The last mid-range graphics card Advanced Micro Devices (AMD 4.15%) launched was the $269 RX 7600 in May 2023. Reviews were mixed. While the card performed well for the price at lower resolutions, it was the opposite of future-proof. Gamers had little reason to favor the RX 7600 over previous-generation graphics cards that were widely available at knocked-down prices. AMD was competing with itself, and the RX 7600 just didn't bring enough to the table.
The main issue with the RX 7600 was AMD's choice to include just 8GB of VRAM along with a 128-bit memory bus. The amount of VRAM that can be used by modern games has been moving higher, and playing at higher resolutions requires more VRAM than lower resolutions. 8GB is mostly fine today, but that likely won't remain the case in a few years.
On top of the bare minimum amount of VRAM, the narrow memory bus limited how quickly data could be sent to the GPU. This isn't much of an issue at lower resolutions, but at higher resolutions, that narrow memory bus can act as a bottleneck.
Ahead of CES 2024 on Monday, AMD announced a new mid-range graphics card that will slot into its lineup between the RX 7600 and the higher-end RX 7700 XT. The RX 7600 XT, which is set to be available on Jan. 24 for $329, fixes one of the problems with the RX 7600 and should be a more appealing option for gamers looking for some level of future-proofing.
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Key Data Points
Upping the VRAM
The RX 7600 XT brings two meaningful improvements over the RX 7600. First, AMD has bumped up the boost clock speed by about 5%. This should translate into improved performance. Second, the company has doubled the amount of VRAM to 16GB.
More VRAM should help performance in certain games and while playing at higher resolutions, but AMD has kept the same narrow memory bus. While the RX 7600 XT has 33% more VRAM than the pricier RX 7700 XT, it sports a 33% lower bandwidth.
AMD is taking a similar approach as Nvidia did with its 16GB RTX 4060 Ti by including a larger amount of VRAM but hobbling the bandwidth. In a review of the RTX 4060 Ti from Tom's Hardware, the increased amount of VRAM only helped in certain situations. More often than not, either the extra memory just wasn't needed or the bandwidth acted as a bottleneck.
A similar story will likely play out with the RX 7600 XT once third-party reviews become available closer to launch. While the higher clock speeds will help, the extra VRAM will be of limited value in most gaming situations. One area where the extra memory will be useful is AI. Someone who wants to run a large language model on their own PC will generally need more than 8GB of VRAM. The RX 7600 XT should be far more appealing than the RX 7600 on that front.
A minor improvement
With a price tag that sits $60 higher than the RX 7600, the RX 7600 XT should appeal to gamers on a budget who want to feel a bit more confident that their graphics card won't be obsolete in two years. However, the narrow memory bus could drive gamers away.
Nvidia's current-generation mid-range graphics cards feature the same narrow memory bus, but its last-gen cards are a different story. The 12GB variant of the RTX 3060 currently sells for around $329, just like the RX 7600 XT will when it launches, and it features a wider 192-bit memory bus. Tom's Hardware found that the RTX 3060 generally beat the RX 7600 when ray tracing was factored in.
Intel also offers solid mid-range options, particularly the 16GB Arc A770 which can be found for around the same $329 price point. Intel's graphics card sports a 256-bit memory bus, making it more future-proof on paper, although Intel has been working through software driver issues that have likely hurt sales.
The RX 7600 XT from AMD is an improvement to the company's mid-range graphics card lineup, but only a small one. It likely won't change much about AMD's market share or competitive positioning.
