ASUS TUF Gaming RX 7600 XT :
Architecture:
This AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT is the sixth card in our hands to benefit from the brand-new RDNA3architecture. This new architecture succeeds RDNA2, which was represented in particular by the latest high-end model, the RX 6950 XT. AMD has chosen to launch its two top-of-the-range models directly, as NVIDIA has done with its RTX 4090. AMD had and still has stocks of cards from the previous generation, hence this choice of launch. We also thought that the AMD RX 7000 range was complete after the launch of the RX 7700 XT and RX 7800 XT, as AMD had implied.
In the end, this was not the case, as today sees the arrival of the RX 7600 XT 16GB. We have to admit that the name of this card raises a few questions, which we hope to answer in our tests. In fact, as the design remains identical, we think its name should be RX 7600 OC 16GB. Here’s the table proposed by NVIDIA at CES 2024.
However, we can see that the frequencies are slightly higher in order to boost this model’s performance. It remains to be seen whether our TUF Gaming model will match these frequencies or whether they will be higher. We’ll be testing this model in 1080p as well as in 1440p for rasterization.
The bundle:
As you can see from the photos below, the box for our copy of the TUF Gaming RX 7600 XT OC 16GB is very much in the spirit of the ASUS series. The packaging is fairly compact, which is good news for the card’s size. While the box has a touch of green for NVIDIA models, here we have red for AMD.
On the rear, ASUS highlights the PCB design, the cooling system and its GPU Tweak III overclocking software, which we’ll come back to at the end of the week. The opening is on the side, where we find our graphics card perfectly protected in a foam block. The bundle includes a quick installation guide and a vertical support to place in your case to hold your graphics card horizontally. It can also be used as a Phillips screwdriver.
This is a “custom” card, i.e. with a PCB and cooling system specific to AMD’s partner brand, i.e. ASUS. There will be no AMD reference board, as was the case with the RX 7600.
Cooling :
The TUF Gaming RX 7600 XT OC 16GB boasts a cooling system consisting of three 92 mm fans. The design of this TUF model is visually very pleasing and features a few touches of RGB backlighting. The gray color of the aluminum casing will match any motherboard and any case. It’s simple and effective, just the way we like it.
Axial-tech fans run on double ball bearings, increasing the volume of air passing through the radiator. The result is higher temperatures and reduced noise pollution. The two side fans turn counter-clockwise. The aim is to minimize turbulence and maximize air dispersion through the radiator.
These fans have 11 blades and will remain at rest when the board is not in use, and vice versa. They become active again when the temperature requires it. As you can see, the hot air escapes through the top edge of the board, through the bracket and also through the aluminum backplate cut out at the end. In fact, the PCB is much shorter than the heat sink. The radiator ends at the PCB’s two power connectors.
As previously mentioned, the rear of the board is protected by an imposing grey backplate. Its role is to prevent the PCB from twisting, but it also plays a role in heat dissipation, with the presence of pads between it and the PCB. We’ll be able to judge the temperature of the latter during our tests. In terms of thickness, our sample occupies 3 slots.
The card also features a dual BIOS: Pmode (performance) and Qmode (quiet). By default, Pmode is selected, and in our opinion, this is the best choice, even if the differences between the two BIOS are virtually non-existent.
Connectors :
To power our board, and this is excellent news, AMD has chosen to retain two 8-pin power connectors. We also know that, as far as memory is concerned, AMD is using GDDR6 instead of GDDR6X for both boards, mainly because the latter consumes less energy and is incidentally less expensive.
AMD has opted for DisplayPort 2.1 support on these new boards. AMD offers simultaneous encoding or decoding for AV1, which will be of interest to content creators. All in all, we have three DisplayPort 2.1 and one HDMI 2.1.
