With the release of AMD's next-generation GPUs still months away, it's time for a refresh, and like the RX 6650 XT and RX 6950 XT, the RX 6750 XT is a refreshed version of the existing Radeon RX 6700 XT (open in new tab). Since the RX 6700 XT was It makes sense for AMD to give the RDNA 2 series a mid-term boost, since it has been exactly one year since its introduction and a mid-range RDNA 3 card is probably a year away. [The idea is simple. Add faster memory, a little more clock and power budget, a few tweaks at the firmware level, and you have the RX 6750 XT. The purpose of the RX 6750 XT is to give Nvidia's GA104 models, the RTX 3060 Ti (opens in new tab), RTX 3070 ( (opens in new tab), and RTX 3070 Ti (opens in new tab), to compete with the RTX 3070 Ti (opens in new tab) on different GPUs. This tier should offer competitive cost-performance while delivering high frame rates at 1440p.

The 6750 XT is powered by the Navi 22 GPU, a 7nm, 17.2 billion transistor, 2560 shader units on a 335mm² die; 12GB of 18Gbps memory with a 192-bit bus for a total bandwidth of 432GB/sec. This compares to the 6700 XT's 16 Gbps and 384 GB/s. It also has a 96 MB Infinity cache. [The 6700 XT, unlike the lower-end 6000 series, features a full 16x PCIe connection. The card's TDP increased by 20W, from 230W to 250W.

I received MSI's RX 6750 XT Gaming X Trio for review. As the name implies, the Trio has a large triple-fan cooler. It is designed to handle higher TDP GPUs, and the 6750 XT is well within its capabilities; as one would expect from MSI, the card is very well built. It has a full-length backplate and plenty of RGB decoration.

It is also a large triple slot card. At 32 cm long, it may not be suitable for smaller builds, but thanks to its surface area, the card should run cool and quiet. A single HDMI 2.1 and triple DP 1.4a ports are included. Dual 8-pin power connectors provide ample power to the card.

The MSI RX 6750 XT Gaming X Trio has three more 10-phase VRMs for Samsung 18Gbps memory. This is a powerful design for a card in this class. The cooler includes thermal pads to cool the memory and VRM circuitry.

This large cooler performs extremely well. In fact, it is nearly silent, with a load temperature of only 64°C, outstanding for a 250W GPU; about 15°C lower than AMD's reference RX 6700 XT, despite its higher TDP and clock. It was also quite quiet, and honestly didn't sound like my AIO pump and fan.

MSI's rated boost clock is 2,623 MHz, but in my tests it was able to maintain 2,695 MHz MSI did a good job, and I'd say it's a good thing that the card is so quiet, because the AIO pumps and fans are not as loud as the AMD reference RX 6700 XT.

The weakness of this card is that it consumes considerably more power than the RX 6700 XT. In tests measuring peak system-wide power consumption, MSI showed a peak value of 397W, an increase of over 50W from the reference 6700 XT. Some of this can be attributed to the additional fan and RGB lighting, but that alone cannot explain the spike; AMD clearly made the decision to push the Navi 22 silicon to its limits in order to extract the final mega-hit. This is a trait shared by all 6750 XTs.

Composite gaming performance

1080p gaming performance

1440p gaming performance

4K gaming performance

In terms of performance, the RX 6750 XT delivers the level of performance expected from an overclocked RX 6700 XT. 6750 XT performs at the level expected of an overclocked RX 6700 XT. In particular, with FSR 2.0 enabled, it can achieve high frame rates at 1080p and play any game you can think of at 1440p. In particular, with FSR 2.0 enabled, you can play any game at 1440p.

However, games like Metro Exodus Enhanced Edition or games that use raytracing effects will bring the RTX 3070's capabilities to the forefront.

Which one you choose will depend on the game you are playing. If you prefer ray tracing, the RTX 3070 continues to be a very strong choice, especially as its price continues to drop. And therein lies the problem with the RX 6750 XT. Price.

Price is a weakness of the RX 6750 XT, and MSI itself can only do so much about it: at $599 (£679 / AUD$1,059), it is simply too expensive compared to the RX 6700 XT. In some markets, it is even higher than the mid-range RTX 3070.

The MSI RX 6750 XT is very well built, quiet and cool, as one would expect from an MSI gaming card. Right now, however, AMD is offering a price that is too high compared to the RX 6700 XT. The price needs to come down if it is to be an attractive option in the upper mid-range.

The Radeon RX 6750 XT is a very high-performance 1440p card, but the same can be said for the RX 6700 XT a year ago. If inventory levels improve and the card drops to a price like the RX 6700 XT, the RX 6750 XT should be an entirely different proposition. But until it drops to the sub-$500 price point, i.e., below £600/AU$900, it will be difficult to sell in an increasingly competitive market.