
The Bottom Line
Introduction
ASUS sent over their more basic and not ROG Strix variant of AMD's new mid-range Radeon RX 6600 XT graphics card for review, the new ASUS DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT OC Edition for a whirl in my testbed.

Where the higher-end, enthusiast-focused ROG branding is there -- ASUS also has its DUAL brand that focuses on the mainstream gamer. There's no flashy ROG style or blinding RGB lighting, but a more "basic" custom Radeon RX 6600 XT that still packs fantastic thermal performance and a single 8-pin PCIe power connector.
ASUS uses a dual-fan cooler and provides a protective backplate on their DUAL RX 6600 XT OC Edition graphics card, and the same DP1.4 and HDMI 2.1 connectivity for 4K120 and 8K60 -- as well as the usual RDNA 2 features and technologies (FidelityFX Super Resolution, ray tracing, and more).
This isn't the ROG Strix variant of the Radeon RX 6600 XT from ASUS, but that doesn't mean it doesn't kick ass still... let's dive right into it.

Everything You Need to Know About The RX 6600 XT


AMD's new Radeon RX 6600 XT is everything we've come to know and love about the Radeon RX 6000 series graphics cards: we have the kick-ass RDNA 2 architecture, 8GB of GDDR6 memory, Infinity Cache, HDMI 2.1 connectivity, FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), ray tracing, and everything in between.

The new Radeon RX 6600 XT has 8GB of GDDR6 memory clocked at 16Gbps on a 128-bit memory bus with 32MB of AMD Infinity Cache (down from the 128MB on the higher-end Radeon RX 6800 XT for example). Infinity Cache helps the Radeon RX 6600 XT swing above its weight, especially when compared with previous-gen GPUs in the same "price range" as the RX 6600 XT.




AMD is marketing its new RDNA 2-powered Radeon RX 6600 XT graphics card up against NVIDIA's previous-gen Pascal-based GeForce GTX 1060 and showing that it has far over 100%+ performance gains in the latest titles. This is a huge deal for gamers that have a GTX 1060 or RX 5x0 series graphics card, and want an RDNA 2-powered upgrade... the Radeon RX 6600 XT is a fantastic option for 1080p gamers.
Hell, the Radeon RX 6600 XT is even capable of beating NVIDIA's new Ampere-powered GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, but not the GeForce RTX 3060 Ti -- we'll have more on that later, but AMD has positioned the new RX 6600 XT very well in the performance department.




Add into the fact you've got FSR support -- at least in the small amount of games available now, is another nice touch for the Radeon RX 6600 XT.
ASUS + AMD marketing






Detailed Look


The retail packaging does the job.


We have a dual-fan cooler on the front that keeps the Navi 23 GPU nice and cool, which keeps the GPU temps at under 60C. On the back you've got a great-looking backplate for a mid-range graphics card in the ASUS DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT OC Edition.


The ASUS DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT OC Edition is a 2.5-slot card, where I really would've preferred that ASUS made the DUAL RX 6600 XT into... you know... a DUAL-slot form factor card.

You've got a single 8-pin PCIe power connector on the card, with a maximum TDP of 160W out of the card.

Display connectivity remains consistent between Radeon RX 6600 XT cards with 3 x DisplayPort 1.4 and 1 x HDMI 2.1 connectors. You can drive up to 4K144 and 8K60 across those connectors.

Test System Specs
Latest upgrade:
Sabrent sent over their huge Rocket Q 8TB NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 SSD, which will be my new Games install SSD inside of my main test bed.

I've got a new upgrade inside of my GPU test bed before my change to a next-gen test bed, where I will be preparing for NVIDIA's next-gen Ampere graphics cards and AMD's next-gen RDNA 2 graphics cards.

Sabrent helped out with some new storage for my GPU test beds, sending over a slew of crazy-fast Rocket NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 SSDs. I've got this installed into my GPU test bed as the new Games Storage drive, since games are so damn big now. Thanks to Sabrent, I've got 2TB of super-fast M.2 PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD storage now.

Anthony's GPU Test System Specifications
I've recently upgraded my GPU test bed -- at least for now, until AMD's new Ryzen 9 5950X processor is unleashed then the final update for 2020 will happen and we'll be all good for RDNA 2 and future Ampere GPU releases. You can read my article here: TweakTown GPU Test Bed Upgrade for 2021, But Then Zen 3 Was Announced.




- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3800X (buy from Amazon)
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG X570 Crosshair VIII HERO (buy from Amazon)
- Cooler: CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML360R RGB (buy from Amazon)
- RAM: G.SKILL Trident Z NEO RGB 32GB (4x8GB) (F4-3600C18Q-32GTZN) (buy from Amazon)
- SSD: Sabrent 2TB Rocket NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 (buy from Amazon)
- PSU: be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 1200W (buy from Amazon)
- Case: InWin X-Frame 2.0
- OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional x64 (buy from Amazon)
Benchmarks - Synthetic
3DMark Fire Strike

3DMark has been a staple benchmark for years now, all the way back to when The Matrix was released and Futuremark had bullet time inspired benchmarks. 3DMark is the perfect tool to see if your system - most important, your CPU and GPU - is performing as it should. You can search results for your GPU, to see if it falls in line with other systems based on similar hardware.



3DMark TimeSpy


Heaven - 1080p

Heaven is an intensive GPU benchmark that really pushes your silicon to its limits. It's another favorite of ours as it has some great scaling for multi-GPU testing, and it's great for getting your GPU to 100% for power and noise testing.



Benchmarks - 1080p



Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is the latest game to be inserted into our benchmark suite, with Ubisoft Montreal using its AnvilNext engine to power the game. It scales really well across the cards, and has some surprising performance benefits with AMD's new Big Navi GPUs.
You can buy Assassins Creed: Valhalla at Amazon.




Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a sequel to the popular Shadow of Mordor, which was powered by the Lithtech engine. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.
You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of War at Amazon.



Metro Exodus is one of the hardest tests that our graphics cards have to go through, with 4A Games' latest creation being one of the best looking games on the market. It is a serious test that pushes GPUs to their limits, and also features RTX technologies like DLSS.




Shadow of the Tomb Raider is one of the latest games to join our graphics card benchmark lineup, with the game built using the Foundation engine as a base, the same engine in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Eidos Montreal R&D department made lots of changes to the engine during the development of Shadow of the Tomb Raider to make it one of the best-looking games out right now.

1080p Benchmark Performance Thoughts
Just like the other custom Radeon RX 6600 XT graphics cards that came before it: the new ASUS DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT OC Edition comes with some great 1080p performance. In an AMD-friendly title like Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, we have performance that beats the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti.
In more punishing titles like Shadow of War, we still have 120FPS+ average -- while games like Metro Exodus get close to 60FPS average at 1080p, and with some tweaks to in-game visual settings, you'd hit 60FPS average easy.
Fantastic performance at 1080p for a card that consumes less than 150W.
Benchmarks - 1440p

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is the latest game to be inserted into our benchmark suite, with Ubisoft Montreal using its AnvilNext engine to power the game. It scales really well across the cards, and has some surprising performance benefits with AMD's new Big Navi GPUs.
You can buy Assassins Creed: Valhalla at Amazon.


Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a sequel to the popular Shadow of Mordor, which was powered by the Lithtech engine. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.
You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of War at Amazon.


Metro Exodus is one of the hardest tests that our graphics cards have to go through, with 4A Games' latest creation being one of the best looking games on the market. It is a serious test that pushes GPUs to their limits, and also features RTX technologies like DLSS.


Shadow of the Tomb Raider is one of the latest games to join our graphics card benchmark lineup, with the game built using the Foundation engine as a base, the same engine in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Eidos Montreal R&D department made lots of changes to the engine during the development of Shadow of the Tomb Raider to make it one of the best-looking games out right now.

1440p Benchmark Performance Thoughts
I wouldn't recommend AMD's new Radeon RX 6600 XT for 1440p gaming, but if the game is right -- like for example, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla -- then you're pulling 60FPS average at 1440p. Not too damn bad at all, AMD.
Shadow of War still cranks along at 88FPS average, while Shadow of the Tomb Raider gives you 102FPS average at 1440p. Next-gen console crushing performance, even at 1440p.
Benchmarks - 4K

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla is the latest game to be inserted into our benchmark suite, with Ubisoft Montreal using its AnvilNext engine to power the game. It scales really well across the cards, and has some surprising performance benefits with AMD's new Big Navi GPUs.
You can buy Assassins Creed: Valhalla at Amazon.


Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a sequel to the popular Shadow of Mordor, which was powered by the Lithtech engine. When cranked up to maximum detail, it will chew through your GPU and its VRAM like it's nothing.
You can buy Middle-earth: Shadow of War at Amazon.


Metro Exodus is one of the hardest tests that our graphics cards have to go through, with 4A Games' latest creation being one of the best looking games on the market. It is a serious test that pushes GPUs to their limits, and also features RTX technologies like DLSS.


Shadow of the Tomb Raider is one of the latest games to join our graphics card benchmark lineup, with the game built using the Foundation engine as a base, the same engine in Rise of the Tomb Raider. Eidos Montreal R&D department made lots of changes to the engine during the development of Shadow of the Tomb Raider to make it one of the best-looking games out right now.

4K Benchmark Performance Thoughts
I don't recommend the Radeon RX 6600 XT for 4K gaming, but you're still going to reach 30FPS average in AAA titles which is better than most consoles, even the new next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Power Consumption & Temps


GPU temps sit at around 59C, while the GPU hotspot hits 71C -- 135W power consumption is in line with all other Radeon RX 6600 XT graphics cards on the market.
What's Hot, What's Not
What's Hot

- Basic design, kick-ass 1080p performance: ASUS provides a more basic style with its DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT, but that doesn't mean it's basic in every area. We have stellar 1080p gaming performance, offering 60FPS+ in AAA titles and 120FPS+ in esports titles. Beautiful.
- Sub 60C GPU temps: It's a mid-range Navi 23 GPU, so GPU temps are easy to keep under control and ASUS does that well with sub 60C on their DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT.
- Lower price than other offerings: You should be able to find the ASUS DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT cheaper than some other custom Radeon RX 6600 XT models on the market.
What's Not
There's not much to hate here, guys.
Final Thoughts
Another day, another great custom Radeon RX 6600 XT graphics card -- this time in the form of the custom ASUS DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT. It doesn't look like it would impress as much as a ROG Strix variant, but we have enough kick ass-ness here (is that a word, now it is) for me to recommend the card to you.

ASUS has a dual-fan cooler that keeps the Navi 23 and 8GB of GDDR6 memory cool through gaming sessions, and enough features and technologies (FSR, DX12, ray tracing, etc) to keep you happy for years to come. You're not diving into this GPU with a 4K 120FPS monitor in mind, so 1080p 60-120FPS is where you'll want to aim.
Depending on the price in your market, the ASUS DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT shouldn't break the bank -- and if won't break your PC with sub 60C temps and sub 135W power consumption.
An all-around great card, that would go perfect in your PC if you were upgrading from a few generations ago. If you had a Radeon RX Vega or GeForce GTX 10 series card and didn't want to jump up too high to the Radeon RX 6700/6800 series or GeForce RTX 3070/3080 series, the new ASUS DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT is a great fit.
Performance |
95% |
Quality |
95% |
Features |
100% |
Value |
N/A |
Overall |
97% |
The new ASUS DUAL Radeon RX 6600 XT is impressive for a non ROG product, with enough grunt under its Navi 23 + 8GB GDDR6 hood to keep you warm at night during 1080p gaming sessions.

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