Despite not being as flashy as a flagship GPU launch, it is great to see a card like the Radeon RX 7600 XT entering the market. The mid-range GPU market has struggled recently, with limited options offering modern games at a reasonable price, even if it is only for 1080p gaming. AMD’s latest addition to its RDNA 3 graphics lineup, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, aims to deliver an exceptional 1080p gaming experience while offering a taste of 1440p performance.
Priced at $350, this GPU falls between the RX 7600 and RX 7700 XT, targeting gamers who seek a balance between performance and affordability. After testing the card for the past two weeks, I’m here to report that while it shows improvements, the RX 7600 XT does not do enough to justify its price point, especially for casual gamers.
The PowerColor Radeon RX 7600 XT we got for review looks like a gaming GPU, bringing an understated dual-fan design that aligns with many of the hardware makers’ offerings. Under the hood, the RX 7600 XT shares its Navi 33 GPU with the standard RX 7600, boasting 32 compute units, 2,048 stream processors, and 64 AI accelerators. However, AMD has given the XT variant a slight boost in clock speeds, with a game clock of 2.47GHz and a boost clock of up to 2.76GHz, compared to 2.25GHz and 2.66GHz on the non-XT model.
While the specifications show minor improvements, the most significant upgrade is in the memory department. Though the RX 7600 comes equipped with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM, the 7600 XT doubles that to a generous 16GB frame buffer. This substantial memory capacity not only ensures smooth performance in today’s games but also provides a degree of future-proofing as game assets and resolutions continue to grow. It even allows for more AI workflows due to more headroom to play with.
Yet, despite the increased VRAM, AMD has retained the same 128-bit memory bus and 32MB Infinity Cache as the RX 7600. The memory runs at an effective speed of 18Gbps, resulting in a bandwidth of 288GB/s. To accommodate the higher clocks and memory capacity, the RX 7600 XT’s TDP has been raised to 190W, up from 165W on the standard model and uses an 8-pin and 6-pin power connection. This is not a massive increase, but it does mean you will want to have at least a 600 W PSU to ensure you can manage everything your CPU and GPU may need while gaming or any other intensive task.
With the inspection of the card done, we slot it in our latest AMD test bench PC to get testing underway. We used the same bench as we used for the Radeon RX 7900 GRE, consisting of an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, 32 GB DDR5 RAM, and a WD_Black M.2 SSD, all running on an MSI 850 Watt PSU, ensuring we would not hit any bottlenecks, and allowing us to push the RX 7600 XT as far as possible. It should be noted that for a 1080P and 1440P card, even a current generation AMD Ryzen 7 or Intel i5 could be more than enough not to cause any bottlenecks, but this rig ensures consistency between GPU tests.
1080P Game Benchmarks
With everything running, in terms of performance, the RX 7600 XT excels at 1080p gaming, delivering smooth frame rates even in demanding titles. Across a range of popular games, including Cyberpunk 2077, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT GPU consistently achieves well over 60fps at maximum settings with settings set to ultra. What we also saw is that while a solid mid-range card for gaming, compared to the Radeon RX 7600, there were only marginally improved results. Games with ray tracing or that need more VRAM for high-definition textures saw more increase, but with results sub-30FPS, it is still far from what I call great results for a gaming GPU.
“Across a range of popular games, including Cyberpunk 2077, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT GPU consistently achieves well over 60fps at maximum settings with settings set to ultra.”
| Game | Radeon 7600 XT | Radeon 7600 | GeForce RTX 4060 TI 8GB | RTX 7700 XT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 137 | 131 | 200 | 138 |
| Rainbow Six Siege | 437 | 435 | 567 | 445 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 88.6 | 85.22 | 102.21 | 109.62 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 + RT | 25.23 | 18.15 | 42.4 | 30.02 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 + RT + DLSS | 46.56 | 34.17 | 116 | 55.12 |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | 107 | 104 | 121 | 117 |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | 128 | 124 | 121 | 172 |
1440P Game Benchmarks
Moving onto our 1440P benchmarks, the extra VRAM showed a bit more variation. This is a card that delivers solid 1080P non-ray tracing workflows well, but that is not to say it can’t go beyond that. While not its primary target, the 7600 XT can also handle 1440p gaming reasonably well, especially with AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) upscaling technology. Games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 run comfortably above 60fps at this resolution even before we paired them with FSR.
“While not its primary target, the 7600 XT can also handle 1440p gaming reasonably well, especially with AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) upscaling technology.”
| Game | Radeon 7600 XT | Radeon 7600 | GeForce RTX 4060 TI 8GB | RTX 7700 XT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 85 | 83 | 132 | 127 |
| Rainbow Six Siege | 309 | 301 | 389 | 378 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 53.99 | 52.37 | 63.55 | 87.9 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 + RT | 15 | 8.05 | 27.26 | 22.69 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 + RT + DLSS | 35 | 26.12 | 77.1 | 45.53 |
| Assassin’s Creed Valhalla | 73 | 71 | 89 | 94 |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 | 85 | 83 | 84 | 132 |
Compared to its direct competitor, the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Ti, the RX 7600 XT trades blows in rasterized performance. However, NVIDIA’s offering pulls ahead in ray tracing workloads thanks to capacity and dedicated ray tracing accelerators. The extra VRAM does give the 7600 XT an edge in memory-intensive games and future titles that may push beyond the 8GB barrier. However, due to compatibility and adoption, DLSS still has a major edge over FSR. AMD has made strides, and the extra VRAM gives the RX 7600 XT a boost when RAM is the bottleneck.
While the RX 7600 XT outperforms the standard RX 7600, the performance difference isn’t as significant as the $80 price difference might suggest. In many cases, the XT model delivers only single-digit percentage gains over its non-XT counterpart, making the value proposition somewhat questionable for gamers on a tight budget. That is until we look at workflows where the 16GB VRAM can give a notable boost in performance, like AI and creative work.
While we are still in the early days, apps like Stable Diffusion or DaVinci Resolve can take advantage of what the Radeon RX 7600 XT brings to the table. While 8GB is serviceable for games at 1080P, it is not great if you want to use any kind of AI features, especially not if you want to dabble in generative AI. 24GB is the sweet spot for playing with these features on your home workstation, but 16GB should work in a pinch. This is one area where the RX 7600 XT has the RTX 4060 Ti beat and just offers more headroom to push things a bit further.
This being a 7000-series card, the RX 7600 XT inherits several features from AMD’s RDNA 3 architecture. This includes support for AV1 encoding, DisplayPort 2.1, and AMD’s HYPR-RX technology, which combines Radeon Super Resolution upscaling with AMD Fluid Motion Frames for smoother gameplay. AMD is constantly pushing new updates, increasing what the GPU can do while offering new features even to older cards. The software also provides comprehensive control over performance, image quality, and system monitoring, which is something very helpful when you want to see what is possible on your system.
While the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT GPU delivers solid performance and features at 1080P, it faces stiff competition not only from NVIDIA but also from AMD’s own previous-generation offerings. The RX 6700 XT, for instance, can often be found at similar or even lower prices than the 7600 XT, making it a tempting alternative for gamers prioritizing raw performance over features like ray tracing and AV1 encoding. Even NVIDIA’s RTX 4060 Ti offers better performance in a majority of games, even if it can’t compete on VRAM.
While the Radeon RX 7600 XT offers the most RAM you can find in a game of its price range, if you are not in need of that feature, the standard RX 7600 will set you back around $269 USD, around $60 less than the RX 7600 XT, and that is if you can find a card at MSRP, most are sitting closer to $350. Honestly, if you are already spending upwards of $350, it would be better to spend on a Radeon RX 7700 XT, which currently can be found on Amazon and many retail for around $420 USD, only around $70 more for a much more capable card. That is all before looking at the price of NVIDIA cards, giving even more options for a gamer looking for the best bang for their buck. Don’t get me wrong, there is still value in the RX 7600 XT, but it is just in a precarious position, and unless you need the 16GB VRAM, there are options that deliver better all-around performance or are cheaper for close to the same.
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is a capable GPU that excels at 1080p gaming and can handle 1440p reasonably well with the aid of upscaling technologies. Its generous 16GB of VRAM not only ensures smooth performance in today’s games but also provides a degree of future-proofing, making it an attractive option for gamers seeking longevity.
However, the relatively modest performance gains over the standard RX 7600, coupled with the $80 price premium, should make buyers think twice. Those on a tight budget may find better value in the non-XT model or even AMD’s previous-generation offerings, while those seeking top-tier performance may want to consider stepping up to the more powerful RX 7700 XT or NVIDIA’s RTX 4070.
The RX 7600 XT occupies a precarious middle ground, offering serviceable performance for those seeking a 1080p experience but outclassed by other options due to its price point. Unless you need the 16GB VRAM or are intent on avoiding NVIDIA, there are better options for around the same price that deliver equal, if not better, results.
