AMD Radeon 6500 XT gets memory capacity upgraded to 8GB

The Radeon RX 6500 XT’s reception didn’t go well for AMD despite it being one of the few graphics cards that wasn’t immediately scalped or out of stock. This was mainly due to the paltry specs but also the unattractive price tag. It seems that a refreshed 8GB model of the AMD 6500 XT will soon be available, though, with slightly higher clock speeds to boot.

Sapphire Technology shared a tweet today, noting that its Pulse model of the AMD 6500 XT 8GB will soon be available. Sapphire is one of AMD’s closest graphics card design partners, so it’s not that surprising that it’s been first with the odd releases such as this and the RX 6700 non-XT.

No longer out of memory

The memory capacity upgrade to 8GB is the clear buff for the AMD 6500 XT. The original 4GB model was criticized for skirting by with such little VRAM. Games require more memory capacity as resolution increases, and it’s suspected that the 6500 XT 8GB won’t perform as bad when rendering at and above 1080p in newer games that demand more VRAM. The GPU specs will remain the same, so we’ll just have to wait for benchmarks to see how much the extra VRAM really helps.

The Sapphire product page details one other spec improvement for its RX 6500 XT 8GB Pulse model. It boosts 30MHz higher on the Boost Clock and 10MHz higher on the Game Clock than the 4GB model. The small clock increases won’t make this card perform to a new standard. However, as long as costs remain relatively the same, this updated configuration could be more practical for those who just want a 1080p 60fps gaming experience.

You can find the compact SAPPHIRE PULSE AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT with 8GB Memory on-shelf now!
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.#PULSE #RX6500XT #graphicscard #GPU #SAPPHIRETech #AMD #Radeon #gaming #8GB

More info on the SAPPHIRE PULSE AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT 8GB: https://t.co/TdgLzPrEUX pic.twitter.com/mcKkCDYIQV

— SAPPHIRE Technology (@SapphireTech) July 25, 2022

Compatibility issues remain for older motherboards

The PCIe lane limitation issue still remains, so the buyer beware cautionary statement remains even for the 8GB model of the AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT. The 6500 XT is only wired for x4 lanes, where most modern graphics cards feature x16 or at least x8 to prevent bandwidth bottlenecks. Potential users will need a PCIe 4.0 capable slot on their motherboards to unlock the full bandwidth for this card so it runs to spec. Otherwise, performance will not impress.

This warning just applies to those who may wish to add a new graphics card to an older system. If you plan on using a 6500 XT in a new system for whatever reason, current gen AMD and Intel motherboards support PCIe 4.0 for at least the primary graphics card slot.

You should really look at a more expensive graphics card for better overall cost to performance value, though. Cheap doesn’t always mean good value, and that’s the case with the 6500 XT, the miniature RX 6400, the embarrassing GTX 1630, and the overpriced RTX 3050.