AMD's RX 6600 is now three years old, but that hasn't stopped it from being one of the Best Graphics Cards on the market, thanks to its current $200 price point. Due to its ongoing appeal, Asus has introduced a third iteration of its RX 6600 Dual entry-level card, sporting a newly refreshed shroud (that is also smaller than its predecessor.
Known as the RX 6600 Dual V3, all the changes Asus has made to the card surround the shroud and the fans. Asus has updated the shroud to "modern standards" using a design that represents what its newer Dual-series cards look like.
This results in a slight change in the card's appearance. Previous iterations of the RX 6600 Dual boasted a clean matte black finish featuring angular designs to spice up the shroud's design. The only other color on the shroud is a small angular silver bit above the top left fan to add flair to the card.
Asus has tuned out all the aggressive bits in its latest Dual V3 design. In addition to the aforementioned round bits, the shroud now has a perfectly flat surface featuring white graphics and a small white Radeon logo on the bottom.
The best part about Asus' new shroud is that it has reduced the card's overall size, making the RX 6600 Dual V3 smaller than its predecessors. The old model measured 243 x 134 x 43mm, while the new model measures a noticeably smaller 219.2 x 121.2 x 40.5mm. This results in the newer model being a 2.1-slot card instead of a 2.5-slot card.
Asus has also opted to update the RX 6600 Dual V3's fans. The new card sports a 9-bladed fan design, while its predecessor sported 11 fan blades. Fan blades don't necessitate better or worse performance all by themselves, but Asus probably optimized the 9-blade design to have better cooling than its older 11-bade version. Regardless, both fan architectures are highly similar, with the newer 9-bladed fans on the Dual V3 sporting the same dual ball bearing design and axial-tech fan design as its predecessor. (Asus did not specify if the 9-bladed fans are actually superior to the 11-blade fans.)
Beyond these changes, everything else remains the same between the V3 and its predecessors, as far as we can tell. Asus has probably updated the RX 6600 Dual V3's heatsink to compensate for the smaller shroud, but the GPU manufacturer did not specify if that changed. Clock speed and display outputs are the same on the V3 as its predecessor, boasting a 2941MHz boost clock, three DisplayPort 1.4a connectors, and a single HDMI 2.1 port. Power is supplemented with a single 8-pin power connector.
Asus's new RX 6600 Dual V3 is not a crazy update over its previous iterations, but it is a nice update regardless of how old the RX 6600 is already. Users opting to buy this new variant of the RX 6600 will be treated to a more modern-looking Asus graphics card design and a smaller footprint, which will improve airflow and case compatibility in smaller chassis.
