AMD Navi 23 Radeon RX 6600 series to feature 8 GB GDDR6 and PCIe Gen4 x8 for both desktop and mobile variants, can potentially compete with the RX 5700 series

By now, it is clearly evident that AMD is on course to launch a Navi 23 RX 6600 and RX 6600 XT GPU soon. The RX 6600 series is slated to cater to the entry-level to lower midrange segment and is based on the RDNA 2 architecture. While Navi 23 definitely makes for a good laptop GPU, new information points to a desktop version in the offing as well. As usual, igor'sLAB is back once again with all the juicy details. 

According to Igor, the Navi 23 chip measures 16.51 mm x 14.28 mm (35 mm x 35 mm for the complete package) yielding an a die area of 235.76 mm². For perspective, the Navi 22 RX 6700 series has a die area of 335 mm² while the Navi 21 (RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT) is the largest of the RDNA 2 parts at 520 mm². 

AMD is expected to offer at least three Navi 23 GPU choices. Laptop OEMs can choose between 90 W, 80 W, and 65 W TGPs depending on their chassis design and cooling targets. Igor also had access to a Navi 23 mobile BIOS (we assume it's the top-end variant) that indicates a clock speed of 2,350 MHz (the desktop variant is speculated to sport 2,684 MHz). 

On the memory front, Navi 23 can, theoretically, support up to 16 GB GDDR6. Since the target use case will not necessarily benefit much all that RAM, both the Navi 23 models are expected to feature 8 GB GDDR6 VRAM on a 128-bit bus with a possibility of higher RAM variants down the line for the Radeon Pro series. 

The RX 6600 series will use a PCIe Gen4 interface, but with x8 lanes instead of x16. This makes sense considering that PCIe Gen4 x8's throughput is equivalent to that of PCIe Gen3 x16 and should be plenty enough for FHD Ultra gaming. While the reduction in lanes also translates into power savings in laptops, it does not make for an impressive spec on the desktop side, especially for those with Gen3 slots looking at Navi 23 as an upgrade.

On the connectivity side, Navi 23 supports DisplayPort 1.4a (or 4x DisplayPort + 1 USB-C), HDMI 2.1, and single-link DVI (SL-DVI) across laptops and desktops along with VP9 decode, HEVC decode, H.264 decode, and VC1 decode capabilities. AV1 decode status is not yet clear but is likely to be present.

Overall, if this information is true, it looks like AMD may have a capable Navi 23 offering that can potentially be equivalent to the Navi 10-based RX 5700 series in terms of performance. Igor also has posted information about the RX 6600's power and temperature management, which is included in the images below. The Navi 23-based RX 6600 series is expected to launch some time in June this year.

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