AMD Radeon 6500XT Review: Is It Better Than the RTX 3050?

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AMD Radeon 6500XT Review: Is It Better Than the RTX 3050?

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The Specifications of the AMD Radeon 6500XT
  3. Gaming Performance: CS:GO and Valorant
  4. Gaming Performance: God of War and GTA 5
  5. Gaming Performance: Control and Assassin's Creed Valhalla
  6. Gaming Performance: Cyberpunk 2077
  7. Conclusion and Verdict
  8. Pros and Cons of the AMD Radeon 6500XT
  9. Who should consider buying the AMD Radeon 6500XT?
  10. Alternatives to the AMD Radeon 6500XT
  11. FAQ

The Controversial Launch of the AMD Radeon 6500XT: Is It Worth Buying? 👀

The long-awaited AMD Radeon 6500XT has finally arrived, and it has caused quite a stir in the gaming community. If you've been following the online reviews, you may be Wondering whether all the fuss is warranted. Over the past few days, I've had the opportunity to thoroughly test this graphics card from a gamer's perspective. In this article, I will provide insights on how well it performs in gaming, live streaming, and content creation, covering everything from its pros and cons to whether it's worth your hard-earned money. So, no matter which Camp you belong to, whether you're considering purchasing this card or not, I've got you covered. Let's dive in!

1. Introduction

Before we delve into the details of the AMD Radeon 6500XT, I want to express my gratitude to Vikas from Ankit Infotech for providing this card for review. If you're located in Bangalore and in need of a graphics card or any other gaming PC components, peripherals, or accessories, I highly recommend checking out their shop located in SP Road, Bangalore. For those residing outside Bangalore but within India, you can conveniently explore their offerings and make purchases through their website, pcstudio.in. They offer pan-India shipping, ensuring that you receive your PC parts or a complete custom gaming PC right at your doorstep. Now, let's move on to discussing the card itself.

2. The Specifications of the AMD Radeon 6500XT

The specific Radeon 6500XT variant I tested was manufactured by ASUS and belongs to their Dual series. ASUS has done an exceptional job with the build quality of this card, featuring a sturdy back plate and an eye-catching LED lighting system. This dual axial technology card also boasts two fans and the fan stop feature, which halts fan rotation when the GPU temperature falls below 52 degrees Celsius. In terms of the technical specifications, the Radeon 6500XT comes equipped with 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM on a 64-bit bus. It also incorporates 16 megabytes of infinity cache and is based on AMD's RDNA2 architecture. With 16 RDNA compute units, this card offers a higher number of compute units compared to AMD's 6000 series laptop chips. Additionally, it supports HDMI and DisplayPort 1.4 connectivity, but please note that it only features two display outputs, limiting your ability to run triple monitors. Powering the card requires an additional 6-Pin PCI connector, and AMD recommends a 500-watt power supply. It's worth mentioning that the card supports PCIe 4.0 but utilizes only four lanes of PCIe 4.0 when used on a PCIe 3 motherboard. While this card may struggle in some games due to the limited bandwidth, it's worth noting that it is based on TSMC's N6 process, which enhances clock speeds, efficiency, and cooling performance.

3. Gaming Performance: CS:GO and Valorant

Let's move on to what matters most to gamers: the gaming performance of the AMD Radeon 6500XT. In my testing, I used an AMD Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, coupled with 16GB of 3200MHz RAM from PNY, an Azeroth B450M Steel Legend motherboard, a PNY 500GB CS3040 M.2 NVMe SSD, and the Radeon 6500XT as the GPU. For starters, in games like CS:GO and Valorant, both known for their CPU-intensive nature, the experience with the Radeon 6500XT is quite decent. When playing CS:GO at 1080p with maxed-out settings, the card delivers a consistently high frame rate, averaging around 250 FPS, making it suitable for high refresh rate monitors. Similarly, in Valorant, a game similar to CS:GO in terms of CPU requirements, the Radeon 6500XT performs admirably, providing an FPS above 180, ensuring smooth gameplay without noticeable stutters or frame drops. It's crucial to note that though these games run well on budget graphics cards due to their excellent optimization, it does not necessarily mean that the Radeon 6500XT itself boasts outstanding performance. It's a testament to the optimization of these titles rather than the raw power of the GPU.

4. Gaming Performance: God of War and GTA 5

Moving on to more demanding titles, let's examine the performance of the Radeon 6500XT in games like God of War and GTA 5. Playing God of War at 1080p on the original preset delivers an average FPS of 60, making the game playable without any noticeable stutters or lags. However, it's essential to highlight that the medium and high presets may pose limitations due to the card's 4GB VRAM. For GTA 5, an older yet still popular game among gamers, the Radeon 6500XT performs admirably. At 1080p with the high preset and anti-aliasing disabled, the card maintains an average FPS of 100. Though the FPS may dip to around 85 in densely populated areas, the overall gaming experience remains smooth.

5. Gaming Performance: Control and Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Let's now explore the gaming performance of the Radeon 6500XT in games like Control and Assassin's Creed Valhalla. In Control, which runs on DirectX 12, the card offers a decent gaming experience at medium settings. With the medium preset, you can attain an FPS of 60 on average, even though the FPS may fluctuate between 55 and 60 in demanding scenes. The game remains playable, visually appealing, and suitable for those who enjoy story-driven games. As for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, another demanding and newer title, the Radeon 6500XT produces about 60 FPS on the medium preset with anti-aliasing set to medium and adaptive quality turned off. While the game may dip to around 45 FPS in high texture and combat scenes, it's still playable and visually appealing. However, the limited 4GB VRAM capacity becomes apparent in more graphics-intensive settings, making it challenging to push the card beyond medium presets.

6. Gaming Performance: Cyberpunk 2077

Lastly, let's discuss one of the most demanding and hyped games of recent years – Cyberpunk 2077. At the low preset, the Radeon 6500XT manages to achieve an average FPS of 60, making the game playable, even though it may not provide the best visual experience. However, it's worth noting that the card struggles with ray tracing, providing a mere 7 FPS even on the lowest preset. Thus, if you're considering playing Cyberpunk 2077, it's best to stick to low settings to maintain a solid 60 FPS.

7. Conclusion and Verdict

In conclusion, the AMD Radeon 6500XT has faced significant criticism due to limitations posed by its 64-bit bus and 4GB VRAM capacity. Modern games often require more VRAM to achieve higher settings, and this card simply falls short in that regard. For 1080p esports gaming, the Radeon 6500XT offers an acceptable experience with some minor stutters attributed to the restricted bandwidth. However, when it comes to AAA gaming, pushing games to their maximum settings is simply not feasible with this card. AMD itself recommends sticking to low to medium settings, showcasing the card's limitations. Furthermore, its lack of hardware encoding makes it unsuitable for content creators and live streamers, as the burden of encoding falls heavily on the CPU. Therefore, if you're into video editing or intend to use this card for a budget 4K video editing rig, it's best to consider other options. Additionally, its limited display outputs and stripped-down features further restrict its use in certain scenarios.

On a positive note, the Radeon 6500XT does excel in terms of temperatures and power consumption. It maintains low temperatures, peaking at around 60 degrees Celsius, and maintains low power draw, never exceeding 85 watts during testing. If you're seeking a low-profile graphics card for a small form factor gaming PC or prioritizing low power consumption, the Radeon 6500XT may hold some appeal. However, when it comes to hardcore gaming or aiming for the best possible performance in AAA titles, I cannot recommend the Radeon 6500XT. It simply falls short in comparison to its predecessors and other options available on the market, making it a subpar choice for enthusiasts and demanding gamers alike.

8. Pros and Cons of the AMD Radeon 6500XT

Let's now summarize the pros and cons of the AMD Radeon 6500XT:

Pros:

  • Sturdy build quality and appealing design, particularly in the ASUS Dual variant
  • Efficient cooling system, ensuring low temperatures and minimal noise
  • Decent performance in 1080p esports gaming titles, thanks to impressive optimization in games like CS:GO and Valorant
  • Suitable for small form factor builds or scenarios where low power consumption is a priority

Cons:

  • Limited by a 64-bit bus and only 4GB VRAM, hindering its ability to handle modern games at higher settings
  • Lack of hardware encoding restricts its usability for content creators and live streamers
  • Stripped-down features and limited display outputs may not cater to diverse user demands
  • Mediocre performance in AAA titles and inadequate ray tracing capabilities

9. Who should consider buying the AMD Radeon 6500XT?

The AMD Radeon 6500XT may appeal to a specific set of users, including:

  • Gamers seeking a budget-friendly option for 1080p esports gaming
  • Individuals building small form factor gaming PCs
  • Enthusiasts prioritizing low power consumption in their gaming rigs
  • Users looking for a graphics card during the ongoing silicon shortage, where availability and pricing may be more reasonable

10. Alternatives to the AMD Radeon 6500XT

If the AMD Radeon 6500XT fails to meet your requirements, consider exploring these alternatives:

  • AMD Radeon 6600 or 6600XT for significantly better performance at a higher price point
  • NVIDIA RTX 3050, a budget-friendly option with promising performance (review coming soon)

11. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Does the Radeon 6500XT support ray tracing? A: While the Radeon 6500XT technically supports ray tracing, its performance in this aspect is lackluster, making ray tracing impractical on this card.

Q: Does the Radeon 6500XT come with software for screen Recording? A: Unfortunately, the Radeon 6500XT does not support AMD's in-house screen recording software, Radeon ReLive.

Q: What power supply do I need for the Radeon 6500XT? A: AMD recommends a minimum 500-watt power supply for the Radeon 6500XT.

Q: Can the Radeon 6500XT handle AAA gaming at maximum settings? A: No, the Radeon 6500XT is not capable of achieving maximum settings in modern AAA titles due to its VRAM limitation and other hardware constraints.

Q: Is the Radeon 6500XT suitable for content creators and live streamers? A: No, the lack of hardware encoding in the Radeon 6500XT makes it unsuitable for tasks such as video editing and live streaming, which heavily rely on encoding capabilities.

Q: How does the Radeon 6500XT compare to its predecessors? A: The Radeon 6500XT offers similar performance to previous generation cards, but it comes with additional trade-offs, such as limited display outputs and stripped-down features.

Q: Is the Radeon 6500XT worth buying considering the current GPU market situation? A: While the Radeon 6500XT may be available at a decent price given the current market situation, there are better options available if you have a slightly higher budget, such as the Radeon 6600 or 6600XT.

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