Better RX 6650XT

[SilentFlame25]

Should I get the XFX Speedster QICK RX 6650XT or the Sapphire Pulse RX 6650XT? Which one will be better for longevity?

[YoungBlade]

Longevity between the two will be virtually identical. They have the same GPU.

 

The QICK has 3 fans, while the Pulse has only 2 fans, so if the pricing is identical, I'd go with the QICK.

 

If the pricing is not identical, go with whichever is cheaper, unless you really care about noise. But don't spend more than $20 extra to get the QICK. Again, the cards have the same GPU - there will be functionally no difference apart from cooling and noise.

[QuantumSingularity]

Speedster is triple fan, Pulse is only DUAL fan. Think there is no point to discussing it further. 

[RONOTHAN##]

Assuming they're the same price, the QICK as it has a better cooler. That better cooler isn't really necessary though, if you can save $10+ by going with the Pulse or pretty much any other 6650 XT, go for that one. They'll all last about the same amount of time, 

[QuantumSingularity]

Just now, RONOTHAN## said:

Assuming they're the same price, the QICK as it has a better cooler. That better cooler isn't really necessary though, if you can save $10+ by going with the Pulse or pretty much any other 6650 XT, go for that one. They'll all last about the same amount of time, 

A better cooler is ALWAYS useful to have. Even in the low tier graphics it can be the difference between dropping a few frames every 15-20 minutes and having a constant uninterrupted flow of frames.

[RONOTHAN##]

Just now, QuantumSingularity said:

A better cooler is ALWAYS useful to have. Even in the low tier graphics it can be the difference between dropping a few frames every 15-20 minutes and having a constant uninterrupted flow of frames.

Not really. There is an upper limit where better coolers really don't do anything. A Pentium G7400T is going to perform exactly the same whether its cooler is an Intel stock cooler or a NH-D15, and I wouldn't be surprised if the temps remained within ~10c of each other. The 6650 XT has a 190W power limit, which is pretty easy to handle on a dual fan cooler like the Pulse has. Sure, the QICK is a little better, but it's not going to translate into anything more than a little quieter for the same temps. 

[YoungBlade]

17 minutes ago, QuantumSingularity said:

A better cooler is ALWAYS useful to have. Even in the low tier graphics it can be the difference between dropping a few frames every 15-20 minutes and having a constant uninterrupted flow of frames.

If you don't care about noise, you can just crank the fans. My RTX 2060 Super Windforce OC card is a dual fan one, and as long as I'm wearing headphones, it was fine at stock.

 

Of course, I've got it undervolted now, and tweaked the fan curve to be way better than the stock one, so it's actually quite pleasant - it's possible to fix a mediocre cooler, so I wouldn't spend a ton extra on one.

 

You could just get a low-end cooler version of the next tier up, and spend an hour tweaking the fans to get way better noise performance. Spend 2-3 hours on undervolting and you could get something really nice even if it doesn't look that great. The cheapest 6700XT is $90 more than the cheapest 6650XT. Once you're at a $50 premium, you're closer to 6700XT pricing than to baseline 6650XT pricing.

[QuantumSingularity]

Better cooler assures good cooling even in reduced airflow environment. If you have a case with glass front panel, it won't pull anywhere near as much air as a case with a mesh front panel. There is of course a point of diminishing returns, but when the difference is $5, not $50 or the price is even the same, it's basically a no-brainer. 

https://www.amazon.com/XFX-Speedster-Radeon-RX-6650XT-Ultra-Gaming-Graphics-RX-665X8LUDY/dp/B09ZFBKR9Z?th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-11319-03-20G-Radeon-Gaming-Graphics/dp/B09ZZSMXPV

 

For that price the Speedster is the default choice.