Gameplay Performance
We are going to focus on 1440p gameplay performance with these two video cards. We will include FSR performance on the same graph in the games that are supported. Ray Tracing performance will be shown on a separate page.
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 was released in February 2022 on the PC and uses Techland’s C-Engine. The game supports Ray Tracing, DLSS and FSR. We use the built-in preset to set “HIGH QUALITY” which sets the highest game graphics, without Ray Tracing. We manually enable DX12 and ASYNC Compute. For our benchmark, we are using a custom manual run-through at the end of the game hopping between rooftops, as well as free-roaming on the ground city level, as well as a forested area, in the daylight.
In Dying Light 2 at 1440p with the highest game settings the MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT GAMING X video card is 25% faster than the SAPPHIRE PULSE Radeon RX 6600 GAMING video card in performance. The Radeon RX 6600 is not playable at this setting and resolution, but the new Radeon RX 6650 XT allows a playable experience at 1440p. To further make the video cards faster, FSR improves performance on both video cards. FSR on the Radeon RX 6600 only brings us to near 60FPS, while the Radeon RX 6650 XT is up above 70FPS, providing a smooth experience at 1440p with the highest settings. Comparing FSR performance the MSI RX 6650 XT is 26% faster than the SAPPHIRE RX 6600.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction was released on PC in January of 2022. This game uses the Ubisoft Anvil gaming engine and supports DLSS and multiple TAA options as well as a high-definition Texture Pack. We are running the game at the highest graphics settings, at a fixed 100% resolution. We will test with TAA, TAA 2X, and DLSS where supported. We are using the built-in benchmark.
In Rainbow Six Extraction, both the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600 and MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT allow a playable gameplay experience at 1440p and the highest in-game settings. There is a clear performance difference though, the MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 22% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600.
Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon 5 was released on PC in November of 2021 and it uses the ForzaTech game engine. For our evaluation, we raise the in-game graphic settings beyond the “Extreme” preset to the maximum game settings. In addition to the “Extreme” preset we raise SSAO Quality to Ultra, Reflection Quality to Extreme, SSR Quality to Ultra. We also disable MSAA and use FXAA. We test AMD FidelityFX Contrast Adaptive Sharpening (CAS) performance from the Resolution Scaling option. We utilize the built-in benchmark for testing.
In Forza Horizon 5 the MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 20% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600. Both video cards are running the game at 1440p and the highest in-game settings, but only the Radeon RX 6650 XT is maintaing well above 60FPS while playing, while the RX 6600 is playable, it’s not a constant 60FPS at 1440p. However, utilizing CAS does bring the performance up above 60FPS on it. Comparing CAS performance the RX 6650 XT is 18% faster than the RX 6600.
Far Cry 6
Far Cry 6 was released in October of 2021 and uses the Dunia Engine. We utilize the built-in benchmark for testing. We have the HD Texture pack installed and turned on. We utilize the “Ultra” graphics preset which sets all options to the highest game settings. This game supports FSR upscaling.
In Far Cry 6 we are running the game at 1440p with the highest in-game settings and HD Textures installed. This game is very playable on the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600 and MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT at this resolution and game settings. The MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 19% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600, the least difference so far.
FSR also helps performance on both video cards, but not equally. Enabling FSR on the MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT has increased performance by 45% taking it 119FPS. However, the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600 FSR has only improved performance by 22%, which is much less than the Radeon RX 6650 XT benefited. Compared by FSR performance the MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 42% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk 2077 was released in December of 2020 and uses the REDengine 4. We have the game patched to version 1.52 and perform a long manual run-through driving in the game’s open world. We test using the Graphics Preset option to set graphics settings, mainly “Ultra”. This game supports DLSS and FSR.
In Cyberpunk 2077 at “Ultra” settings, this game is very demanding. Neither the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600 nor MSI Radeon RX 66500 XT are able to provide a playable gameplay experience without FSR. The MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 25% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600.
When we turn on FSR, both video cards improve performance by a lot, and very close. The Radeon RX 6650 XT improves by 66% and the Radeon RX 6600 improves by 63%. However, it is only the MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT that has a playable gameplay experience in 1440p with FSR. The Radeon RX 6600 is still too slow even with FSR. Comparing FSR performance the Radeon RX 6650 XT is 26% faster than the Radeon RX 6600.
Microsoft Flight Sim 2020 Game of the Year Edition
MS Flight Sim 2020 was released in August of 2020 but has received a big update in November 2021 called the Game of the Year Edition update. This brought with it support for the DX12 API which we have enabled for testing. We are utilizing the game’s “Ultra” preset for graphics settings and live terrain is enabled. We perform a manual run-through of an activity landing in New York with an outside view camera.
In Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 at 1440p, the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600 is barely playable, providing just over 30FPS, and a more choppy experience. The MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT provides a much better and smoother playable experience at 1440p in this game. The MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 26% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600.
Watch Dogs Legion
Watch Dogs Legion was released on the PC in October of 2020 and uses the Disrupt game engine. We utilize the built-in benchmark for testing. We have the HD Texture pack installed and enabled for testing. We use the built-in graphics preset of “Ultra” for testing. This game supports DLSS upscaling.
In Watch Dogs Legion at 1440p, the MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is on the borderline of playable, while the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600 is not. The MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 17% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600 here, the lowest difference in this review.