Which is better for gaming – RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3070? With RX 6600 XT, get the ultimate gaming experience with powerful new compute units, amazing AMD Infinity Cache, and up to 8GB of dedicated GDDR6 memory. The bigger upgrade, though in RTX 3070, is the switch to faster GDDR6X memory . This alone provides a bandwidth gain of over 30% over the RTX 3070. Find more in RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3070 comparison.
Pros & Cons – RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3070 comparison
RX 6600 XT
PROS
- Similar performance to other 6600 XT cards
- Comes with dual HDMI 2.1 ports
- Runs cool
- Some 4K wins
CONS
- Underwhelming design
- Only a modest overclock applied out of box
- Higher fan speeds, noise, and temperatures
- No significant performance gains with manual overclocking
- Hard to find in stock, like everything else
RTX 3070
Pros
- Effective and useful LCD info screen
- Ray tracing + DLSS 2.0 performance
- Excellent thermal performance
- Excellent cooling system
- Offer of connectors for connecting screens,
Cons
- Consumption and heating compared to the RX 6800 competition
- It’s a bit noisy at stock
Specs – RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3070 comparison
Gigabyte Radeon RX 6600 XT
Graphics Card | Gigabyte RX 6600 XT Eagle | ASRock RX 6600 XT Phantom | Sapphire RX 6600 XT Pulse |
---|---|---|---|
Architecture | Navi 23 | Navi 23 | Navi 23 |
Process Technology | TSMC N7 | TSMC N7 | TSMC N7 |
Transistors (Billion) | 11.1 | 11.1 | 11.1 |
Die size (mm^2) | 237 | 237 | 237 |
CUs | 32 | 32 | 32 |
GPU Cores | 2048 | 2048 | 2048 |
Ray Accelerators | 32 | 32 | 32 |
Infinity Cache (MB) | 32 | 32 | 32 |
Game Clock (MHz) | 2359 | 2428 | 2382 |
VRAM Speed (Gbps) | 16 | 16 | 16 |
VRAM (GB) | 8 | 8 | 8 |
VRAM Bus Width | 128 | 128 | 128 |
ROPs | 64 | 64 | 64 |
TMUs | 128 | 128 | 128 |
TFLOPS FP32 (Boost) | 9.66 | 9.95 | 9.76 |
Bandwidth (GBps) | 256 | 256 | 256 |
PCIe Slot Interface | x8 Gen4 | x8 Gen4 | x8 Gen4 |
TBP (watts) | 160 | 180 | 160 |
Launch Date | Aug-21 | Aug-21 | Aug-21 |
Launch Price | $379 | $499 | $379 |
RTX 3070
- GPU: Nvidia GA104
- CUDA cores: 6,144
- Boost clock speed: 1,875MHz
- Memory capacity: 12GB GDDR6X
- Memory speed: 19Gbps
- Outputs: 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI
- Power connectors: 1x 6-pin, 2x 8-pin
- GPU Interface PCIe x16
- GPU Chipset GeForce RTX 3070
- GPU Memory Size 8GB
- GPU Memory Type GDDR6
- GPU Clock Rate 1500MHz
- GPU Boost Clock Rate 1845MHz
- TDP 220W
- Length 290mm
- Cooling Type 3 Fans
- Power Connectors 2 PCIe 8-pin
Compare Gigabyte Radeon RX 6600 XT Eagle 8G graphics card vs ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660
GIGABYTE Radeon RX 6600 XT Eagle 8G Graphics Card, WINDFORCE 3X Cooling System | ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6GB GDDR6 192-bit Gaming Graphics Card | |
---|---|---|
Graphics Card Interface | PCI-Express x16 | PCI-Express x16 |
Graphics Coprocessor | RX 6600 XT | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 |
Graphics Ram Size | 8 GB | 6 GB |
Graphics Ram | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
Hardware Interface | PCI Express x16 | PCI Express x8 |
Included Components | GRAPHIC CARD, USERS MANUAL | ZOTAC GAMING GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER Twin Fan graphics card, User Manual |
Item Dimensions | 11.1 x 4.45 x 1.61 inches | 6.81 x 13.9 x 4.39 inches |
Memory Bus Width | 128 bits | 192 bits |
Memory Clock Speed | 16000 MHz | 1785 MHz |
Customer review – RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3070 comparison
Build
RX 6600 XT
The Gigabyte RX 6600 Eagle features a large WindForce 3X cooling solution with an aluminium fin-stack heatsink that’s fed heat by three copper heat-pipes that make direct contact with the GPU at the base. This heatsink is ventilated by three 100 mm fans.
RTX 3070
The cooler is shielded with a plastic body on the back of which is a large LCD Info screen displaying useful information on the status of work and other telemetry data, and the display of which is controlled from the RGB Fusion 2.0 software.
Design
RX 6600 XT
The Eagle measures 289 x 112 x 38mm and tips the scales at 674g (those are both our measurements), which is longer but shorter and slightly thinner than the Sapphire Pulse. The ASRock Phantom by comparison weighs 898g and measures 306 x 131 x 47mm, easily the largest of the three RX 6600 XT cards. If you have a sufficiently-long mini-ITX case, the Gigabyte Eagle might be a good fit.
RTX 3070
The Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 3070 MASTER 8G has dimension of 290 x 131 x 60 millimeters. It comes with a 1,875MHz boost clock, a very nice 105MHz increase over the FE, and to deliver the necessary juice it sports one 6-pin and two 8-pin power connectors, dual BIOS and as you’d expect, lashings of RGB lighting.
Ports
RX 6600 XT
it includes two HDMI 2.1 ports. While nearly all gaming monitors still tend to prefer DisplayPort 1.4 — it can do 4K at 144 Hz with DSC, and FreeSync / adaptive sync is more commonly supported over DP — HDMI 2.1 technically offers superior specs. You can read more about DisplayPort vs. HDMI, but either one should be sufficient for typical gaming use, particularly on a 1080p display,
RTX 3070
It also packs in no less than six display outputs, of which you can use any four at once. These are 3x DP 1.4a, two HDMI 2.1 and a single HDMI 2.0 port. This opens up a wide range of connectivity options. For example you could connect a multi monitor setup, a big TV or a VR headset all at the same time.
RX 6600 XT temperature comparison
Considering the incredibly low 65°C, I feel Gigabyte could have allowed slightly higher temperatures, like 70°C, which won’t affect longevity or anything else, but achieve better noise levels. It’s good to see that idle fan stop has become a mandatory capability nowadays even in this segment—the RX 6600 will shut off its fans in idle, desktop work, and internet browsing.
Temperature & Noise Comparison | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Idle | Gaming | |||||
GPU | Noise | GPU | Hotspot | Noise | RPM | |
ASRock RX 6600 XT Phantom Gaming | 38°C | Fan Stop | 61°C | 80°C | 29.1 dBA | 1438 RPM |
ASUS RX 6600 XT STRIX OC | 44°C | Fan Stop | 59°C | 81°C | 41.2 dBA | 2000 RPM |
ASUS RX 6600 XT STRIX OC (Quiet BIOS) | 43°C | Fan Stop | 65°C | 87°C | 34.4 dBA | 1565 RPM |
Gigabyte RX 6600 Eagle | 47°C | Fan Stop | 65°C | 78°C | 33.1 dBA | 1965 RPM |
MSI RX 6600 XT Gaming X | 42°C | Fan Stop | 66°C | 93°C | 30.0 dBA | 1566 RPM |
PowerColor RX 6600 Fighter | 53°C | Fan Stop | 70°C | 82°C | 29.7 dBA | 1461 RPM |
Sapphire RX 6600 XT Pulse | 42°C | Fan Stop | 70°C | 97°C | 27.9 dBA | 1739 RPM |
XFX RX 6600 XT Merc 308 | 41°C | Fan Stop | 75°C | 98°C | 24.5 dBA | 1293 RPM |
Power Consumption
RX 6600 XT
Single-monitor idle power consumption is amazing, just 2 W is really impressive and the best result we’ve ever seen. Typical for AMD is that they’re running the memory at full speed when two monitors are connected—in that situation, we see 20 W, much higher, but not that bad compared to many other cards on the market.
Gaming power draw of just 131 W is extremely impressive, especially considering the performance offered. The Gigabyte RX 6600 is one of the most energy-efficient graphics card we ever tested.
RTX 3070
The Aorus Master is consistently faster than the FE but at the cost of some 20w+ of additional power consumption. Once you start hitting 310W+ you’re getting near RTX 3080 territory, and that’s a much faster card. AMD’s Radeon RX 6800 remains a very competitive offering, but you can’t forget Nvidia’s strong feature set and ray tracing performance advantage.
Overclocking
RX 6600 XT
The appeal of overclocking has waned alongside reduced headroom on modern parts, so it is surprising to find that entry-level Navi 23 GPUs show better willingness than most. The caveat on Radeon RX 6600 is that memory is limited to an effective 15.2Gbps.
RTX 3070
The card had a lot of memory overclocking headroom, however. We were able to set the memory to 1,438MHz, an increase of 250MHz from the default 1,188MHz. This resulted in a bandwidth increase from the stock 608.3 GB/s to 736.3 GB/s. That’s over a 20% gain. Using Metro Exodus at 1440p as a test, the final OC result was 90.1 fps compared to the default result of 85.9 fps and the FE’s result of 84.0 fps.
Alternate of RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3070 comparison
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
SPECIFICATIONS
Stream Processors: 2,560Core Clock: 2.32 GHz (2.58 GHz boost)Memory: 12GB GDDR6Memory Clock: 16 GbpsPower Connectors: 8 pin + 6 pinOutputs: HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC
REASONS TO BUY
+Excellent 1440p performance+Ray tracing+Lightweight card with no sag
REASONS TO AVOID
-Ray tracing performance is weak-No FidelityFX Super Resolution
Those comfortable messing with your BIOS and looking for a 1440p graphics card that’s slightly more accessible, price-wise, will appreciate AMD’s latest high-end offering. This Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti rival delivers a solid 1440p performance with ray tracing to boot. It comes at the right time as well, with 1440p gaming monitors’ growing popularity. Its price is a bit closer to the more powerful RTX 3070, but if you’re an AMD fan, it’s still an excellent contender.
AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
SPECIFICATIONS
Stream processors: 2,048Core clock: 1,968Memory: 8GB GDDR6Memory clock: 16GbpsPower connectors: 1 x 8-pinOutputs: 1.4 with DSC DisplayPort, HDMI 2.1 VRR and FRL
REASONS TO BUY
+Strong 1080p performance+Great thermal efficiency+Low power consumption
REASONS TO AVOID
-Should be cheaper-Only slightly better than the RTX 3060
For rock solid 1080p gaming, you can’t go wrong with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT. Not only is the card a great performer, but it doesn’t use a lot of power so you can install it in a system with a smaller PSU. Because of its great thermal efficiency, you also don’t need a super expensive water cooling system built into your PC. Unfortunately, it is a bit pricier than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, its direct competition, and doesn’t come with ray tracing.
AMD Radeon RX 6800
SPECIFICATIONS
Stream Processors: 3,840Core Clock: 1.82 GHz (2.10 GHz boost)Memory: 16GB GDDR6Memory Clock: 16GbpsPower Connectors: 2 x 8 pinOutputs: DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, HDMI 2.1 VRR and FRL
REASONS TO BUY
+Excellent performance+Finally, AMD ray tracing
REASONS TO AVOID
-Divisive design
If you think AMD is still stuck in the budget and mid-range markets, think again. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 marks AMD’s return to the high-end graphics card market, and it’s a premium ace without the incredibly premium price. This GPU delivers a solid 4K gaming performance and impressive ray tracing at 1440p, while being a better value than its direct rival, the RTX 3070, thanks to its VRAM. Plus, AMD’s Smart Access Memory technology will make it even faster.
Editor’s recommendations
- Gigabyte Radeon RX 6600 XT Eagle 8G graphics card review
- GIGABYTE AORUS GeForce RTX 3070 Master 8G (REV2.0) graphics card review
- ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 overclocked 6G GDDR6 dual-fan EVO edition review
- EVGA 3070 XC3 vs FTW3 differences – which has better memory boost?
- EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 XC3 ultra gaming 08G-P5-3755-KL 8GB GDDR6 review