XFX RX 6600 XT MERC 308 Reviewed

[bp9801]

Today, Isaiah takes a look at the new XFX RX 6600 XT MERC 308. Check it out below!

https://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/xfx_rx6600xt_merc_308/

 

[Guest_Jim_*]

Isaiah, if you have the time I was wondering if you could try a test with the Automatic Undervolt feature enabled. I know my RX Vega 64 benefits from it (more consistently at higher frequencies than stock, sometimes lower temperatures too) but am curious if the newer hardware does as well.

[ir_cow]

Sure can do. I'll pop it in right now. What exactly are you looking for with undervolting?

I'll report temps, clock frequency and 3DMark score timespy score for before and after. If you have another program or something specific, let me know.

[Guest_Jim_*]

That much would be fine. The data I have for the Vega 64 is basically that too, except I also did Fire Strike, but just one test will be enough to satisfy my curiosity.

For reference, this is the behavior I'm talking about:

The undervolt allowed the frequency to go higher, pulling the mean and median from below 1500 MHz to above 1500 MHz while running Time Spy. Don't need a histogram as just the average should be telling enough.

[ir_cow]

Alright I did the basics. Not much as changed between Stock 1.15v, Auto Undervolt 1.125v and manually 1.1v. Below this it just BSOD.

Time Spy Scores where close. Even the clock frequency was close and this XFX card has good cooler for 145Watts. The temps are similar as well. Maybe if you have the barebones heatsink, this would help..

Auto Undervolt 1.125v TimeSpy

stock / Default 1.15v TimeSpy

Manually 1.1v TimeSpy

[Guest_Jim_*]

Thanks! It does look like the difference is pretty small, if it is there, so perhaps whatever made Vega good for undervolting has been changed/improved.

[ir_cow]

Most likely it is that the Vega cards pull 300+ watts lol. My Red Devil is 290 stock. Unless you are water cooling, it gets toasty.  So undervolting helps. Here for the 6600XT, it drew 145 watts in all 3 benchmark and was 2.6Ghz~ in all 3. Thats what I was getting for games as well. Sometimes a peak of 2.65Ghz. Overclocking hit the wall of 2.75Ghz due to lack of voltage.

I should revisit the 6800 XT and undervolt it.

[Guest_Jim_*]

Mine is only pulling 245 W, even stock. That number is GPU and HBM2 and I somewhat doubt there are 50 W of other electronics on the PCB (official TDP is 295 W).

Now when I have set that thing to Auto Overclock, it pulled well over 300 W I think. I know it was enough the test system shutdown and I had to toggle the PSU's switch before it would boot. (650 W PSU)

[ir_cow]

Hmm you are right. I am looking at my Red Devil and it is 260 Stock. Overclocked reaches 330 watts. I always thought it was higher.

[Guest_Jim_*]

4 hours ago, ir_cow said:

Hmm you are right. I am looking at my Red Devil and it is 260 Stock. Overclocked reaches 330 watts. I always thought it was higher.

I think a lot of people just expect the TDP to be comparable to what the card actually pulls at load (myself included). I had reason to look at some old data from my reference Vega 64 recently, and that was pulling only 220 W at stock. So long as the performance is where it should be and there are no weird instabilities, I'm happy. And when there are weird instabilities, I get curious.