The race for performance between AMD and Nvidia continues to intensify, especially since the launch of the new generation of graphics cards based on the RDNA 2 and Ampere architectures.
Among the most popular models on the market are the AMD Radeon RX 6600 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, two cards aimed at the mid-range segment and which promise high performance for a reasonable price.
But which of these two cards is better?
AMD Radeon RX 6600: an efficient and affordable graphics card for Full HD
The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the latest addition to the RX 6000 range, based on the RDNA 2 architecture . It is positioned as an entry-level graphics card, intended for gamers who want to play in Full HD without breaking the bank.
Technical specifications of the AMD Radeon RX 6600
- The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is equipped with a Navi 23 GPU , which has 1792 computing units, which is 28% less than the RX 6600 XT.
- It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory , with a 128-bit memory interface and a bandwidth of 224 GB/s .
- Its base frequency is 1968 MHz, and its boost frequency can reach 2491 MHz .
- Its power consumption (TDP) is 132 W, which makes it an energy-efficient graphics card.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060: a versatile and powerful graphics card for Full HD
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 is the smallest of the RTX 3000 series graphics cards, based on the Ampere architecture. It is positioned as a mid-range graphics card, intended for gamers who want to play in Full HD with ray tracing enabled .
Technical specifications of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
- The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 is equipped with a GA106 GPU, which has 3584 CUDA cores , 112 Tensor cores and 28 RT cores.
- It has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 192-bit memory interface and a bandwidth of 360 GB/s.
- Its base frequency is 1320 MHz, and its boost frequency can reach 1777 MHz.
- Its power consumption (TDP) is 170 W , which makes it a fairly energy-intensive graphics card.
On paper, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 therefore seems to have the advantage over the AMD Radeon RX 6600, with more CUDA cores, more memory and more bandwidth. But what about in practice?
Performance of the AMD Radeon RX 6600
The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is designed to deliver a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience in Full HD , at high or ultra graphics settings.
According to tests, it displays an average performance index of 85.9% , which places it at the level of an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti or an AMD Radeon RX Vega 64. It thus far exceeds 60 frames per second (fps) in most recent games, like Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla or Red Dead Redemption 2.
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 performance
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 is designed to deliver a smooth and immersive gaming experience in Full HD, at high or ultra graphics settings, and with ray tracing enabled.
According to tests, it displays an average performance index of 100% , which places it at the level of an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super or an AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT. It thus far exceeds 60 frames per second (fps) in most recent games, such as Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Valhalla or Red Dead Redemption 2.
Comparison of in-game performance of the two cards
To evaluate the in-game performance of these two graphics cards, we based ourselves on tests carried out by different specialized sites. We used the results obtained in Full HD (1080p), the target resolution of these two GPUs.
We also took into account the graphics settings used in each game: ultra, high or medium.
Here is a summary table of the average frames per second (FPS) performance achieved by the AMD Radeon RX 6600 and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 in a selection of popular games:
| Game | Settings | AMD Radeon RX 6600 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | Ultra | 54 FPS | 55 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Ultra | 40 FPS | 42 FPS |
| Doom Eternal | Ultra | 180 FPS | 185 FPS |
| Far Cry New Dawn | Ultra | 94 FPS | 96 FPS |
| Forza Horizon 4 | Ultra | 116 FPS | 118 FPS |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | Pupil | 68 FPS | 69 FPS |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | Pupil | 86 FPS | 88 FPS |
| The Witcher 3 | Ultra | 85 FPS | 87 FPS |
We see that the performances are very close between the two graphics cards, with a slight advantage for the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. In all cases, the two GPUs offer a very satisfactory gaming experience in Full HD, with frame rates high and stable.
AMD Radeon RX 6600 vs Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060: does ray tracing make the difference?
Ray tracing is a technology that simulates the behavior of light in a 3D environment, by calculating reflections, refractions, shadows and lighting in a realistic way.
This technology provides a significant gain in terms of graphics quality, but it is also very resource intensive. To take advantage of it, you must have a compatible graphics card and a game that uses it.
The AMD Radeon RX 6600 and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 are both capable of handling ray tracing , but with very different performance. Indeed, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 has a major advantage: it integrates RT cores, units dedicated to ray tracing calculation, which allow it to optimize its performance.
It also benefits from DLSS, an upscaling technology that uses artificial intelligence to increase the resolution of an image without loss of quality . DLSS thus makes it possible to compensate for the drop in FPS induced by ray tracing, by reducing the GPU workload.
The AMD Radeon RX 6600, for its part, does not have RT cores, and must therefore use its classic calculation units to manage ray tracing. On the other hand, it has FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) , a technology similar to DLSS, which improves the fluidity of games by increasing the resolution of an image from a lower resolution.
FSR is, however, less efficient than DLSS, because it does not rely on artificial intelligence, but on a simple reconstruction algorithm .
To compare the impact of ray tracing on the performance of the two graphics cards, we used the same games as previously, activating ray tracing and DLSS or FSR as appropriate. Here are the results obtained in Full HD:
| Game | Settings | AMD Radeon RX 6600 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | Ultra+RT | 28 FPS | 42 FPS |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | Ultra+RT | 19 FPS | 37 FPS |
| Doom Eternal | Ultra+RT | 75 FPS | 115 FPS |
| Far Cry New Dawn | Ultra+RT | N / A | N / A |
| Forza Horizon 4 | Ultra+RT | N / A | N / A |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | High + RT | N / A | N / A |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | High + RT | 34 FPS | 54 FPS |
| The Witcher 3 | Ultra+RT | N / A | N / A |
We note that ray tracing is not available in all games, and that it has a very significant impact on the performance of the two graphics cards. However, the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 performs much better than the AMD Radeon RX 6600, thanks to its RT cores and DLSS. It manages to maintain acceptable frame rates in most games, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600 struggles to exceed 30 FPS.
Advantages and disadvantages of the AMD Radeon RX 6600
The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has several advantages over the competition:
- Its price : it is less expensive than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, while offering similar performance in rasterization (the classic rendering mode for video games).
- Its energy efficiency : it consumes less than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, which saves on the electricity bill and reduces the heat released by the PC.
- Its exclusive technologies : it benefits from features specific to AMD, such as Smart Access Memory (SAM) , which allows you to increase performance by using the memory of the Ryzen processor, or FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), which allows you to improve image quality using low-resolution rendering and intelligent upscaling.
The AMD Radeon RX 6600 also has some drawbacks to take into account:
- Its ray tracing : it supports ray tracing, a technology that allows realistic lighting effects to be simulated, but it does it less well than the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060. Activating ray tracing results in a significant drop in performance, which makes some games unplayable in Full HD.
- Its memory : it has only 8 GB of GDDR6 memory , which can be limiting for certain very demanding games or for playing in resolutions higher than Full HD.
- Its availability : like all current graphics cards, it is the victim of shortage and speculation, which makes it difficult to find it at the recommended price.
Pros and cons of the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 has several advantages over the competition:
- Its ray tracing : it excels in ray tracing, a technology which allows realistic lighting effects , thanks to its dedicated RT cores and its DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), which improves image quality using low-resolution rendering and artificial intelligence-based upscaling.
- Its memory : it has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory , which gives it good room for maneuver for very demanding games or for playing in resolutions higher than Full HD.
- Its exclusive technologies : it benefits from features specific to Nvidia, such as NVLink, which allows two graphics cards to be coupled to increase performance, or GeForce Experience , which allows you to optimize game settings, record videos or stream.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 also has some drawbacks to take into account:
- Its price : it is more expensive than the AMD Radeon RX 6600, while offering similar performance in rasterization (the classic rendering mode for video games).
- Its energy efficiency : it consumes more than the AMD Radeon RX 6600 , which implies having a power supply and a more efficient cooling system.
- Its availability : like most current graphics cards, it is the victim of shortage and speculation, which makes it difficult to find it at the recommended price.
FAQs
Which graphics card is best suited for gaming in QHD (1440p) or UHD (2160p)?
If you want to play in QHD (1440p) or UHD (2160p) , you should know that AMD Radeon RX 6600 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics cards are not really designed for these resolutions.
They can run some games at medium or low settings, but will struggle to maintain good fluidity at high or ultra settings. To play in QHD or UHD, it is better to opt for more high-end graphics cards, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT or the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 .
Which graphics card is the quietest and coolest?
The noise and temperature level of a graphics card largely depends on the cooling system used by the manufacturer. There are several brands that offer custom models of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 , with different fans, radiators, and heatsinks.
It is therefore necessary to find out about tests and user opinions to compare the models with each other. In general, graphics cards that consume less power are also quieter and cooler, which gives the AMD Radeon RX 6600 on this point.
Which graphics card is easiest to install and configure?
Installing and configuring a graphics card is not very complicated, as long as you follow a few simple steps. You must first check that your PC case has sufficient space to accommodate the graphics card , as well as a power supply powerful enough to operate it.
You then need to plug the graphics card into the PCI-Express x16 port on your motherboard, as well as the six or eight pin PCI-Express power supply You must then install the graphics card drivers, which you can download from the manufacturer's website or via dedicated software such as AMD Radeon Software or Nvidia GeForce Experience.
These software also allow you to optimize game settings, update drivers or access other features.
Which graphics card is most compatible with games and software?
The compatibility of a graphics card with games and software depends largely on the API (Application Programming Interface) used by the latter. APIs are interfaces that allow developers to communicate with graphics hardware.
There are several APIs, such as DirectX , OpenGL , Vulkan or Metal , which have advantages and disadvantages depending on the case. In general, AMD Radeon RX 6600 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 graphics cards are compatible with most APIs, but some may be more optimized than others.
For example, Nvidia graphics cards are known to perform better with DirectX 12 Ultimate, which supports ray tracing, while AMD graphics cards are known to perform better with Vulkan, which offers better power efficiency.
Which games best use the AMD Radeon RX 6600 and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060?
The games that best exploit the AMD Radeon RX 6600 and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 are those that are optimized for these graphics cards , either because they are developed in partnership with the manufacturers, or because they use specific technologies to these GPUs. Here are some examples of games that take advantage of the capabilities of these graphics cards:
- Godfall , a co-op action-RPG game, uses ray tracing and AMD's FSR to deliver sumptuous graphics and optimal fluidity.
- Deathloop , a first-person shooter, uses ray tracing and Nvidia's DLSS to create an immersive and dynamic atmosphere.
- Resident Evil Village , a survival horror game, which uses AMD's ray tracing and FSR to enhance the game's realism and tension.
- Control , an action-adventure game, uses Nvidia's ray tracing and DLSS to create impressive lighting and physics effects.
- Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition , a first-person shooter, uses ray tracing and AMD's FSR to do justice to the game's post-apocalyptic universe.
