[US] $100 RX 6400 Full-Height Card

[YoungBlade]

It looks like the RX 6400 has finally hit the price point it should have launched at. Sadly, the version that's on sale is a full-height, two slot one, which means it will not fit in low-profile systems. On the plus side, the cooler is complete overkill, so the card should be very quiet.

 

https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-gv-r64eagle-4gd/p/N82E16814932514

 

When installed in a PCIe Gen 4 system, the card usually bests the GTX 1650. It requires no power beyond the motherboard slot, and is rated for just 53W under load. This means it is well suited for installation in a system lacking PCIe 6/8 pin connectors and systems with a modest power supply - the card officially calls for just a 250W unit, and depending on the CPU in the system, you may be able to get away with even less than that. This would make it ideal for older OEM mid-tower systems as a quick upgrade. However...

 

The card does have several caveats. First, it has no video encoding support, so you will not be able to use AMD Relive nor use the GPU for any stream or video encoding. Second, it has a x4 PCIe connection, which is a factor if your system is PCIe Gen 3 - it will reduce performance by around 15-20% - and a huge problem if you happen to be on a PCIe Gen 2 system (AMD FX or older, Intel 3000 series or older) - average performance will drop 30-40%. The problem can be mitigated somewhat by keeping VRAM in check, but with a 4GB buffer, that's easier said than done in 2023. And while the card technically supports hardware ray tracing, it's really a "screenshots only" level of support.

 

If you can afford to step up to the RX 6600 for $190, that would be a meaningful upgrade - over double the performance for less than double the price. However, it would require having supplemental PCIe power, and it would require stretching the budget quite a bit if you're looking for a $100 card.

 

A better option, if you have a system with a capable PSU and aren't afraid of going used, would be to pick up a used RX 570 or RX 580 for around $50-70. They will generally perform better than the RX 6400, and have hardware encoding. With that said, they may require a PSU upgrade alongside them. A mid-tier PSU currently costs around $50, so if you don't need to also get an adapter for an OEM motherboard, and can find the card for $50, it's basically a price equivalent upgrade option.

[Middcore]

6 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

A better option, if you have a system with a capable PSU and aren't afraid of going used, would be to pick up a used RX 570 or RX 580 for around $50-70. They will generally perform better than the RX 6400, and have hardware encoding. With that said, they may require a PSU upgrade alongside them. A mid-tier PSU currently costs around $50, so if you don't need to also get an adapter for an OEM motherboard, and can find the card for $50, it's basically a price equivalent upgrade option.

 

Also worth mentioning AMD appears to be phasing out driver support for Polaris cards, although that may not really have any practical impact for a wihile. 

[venomtail]

2 minutes ago, Middcore said:

Also worth mentioning AMD appears to be phasing out driver support for Polaris cards, although that may not really have any practical impact for a wihile. 

As far as I understood the news they're not phasing out support, they're just not adding new feature support like new FSR stuff and whatever might be released. Pretty sure they said long term support for bugfixes and stuff is still coming, so yea, pretty much a new LTS line of GPU drivers.

[Agall]

Beats out the ITX sized A380 since that card somehow requires an 8 pin. If I didn't already have a GT 1030 low profile for the occasional necessity, I'd snag one myself.

[Levent]

not gonna lie these maker a better deal if they are LP and single slot (heck maybe x4)

[YoungBlade]

13 minutes ago, Levent said:

not gonna lie these maker a better deal if they are LP and single slot (heck maybe x4)

I agree. If this were a low profile model, it would be a much more interesting option at $100, as it could be used in LP OEM systems as a simple, drop in upgrade. The options for LP graphics cards are very limited, and even if the system is only PCIe Gen 3, the RX 6400 typically does better than other LP offerings - even on the used market - at the price point. It would actually be a godsend to some people.

 

However, I'm guessing that the only reason Gigabyte/Newegg is willing to sell this at $100 is because, as a full-height, dual-slot card, it's just not selling.