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We may be slowly turning a corner in the GPU market, as graphics cards are gently dipping in price and approaching their MSRP. Case in point is the star of today’s deal post, the Gigabyte RX 6600 Eagle 8GB. This entry-level AMD GPU is designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and has been dropped $30 to reach $369.99 at Amazon today.
The RX 6600 is a tuned-down version of the RX 6600 XT, which we’ve covered on release but not yet reviewed. Hardware master James’ analysis was that the RX 6600 impresses due to its 8GB of VRAM, but doesn’t quite reach the relative heights of the more powerful RX 6600 XT. Here’s James on the differences between the two cards:
The stock base clock frequency takes a tumble from the XT model, dropping from 1968MHz to 1626MHz, while ‘Game Frequency’ – the speeds you’ll roughly get while playing games, a little short of the maxed-out peak boost speed – is 2044MHz. Again, that’s down from 2359MHz, and the Radeon RX 6600’S 28 compute units is four less than the XT version’s as well. The newer variant sips less power, however, apparently having a typical power draw of 132W to the RX 6600 XT’s 160W.
If you’re able to get it at or near MSRP, as here, then it’s a pretty potent GPU more than capable of AAA gaming at 1080p – with the ability to stretch to 1440p if you’re willing to turn down a few settings. Of course, older and indie titles can be run at even higher resolutions as long as long as the rest of your PC is up to snuff. That puts it within the same class as the RTX 3050, although it’s the latter that resides within the treasured hall of RPS’ best graphics cards.
This particular model ought to perform better than average, too. It’s a Gigabyte Eagle, with a three fan design, three DisplayPorts and one HDMI 2.1 port, so you’re fully equipped to connect to current-gen displays, including both monitors and 4K 120Hz TVs.
Overall, it’s a decent shout if you’re after a 1080p-grade GPU for your desktop rig, and more generally a promising sign that graphics card prices may finally be returning to normal. What a world that would be, eh?