in the database?

A: The RX 6650 XT ranks in the 65th percentile, while the RX 7600 XT ranks in the 60th percentile.

Architecture Differences

The two cards belong to different architectural generations. The RX 6650 XT uses the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0, while the RX 7600 XT uses the Navi 33 chip on RDNA 3.0. The process node shrinks from 7 nm to 6 nm, both fabricated by TSMC. Transistor counts rise from 11,060 million to 13,300 million, yet the die size actually shrinks from 237 mm² to 204 mm², producing a higher transistor density of 65.2M per mm² on the newer card versus 46.7M per mm² on the older one.

Core counts are identical on paper: both have 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, 64 raster operation units, and 32 ray tracing cores. The clocks differ meaningfully. The RX 6650 XT has a higher base clock at 2055 MHz versus 1980 MHz, but the RX 7600 XT has a higher boost clock at 2755 MHz versus 2635 MHz, and a higher game clock at 2470 MHz versus 2410 MHz.

Memory configurations diverge sharply. The RX 6650 XT comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 7600 XT doubles the capacity to 16 GB, keeps the same 128-bit bus, and raises bandwidth to 288.0 GB/s. Effective memory speed is 17.5 Gbps on the older card and 18 Gbps on the newer one.

Compute throughput is where the architecture gap becomes obvious. The RX 6650 XT delivers 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 and 21.59 TFLOPS of FP16 (at a 2:1 ratio). The RX 7600 XT delivers 22.57 TFLOPS of FP32 and 22.57 TFLOPS of FP16 (at a 1:1 ratio). This means the newer card has roughly double the FP32 throughput and equal FP16 throughput, a significant architectural shift. Pixel rate and texture rate also favor the RX 7600 XT: 176.3 GPixel/s versus 168.6 GPixel/s, and 352.6 GTexel/s versus 337.3 GTexel/s.

Power draw rises from 176 W to 190 W, but both cards use a single 8-pin power connector and share the same suggested PSU rating of 450 W. Both are dual-slot designs. Display outputs differ: the RX 6650 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 7600 XT offers 1x HDMI 2.1a and 3x DisplayPort 2.1. The RX 7600 XT has recorded physical dimensions of 204 mm in length and 115 mm in height; the RX 6650 XT has no recorded dimensions.

The Verdict

The data paints a nuanced picture. If the priority is raw compute throughput, modern DirectX 12 performance, or memory capacity, the RX 7600 XT is the clear choice. It wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad test by 20.8%, dominates Geekbench OpenCL by 89.1%, and offers 16 GB of VRAM versus 8 GB. Its PassMark GPU Compute lead of 16.2% reinforces that compute-heavy workloads favor the newer architecture.

However, the RX 6650 XT is not simply worse. Its 68.1% lead in Geekbench Vulkan is impossible to ignore, and it also wins the legacy DirectX 10 and DirectX 11 tests. Its higher aggregate benchmark score (19,765 vs 17,083) and higher percentile rank (65th vs 60th) suggest that, across the full suite of recorded tests, it remains competitive. The PassMark G3D tie, with a 0.2% delta, indicates that general 3D rendering performance is nearly identical.

The choice depends on the workload. Users focused on Vulkan-based applications or legacy DirectX titles may find the RX 6650 XT surprisingly adequate. Users targeting DirectX 12 games, compute tasks, or needing more VRAM should lean toward the RX 7600 XT. The data does not support a universal winner; it supports a split decision based on API and workload priorities.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT | AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | Navi 23 | Navi 33 |

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | RDNA 3.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 6 nm |

| Transistors | 11,060 million | 13,300 million |

| Die Size | 237 mm² | 204 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 46.7M / mm² | 65.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2055 MHz | 1980 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2635 MHz | 2755 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2410 MHz | 2470 MHz |

| Memory Speed | 2190 MHz, 17.5 Gbps effective | 2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bandwidth | 280.3 GB/s | 288.0 GB/s |

| FP32 Performance | 10.79 TFLOPS | 22.57 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 21.59 TFLOPS (2:1) | 22.57 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| Pixel Rate | 168.6 GPixel/s | 176.3 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 337.3 GTexel/s | 352.6 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 176 W | 190 W |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Launch MSRP | 399 USD | 329 USD |

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7600 XT wins where modern graphics APIs and compute matter most. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,348 against 1,859 represents a 20.8% edge, making it the stronger pick for current DirectX 12 game engines. Its Geekbench OpenCL result of 92,426 versus 10,111 is a decisive compute win, and its PassMark GPU Compute lead of 16.2% reinforces that pattern. The 16 GB memory capacity is a practical advantage for texture-heavy workloads or multi-tasking, even if the bandwidth difference (288.0 GB/s vs 280.3 GB/s) is modest. The RX 7600 XT also edges ahead in PassMark DirectX 12 (65 vs 62), DirectX 9 (228 vs 215), and G2D (1,030 vs 918), showing broad consistency in newer and lighter workloads.

The RX 6650 XT wins where the Vulkan API is the bottleneck. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 81,306 dwarfs the RX 7600 XT’s 48,366, a 68.1% lead that suggests the older card’s driver and hardware combination is far more efficient under that API. It also takes PassMark DirectX 10 (109 vs 85, a 28.2% lead) and DirectX 11 (169 vs 167, a 1.2% lead), making it the better option for older game libraries and legacy applications. The PassMark G3D result, where it wins by 0.2%, means that for general 3D rendering, the two are effectively interchangeable, so the RX 6650 XT’s higher aggregate score of 19,765 versus 17,083 is driven by its strengths in these specific areas.

In practical terms, the RX 7600 XT is the forward-looking card for DirectX 12 and compute-heavy tasks, while the RX 6650 XT remains relevant for Vulkan-centric software and older DirectX titles. The data shows no single best card, only a best card for each type of workload.