AMD Graphics Cards Buyers Guide
What is an AMD Radeon GPU / Graphics Card?
Though many modern CPUs are equipped with integrated graphics, these are only really suitable for gaming at low quality settings at 1080p. In contrast, AMD Radeon graphics cards are far more powerful, providing a far superior gaming experience with high resolution eye-popping graphics.
The GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and is the main ingredient of a graphics card, the most important component in a gaming PC. A key supplier of graphics cards is AMD, and its range of Radeon GPUs offer something at every imaginable price point. The key specs to look out for when choosing a Radeon graphics card are the number of stream processors, ray accelerators, AI accelerators and amount of memory, with more powerful cards having more of all four.
A more powerful graphics card will enable your PC to run games at higher quality settings at a smooth frame rate for a superior gaming experience. The first question you should therefore ask yourself is what monitor do you have or intend to buy so you can choose a graphics card suitable for it. To make this process easier this buyers guide recommends the optimum monitor resolution for each graphics card.
AMD Radeon Special Features
Ray Tracing
The ray accelerators enable real time ray traced graphics in games. Unlike traditional rasterised graphics, ray tracing simulates how light beams and shadows actually work, providing far more rich and realistic graphics.
FidelityFX Super Resolution
FidelityFX Super Resolution is an advanced upscaling technology that increases the frame rate in games. It enables you to ramp up the resolution to enjoy higher quality graphics, without sacrificing performance.
Adrenalin Edition
Adrenalin Edition is a collection of tools that enhance your gaming experience, including performance optimisation, system monitoring and streaming.
Noise Suppression
Noise Suppression technology provides extra clarity when streaming or in a meeting, removing unwanted background noise.
The Radeon RX Hierarchy
RADEON RX 7900 XTX
The RX 7900 XTX is the most powerful Radeon RX 7000-series gaming graphics card based on the new RDNA3 architecture. This ultra-fast graphics card packs in 6,144 stream processors and 24GB of memory and provides stunning gaming experiences at the most demanding resolutions, 4K and UW-QHD.
RDNA 3
RX 7000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 3 architecture with a highly flexible chipset design. Key new features include dedicated AI accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
Second generation ray accelerators deliver up to 50% more real-time ray-tracing performance of the previous generation GPUs.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
RADIANCE DISPLAY
RDNA 3 also introduces AMD Radiance Display Engine featuring 12-bit HDR and full coverage of the REC2020 colour space for incredible image accuracy.
| Gaming | 10 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 4K or UW-QHD
RADEON RX 7900 XT
The RX 7900 XT is the second most powerful Radeon RX 7000-series gaming graphics card based on the new RDNA3 architecture. This ultra-fast graphics card packs in 5,376 stream processors and 20GB of memory and provides a great gaming experience at the most demanding resolutions, 4K and UW-QHD.
RDNA 3
RX 7000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 3 architecture with a highly flexible chipset design. Key new features include dedicated AI accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
Second generation ray accelerators deliver up to 50% more real-time ray-tracing performance of the previous generation GPUs.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
RADIANCE DISPLAY
RDNA 3 also introduces AMD Radiance Display Engine featuring 12-bit HDR and full coverage of the REC2020 colour space for incredible image accuracy.
| Gaming | 9 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 4K or UW-QHD
RADEON RX 7900 GRE
The RX 7900 GRE is a powerful Radeon RX 7000-series gaming graphics card based on the RDNA 3 architecture. This fast graphics card packs in 5,120 stream processors and 16GB of memory and provides stunning gaming experiences at 1440p and is also suitable for some games at 4K.
RDNA 3
RX 7000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 3 architecture with a highly flexible chipset design. Key new features include dedicated AI accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
Second generation ray accelerators deliver up to 50% more real-time ray-tracing performance of the previous generation GPUs.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
RADIANCE DISPLAY
RDNA 3 also introduces AMD Radiance Display Engine featuring 12-bit HDR and full coverage of the REC2020 colour space for incredible image accuracy.
| Gaming | 8 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 1440p or 4K
RADEON RX 7800 XT
The RX 7800 XT is a powerful Radeon RX 7000-series gaming graphics card based on the RDNA 3 architecture. This fast graphics card packs in 3,840 stream processors and 16GB of memory and provides stunning gaming experiences at 1440p.
RDNA 3
RX 7000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 3 architecture with a highly flexible chipset design. Key new features include dedicated AI accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
Second generation ray accelerators deliver up to 50% more real-time ray-tracing performance of the previous generation GPUs.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
RADIANCE DISPLAY
RDNA 3 also introduces AMD Radiance Display Engine featuring 12-bit HDR and full coverage of the REC2020 colour space for incredible image accuracy.
| Gaming | 7 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 1440p
RADEON RX 7700 XT
The RX 7700 XT is the first mid-range Radeon RX 7000-series gaming graphics card based on the RDNA 3 architecture. This powerful graphics card packs in 3,456 stream processors and 12GB of memory and provides a great gaming experience at 1440p.
RDNA 3
RX 7000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 3 architecture with a highly flexible chipset design. Key new features include dedicated AI accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
Second generation ray accelerators deliver up to 50% more real-time ray-tracing performance of the previous generation GPUs.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
RADIANCE DISPLAY
RDNA 3 also introduces AMD Radiance Display Engine featuring 12-bit HDR and full coverage of the REC2020 colour space for incredible image accuracy.
| Gaming | 6 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 1440p
RADEON RX 7600 XT
The RX 7600 XT is a mid-range Radeon RX 7000-series gaming graphics card based on the RNDA 3 architecture. This powerful graphics card packs in 2,048 stream processors plus 16GB of memory and provides a great gaming experience at 1080p with ray tracing enabled.
RDNA 3
RX 7000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 3 architecture with a highly flexible chipset design. Key new features include dedicated AI accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
Second generation ray accelerators deliver up to 50% more real-time ray-tracing performance of the previous generation GPUs.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
RADIANCE DISPLAY
RDNA 3 also introduces AMD Radiance Display Engine featuring 12-bit HDR and full coverage of the REC2020 colour space for incredible image accuracy.
| Gaming | 5 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 1440P/1080p
RADEON RX 6800
The RX 6800 is the fourth most powerful Radeon RX 6000-series gaming graphics card. This superfast graphics card packs in 3,840 stream processors and 16GB of memory and provides a stunning gaming experience at 1440p.
RDNA 2
RX 6000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 2 architecture. Key new features include dedicated ray accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
First generation ray accelerators enable realistic ray-traced graphics effects in supported games.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
INFINITY CACHE
RDNA 2 also introduces Infinity Cache, a large Level 3 cache that the entire GPU can access, reducing system memory bottlenecks, increasing performance and reducing latency.
| Gaming | 6 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 1080p
RADEON RX 7600
The RX 7600 is a mid-range Radeon RX 7000-series gaming graphics card based on the RNDA 3 architecture. This powerful graphics card packs in 2,048 stream processors plus 8GB of memory and provides a great gaming experience at 1080p with ray tracing enabled.
RDNA 3
RX 7000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 3 architecture with a highly flexible chipset design. Key new features include dedicated AI accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
Second generation ray accelerators deliver up to 50% more real-time ray-tracing performance of the previous generation GPUs.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
RADIANCE DISPLAY
RDNA 3 also introduces AMD Radiance Display Engine featuring 12-bit HDR and full coverage of the REC2020 colour space for incredible image accuracy.
| Gaming | 5 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 1080p
RADEON RX 6650 XT
The RX 6650 XT is another mid-range Radeon RX 6000-series gaming graphics card. This capable graphics card packs in 2,048 stream processors and 8GB of memory and provides a great gaming experience at 1080p with ray tracing enabled.
RDNA 2
RX 6000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 2 architecture. Key new features include dedicated ray accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
First generation ray accelerators enable realistic ray-traced graphics effects in supported games.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
INFINITY CACHE
RDNA 2 also introduces Infinity Cache, a large Level 3 cache that the entire GPU can access, reducing system memory bottlenecks, increasing performance and reducing latency.
| Gaming | 4 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 1080p
RADEON RX 6600
The RX 6600 is another mid-range Radeon RX 6000-series gaming graphics card. This capable graphics card packs in 1,792 stream processors and 8GB of memory and provides a great gaming experience at 1080p with ray tracing enabled.
RDNA 2
RX 6000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 2 architecture. Key new features include dedicated ray accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
First generation ray accelerators enable realistic ray-traced graphics effects in supported games.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
INFINITY CACHE
RDNA 2 also introduces Infinity Cache, a large Level 3 cache that the entire GPU can access, reducing system memory bottlenecks, increasing performance and reducing latency.
| Gaming | 3 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 1080p
RADEON RX 6400
The RX 6400 is the entry-level Radeon RX 6000-series gaming graphics card. Equipped with 768 stream processors and 4GB of memory and provides a good gaming experience at 1080p.
RDNA 2
RX 6000-series GPUs are based on the RDNA 2 architecture. Key new features include dedicated ray accelerators and 50% greater power efficiency over the previous generation.
RAY TRACING
First generation ray accelerators enable realistic ray-traced graphics effects in supported games.
FSR 3
Third generation FSR not only upscales games to a higher resolution, it adds the ability to generate entirely new frames, increasing perceived performance.
INFINITY CACHE
RDNA 2 also introduces Infinity Cache, a large Level 3 cache that the entire GPU can access, reducing system memory bottlenecks, increasing performance and reducing latency.
| Gaming | 1 | |||||||||
Optimum Resolution 1080p
Summary
Still not sure which AMD graphics card is right for you? This table shows the key characteristics, rated out of 10, of the main models.
| RX 7900 XTX | RX 7900 XT | RX 7900 GRE | RX 7800 XT | RX 7700 XT | RX 6800 | RX 7600 XT | RX 7600 | RX 6650 XT | RX 6600 | RX 6400 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Ray Tracing |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
| VR Ready |
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
No
|
| Optimum Resolution | 4K / UW-QHD | 4K / UW-QHD | 1440p | 1440p | 1440p | 1440p | 1440p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p |
| VIEW > | VIEW > | VIEW > | VIEW > | VIEW > | VIEW > | VIEW > | VIEW > | VIEW > | VIEW > | VIEW > |
| AMD RADEON RX CARD SPECIFICATIONS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | RX 7900 XTX | RX 7900 XT | RX 7900 GRE | RX 7800 XT | RX 7700 XT | RX 7600 XT | RX 7600 | RX 6650 XT | RX 6600 | RX 6400 | RX 5700 XT | RX 5600 XT | RX 5500 XT | RX 580 | RX570 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Architecture | RDNA3 | RDNA3 | RDNA3 | RDNA3 | RDNA3 | RDNA3 | RDNA3 | RDNA2 | RDNA2 | RDNA2 | RNDA2 | RDNA | RDNA | GCN 4th | GCN 4th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GPU | Navi 31 | Navi 31 | Navi 31 | Navi 32 | Navi 32 | Navi 33 | Navi 33 | Big Navi | Big Navi | Big Navi | Navi 10 | Navi 10 | Navi 14 | Polaris XTX | Polaris 20 Pro | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stream Processors | 6,144 | 5,376 | 5,120 | 3,840 | 3,456 | 2,048 | 2,048 | 2,048 | 1,792 | 768 | 2,560 | 2,304 | 21,408 | 2,304 | 2,048 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AI Accelerators | 192 | 168 | 160 | 120 | 108 | 64 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ray Accelerators | 96 | 84 | 80 | 60 | 54 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 28 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference Base Clock | 2,300MHz | 2,000MHz | 1,880MHz | 2,100MHz | 2,100MHz | 2.47GHz | 2.25GHz | 2,410MHz | 1,626MHz | TBC | 1,605 MHz | 1,420 MHz | 1,607 MHz | 1,257 MHz | 1,168 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference Boost Clock | 2,500MHz | 2,400MHz | 2,245MHz | 2,400MHz | 2,500MHz | 2.75GHz | 2.66GHz | 2,635MHz | 2,491MHz | 2,321MHz | 1,905 MHz | 1,620 MHz | 1,845 MHz | 1,340 MHz | 1,244 MHz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory |
24GB
GDDR6 |
20GB
GDDR6 |
16GB
GDDR6 |
16GB
GDDR6 |
12GB
GDDR6 |
16GB
GDDR6 |
8GB\
GDDR6 |
8GB
GDDR6 |
8GB
GDDR6 |
4GB
GDDR6 |
8GB
GDDR6 |
6GB
GDDR6 |
4GB/8GB
GDDR6 |
4GB/8GB
GDDR5 |
4GB/8GB
GDDR5 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Memory Controller | 384-bit | 320-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit | 64-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit | 128-bit | 256-bit | 224-bit | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TDP | 355W | 315W | 260W | 263W | 245W | 190W | 160W | 180W | 132W | 53W | 225W | 160W | 130W | 185W | 150W | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ready to buy?
AMD Radeon graphics cards can be purchased as a standalone product or integrated into a gaming PC from our award-winning 3XS Systems team.
