Upgrading From RX 570 to RX 6500 XT: What You Actually Gain

For most RX 570 owners, the RX 6500 XT is not a worthwhile upgrade: on a PCIe 3.0 motherboard, which most RX 570-era systems use, it often performs about the same as the RX 570 and can even fall behind it, and on PCIe 4.0 the gain is modest. The RX 6500 XT does bring newer drivers, slightly lower power draw and support for features such as FSR 3.1 and ray tracing, but anyone spending money to replace an RX 570 gets far more from a used RX 6600 or a current Arc B570.

Why This Upgrade Looks Better on Paper Than in Games

The RX 570 launched in April 2017 at $169 on AMD’s GCN 4.0 (Polaris) architecture and became one of the most popular budget cards of its era. The RX 6500 XT arrived in January 2022 at $199, built on RDNA 2 with a 6 nm process and very high clocks. A newer architecture, a 2815 MHz boost clock and a higher price suggest a clear step up. The catch lies in how aggressively the RX 6500 XT was cut down to hit its price.

The RX 6500 XT uses a 64-bit memory bus and only four PCIe lanes. On a PCIe 4.0 platform those limits are manageable; on PCIe 3.0, the x4 link halves the available bus bandwidth, and every time a game spills out of video memory the card stalls. Most budget builds containing an RX 570 are older Intel or AMD systems running PCIe 3.0, which is the worst-case scenario for this card.

Specs Compared

Note the bandwidth row: the newer card has about 36% less memory bandwidth than the RX 570, partly offset by its 16 MB Infinity Cache. Both cards were sold with up to 8 GB, but the launch RX 6500 XT and the majority of retail models carry 4 GB, while many RX 570s shipped with 8 GB. Someone moving from an 8 GB RX 570 to a typical 4 GB RX 6500 XT is actually losing half their VRAM.

Gaming Performance: PCIe 4.0 Versus PCIe 3.0

TechSpot’s review, which mirrors Hardware Unboxed’s testing, called the RX 6500 XT a really bad graphics card and documented the PCIe problem in detail. On a PCIe 4.0 platform, the card performed roughly at RX 5500 XT level, which places it modestly ahead of an RX 570, in the range of roughly 10-25% depending on the game. On PCIe 3.0, performance dropped to roughly GTX 1650 territory, which is generally below the RX 570.

The worst cases are severe. TechSpot measured average frame rates falling by close to 30% and 1% lows falling by up to 50% in some games when switching to PCIe 3.0 mode, with titles such as Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla hit hardest. In at least one test, the RX 6500 XT ended up slower than the RX 570 outright. Lowering texture settings so games fit inside 4 GB reduces the penalty, but that is a compromise the RX 570 8 GB never required.

For typical 1080p use, both cards land in the same broad class: older and esports titles run well at medium-high settings, while recent AAA games need low settings and, on the RX 6500 XT, upscaling to stay near 60 fps. Exact frame rates vary widely with settings, CPU and patch level.

What the RX 6500 XT Adds

• Driver support: AMD moved Polaris cards like the RX 570 to a legacy driver track in late 2023, so they no longer receive regular game optimizations. The RX 6500 XT is on the RDNA 2 driver branch.
• Feature support: RDNA 2 brings DirectX 12 Ultimate, which allows games that require ray-tracing hardware to launch, though actual ray-traced performance on this card is very low. It also supports FSR 3.1 upscaling and frame generation in supported games, plus AMD Fluid Motion Frames at the driver level.
• Efficiency: 107 W versus 120 W is a small saving, though the 6 nm chip runs cooler and quieter on most models.

What the RX 6500 XT Takes Away

• Video encoding: the RX 6500 XT has no hardware video encoder, so streaming or recording through AMD’s encoder is not possible, a feature the RX 570 does have. It also lacks AV1 decode.
• Display outputs: two outputs (HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 1.4a) instead of five, and no DVI for older monitors.
• VRAM on most models: 4 GB versus 8 GB on many RX 570 cards.
• PCIe lanes: x4 instead of x16, which is what causes the PCIe 3.0 penalty.

Power and Case Considerations

Neither card is demanding. Using the rule of GPU TDP plus CPU plus about 150 W headroom, an RX 6500 XT with a 65 W CPU works out to 107 + 65 + 150 = about 322 W, and an RX 570 with the same CPU to about 335 W. Any quality 400-450 W power supply covers either one. Both use a single 6-pin connector, so no cabling changes are needed. Most RX 6500 XT models are short dual-fan designs in a 2-slot footprint, and length varies by partner model, so small cases are rarely a problem.

Value Math and Better Alternatives

At launch MSRP, the RX 6500 XT cost $30 more than the RX 570 did at its launch. With the RX 570 at 100 performance points and the RX 6500 XT at roughly 85-120 depending on the platform:

• On PCIe 4.0 (about 115 points): $199 / 115 = about $1.73 per point versus $1.69 for the RX 570.
• On PCIe 3.0 (about 90 points): $199 / 90 = about $2.21 per point, clearly worse.

On the used market, an RX 570 usually sells for roughly $40-$60 and an RX 6500 XT for roughly $80-$110. Spending that money for little or no gain makes little sense. A used RX 6600 at roughly $150-$190 is typically close to twice as fast as an RX 570 (roughly 80-100% faster) with 8 GB of VRAM and a PCIe 4.0 x8 link that copes far better on PCIe 3.0. Among new cards, Intel’s Arc B570 and AMD’s RX 9060 XT are current-generation options that represent a genuine performance class jump.

Upgrade or Skip?

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the RX 6500 XT faster than the RX 570?

Only modestly, and only on a PCIe 4.0 motherboard, where reviews place it roughly 10-25% ahead. On PCIe 3.0 it often performs about the same and in some games falls behind the RX 570. The card’s PCIe 4.0 x4 interface and 4 GB of VRAM on most models are the reasons.

Does the RX 6500 XT work on PCIe 3.0?

Yes, it is fully compatible and will run. However, it drops to half its PCIe bandwidth, and TechSpot measured average frame rates falling close to 30% and 1% lows by up to 50% in some games. Keeping texture settings low enough to stay within VRAM limits the damage.

Can the RX 6500 XT record or stream with hardware encoding?

No, the RX 6500 XT has no hardware video encoder. Streaming and recording must use the CPU or another device. The RX 570 includes a hardware encoder, so moving to the RX 6500 XT removes that capability.

Does the RX 570 still get driver updates?

AMD moved Polaris cards, including the RX 570, to a legacy support track in late 2023. They no longer receive regular game-specific optimizations. Older drivers continue to work, but newer games may run less smoothly or show issues over time.

What is a better upgrade from an RX 570?

A used RX 6600 is one of the most cost-effective choices, typically close to twice the RX 570’s performance with 8 GB of VRAM. New current-generation options include Intel’s Arc B570 and AMD’s RX 9060 XT. Each represents a genuine jump rather than a sidegrade.