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MSI GeForce RTX 4060 GAMING X 8G
$320 $330 Save $10MSI GeForce RTX 4060 GAMING X 8G is a beautifully crafted GPU with high air pressure Torx fans and brings a dual fan cooler with an attractive black shroud.
The Gaming X 8G is an RGB edition with an RGB MSI Dragon Logo on the top and is factory overclocked at a boost clock of 2595MHz. It is one of the best RTX 4060 GPUs in terms of thermals and is ultra-quiet as well.Pros- Higher performance per dollar
- Noticeably better Ray Tracing performance
- Significantly more power-efficient
- Lower cost
Cons- Comes with a lower VRAM size
- Overall slower raster performance
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ASUS Dual Radeon RX 7600 XT OC
ASUS Dual Radeon RX 7600 XT OC brings a dual Axial-fan tech design to provide ample cooling for its board. The RX 7600 XT boasts 16GB of memory, providing a decent upgrade over the RX 7600 and RTX 4060 for modern titles. With a dual BIOS switch on the GPU, users can switch between Silent and Performance modes with ease.
Pros- Faster in rasterization
- Comes with twice the VRAM size
Cons- Loses in ray tracing
- Consumes more power
- Higher VRAM size doesn't make much difference
Major GPU manufacturers such as Nvidia and AMD usually focus more on the higher-end segment to bring out their best for the enthusiasts. Still, a large portion of the gamer community settles for budget or mid-range graphics cards. Even though the latest GPU lineup in the current generation doesn't seem to have anything for a sub-$200 price tag, at around $300, they both have some excellent video cards for gamers.
RTX 4060 vs. RX 6700 XT - Which Budget GPU Is Better?
Nvidia's RTX 4060 and AMD's Radeon RX 6700 XT are arguably the two most popular budget GPUs on the market. Which one is the better budget card?
We are talking about the RTX 4060 and the RX 7600 XT GPUs specifically. Both have an intriguing aspect to their capabilities, even though there are more GPUs available for a price range of $250-$350. The RTX 4060 and RX 7600 XT are currently the biggest rivals in the budget segment, but only one can retain the crown for being the best. In this comparison guide, we will be looking at the similarities and differences between the two in multiple areas, including specifications, performance in rasterization and ray tracing, power efficiency, and pricing, followed by our verdict.
Specifications: RTX 4060 vs RX 7600 XT
Before comparing their gaming performance, it's extremely important to deep dive into the circuit board of both GPUs and how they are made. This gives us an insight into their maximum potential for modern gaming titles and how future-proof they are. Keep in mind that since both GPUs use a different architecture, only a few of their specs can be compared directly.
Nvidia RTX 4060
The Nvidia RTX 4060 belongs to the Ada Lovelace family and was released in June of 2023. It's almost one year old as of now, and is currently the weakest Ada GPU in the RTX 4000 family. Built using TSMC's 5nm process node, the RTX 4060 uses the AD107 GPU chip, unlike its predecessor, which used a 106 GPU chip instead. The die size of 4060 is incredibly small at 159mm² and this is the result of using a smaller process node.
The reference, or founders edition, is pretty much like its predecessor and any other Ada GPU, but is more compact than higher-end cards, measuring 240mm in length and boasting a dual slot design. The I/O comes with the latest HDMI and DP outputs, but the power connector is the new 12VHPWR(on FE card). This new connector is often criticized for the demise of many RTX 4090, but up until now, no case of RTX 4060 damage has been seen so far. The 12VHPWR connector can supply up to 600W but the RTX 4060 is incredibly power-efficient with just 115W of TDP. We will see how power-efficient it is later, but let's move on to its memory configuration.
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The RTX 4060 sees almost no improvement over the RTX 3060 in memory configuration. In fact, it boasts a downgraded configuration if you take the RTX 3060 12GB as comparison. The 4060 is equipped with 8GB GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus. The bandwidth maxes out at just 272GB/s, which is why Nvidia didn't advertise it as a 1440p card, unlike it did with the RTX 3060.
Similarly, the RTX 4060 saw a reduction in total Cuda Cores. Compared to the 3584 Cuda Cores on the 3060, it comes with only 3072 Cores, which is a 14% reduction. Theoretically, this would cause performance degradation, but due to a different architecture and die design, we will see how much improvement the RTX 4060 gains from this change. Nonetheless, our goal is to compare it against the RX 7600 XT, but due to different foundations, not every specification can be compared with the AMD GPU.
AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT
The RX 7600 XT wasn't a direct competitor to the RTX 4060 initially. It was the RX 7600 that AMD wanted to take on the Nvidia GPU, but as the price difference was clear, AMD took its chance to release another GPU with more VRAM and the RX 7600 XT was born. It was released in January this year and is the only latest-generation GPU for under $350 that brings 16GB of VRAM onboard. Perhaps, this is the best-selling point of the RX 7600 XT, since both the RX 7600 and RTX 4060 are equipped with half the VRAM size.
We have seen plenty of times the need for higher VRAM capacity, but we will see how the RX 7600 XT will perform against the RTX 4060 in modern titles later. The RX 7600 XT belongs to the RDNA 3 lineup and uses a Navi 33 GPU chip. It boasts 2048 Stream Processors (different from Cuda Cores) and features a 128-bit memory bus. The VRAM configuration is pretty similar to the RTX 4060 except for the VRAM size, but, theoretically, the RX 7600 XT offers a slight advantage in memory bandwidth.
The Best CPUs for RX 7600 XT
By leveraging the power of these CPUs, users will be able to max out games at 1080p resolution with the Radeon RX 7600 XT.
Despite a bigger 204mm² die size made using TSMC's 6nm process node, the overall size of the RX 7600 XT reference edition is a bit smaller than the RTX 4060 FE. It's also a dual-slot card, but uses the traditional 8-pin power connector for its power requirements. The RX 7600 XT is rated at 190W of TDP, which is 75W higher than the RTX 4060. Again, we will see how the 7600 XT performs in the power-efficiency department later, but let's move on to the actual performance numbers to see which one offers superior performance in video games.
Performance
While specifications and theoretical performance give us an idea about the real-world performance of GPUs, each game responds differently to individual GPUs. Some games are more optimized for AMD GPUs while others love Nvidia GPUs more. This is why we need to collect a lot of information before we declare any one GPU a winner. After collecting and analyzing various 3rd-party benchmarks (such as TechSpot, TechPowerUp, etc.) trusted by millions of gamers around the world, here is what you should expect from either of these GPUs.
Rasterization
Rasterization is basically the raw performance of GPUs in games, excluding any other game technology, such as ray tracing and upscaling. It's the fundamental area where the true power of a GPU becomes apparent. As most players game at native resolution without any added game tech, raster performance comparison makes more sense.
The Radeon RX 7600 XT is roughly 4-5% faster than the RTX 4060 if you consider the average difference of multiple games. Some games do favor the RTX 4060, but the RX 7600 XT can be seen scoring up to 20% more frames in games like Hitman 3, which is a well-known title that favors AMD GPUs. The Last of Us Part 1 and Forza Horizon 5 are some more games that heavily favor the RX 7600 XT, bringing a difference of over 20%.
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The RTX 4060 wins in games like Halo Infinite and Spider-Man: Remastered, but fails to impress like the RX 7600 XT. Whether you consider the 1080p or the 1440p results, the RX 7600 XT seems to be a clear winner in raster performance. One thing to note here is that the extra 8GB VRAM doesn't seem to help the 7600 XT much, even at higher resolution and this is apparently because the GPU die of the 7600 XT isn't powerful enough to take advantage of higher RAM size, particularly also because the memory bus is also narrow.
Upscaling and Ray Tracing
Upscaling techniques such as Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR have been important tools for achieving high frame rate numbers in games where reaching 60 fps seems difficult on ultra settings, particularly at 1440p resolution and with Ray Tracing turned on. The DLSS is a much more mature upscaling technique and with the DLSS 3.0 support, the RTX 4060 can take advantage of Frame Generation to enhance performance.
The RX 7600 XT also supports FSR 3 Frame Generation, but most games have some stability issues in graphics with FSR turned on. Still, the differences might not be visible if you are focused more on the gameplay. Nonetheless, expect DLSS to be more effective at retaining better visual quality than FSR.
With Ray Tracing turned on, things do change a bit in favor of the RTX 4060. It's not as big as you might expect, even though the RTX 4000 series is hugely ahead in ray tracing performance. Still, the performance difference is quite visible in most games, with the RTX 4060 averaging over 10% higher performance than the RX 7600 XT. If you are picking a GPU solely based on the RT performance, you might be better off with the RTX 4060, but you will hardly reach 60 fps in most games without Frame Generation turned on.
Power Consumption
Going with the official TDP ratings of both GPUs, it's clear that the RTX 4060 should be much ahead in power efficiency. It's 115W vs 190W compared to the AMD GPU and is one of the biggest advantages of the Nvidia GPU. If you are looking at an idle or multi-monitor setup, the RX 7600 XT is competitive with the RTX 4060. Once you start to put some load on the GPUs, the RTX 4060 starts to show its superiority.
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It's one of the most power-efficient budget GPUs ever made and hardly goes over 120W at full usage, while the RX 7600 XT consumes up to 200W. Hence, even though the 7600 XT is faster in raster performance, the RTX 4060 yields more fps per watt.
Pricing
The real value of any product is dependent on its price. A certain product that outperforms every other product in its category, but comes at a significantly higher price tag reduces its value. In price comparison, the RTX 4060 and RX 7600 XT are fairly close. The RTX 4060 was launched at an official MSRP of $299, but some editions may cost more. The RX 7600 XT, on the other hand, was launched at $329.
Comparing both at their launch prices, it's a tough match. However, it seems that the RTX 4060 provides a somewhat higher value. The RX 7600 XT costs 10% more for a 5% higher raster performance. With ray tracing, there isn't a debate. The current retail pricing of both GPUs is quite close to their MSRPs and so, the RTX 4060 offers higher performance per dollar spent.
Conclusion
Filling the gap between the RX 7600 and the RX 7700 XT was definitely a good decision by AMD. The price difference between both of these GPUs is almost 50%, with their current retail pricing. While Nvidia has the RTX 4060 Ti between the 4060 and 4070, the 4060 Ti is too expensive to be considered a good and viable GPU for gaming. The RX 7600 XT is the only GPU between $300-$400 from the latest generation and seems to fulfill AMD's promise to bring more VRAM, which AMD used as a factor to mock Nvidia GPUs.
Unfortunately, even though more VRAM is welcomed on budget GPUs, it's going to be useless unless the memory is fast enough or gets access to a wider bus width for faster performance. The RTX 4060 is, therefore, an overall better choice if we take all different types of comparisons into account. Not only does it provide higher performance per dollar, it's significantly more power-efficient. With a much better upscaling technique and superior Ray Tracing performance, the RTX 4060 8GB is the perfect budget GPU for gamers who want to build a gaming PC for under $1000.
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 GAMING X 8G
MSI GeForce RTX 4060 GAMING X 8G is a beautifully crafted GPU with high air pressure Torx fans and brings a dual fan cooler with an attractive black shroud.
The Gaming X 8G is an RGB edition with an RGB MSI Dragon Logo on the top and is factory overclocked at a boost clock of 2595MHz. It is one of the best RTX 4060 GPUs in terms of thermals and is ultra-quiet as well.
- Brand
- MSI
- Cooling Method
- Dual fan air cooling
- GPU Speed
- 1830 MHz
- Slot Size
- Dual Slot
- Interface
- PCI Express 4.0
- Memory
- 8GB GDDR6
- Power
- 115W
- Boost Speed
- Base: 2595 MHz, MSI Center: 2610 MHz
- CUDA Cores
- 3072
On the other hand, if your focus is solely on raster performance, the RX 7600 XT isn't a bad choice either. Though it offers a slightly lower value for its price tag, it's noticeably faster in raster performance and has twice the memory size for games that can access it. Ray Tracing performance is also satisfactory and the number of games that favor it over the RTX 4060 is much higher. While some games have a less noticeable lead with the RX 7600 XT, others can gain as much as 30% higher performance at 1080p and 1440p resolution.
ASUS Dual Radeon RX 7600 XT OC
ASUS Dual Radeon RX 7600 XT OC brings a dual Axial-fan tech design to provide ample cooling for its board. The RX 7600 XT boasts 16GB of memory, providing a decent upgrade over the RX 7600 and RTX 4060 for modern titles. With a dual BIOS switch on the GPU, users can switch between Silent and Performance modes with ease.
- Brand
- Asus
- Cooling Method
- Dual fan air cooling
- GPU Speed
- 2493MHz(Game Clock)
- Slot Size
- 2.5
- Interface
- PCI-E 4.0
- Memory
- 16GB GDDR6
- Power
- 190W
- Boost Speed
- 2801MHz
- Stream Processors
- 2048
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FAQ
Q: Is the RX 7600 XT better than RTX 4060?
In raster performance, the RX 7600 XT is ahead of the RTX 4060. But in ray tracing, the RTX 4060 easily manages to outperform the 7600 XT.
Q: Can RX 7600 XT do ray tracing?
The RX 7600 XT is able to do tracing in supported games. It still can't compete with budget Nvidia GPUs in ray tracing but does brings improvements over its predecessor.
Q: Can RX 7600 XT run games at 4K?
We don't recommend running games at 4K resolution if you own an RX 7600 XT. It is specifically made for 1080p and 1440p gaming and can't maintain higher frame rates at 4K.