I’m glad the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT has more VRAM, but the price is an issue
More memory, same GPU
The AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is on the way, and the new entry level RDNA 3 graphics card will furnish more PCs with 16GB VRAM. That’s undoubtedly a good thing, especially when it comes to maxing out settings in the latest games at 1080p, but I’m disappointed that it doesn’t have much else up its proverbial sleeve. Effectively, the card is set to use the same GPU and core count as its non-XT predecessor, meaning its price point feels a little bit off.
You only have to look at the best graphics card scene to know prices are all over the place, and AMD has led the charge with competitive MSRPs. It feels like only yesterday that the Radeon RX 7600 arrived to challenge the RTX 4060 with a $269.99 tag attached, not to mention the company managed to dodge the same pricing criticism fired at Nvidia for the more expensive RTX 4060 Ti 16GB. However, it feels like team red is now falling into the same trap as its main rival, as the Radeon RX 7600 XT feels like the same pitch.
Revealed at CES 2024, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT arrives on January 24 and will come in at $329.99. Featuring 32 Compute Units, 64 AI accelerators, and 16GB GDDR6 VRAM, the only real difference between the new model and the non-XT is the extra memory, which might help explain why I’m a little bit narked about its MSRP.
That’s not to say I don’t think having an entry-level GPU with more memory to spare is worthwhile, as I’ve experienced first hand what gluttonous new releases are like when sticking to 8GB. However, while the Radeon RX 7600 XT will buffer some gaming PCs against the horrors of maxed out settings, it’s not going to provide an fps boost over and above the non-XT version, even though you’re practically paying a $60 premium.
Of course, AMD is known for post-release price cuts, so there’s every chance the Radeon RX 7600 XT will dip a little in the future. I’d argue that it will have to if it wants to survive in the ring, as new Intel Arc Battlemage graphics cards could show up in 2024 as a disruptor. Naturally, Nvidia could also look at giving the RTX 4060 a glow up in a similar fashion to the GeForce RTX 4080 Super, and piling on additional pressure.
Specs | AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT | AMD Radeon RX 7600 |
---|---|---|
Price | $329 / £329 | $269 / £269 |
Compute Units | 32 | 32 |
AI Accelerators | 64 | 64 |
Base clock | 2.47 GHz | 2.47 GHz |
Boost clock | 2.76 GHz | 2.76 GHz |
VRAM | 16GB GDDR6 | 8GB GDDR6 |
Memory bus | 128-bit | 128-bit |
Pricing aside, it’s nice to see more 16GB options show up to the graphics card fold, and the move from 8GB will ultimately help keep things future proofed. We’ll need to put the new card through our usual tests to see whether it stacks up against the best, but I suspect there won’t be too many surprises in store during benchmarking.
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I’ve been messing around with PCs, video game consoles, and tech since before I could speak. Don’t get me wrong, I kickstarted my relationship with technology by jamming a Hot Wheels double-decker bus into my parent’s VCR, but we all have to start somewhere. I even somehow managed to become a walking, talking buyer’s guide at my teenage supermarket job, which helped me accept my career fate. So, rather than try to realise my musician dreams, or see out my University degree, I started running my own retro pop culture site and writing about video games and tech for the likes of TechRadar, The Daily Star, and the BBC before eventually ending up with a job covering graphics card shenanigans at PCGamesN. Now, I’m your friendly neighbourhood Hardware Editor at GamesRadar, and it’s my job to make sure you can kick butt in all your favourite games using the best gaming hardware, whether you’re a sucker for handhelds like the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch or a hardcore gaming PC enthusiast.