Radeon RX 6600 vs Radeon RX 6650 XT Gaming Performance

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Ray Tracing Performance

We are going to focus on Ray Tracing 1080p gameplay performance with these two video cards.  We will include FSR performance on the same graph in the games that are supported.

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.  This game supports Ray Tracing environmental effects including Ray Traced Soft Shadows, Ray Traced Ambient Occlusion, Ray Traced Global Illumination, and Ray Traced Reflections.  We utilize the built-in preset option to set “HIGH QUALITY RAYTRACING” which enables the games highest graphics settings plus the environmental effects explained above at the highest values.  The game is run in DX12 Ultimate mode with ASYNC Compute turned on.  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.

Radeon RX 6600 vs Radeon RX 6650 XT Dying Light 2 Ray Tracing Performance Graph

In Dying Light 2, neither video card is able to provide a playable experience even at 1080p, with all the Ray Tracing on in this game. Even turning on FSR doesn’t make it playable. The MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 24% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon 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 Ray Tracing via two DXR settings, one for Reflections and the other for Shadows, we turn on both for testing. This game supports FSR upscaling.

Radeon RX 6600 vs Radeon RX 6650 XT Far Cry 6 Ray Tracing Performance Graph

In Far Cry 6 we went ahead and tested at 1440p, as the MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT actually allows a playable experience with all DXR Ray Tracing enabled at 1440p. The MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 37% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600. It seems when it comes to Ray Tracing, the two video cards are even wider apart in performance, with the 6650 XT providing a larger advantage in performance.

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.  We use the Ray Tracing Graphics Preset of either: “Ray Tracing: Low”, or “Ray Tracing: Medium” or “Ray Tracing: Ultra” as indicated. This game supports DLSS and FSR.

Radeon RX 6600 vs Radeon RX 6650 XT Cyberpunk 2077 Ray Tracing Performance Graph

Cyberpunk 2077 is also not playable at 1080p with the highest Ray Tracing settings on either video card. The MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 19% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600.

Metro Exodus Enhanced

Metro Exodus Enhanced is being run with Shading Quality at “Extreme” and Ray Tracing at “Ultra.”  This is a demanding game, that heavily focuses on Ray Tracing utilization, including Global Illumination.  We are utilizing the built-in benchmark.

Radeon RX 6600 vs Radeon RX 6650 XT Metro Exodus Ray Tracing Performance Graph

Metro Exodus Enhanced is also not playable at 1080p with all Ray Tracing on either video card. The MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT is 26% faster than the SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 6600 XT.

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Brent Justicehttps://www.thefpsreview.com
Former managing editor of GPUs at HardOCP for 18 years, Brent Justice has been reviewing computer components since the late 90s, educated in the art and method of the computer hardware review, he brings experience, knowledge, and hands-on testing with a gamer-oriented and hardware enthusiast perspective. You can follow him on Twitter - @Brent_Justice You can sub to his YouTube channel - Justice Gaming https://www.youtube.com/c/JusticeGamingChannel You can check out his computer builds on KIT - @BrentJustice https://kit.co/BrentJustice

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