RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3060 – the low end options

Last Updated: July 5th, 2022

We come to compare some more 1080p options, with the RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3060. Aiming for a lower more accessible entry price for consumers. And with plenty of performance enhancers from both companies, there is a lot to offer even from a less powerful card. So both can push even further for a better price, but which one is the best graphics card for you?

Both are currently from the latest generation they have the latest to offer. Although from different makers so the core and optimizations will differ greatly. The AMD GPU is the latest of the selection coming out in August 2021. Whilst the Nvidia graphics card was from February of the same year. Although there is unlikely to be much change from the few month’s difference.

ASUS ROG STRIX RX 6600 XT GAMING OC

ASUS ROG Strix NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 OC Edition

Architecture

One of the core differences between the graphics cards is the die at the heart of them. It is the brain of the operation and how it’s designed gives it its performance. With different ideas, the two will work differently but will give us an idea of how they work.

The RX 6600 XT is made with the Navi 23 XT variant. Which is created with TSMCs 7 nm process creating a die 237 mm² in size with 11.06 billion transistors. Whilst the RTX 3060 Ti utilizes the GA106-300 GPU. Utilizing Samsungs 8 nm process creates a die 276 mm² in size with 12 billion transistors.

Specification

	RX 6600 XT	RTX 3060
GPU	Navi 23 XT	GA106-300
Shaders	2,048	3,584
RT cores	32	28
TMUs	128	112
Memory	8 GB GDDR6	12 GB GDDR6
Base clock	1,968 MHz	1,320 MHz
Boost clock	2,589 MHz	1,777 MHz
Memory clock	16 Gbps	15 Gbps
Card bus	PCIe 4.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Memory bandwidth	256 GB/s	360 GB/s
TDP/TBP	160 W	170 W

We can also look at the rest of what the packages have the offer. For the RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3060, we take a closer look at what makes the cards tick.

GPU cores

Die cores are the specialized parts of the graphics processor. Each part works on different areas to create the final scene. Although it will vary across architectures we see what they have to offer anyway. With shaders working on shadows and shading, RT cores on real-time ray tracing, and TMUs creating 3D objects.

Their reported values vary in the count and which takes the lead. As seen before the Nvidia card is what takes the lead in terms of shaders. With a much higher count in the Ampere than previously seen. Whereas the AMD option leads with the RT cores and TMUs unlikely to be worth the same amount.

Video memory

VRAM is the frame buffer and pixel store of the graphics card. Improving the experience and latency of the components. While also improving the functionality of higher resolutions that use more pixels.

There is some variance between the two in terms of memory. They both utilize GDDR6 memory but vary in capacity, speed, and bus. With the 6600 XT going for 8 GB across a 128-bit bus. Which clocked at 16 Gbps gives it a bandwidth of 256 GB/s. Whilst the 3060 has 12 GB with a 192-bit bus. Clocked at 15 Gbps it has a faster 360 GB/s bandwidth.

Frequency

The clock/cycle rate of the silicon crystal is how often it flips. It’s the way of processing the instructions and creating the final image. It is one of the factors affecting the performance of the card. So it is one of the main factors for overclocking to get the most out of your choice.

We see AMD take the lead in raw speed once again. The RX 6600 XT has a base clock of 1,968 MHz but a boost clock of 2,589 MHz. Whereas, the 3060 only has a base clock of 1,320 MHz and a boost clock of 1,777MHz. Falling behind by quite a margin.

TDP

The thermal design power of a graphics card is the total amount of power the card will consume at maximum utilization. It will give you an idea of your energy consumption as well as how much heat the card will give off. There is not much difference between the two cards. The 3060 is only 10 W higher than the 6600 XT.

RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3060 benchmarks

For basic graphics comparisons, we turn to 3DMark’s benchmarks. There we can see what scores they achieve as well as their price-to-performance ratios. We see that the 6600 XT achieves a score of 9,727 with a ratio of 25. Whereas the 3060 manages a score of 8,766 but with a ratio of 26.

For gaming performance, we take a look at Tom’s Hardware RX 6600 XT review. There we see the average game performance against the rest of the competition at different resolutions. There we see the lead the 6600 XT has although the difference diminishes at 4k. At 1080p it achieves an average of 115.6 FPS whilst the 3060 gets 103.1 FPS. Then at 1440p, they get 83.7 and 77.3 FPS respectively. Whilst at 4k the 3060 leads by 0.3 with 44.5.

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RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3060 price

We next compare the cost of the cards when they initially launched. Although pricing changes after the fact there is some basis for comparison to see what they are initially valued at. There we see the RTX 3060 having a launch price of $329, whilst the RX 6600 XT had a price of $50 higher at $379. This means that an extra squeeze of performance will cost you a bit extra on top.

Pricing has been fluctuating recently, after a period of expensive pricing with the shortage, scalping, and crypto mining, there is some respite. GPU prices have been falling and returning to MSRP even if it is quite late in the life cycle. Now we see the RX 6600 XT easily available for below or near MSRP at $355. Whilst the Nvidia option is a more popular choice and an RTX 3060 will cost you a minimum of $400. Coming at a premium price whilst being a slightly lesser card.

ASRock Radeon RX 6600 XT Phantom Gaming OC

303 x 131 x 45 mm (2.25 slot)

Phantom Gaming 3x Cooling System

2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective)

3x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x HDMI 2.1

EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC Gaming

Pros

Strong all-metal backplate

Custom designed PCB for additional airflow

Cons

Only offers dual fan design

Is the RTX 3060 better than the RX 6600 XT?

Overall, comparing the RX 6600 XT vs RTX 3060 the AMD card is the better choice right now. With average higher performance at 1080p and 1440p whilst also costing less in the current market it is the easier choice. Especially with the release of RSR which can improve the performance in any game driver-wide. Able to further boost performance for the price. Although if you require ray tracing and rendering Nvidia is still the better choice currently.

However, there are some new graphics cards expected to launch in 2022. With the likes of Intel Arc Alchemist coming in the Summer, RTX 40 series and AMD RX 7000 are expected to release in the second half of the year. Which will both give some better options for your card and reduce pricing for the current older generation.