Radeon RX 6500 XT vs HD 6450 GDDR5

Place in the ranking	1111	216
Place by popularity	not in top-100	84
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	58.29
Power efficiency	2.47	16.11
Architecture	Terascale 2 (2009−2015)	RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)
GPU code name	Caicos	Navi 24
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	18 April 2011 (13 years ago)	19 January 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$199

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	160	1024
Core clock speed	750 MHz	2610 MHz
Boost clock speed	no data	2815 MHz
Number of transistors	no data	5,400 million
Manufacturing process technology	40 nm	6 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	27 Watt	107 Watt
Texture fill rate	no data	180.2
Floating-point processing power	no data	5.765 TFLOPS
ROPs	no data	32
TMUs	no data	64
Ray Tracing Cores	no data	16

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Interface	no data	PCIe 4.0 x4
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	no data	1x 6-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR5	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	1 GB	8 GB
Memory bus width	64 Bit	64 Bit
Memory clock speed	900 MHz	2248 MHz
Memory bandwidth	no data	143.9 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	no data	1x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	-	+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	11	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	no data	6.6
OpenGL	no data	4.6
OpenCL	no data	2.2
Vulkan	-	1.3

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

HD 6450 GDDR5 0.96

RX 6500 XT 24.79
+2482%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

HD 6450 GDDR5 623

RX 6500 XT 22954
+3584%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

HD 6450 GDDR5 2822

RX 6500 XT 76445
+2609%

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

HD 6450 GDDR5 464

RX 6500 XT 15712
+3286%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

HD 6450 GDDR5 4257

RX 6500 XT 91909
+2059%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

900p	7 −2471%	180−190 +2471%
Full HD	15 −340%	66 +340%
1200p	5 −2300%	120−130 +2300%
1440p	1−2 −3300%	34 +3300%
4K	0−1	16

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

3−4

−2300%

72
+2300%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	5−6 −980%	50−55 +980%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	4−5 −1150%	50−55 +1150%
Cyberpunk 2077	3−4 −1700%	54 +1700%
Far Cry 5	1−2 −5600%	55−60 +5600%
Far Cry New Dawn	2−3 −3150%	65−70 +3150%
Hitman 3	5−6 −900%	50−55 +900%
Horizon Zero Dawn	12−14 −777%	110−120 +777%
Red Dead Redemption 2	1−2 −6300%	60−65 +6300%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	7−8 −1100%	80−85 +1100%
Watch Dogs: Legion	30−35 −222%	100−110 +222%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	5−6 −980%	50−55 +980%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	4−5 −1150%	50−55 +1150%
Cyberpunk 2077	3−4 −1033%	34 +1033%
Far Cry 5	1−2 −5600%	55−60 +5600%
Far Cry New Dawn	2−3 −3150%	65−70 +3150%
Hitman 3	5−6 −900%	50−55 +900%
Horizon Zero Dawn	12−14 −777%	110−120 +777%
Red Dead Redemption 2	1−2 −6300%	60−65 +6300%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	7−8 −1429%	107 +1429%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	10−11 −430%	50−55 +430%
Watch Dogs: Legion	30−35 −222%	100−110 +222%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	5−6 −980%	50−55 +980%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	4−5 −1150%	50−55 +1150%
Cyberpunk 2077	3−4 −900%	30 +900%
Far Cry 5	1−2 −5600%	55−60 +5600%
Hitman 3	5−6 −900%	50−55 +900%
Horizon Zero Dawn	12−14 −608%	92 +608%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	7−8 −1086%	83 +1086%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	10−11 −440%	54 +440%
Watch Dogs: Legion	30−35 +28%	25 −28%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

1−2

−6300%

60−65
+6300%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	1−2 −4600%	45−50 +4600%
Far Cry New Dawn	1−2 −3700%	35−40 +3700%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	1−2 −2500%	24−27 +2500%
Cyberpunk 2077	1−2 −1600%	17 +1600%
Far Cry 5	1−2 −2700%	27−30 +2700%
Hitman 3	7−8 −314%	27−30 +314%
Horizon Zero Dawn	4−5 −1550%	66 +1550%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	0−1	30−33
Watch Dogs: Legion	4−5 −3400%	140−150 +3400%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

3−4

−1267%

40−45
+1267%

4K
High Preset

Far Cry New Dawn

0−1

18−20

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	1−2 −1400%	14−16 +1400%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	0−1	6
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	0−1	14−16
Far Cry 5	0−1	14−16

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

2−3

−950%

21−24
+950%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	51 +0%	51 +0%
Battlefield 5	80−85 +0%	80−85 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	140−150 +0%	140−150 +0%
Metro Exodus	85−90 +0%	85−90 +0%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	43 +0%	43 +0%
Battlefield 5	80−85 +0%	80−85 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	140−150 +0%	140−150 +0%
Metro Exodus	85−90 +0%	85−90 +0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	31 +0%	31 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	140−150 +0%	140−150 +0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Valhalla	23 +0%	23 +0%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	27−30 +0%	27−30 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	140−150 +0%	140−150 +0%
Metro Exodus	57 +0%	57 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	56 +0%	56 +0%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	24−27 +0%	24−27 +0%
Hitman 3	10 +0%	10 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	120−130 +0%	120−130 +0%
Metro Exodus	27−30 +0%	27−30 +0%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	28 +0%	28 +0%

4K
Ultra Preset

Cyberpunk 2077	4 +0%	4 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	30−35 +0%	30−35 +0%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	25 +0%	25 +0%
Watch Dogs: Legion	10 +0%	10 +0%

This is how HD 6450 GDDR5 and RX 6500 XT compete in popular games:

RX 6500 XT is 2471% faster in 900p
RX 6500 XT is 340% faster in 1080p
RX 6500 XT is 2300% faster in 1200p
RX 6500 XT is 3300% faster in 1440p

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Watch Dogs: Legion, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the HD 6450 GDDR5 is 28% faster.
in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the RX 6500 XT is 6300% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

HD 6450 GDDR5 is ahead in 1 test (1%)
RX 6500 XT is ahead in 42 tests (63%)
there's a draw in 24 tests (36%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	0.96	24.79
Recency	18 April 2011	19 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount	1 GB	8 GB
Chip lithography	40 nm	6 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	27 Watt	107 Watt

HD 6450 GDDR5 has 296.3% lower power consumption.

RX 6500 XT, on the other hand, has a 2482.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 10 years, a 700% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 566.7% more advanced lithography process.

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon HD 6450 GDDR5 in performance tests.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.