The AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT and RX 6400 scale down to 4 GB of graphics memory

It’s been more than a year since AMD and Nvidia took the plunge of the latest generation of graphics architectures, which are characterized by solid performance lifts and very slim access. As usual, the companies have gradually scaled down RDNA 2 and “Ampere” respectively from the absolute performance peak to simpler products, but for desktops, current graphics cards in the entry-level class still shine with their absence.

Nvidia’s Geforce RTX 3050 can be included in this segment, but at the time of writing is only available for laptops and with a maximum of 4 GB of GDDR6 memory. Now it writes well-reputed Twitter-profilen “komachi_ensaka” that AMD will in future also reduce the amount of memory back to the same level, when RDNA 2 assumes its simplest form. It is thus a halving compared to both the stationary RX 6600 and the portable RX 6600M variant.

As AMD and Nvidia have expanded to the simpler price and performance classes, the amount of graphics memory has been a recurring weapon in marketing. The red team, for example, hits big with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on the Radeon RX 6800 and 6800 XT, which compete in round robins with the Geforce RTX 3080 with 10 GB of GDDR6X. Nvidia has the upper hand with the RTX 3060 – the Radeon RX 6600 competitor with 12 GB of memory. However, the companies seem to agree on what is suitable for the simplest graphics cards, a level that is the same as during the Polaris and “Pascal” era 2016.

With the release of the Radeon RX 6600 and big brother RX 6600 XT, AMD has set its sights on 1080p gaming with a high frame rate, while the upcoming graphics cards are likely aimed at driving around simpler games, lower resolutions or 1080p with lower image updating. The graphics circuit Navi 24, with the code name “Beige Goby”, will probably end up in the center of the two cards. According to information, this is equipped with only 16 calculation units, for a total of 1,024 calculation units. The Radeon RX 6400 scales down this a few more notches.

The prudent specifications guarantee relatively modest performance and it remains to be seen whether this is reflected in the prices. The launch date and other specifications for the Radeon RX 6500 XT and RX 6400 are currently unclear, but it is not impossible that the products will be unveiled during CES 2022. Next year’s edition of the technology party kicks off on January 5, ending on January 8.