Conclusion
The RX 7600XT release is an interesting one. We do need cards with larger memory pools, but can we get the performance uplift we desire with cards that are less than $400? It turns out that the answer is complicated. There are scenarios where the 7600XT is faster than the other cards in its price category and the extra memory has some real world benefits. There are other scenarios where it cannot catch up to the cards that are in its price range that are three years older.
It turns out the RX 7600XT is a mixed bag when we look at a generational uplift versus the previous generation. The RX 6700XT essentially matches it in every metric except for power consumption. Theoretically the 16GB 7600XT will outperform the 12GB 6700XT in upcoming applications which will leverage the larger memory pools, but for now that is not the case. AMD has also just added official support for Fluid Motion Frames to their latest drivers (RX 7000 Series and RX 6000 Series). This is the frame generation tech that AMD has recently introduced to compete with DLSS 3 frame generation from NVIDIA. Those comparing and contrasting the performance of the 6700XT vs. the 7600XT will have to consider this feature. Having played Starfield with FMF enabled at 2560×1440 with Ultra details enabled, it is a much smoother experience with the 7600XT.
The power consumption of the 7600XT is very good compared to the previous parts, but does not match the overall efficiency of the higher priced RX 7700XT. Sadly, the price of the 7700XT is not that great compared to the $50 higher 7800XT. Not all of us can afford products above the $329 starting point of the 7600XT, which opens up the possibility that this might be a good option for those who are budget constrained. It has 16GB of memory, which has shown to be an advantage in titles which do go above and beyond 8GB/12GB (and there will be more of these). It also leverages the software/hardware advantages with FSR3.0 Native.
This certainly is not a perfect release. It will not likely sell in droves until stock of the 6700XT dries out. This does not dilute the value as a product due to its memory size, the ability to outperform the RTX 3060 in a wide variety of cases, and the overall performance and power characteristics that it brings to the table. For those users with a RX 480/580 or below, or a GTX 1070 and below, it is a worthwhile upgrade at a reasonable price. AMD continues to add a lot of value due to software upgrades, and those will continue with RDNA3 based products. It is a very solid midrange offering at a reasonable price with significant feature additions.
As for the XFX offering, I really love the design and performance. It is the coolest running product with some serious headroom for overclocking activities. The build quality and components included with the design are outstanding. It is very quiet under load and silent at idle. Cooling is not an issue, and overclocking will allow the user to hit 3 GHz plus on core speed and a few extra MHz with the memory.
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