RX 7700 XT Vs RTX 2080: 8 AAA Games Tested

Abde Manaf

At Tech4Gamers, I began as a comparison writer, analyzing GPU and CPU performance. Now, I focus on writing reviews and contributing to the best-ofs section, sharing personal insights after hands-on testing.

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Shehryar Khan

Senior Editor and Content Writer:

• Lead the comparison and blog writing teams at Tech4Gamers.
• Oversee teams with a keen eye for detail and precision.
• Ensure hands-on writing, with benchmarks and testing as guiding principles.
• Guarantee the delivery of the best possible results in concise yet impactful tech tales.

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Pros & Cons

Comparison Table

Architectural Differences

1. Clock Speed: The RX 7700 XT boasts a boost clock speed of 2544MHz, much higher than the 1815MHz base clock of the RTX 2080. The base clock of the RX 7700 XT is 1700MHz, while the RTX 2080 idles at 1650MHz.
2. VRAM: The Radeon card has a big advantage in terms of memory, with the card having a 12GB VRAM buffer, substantially more the size of the RTX 2080’s 8GB VRAM buffer.
3. Process Node: The RX 7700 XT uses a more advanced 5nm processing node, while the RTX 2080 reflects its age with the use of 12nm processing nodes.
4. TDP: The RTX 2080 has a lower 250-watt TDP, whereas the RX 7700 XT has a TDP of 263 watts.
5. Other Features: The RX 7700 XT and the RTX 2080 are more or less identical in terms of features, as AMD’s open-source approach to developing gaming software lets the RTX card use any feature you could ask for.

The parallels between the graphics cards of Nvidia’s RTX 20 series of cards and the graphics cards released these days are uncanny. In this comparison, we will take a look at the performance of the RX 7800 XT vs RTX 2080 to see if the modern cards fare better than the older cards.

Gaming Benchmarks – 1440p

Now that we know what makes these graphics cards tick, this part of the RX 7700 XT vs RTX 2080 comparison will test both of these cards in various modern titles. We will do this atop a specially designed test bench, the specifications of which you can see below:

Test Bench

• CPU – Core i7-12700KF
• OS – Windows 11
• RAM – XPG Lancer RGB 32GB 7200MT/s DDR5
• Mobo – MSI MAG Z790 Tomohawk DDR5
• SSD – XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB NVMe
• CPU Cooler – Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420 – AIO Water Cooler
• PSU – ENERMAX REVOLUTION D.F. X 1050W

Resident Evil 4

• In our Resident Evil 4 test with maxed settings, the RTX 2080 averaged 70 FPS, significantly lagging behind the RX 7700 XT’s impressive 118 FPS. The RX 7700 XT outperformed by approximately 68% in this scenario.
• The 1% lows of the RTX 2080 were also pretty low at around 58 FPS, while the RX 7700 XT managed minimum framerates of around 101 FPS.

Starfield

• With the high settings and no upscaling applied, the RTX 2080 managed an average framerate of 41 FPS in Starfield, whereas the RX 7700 XT was once again around 60% faster with an average framerate of around 66 FPS.
• The 1% lows of the older graphics card hovered around 32 FPS, while the RX 7700 XT had lows closer to 47 FPS.

Baldur’s Gate

• Using the Ultra preset in Baldur’s Gate gave the RX 7700 XT an average framerate of around 91 FPS, while the RTX 2080 was slowly catching up to it with an average framerate of around 73 FPS, around 24% slower than the AMD card.
• The RTX 2080 managed to maintain 1% lows of around 40 FPS in our performance testing, while the RX 7700 XT had lows of around 65 FPS.

Dying Light 2

• The RTX 2080 had an even 60 FPS average in this game, with most settings set to high, while the RX 7700 XT had an average of 87 FPS, 45% higher than the older graphics card.
• The 1% lows hung around 50 FPS on the RTX card, while the Radeon had lows of around 73 FPS.

Shadow Of The Tomb Raider

• The RTX 2080 once again managed to break 60 FPS in Shadow Of The Tomb Raider with all the settings turned up to max, while the RX 7700 XT had an average performance of 68 FPS, only 13% higher than the 2080.
• As for the 1% lows, the RTX 2080 fell down to around 54 FPS in the hard-to-render sections of the game, while the RX 7700 XT had lows of around 63 FPS.

F1 2022

• In our high-settings test of F1 2022, the RTX 2080 averaged around 109 FPS, while the RX 7700 XT outperformed with an average of 139 FPS, showcasing a significant 27% performance difference between the two cards.
• The framerate of the RTX 2080 dropped to around 79 FPS in the 1% lows, whereas the RX 7700 XT had lows of around 109 FPS.

Rainbow Six Siege

• The framerate of the RTX 2080 was around 180 FPS on average in Rainbow Six Siege, whereas the RX 7700 XT had an average framerate of around 193 FPS, only around 7% faster than the RTX 2080.
• Our tests showed the 1% lows of the RX 7700 XT to hover around 153 FPS, while the RTX 2080 had lows closer to around 141 FPS.

Final Fantasy XIV

• Testing out Endwalker at the maximum settings, the RTX 2080 had an average framerate of around 122 FPS, which was around 17% less smooth than the 144 FPS average framerate of the RX 7700 XT.
• The 1% lows of the RTX 2080 fell to around 75 FPS in our tests, whereas the RX 7700 XT had a performance of around 86 FPS.

Overall Gaming Performance

The RX 7700 XT outperformed the aging RTX 2080 in overall average framerate during our 1440p testing. With a substantial 27% performance advantage, as anticipated due to the RTX 2080’s age. The performance of both cards can be increased by using upscaling and frame interpolation, though the performance delta will remain the same if done.

Editor`s Note

If your focus is on synthetic benchmarks resembling the usage scenarios these cards are designed for, you’ll be pleased to discover that the RX 7700 XT outperforms the GeForce RTX 2080 by approximately 55.5% in the widely recognized 3DMark synthetic benchmark.

– Shehryar Khan

Power Consumption

Despite exhibiting significantly improved performance, the RX 7700 XT also demonstrated an impressive feat by consuming approximately 10% less power than its rival, the RTX 2080. There is no doubt that the power efficiency of GPUs has drastically increased in recent years.

Price And Availability

On the used market, you can find the RTX 2080 for around $380, even less if you try to find a good deal. The RX 7700 XT, however, is rarely at or below its MSRP because specific card models are a bit more expensive than AMD’s suggested price. The price-to-performance ratio of both cards is quite similar.

What We Recommend

RTX 2080: Despite its age, the RTX 2080 still performs well in 2024, with its main limitation being the modest VRAM buffer for demanding games. Excelling in 1440p gaming, it offers good value on the used market, slightly affecting our final verdict. Overall, the RTX 2080 remains a solid choice for budget gamers.

RX 7700 XT: In the current graphics card landscape, the RX 7700 XT stands out as a well-balanced option, avoiding common scrutiny upon release. With an appealing price-to-performance ratio, manageable power consumption, and robust features, it emerges as a compelling midrange choice in 2024. 

To summarize, the decision between the RX 7700 XT vs RTX 2080 lies solely on your budget, as both cards offer the same ratio of price-to-performance at different sides of the spectrum.

More From RX 7700 XT

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More From RTX 2080

• RTX 2080 Vs RTX 3080
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• RTX 4060 Vs RTX 2080

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Shehryar Khan

[Comparisons Expert]

Shehryar Khan, a seasoned PC hardware expert, brings over three years of extensive experience and a deep passion for the world of technology. With a love for building PCs and a genuine enthusiasm for exploring the latest advancements in components, his expertise shines through his work and dedication towards this field. Currently, Shehryar is rocking a custom loop setup for his built.

Get In Touch: shehryar@tech4gamers.com