AMD Radeon RX 6600 vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded head-to-head data shows a decisive overall win for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which takes 9 of the 10 shared benchmark tests. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 claims only a single victory, but that win is substantial and reveals a notable strength in one specific API.

The largest margin in either direction belongs to the RTX 3060 Ti in the Geekbench OpenCL test. The NVIDIA card scores 78,927 against the RX 6600's 28,850, a difference of 63.4%. This is the kind of gap that indicates a fundamental throughput advantage in raw compute workloads, and it aligns with the specification sheet: the RTX 3060 Ti carries 4,864 shading units versus 1,792 on the RX 6600, and its FP32 throughput is 16.20 TFLOPS compared to 8.928 TFLOPS.

The RX 6600's sole win comes in Geekbench Vulkan, where it posts 67,623 against the RTX 3060 Ti's 47,784. That is a 41.5% advantage for the AMD card. This result is striking because it flips the expected hierarchy: in a modern cross-platform graphics API, the smaller Navi 23 chip outperforms the larger GA104 by a wide margin. The data suggests that driver optimization or architecture-specific scheduling in Vulkan favors the RDNA 2.0 design, at least in this synthetic workload.

Moving to 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 3060 Ti delivers 2,626 points versus 1,492 for the RX 6600. The delta is 43.2% in favor of NVIDIA. This is a DirectX 12 workload, and the result closely mirrors the OpenCL gap, reinforcing that the NVIDIA card's higher raw compute resources translate into strong DX12 performance.

In the PassMark suite, the RTX 3060 Ti wins every subtest. The closest margin is in DirectX 11, where NVIDIA scores 163 against 152, a 6.7% difference. The largest PassMark gap is in DirectX 10, at 28% (132 versus 95). DirectX 12 shows a 34.6% delta (78 versus 51), and DirectX 9 shows a 15.8% delta (234 versus 197). The PassMark G3D score, which aggregates general 3D performance, lands at 20,349 for NVIDIA versus 15,096 for AMD, a 25.8% advantage. Even the 2D test goes to NVIDIA: 989 versus 889, a 10.1% lead.

The compute-oriented PassMark GPU Compute test also favors NVIDIA heavily: 10,006 versus 6,554, a 34.5% delta. Across all recorded benchmarks, the pattern is consistent: NVIDIA wins the majority of tests by margins ranging from 6.7% to 63.4%, while AMD wins one test by 41.5%. The average benchmark score in the database reflects this split: the RX 6600 averages 19,036, while the RTX 3060 Ti averages 16,129. The RX 6600 actually holds the higher average because its Geekbench Vulkan score is very high, but the head-to-head matrix tells a more complete story.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins the most head-to-head benchmark tests?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti wins 9 of the 10 shared tests. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 wins only 1, the Geekbench Vulkan test.

Q: How large is the RX 6600's win in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The RX 6600 scores 67,623 against the RTX 3060 Ti's 47,784, a 41.5% advantage for AMD.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap in the entire head-to-head set?

A: The largest gap is in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX 3060 Ti leads by 63.4% (78,927 versus 28,850).

Q: How do the two cards compare in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti scores 2,626 points, which is 43.2% ahead of the RX 6600's 1,492 points.

Q: Does the RX 6600 have a higher average benchmark score than the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: Yes. The RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 19,036, while the RTX 3060 Ti averages 16,129. This is driven by the RX 6600's strong Vulkan result, despite losing most head-to-head tests.

Q: How close is the closest head-to-head result?

A: The closest result is in PassMark DirectX 11, where the RTX 3060 Ti leads by only 6.7% (163 versus 152).

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from fundamentally different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 6600 uses the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti uses the GA104 chip with Ampere architecture, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The process node difference is small in absolute terms, but it interacts with very different chip sizes: the Navi 23 die measures 237 mm² with 11,060 million transistors, while the GA104 measures 392 mm² with 17,400 million transistors. Transistor density is similar, 46.7M per mm² for AMD and 44.4M per mm² for NVIDIA, meaning the larger NVIDIA chip packs roughly 57% more transistors into a die that is about 65% larger by area.

The execution resources diverge sharply. The RX 6600 has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 render output units. The RTX 3060 Ti has 4,864 shading units, 152 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. NVIDIA also integrates 152 tensor cores and 38 RT cores, while AMD lists 28 RT cores and no tensor core count in the database. The FP32 throughput tells the story: 8.928 TFLOPS for AMD versus 16.20 TFLOPS for NVIDIA. The FP16 rates also differ in character: AMD achieves 17.86 TFLOPS via a 2:1 ratio, while NVIDIA matches its FP32 rate at 16.20 TFLOPS with a 1:1 ratio.

Memory architecture is another clear split. Both cards have 8 GB of GDDR6, but the RX 6600 uses a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX 3060 Ti uses a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s. The memory clock is identical at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), so the bandwidth difference comes entirely from the bus width. Pixel and texture rates reflect the resource counts: the RX 6600 reaches 159.4 GPixel/s and 279.0 GTexel/s, while the RTX 3060 Ti reaches 133.2 GPixel/s and 253.1 GTexel/s. Interestingly, AMD leads in both fill-rate metrics despite having fewer ROPs and TMUs, a result of its much higher boost clock.

The bus interface also differs: the RX 6600 uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the RTX 3060 Ti uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and both have the same display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a). The power delivery approach is distinct as well: AMD uses a single 8-pin connector with a 132 W TDP and a 300 W suggested PSU, while NVIDIA uses a single 12-pin connector with a 200 W TDP and a 550 W suggested PSU.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every major specification category. The manufacturing process: AMD uses 7 nm at TSMC, NVIDIA uses 8 nm at Samsung. The chip: Navi 23 versus GA104. The architecture: RDNA 2.0 versus Ampere.

Clock speeds are a notable differentiator. The RX 6600 has a base clock of 1626 MHz, a boost clock of 2491 MHz, and a game clock of 2044 MHz. The RTX 3060 Ti has a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with no game clock listed. AMD's boost clock is nearly 50% higher than NVIDIA's, which explains how the smaller chip keeps fill-rate metrics competitive despite fewer execution units.

Core counts: 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 28 RT cores for AMD; 4,864 shading units, 152 TMUs, 80 ROPs, 38 RT cores, and 152 tensor cores for NVIDIA. FP32: 8.928 TFLOPS versus 16.20 TFLOPS. FP16: 17.86 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 16.20 TFLOPS (1:1). Memory: 8 GB GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s for AMD; 8 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s for NVIDIA.

Power and physical specifications: TDP is 132 W for AMD and 200 W for NVIDIA. Power connectors are 1x 8-pin versus 1x 12-pin. Suggested PSU is 300 W versus 550 W. The RX 6600 is 190 mm long, 110 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The RTX 3060 Ti is 242 mm long and 112 mm tall, with no width listed. Both are dual-slot cards. Bus interface: PCIe 4.0 x8 for AMD, PCIe 4.0 x16 for NVIDIA.

Release timing: the RX 6600 launched on 2021-10-12, while the RTX 3060 Ti launched on 2020-11-30. Both are end-of-life products. The RX 6600 lists Navi as its predecessor and Navi III as its successor; the RTX 3060 Ti lists GeForce 20 as its predecessor and GeForce 40 as its successor. The launch MSRP for the RX 6600 is 329 USD, and for the RTX 3060 Ti it is 399 USD.

The Verdict

The benchmark data points to a clear performance hierarchy. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti wins 9 of 10 head-to-head tests, with margins ranging from 6.7% to 63.4%. Its wins include both DirectX 12 and DirectX 11 workloads, OpenCL compute, and the PassMark G3D aggregate. The only test it loses is Geekbench Vulkan, where the RX 6600 leads by 41.5%.

For buyers prioritizing broad synthetic benchmark performance, the RTX 3060 Ti is the stronger choice. Its shading unit count is 2.7 times higher, its FP32 throughput is nearly double, and its memory bandwidth is exactly double. These advantages show up consistently across the recorded tests. The RX 6600 does offer a lower TDP (132 W versus 200 W) and a smaller physical footprint (190 mm versus 242 mm length), which are relevant for compact builds, but the performance data does not favor it in most scenarios.

The RX 6600's Vulkan win is not trivial. A 41.5% lead in Geekbench Vulkan indicates that the RDNA 2.0 architecture can outperform Ampere in that specific API context. However, this single result does not offset the NVIDIA card's dominance across the other nine tests. The average benchmark scores in the database complicate the picture: the RX 6600 averages 19,036, while the RTX 3060 Ti averages 16,129. This is an artifact of the test set composition, since the RX 6600's Vulkan score is extremely high relative to its other results. The head-to-head matrix, which directly compares both cards on identical tests, is the more reliable guide.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 3060 Ti wins in raw compute throughput. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 63.4% higher, and its PassMark GPU Compute score is 34.5% higher. It also wins in DirectX 12 (43.2% in 3DMark Steel Nomad, 34.6% in PassMark DX12) and in DirectX 11 (6.7%), DirectX 10 (28%), and DirectX 9 (15.8%). The PassMark G3D result gives it a 25.8% lead in general 3D rendering. For any workload that stresses shading units, memory bandwidth, or tensor cores, the data favors NVIDIA.

The RX 6600 wins in one specific category: Vulkan performance. Its Geekbench Vulkan score of 67,623 beats the RTX 3060 Ti by 41.5%. This suggests that applications built on Vulkan could see a meaningful advantage on the AMD card, though no other Vulkan test is present in the head-to-head set to confirm the pattern. The RX 6600 also holds advantages in fill-rate metrics on paper (159.4 GPixel/s versus 133.2 GPixel/s, and 279.0 GTexel/s versus 253.1 GTexel/s), which do not appear as direct benchmark wins but could matter in pixel-bound or texture-bound scenarios.

For system integration, the RX 6600 is the lower-power option. Its 132 W TDP, 300 W suggested PSU, and 190 mm length make it easier to fit into small form factor builds. The RTX 3060 Ti requires a 550 W PSU and a longer chassis at 242 mm. The RX 6600's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface is narrower than the RTX 3060 Ti's x16, which could matter on platforms with limited PCIe lanes, though the performance impact is not directly measured in the database.

The practical summary: choose the RTX 3060 Ti for the majority of benchmark workloads, especially compute, DirectX 12, and general 3D performance. Choose the RX 6600 if Vulkan performance is the priority, if power consumption and physical size are primary constraints, or if the higher average benchmark score (19,036 versus 16,129) is more relevant to the intended use case. The data does not support calling the RX 6600 the faster card overall, but it does show that the AMD card has a specific, measurable strength in Vulkan that the NVIDIA card cannot match.