AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT
Rated: 8/10
Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080
Rated: 5/10
Pros And Cons
| Graphics Card | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| RX 7700 XT | ✅ Better price than the RTX 3080 ✅ Better power efficiency ✅Larger VRAM buffer | ❌Narrower bus width ❌Significantly ower overall performance |
| RTX 3080 | ✅ Better overall performance ✅Better ray tracing performance | ❌Very high price ❌Bad power efficiency ❌Small VRAM buffer |
- In our gaming tests, the RTX 3080 performed around 7.7% better on average than the RX 7700 XT. The performance of the RTX 3080, however, was much better in some games than others.
- The RTX 3080 consumed over 42% more power than the RX 7700 XT, which can lead to some complications involving upgrading your power supply.
- The price of the RTX 3080 is above its launch MSRP on the new market due to the recent demand for GPUs for AI-related servers.
- It is very hard to recommend the RTX 3080 due to its price being inflated at the moment, which is why we recommend most people get the RX 7700 XT over the RTX 3080.
Comparison Table
| Technical Specs | NVIDIA RTX 3080 | Radeon RX 7700 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 3.0 |
| CUDA Cores | 8704 | 3456 |
| Tensor Cores | 272 | NA |
| RT Cores | 68 | 54 |
| TMUs | 272 | 216 |
| ROPs | 96 | 96 |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |
| Memory Speed | 760.3 GB/s | 448.0 GB/s |
| MSRP | $699 | $449 |
| Best Variants | Best RTX 3080 Graphics Cards | Best RX 7700 XT Graphics Cards |
Architectural Difference
- Clock Speed: The RTX 3080 has a base clock of 1440MHz and a boost of up to 1710MHz, which is outdone substantially by the RX 7700 XT with its 2171MHz base clock and 2544MHz boost clock.
- TDP: The RX 7700 XT has a TDP of 245 watts, which is much more manageable than the 320-watt TDP of the RTX 3080.
- Processing Nodes: The RTX 3080 uses an older 8nm processing node from Samsung, whereas the RX 7700 XT uses the bleeding edge 5nm manufacturing node from TSMC.
- VRAM: The RTX 3080 uses 10GB of GDDR6X RAM over a 320-bit bus for its VRAM buffer, whereas the RX 7700 XT uses 12GB of GDDR6 RAM over a 192-bit bus. There is more VRAM on the AMD card, though it is substantially slower.
- Other features: Because of AMD’s open approach to developing new features, the RTX 3080 can access every feature that the RX 7700 XT can while being substantially better at Ray Tracing because of its higher count of RT cores.
The RTX 3080 was plagued shortly after its release for many reasons that affected its price, and recently, the same thing has been happening all over again because of the AI boom. The RX 7700 XT vs RTX 3080 comparison will determine if the RTX card’s higher price tag is justified by its performance.
Gaming Benchmarks – 1440p
The best understanding of the difference in performance of these two graphics cards can only come out of evaluating these cards in real-world gaming scenarios, which is exactly what we are going to do in the subsequent sections of this comparison with the test bench mentioned below:
Test Bench
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X | 4.8 GHz | 12 Cores 24 Threads
- MOTHERBOARD: Asus X570-E ROG Strix Gaming II – (Wi-Fi / Bluetooth)
- Storage: XPG GAMMIX S70 BLADE 2TB NVMe SSD
- PSU: ENERMAX REVOLUTION D.F. X 1050W
- RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 2 x 16 GB DDR5, 6000 MHz; CL36-36-36-96
- CPU Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360mm AIO
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- In our Assassin’s Creed Valhalla test, the RX 7700 XT exhibited a slight performance difference, averaging around 87 FPS. It was approximately 6% slower than the RTX 3080, which averaged 92 FPS.
- The 1% lows of the RX 7700 XT were significantly worse than that of the RTX 3080 at around 43 FPS instead of the 69 FPS of the Nvidia card. This marked a huge 60% difference between the two GPUs.
Cyberpunk 2077
- On average, the RX 7700 XT had a framerate of around 71 FPS in our test of Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ultra preset, while the RTX 3080 performed around about 10% better with an average performance of 78 FPS.
- The 1% lows were very close in this game, with the RTX 3080 getting minimum framerates of around 52 FPS, while the RX 7700 XT had a minimum framerate of around 50 FPS.
Far Cry 6
- The average framerates got closer in Far Cry 6, with the RTX 3080 getting an average of 127 FPS, while the RX 7700 XT was slightly behind with an average of 123 FPS. The difference between the two GPUs shrank to 3.25% in this game.
- As for the 1% lows, there were only three frames of difference between the two cards, with the RX 7700 XT maintaining lows of around 101 FPS while the RTX 3080 maintained lows of 104 FPS.
Hogwarts Legacy
- Continuing to a more demanding game, Hogwarts Legacy ran 14% smoother on the RTX 3080 with an average framerate of 73 FPS, while the RX 7700 XT had an average of 64 FPS.
- The 1% lows were also fairly different between the two chips. The RX 7700 XT had lows of 41 FPS, while the RTX 3080 managed minimums of around 51 FPS.
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
- The averages were once again substantially different in our test of this game with the Ultra preset. The RX 7700 XT had an average framerate of 62 FPS, while the RTX 3080 managed an average of 70 FPS.
- The eight frames of difference also translated into the minimum framerates. The RTX 3080 shot down to 48 FPS in graphically demanding scenarios, while the RX 7700 XT got down to around 40 FPS.
Rachet And Clank: Rift Apart
- With no RT or DLSS, the RTX 3080 got an average framerate of around 94 FPS in this game, while the RX 7700 XT had an average that was 8% lower at around 87 FPS.
- The 1% lows of the RX 7700 XT were around 64 FPS, while the RTX 3080 sat around 70 FPS for its minimum framerate.
Red Dead Redemption 2
- The difference in RDR2 once again approached 8%, with the RX 7700 XT getting an average of 89 FPS, while the RTX 3080 got an average of around 96 FPS. The Nvidia card has been in a solid lead thus far.
- As for the 1% lows, the RX 7700 XT had minimums of 65 FPS, while the RTX 3080 got around 72 FPS in the most graphically demanding moments.
Resident Evil 4
- The average framerate of the RTX 3080 was around 100 FPS in RE4, with all the nobs and dials maxed out, while the RX 7700 XT sat a few frames behind with an average of 94 FPS, accumulating a difference of around 6% in this game.
- The 1% lows were around 72 FPS for the RX 7700 XT, while the RTX 3080 managed lows of around 78 FPS.
Spider-Man Remastered
- This game ran around 9% better on the RTX 3080, with an average framerate of 129 FPS, while the RX 7700 XT had an average of around 118 FPS.
- The 1% lows were around 96 FPS with the AMD card, while the Nvidia GPU managed lows of around 102 FPS.
The Last Of Us Part 1
- Finally, the last game of our testing ran almost equivalently well on both GPUs, with the RX 7700 XT getting an average framerate of around 64 FPS, while the RTX 3080 had an average closer to 66 FPS.
- The lows, however, were much better on the RTX 3080 at around 53 FPS instead of the 41 FPS of the RX 7700 XT.
The port situation on both graphics cards is a little bit different. The RX 7700 XT has an extra USB-C port that the RTX 3080 lacks, but it also loses out on a display port. Be sure to check with your monitor arrangement before buying either graphics card.
– Shehryar Khan
Overall Gaming Performance
| Featured | RTX 3080 | RX 7700 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Average FPS | 92 📈 | 86 📈 |
| %1 lows | 70 📉 | 61 📉 |
| Winner: Nvidia's RTX 3080 | ||
In our gaming tests, the RTX 3080 outperformed the RX 7700 XT with an average framerate of 92 FPS, showcasing a 7.7% speed advantage over the RX 7700 XT’s 86 FPS. Notably, these tests excluded RT and AI upscaling. The RTX 3080 demonstrated smoother performance in demanding games. Examining the 1% lows, the RX 7700 XT lagged with an overall average of 61 FPS, significantly trailing the RTX 3080’s 70 FPS average, indicating an overall 14% lower performance in minimum framerates.
Power Consumption
| Game | RX 7700 XT (W) | RTX 3080 (W) |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 225 | 311 |
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 222 | 310 |
| Far Cry 6 | 220 | 312 |
| Hogwarts Legacy | 227 | 319 |
| Star Wars: Jedi Survivor | 229 | 319 |
| Rachet & Clank | 223 | 317 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 223 | 320 |
| Resident Evil 4 | 211 | 322 |
| Spider-Man Remastered | 225 | 324 |
| The Last Of Us Part 1 | 223 | 325 |
| Average Power Consumption | 223 | 318 |
| Winner: AMD's Radeon RX 7700 XT | ||
The power difference was massive between the two graphics cards. To give the performance it gave, the RTX 3080 had to draw over 42% more power than the RX 7700 XT, making it wildly less power-efficient. This can pose a couple of problems. For one, you might find that you have to replace your power supply to support the power draw of the RTX 3080, adding to its cost. Additionally, the power draw of this card can lead to a slightly higher power bill, the costs of which can add up during its lifetime.
Price And Value
| GPU | MSRP | Current Price |
|---|---|---|
| RTX 3080 | 💲699 | 💲746 |
| RX 7700 XT | 💲449 | 💲439 |
| Difference | 56% | 70% |
The price of the RTX 3080 is higher than what it was released for back in 2020, at least in late January 2024. The recent demand for cards for AI servers has made the price of Nvidia cards skyrocket once again, making it impractical for almost anyone to own them. The age of this card, paired with its huge price tag, gives horrible value. On the other side, the RX 7700 XT was much more reasonably priced at launch, and it remains as such.
What We Recommend
RTX 3080: This graphics card was very good at the time it was launched, but it was shortly plagued because of the crypto-mining GPU shortage. The same ordeal is happening again, now with the AI boom. If the price of this card had fallen, it would get a clear recommendation from us, but as it sits, the RTX 3080 does not make sense to get over the RX 7700 XT.
RX 7700 XT: With the competition of this card being so overpriced, we have no option but to recommend the RX 7700 XT to anyone deciding between the two, at least until the price of these cards equalizes. The RX 7700 XT does have some performance drawbacks, but you can easily regain the margin of difference by turning on AI upscaling.
To reiterate, the current price of the RTX 3080 makes it so that getting the RX 7700 XT is the only viable option.
FAQs
Yes, the better base performance, in addition to the better RT cores, make the RTX 3080 a better card for ray-traced gaming than the RX 7700 XT.
No, Nvidia has restricted DLSS 3 frame generation to work only on the RTX 40 series of graphics cards, but you can still use the alternate software from AMD to do the same job.
Both the RX 7700 XT and the RTX 3080 use the PCIe 4.0 interface, 14 lanes of it, to be exact.
More From RX 7700 XT
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[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
