Are you looking for the best budget graphics card? The battle between the RTX 3050 and RX 6600 rages on, with gamers looking to find out which one offers the most bang for their buck.
With technologies developing and low-end GPUs becoming more potent and versatile, it’s no wonder so many gamers want a more in-depth look at these two options.
So, today we’re reviewing this generation’s two best low-end GPUs. Read on to find out which one is the clear winner!
RTX 3050 vs. RX 6600: What You Need to Know
Released in early 2022, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3050 is still a battle-horse when discussing affordable graphics cards.
The RTX 3050 it’s the first NVIDIA lower-end graphics card that includes ray tracing, which is built into its flagship Ampere architecture. What is ray tracing? Ray tracing is a new technology that improves lighting effects and adds realism to games, and NVIDIA is spearheading it.
Unfortunately, the AMD RX 6600 doesn’t include this feature. To make up for this, you get a better performance in the most popular games. On top of it, you can find it at a lower market price, around 25% cheaper than the RTX 3050.
- Supports HDMI 2.1
- 8GB of VRAM
- No power supply connections
- Great for prebuilts
- Memory Speed:14 Gbps
- 8 GB GDDR6 RAM
- AMD RDNA 2 architecture elevates and unifies the gaming
- Boost Clock: up to 2491 MHz
- Features the XFX Speedster SWFT210 Dual Fan Cooling
RTX 3050 vs. RX 6600: Side-by-Side Comparison
| NVIDIA RTX 3050 | AMD 6600 | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | Samsung 8nm | TSMC 7nm |
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 2.0 |
| CUDA Cores | 2,560 | 1,792 |
| Core Clock | 1,552 MHz | 1,626 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1,777 MHz | 2,491 MHz |
| Memory | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Clock | 14 Gbps | 14 Gbps |
| Memory Bandwidth | 224 GB/s | 224 GB/s |
| RT Cores | 20 | 28 |
| Power Connector | 1 x 8 pin | 1 x 8 pin |
| Release Date | January 27, 2022 | October 13, 2021 |
| Current Price | Around $300 | Around $240 |
RTX 3050 vs. RX 6600: What’s the Difference?
We should address that these graphics cards are built with different technologies, so a strict comparison of their specs doesn’t make too much sense.
The GeForce RTX 3050 is constructed around the Ampere architecture, patented by NVIDIA. Additionally, the CUDA Core amount is much higher than the RX 6600.
Even with this number difference, the RX6600 delivers better performance overall. Let’s talk about how this is possible.
Performance
Even after all this talk about specs, gaming performance is what gamers really care about. The RX simply bests the RTX in every benchmark.
Across the most popular and demanding games, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 displays superior performance, with a margin of up to 29% faster on average.
Some of the bread-and-butter games used for comparison are God Of War and Days Gone. Though the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 uses more power (135W), it performs disproportionally less efficiently.
The difference between the FPS delivered by both units is astonishing. If you are into smooth performance and quick, snappy gameplay, the Radeon RX 6600 leaves behind all the competition in the low-budget range.
In a game such as Horizon Zero Dawn, the RX 6600 averages 78 FPS, but the RTX 3050 averages only 62 FPS.
Covering competitive gaming, we can use Halo Infinite as an example. The RX 6600 is still faster, with an 84 FPS average, leaving behind the RTX 3050 with a 70 FPS average.
It’s worth noting that both competitors operate at similar temperatures, even if the RTX 3050 consumes more power than its counterpart.
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Design
The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is equipped with a massive cooler at the top that vertically dissipates heat. We have to admit it can be quite noisy, though. The package comes in a black and silver case and measures 190mm x 110mm x 40mm.
Most gamers know that AMD’s biggest shortfall over the years has been the high temperatures their GPUs reach, as some might remember from their infamous Radeon R9 200 series. This cooler makes sure that your GPU doesn’t exceed safe temperatures.
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 it’s equipped with the typical pair of coolers on the side attached to a black case, with dimensions of 285 mm x 112 mm x 40 mm.
Both graphics cards utilize 8-pin connectors, so luckily, you don’t need any adaptor to install these GPUs into your rig. This is a similarity worth pointing out in this RTX 3050 versus RX 6600 contest.
Features
With the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050, you get a performance boost with NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling). DLSS technology can scale up resolutions while maintaining high frame rates using the RTX 3050’s tensor cores.
This lets you crank up the settings and resolution for an even better visual experience. Also, you get a performance speed boost and better image quality. These peripheral technologies are always at the core of NVIDIA’s user experience, and it’s no different with this card.
Another notable feature coming from NVIDIA is what they call NVIDIA Reflex, a technology that improves the capacity to react quicker and be more precise in competitive games.
Still, AMD doesn’t stay behind with software and peripheral technologies. With new drivers and the massive success of AMD Freesync, which makes games snappier and comes built into most modern monitors, it cannot be said that AMD hasn’t kept up with NVIDIA.
As a nice touch, AMD Adrenalin Edition and AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution come integrated with RX6600 for precise configuration and FPS boosting capabilities.
Price and Availability
With all the fuss regarding cryptocurrencies, the cost of high-end graphics cards skyrocketed and stayed very high for years. Now that the prices are dropping, buying a low-end GPU is still a good deal if you are on a tight budget and want to wait a little longer for that top-tier graphics card.
The AMD RX 6600 started in 2021 with a price of $329, and now you can find it at around $240 to $300. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA RTX 3050 was released at $249 in 2022, but now you can usually find it at $300.
RTX 3050 vs. RX 6600: 5 Must-Know Facts
- The AMD RX 6600 delivers better performance overall and costs ~25% less, but the RTX 3050 is still a decent choice for other activities like video editing.
- The NVIDIA RTX 3050 works with ray tracing, while the RX 6600 doesn’t.
- Both graphics cards are installed to your rig using an 8-pin connector, so you do not need any adaptors.
- The NVIDIA RTX 3050 can struggle to deliver an average minimum of 60 FPS at 1440p, while the RX 6600 will have less trouble.
- Both graphics cards have drivers and several tools that help you configure your gaming experience for maximum performance.
- Supports HDMI 2.1
- 8GB of VRAM
- No power supply connections
- Great for prebuilts
- Memory Speed:14 Gbps
- 8 GB GDDR6 RAM
- AMD RDNA 2 architecture elevates and unifies the gaming
- Boost Clock: up to 2491 MHz
- Features the XFX Speedster SWFT210 Dual Fan Cooling
RTX 3050 vs. RX 6600: Which One is Better?
We believe the battle has been decided! After covering all the basic specs of both GPUs, we firmly believe that the AMD RX 6600 is the winner here, simply because it strongly outperforms the RTX 3050 in average FPS output, and that’s what gamers care about.
When we see the thermal efficiency measures, both units work decently and adapt to the standards in the low-budget area of GPUs. So, even if the RX 6600 is a little bit more inefficient in handling its power, this is nothing to worry about.
Yes, although the NVIDIA RTX 3050 consumes more power, it generates slightly less heat, and that’s a win. But, the RTX 3050 still has no chance when discussing frame rates or benchmarks.
When we look at the FPS average, the AMD RX 6600 can perform up to 30% faster in top-tier games and give a smooth performance with decent graphics settings, all for a lower price than its competitor.
With a performance much faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 and costing you 25% less, the AMD RX 6600 delivers a great gaming experience at a low budget price. For this, we declare it the winner of this fight.
