PowerColor Radeon RX 6650 XT

The PowerColor Radeon RX 6650 XT Hellhound has improved in the sense that it can now outperform an overclocked RX 6600 XT, however, the reality here is that we're talking maybe 3~4 percent there. The RX 6650 XT's base design is sound; especially considering what MSI did do to it, is nice. AMD made memory subsystem decisions limited memory bandwidth (128-bit); by including 32MB of L3 cache, AMD has circumvented the majority of that limitation, and the card performs flawlessly up to 1920x1080; however, L3 cache will always be a bypass, a short-cut to a problem that may recur in the future. Due to the severely constrained memory interface, performance will degrade immediately upon the cache drying out. AMD's raytracing technology also may not perform as well as its competitors, it is still useful for "fooling about a bit." We feel that RSR can be a great help for you to gain some additional free performance. But free is never free, and image quality can be a compromise you need to make. It must be said, though, that this is a fun choice to have and explore with. If not for the outrageous price, this would still be an attractive and gorgeous product at the 1920x1080 resolution; nevertheless, the price is simply too much. To be considered, the product's pricing has to be less than $300 USD. I recognize that you may disagree with and could challenge my views. The card overall performs as quickly as or slightly quicker than an RTX 3060 or even faster than the Ti. However the card series is priced similarly to the $399 3060 Ti. For games that support DLSS, the Geforce 3060 Ti is always the obvious winner. In conclusion, the Radeon RX 6650 XT series is a fun gaming card series focused completely on rasterized shading; the 32MB L3 cache excels at Full HD and often even WQHD resolutions. You may experiment with raytracing to glimpse the quality of future video games. However, the high asking price remains a big red flag, particularly when product positioning and relative performance are considered. PowerColor did a nice job with the Celestial White edition of the Hellhound as well as design and execution; you will receive a graphics card that is quiet, sleek, and stylish. AMD's suggested retail price for the Radeon RX 6650 XT AIB in most EU countries sits around €449, but the Hellhound starting price is €489,- which is way too much for what it offers..

The Radeon RX 6650 XT is a non-event. It is a little faster, which is nice, but it also costs a little more, so ultimately who cares? It barely strengthens AMD's position. In terms of cost per frame, it's a few percent better than what we already had, but realistically what the 6650 XT offers was only a mild overclock away with the 6600 XT.