Radeon RX 6800 Vs RX 6800 XT [Worth Upgrading]

The Radeon RX 6800 and Radeon RX 6800 XT are wonderful AMD graphics cards with excellent 16GB GDDR6 memory and RDNA 2.0 architecture. In our Radeon RX 6800 vs Radeon RX 6800 XT comparison, we will compare the specs and gaming skills of the two GPUs.

Key Takeaways

• The RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT feature the same AMD RDNA 2.0 architecture and Navi 21 GPU chip with 16GB GDDR6 memory.
• The gaming performance of the RX 6800 XT is about 18.1% better than the RX 6800.
• During the gaming session, the RX 6800 consumes about 36.5% less average power than the Radeon RX 6800 XT.
• The Radeon RX 6800 is thermally 18% more efficient than the Radeon RX 6800 XT.
• The launch MSRPs of the Radeon RX 6800 and the RX 6800 XT were $579 and $649, respectively.

Radeon RX 6800 Vs RX 6800 XT

Comparison Table

Architecture

The Radeon RX 6800 and Radeon RX 6800 XT incorporate AMD’s RDNA 2.0 architecture.

The AMD RDNA 2.0 architecture is a high-performance, energy-efficient graphics architecture that offers fantastic visual enhancements and incredible gaming experiences.

Next-generation video games that demand the most extraordinary levels of performance and graphic fidelity are the target audience for RDNA 2.0. The architecture includes new memory technologies, computing unit designs, and multimedia engines. Real-time ray tracing, a powerful technique for creating realistic lighting and shadow effects, is also available with RDNA 2.0.

GPU Chip

There is no difference in the GPU chip of the Radeon RX 6800 vs the  RX 6800 XT. Both graphics cards employ the same Navi 21 chip of AMD. The Navi 21 chip implements the RDNA 2.0 architecture and is built in a 7nm fabrication process at TSMC. The Navi 21 chip provides variable rate shading (VRS) and hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which can enhance performance and lower gaming power consumption.

Furthermore, it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which offers DirectX Raytracing (DXR) and Mesh Shaders. The Navi 21 has a die size of 520 mm² and a number of transistors equal to 26.8 billion.

Also Read: RX 6800 XT Vs RTX 3080 Ti

GPU Memory

The Radeon RX 6800 and  RX 6800 XT have fantastic GDDR6 memory and 16GB capacity. The memory bus width of these cards is 256 bits. Considering the memory processing speed, both GPUs have the same rate of 16 Gbps. The two GPUs have a high-speed on-die cache memory of 128MB. The maximum memory bandwidth of the Radeon RX 6800 and Radeon RX 6800 XT is up to 512 GB/s.

Clock Speed

The clock frequency determines how many operations a GPU (Graphics Processor Unit) can complete in a second. Considering the base clock of two GPUs, the Radeon RX 6800 has a base frequency of 1815 MHz, while that of the Radeon RX 6800 XT is 2015 MHz. The base clock of the Radeon RX 6800 XT is ~11.01% faster than that of the Radeon RX 6800.

Referring to the boost clock, the Radeon RX 6800 XT appears with a higher maximum of up to 2250 MHz. While the Radeon RX 6800 has a max frequency of up to 2105 MHz.

In general, better performance results from faster clock speeds, enabling a GPU to do more processes in a given period. Thus, according to clock speed, the Radeon RX 6800 XT would perform 7-10% faster than the Radeon RX 6800.

Gaming Benchmarks – 1440p

In gaming benchmarks, we will focus on the gaming performance and efficiency of the Radeon RX 6800 vs RX 6800 XT in several games at 1440p resolution. It will help us predict their performance at 1080p and 4K resolutions. We have amassed the 1440p game benchmarks from FPS Computers. The system used for testing the gaming performance of the two GPUs had the following specifications.

Gaming Rig

• OS: Windows 10
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
• Motherboard: Gigabyte Aorus Elite B550
• RAM: G.SKILL Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600MHz 32GB (2x16GB)
• SSD 1: Sabrent 1TB Rocket Nvme PCIe 4.0 M.2 2280 Internal SSD
• SSD 2: WD Blue SN550 1TB High-Performance M.2 PCIe NVME SSD
• PSU: Corsair RM850 80 Plus Gold, 850 W Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

Call Of Duty: Warzone

• The Radeon RX 6800 XT dominated the FPS combat of the RX 6800 vs RX 6800 XT in Call of Duty: Warzone being 17.5% more potent.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT produced a prime frame rate with an average of 188 FPS, while the Radeon RX 6800 could not cross an average of 160 FPS.
• During the gameplay, the Radeon RX 6800 XT was running at 242 W, while the Radeon RX 6800 utilized a lower power of 179 W.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT temperature in the gameplay was 75°C, 10 degrees higher than the 65°C temperature of the Radeon RX 6800.

Cyberpunk 2077

• The Radeon RX 6800 XT outperformed the Radeon RX 6800 in Cyberpunk 2077 with its 17.5% more effective rendering.
• While the Radeon RX 6800 could only manage an average frame rate of 94 FPS, the Radeon RX 6800 XT produced top frame rates with an average of 109 FPS.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT ran at 254 W during gameplay, while the Radeon RX 6800 used a lesser power of 181 W.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT reached a temperature of 77°C, 15°C higher than the Radeon RX 6800’s temperature of 62°C.

Dying Light 2: Stay Human

• In Dying Light 2: Stay Human, the Radeon RX 6800 XT defeated the Radeon RX 6800 with 22.5% greater performance.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT delivered the top frame rates with an average of 109 FPS, while the Radeon RX 6800 could only produce an average of 89 FPS.
• During gameplay, the Radeon RX 6800 XT utilized 261 W, whereas the Radeon RX 6800 used only 186 W.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT attained a temperature of 73°C, and the Radeon RX 6800 had a 63°C temperature.

Forza Horizon 5

• The Radeon RX 6800 XT outperformed the Radeon RX 6800 in Forza Horizon 5 by 11.8% better performance.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT provided an average frame rate of 136 FPS, whereas the Radeon RX 6800 could only generate an average frame rate of 119 FPS.
• During Forza Horizon 5, the Radeon RX 6800 XT utilized 193 W compared to the Radeon RX 6800’s 148 W.
• Compared to the Radeon RX 6800’s 60°C, the Radeon RX 6800 XT reached a temperature of 64°C.

God Of War

• In God Of War, the Radeon RX 6800 XT surpassed the Radeon RX 6800 by 19.3% or 16 FPS.
• The Radeon RX 6800 could only produce an average frame rate of 83 FPS, while the Radeon RX 6800 XT offered a 99 FPS average.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT used 271 W in God Of War as opposed to the Radeon RX 6800’s 202 W.
• During God Of War, the Radeon RX 6800 XT hit an elevated temperature of 83°C as opposed to the Radeon RX 6800’s 66°C.

Grid Legends

• The Radeon RX 6800 XT performed 17% better than the Radeon RX 6800 in Grid Legends.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT offered an average frame rate of 189 FPS, while the Radeon RX 6800 could only deliver an average of 157 FPS.
• In Grid Legends, the Radeon RX 6800 XT consumed 224 W, and the Radeon RX 6800 burned 162 W.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT reached a temperature of 73°C during the gameplay, compared to the Radeon RX 6800’s 62°C.

Horizon Zero Dawn

• In Horizon Zero Dawn, the Radeon RX 6800 XT outperformed the Radeon RX 6800 by 18.75%.
• Where the Radeon RX 6800 could only generate an average frame rate of 96 FPS, the Radeon RX 6800 XT offered a frame rate of 114 FPS.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT was running at 244 W in Horizon Zero Dawn, whereas the Radeon RX 6800 used 178 W.
• During the gameplay, the Radeon RX 6800 XT attained a temperature of 77°C, while the Radeon RX 6800 reached 63°C.

Also Read: RX 7900 XT Vs RX 6800 XT

Red Dead Redemption 2

• The Radeon RX 6800 XT performed 16.1% better than the Radeon RX 6800 in Red Dead Redemption 2.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT provided an average frame rate of 101 FPS, while the Radeon RX 6800’s average frame rate was only 87 FPS.
• In Red Dead Redemption 2, the Radeon RX 6800 XT worked at 264 W power, whereas the Radeon RX 6800 used 200 W.
• The Radeon RX 6800 XT reached a temperature of 74°C during the game, whereas the Radeon RX 6800 met 64°C.

Overall Gaming Stats

Performance

As the Radeon RX 6800 XT performs better than the Radeon RX 6800 in 1440p games, it will undoubtedly score higher FPS in 1080p games as well. And the same would be the trend in 4K games. But the FPS difference decreases with higher resolution.

Power Efficiency

Also Read: RX 6800 XT Vs RTX 3070 Ti

A GPU’s power consumption is crucial in deciding the electricity cost. When the GPU is power efficient, its running creates no financial burden. But the high power consuming GPUs increase the electricity cost very much. In the Radeon RX 6800 vs RX 6800 XT, the Radeon RX 6800 consumes 36.5% less power. So, the Radeon RX 6800 might be a better choice for a user who cannot afford high electricity expenditures.

Thermal Efficiency

Also Read: How To Lower GPU Temperature?

Price And Availability

The MSRP of the Radeon RX 6800 at the launch time was $579. At the same time, AMD launched the Radeon RX 6800 XT for $649. These graphics cards were launched at the end of the year 2020.

When we see the current prices of the two GPUs, they are relatively lower than their launch MSRPs. Though the costs of the graphics cards differ for their different variants, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is generally $100-150 more expensive for its higher performance and greater demand when compared to the Radeon RX 6800.

Regarding availability, the Radeon RX 6800 and Radeon RX 6800 XT are currently unavailable at AMD’s official store due to the launch of the new AMD graphics cards series. But these graphics cards are readily available on other online stores like Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress.

Which One Should You Go For?

Let’s wrap up the guide after thoroughly comparing the Radeon RX 6800 vs RX 6800 XT. Both graphics cards use the same AMD RDNA 2.0 architecture and Navi 21 GPU chip. They have 256-Bit GDDR6 memory with 16GB storage. These cards’ memory speed and bandwidth are 16 Gbps and up to 512 GB/s.

The Radeon RX 6800 XT has 4608 stream processors, while the Radeon RX 6800 has only 3840. The texture mapping units of the Radeon RX 6800 XT are 48 more than those of the Radeon RX 6800.

Considering the boost clock speed, the Radeon RX 6800 XT has an advantage of 145 MHz. The base clock of the Radeon RX 6800 XT is also 200 MHz higher than the Radeon RX 6800. 

Also Read: RTX 3080 Vs. RX 6800 XT

When it comes to gaming performance, the Radeon RX 6800 XT beats the Radeon RX 6800 with an average margin of 18.1%. The power consumption of the Radeon RX 6800 XT is about 36.5% more than the Radeon RX 6800. Considering the gaming temperature of two GPUs, the Radeon RX 6800 maintains an 18% lower temperature than the Radeon RX 6800 XT.

Considering the preceding, we advise you to choose the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. It offers relatively higher performance and has a more extraordinary performance-to-price ratio, but its main flaw is that it uses more power.

In case your budget or the market conditions do not permit you to choose the Radeon RX 6800 XT, the Radeon RX 6800 is also a fantastic GPU. Moreover, the Radeon RX 6800 has lower running costs than the Radeon RX 6800 XT.