MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT Gaming X review

We are evaluating the brand-new MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT Gaming X. Geared towards Full HD gaming with 8GB framebuffer and a price of approximately 399~449 USD, the card is being launched today. AMD’s rDNA 2 desktop graphics card line, the Radeon RX 6000 series, was introduced towards the end of 2020 and has continued into 2021. The year 2022 is about halfway through, and AMD is now refreshing its RDNA 2 graphics card portfolio with a new family of graphics cards. All of them are rehashed and reconfigured products, which means this is not a new generation of cards, but rather an incremental improvement based on the same RDNA 2 architecture. The main difference here is the use of faster memory. All three graphics cards include up to 18Gbps GDDR6 memory chips, up from 16Gbps on non-50 versions. Some AIBs will configure the 6650 XT at 17.5 Gbps, though with OC models configured at 18 GBps. All graphics cards also use a comparable GPU seen from their predecessor but will arrive with increased memory and boost/game clock rates. As such, the AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT will sit above the Radeon RX 6900 XT, and the Radeon RX 6750 XT will sit above the Radeon RX 6700 XT. Of course, the Radeon RX 6650 XT will sit above the Radeon RX 6600 XT. Consider this to be AMD’s own ‘SUPER’, however without any major advancements as the shader and RT count remain identical. The lineup is intended to provide performance enhancements ranging from 5-to-10%, and memory will play a significant role in meeting these performance objectives. Once again, the new lineup would be as follows:

• Radeon RX 6950 XT: 5120 SPs, 16GB GDDR6 (18Gbps), 256-bit bus, 335W TBP
• Radeon RX 6900 XT: 5120 SPs, 16GB GDDR6 (16Gbps), 256-bit bus, 300W TBP
• Radeon RX 6750 XT: 2560 SPs, 12GB GDDR6 (18Gbps), 192-bit bus, 250 TBP
• Radeon RX 6700 XT: 2560 SPs, 12GB GDDR6 (16Gbps), 192-bit bus, 230W TBP
• Radeon RX 6650 XT: 2048 SPs, 8GB GDDR6 (18Gbps), 128-bit bus, 180 TBP
• Radeon RX 6600 XT: 2048 SPs, 8GB GDDR6 (16Gbps), 128-bit bus, 160W TBP

This week, we are excited to present a diverse range of graphics cards from the latest 6×50 series. Our focus will be on the MSI Radeon RX 6650 XT Gaming X in this review. Despite being a more premium option in the mainstream category, it falls short of the high-end models. For instance, the Twinfrozr / Gaming-X cooler now features two Axial fans instead of three. While the cooler is slightly smaller, its design closely resembles that of its larger counterpart. Before delving into the review, let’s begin with some images and a brief architectural overview.