AMD has recently launched the highly anticipated RX 7600 XT as part of its Radeon lineup of graphics cards for the year 2024. This upgraded version of the original Radeon RX 7600 boasts 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM and slight improvements in the GPU’s clock speed. However, it is important to note that the new RX 7600 XT continues to utilize the same Navi 33 graphics chip as its predecessor, offering no additional shaders or memory controllers. In this article, we will delve deeper into the specifications and features of the RX 7600 XT, and analyze its potential impact in the gaming and content creation industries.
Specifications of the RX 7600 XT
The RX 7600 XT features 2,048 shaders and a 128-bit combined memory bus width. While the number of shaders and memory controllers remains unchanged from the original RX 7600, AMD has increased the Game clock by 220MHz (from 2.25 to 2.47GHz) and the Boost clock by 100MHz (from 2.66 to 2.76GHz). These improvements amount to a 9.8% boost in the Game clock and a 3.8% boost in the Boost clock. However, it is worth noting that the VRAM’s clocks remain the same, resulting in an unchanged transfer rate of 18Gbps.
Unfortunately, the higher clock speeds and additional VRAM in the RX 7600 XT come at a cost. The power demand of the RX 7600 XT has increased compared to its predecessor. While the RX 7600 has a total board power of 165W, the RX 7600 XT pushes this to 190W, resulting in an additional 25W. Although this increase in power demand is relatively small, it is necessary to consider the impact it may have on power supply requirements. While it is expected that the RX 7600 XT will only require a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, this information is not entirely clear from the available images of third-party models.
According to AMD, the combined higher clock speeds and extra VRAM in the RX 7600 XT result in performance improvements ranging from 6% to 31% compared to the standard RX 7600, specifically at 1440p resolution. However, it is important to note that these figures are based on specific games and the highest improvements are observed when using maximum ray tracing settings, particularly in games like Forza Horizon 5. While it is common for chip vendors to compare their new products to specific models from the competition, AMD’s choice to compare the RX 7600 XT to Nvidia’s four-year-old GeForce RTX 2060 is rather unusual. The reasoning behind this choice is that 50% of the GPUs in the November 2023 Steam Hardware Survey are RTX 2060 or slower graphics cards.
Target Audience
AMD is targeting two primary audiences with the RX 7600 XT: PC gamers looking to upgrade their GPUs and content creators on a budget. The company claims that the RX 7600 XT performs significantly better than Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 4060 in games that support FSR 3 upscaling and Frame Generation. While the performance claims made by AMD are impressive, particularly in games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 where it is touted as being 45% faster at 1440p with upscaling and frame gen, it is crucial to consider a broader selection of games to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the card’s capabilities.
The RX 7600 XT is set to be available for purchase on January 24, with an SEP (aka MSRP) starting at $329. This represents a $60 increase compared to the regular RX 7600. However, whether it is worth paying 22% more for 8GB of additional VRAM and slightly higher clocks remains a subjective decision. AMD’s own benchmarks suggest that the performance boost may not justify the extra cost, especially when compared to the price difference with Nvidia’s RTX 4060 Ti, which offers the same increase in graphics memory. Ultimately, a comprehensive assessment of the RX 7600 XT’s performance will only be possible after conducting thorough testing. We eagerly anticipate getting our hands on the new Radeon RX 7600 XT to provide a detailed analysis of its capabilities.
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