Radeon RX 6950 XT vs GeForce RTX 3090

Place in the ranking	24	17
Place by popularity	not in top-100	not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	14.90	27.11
Power efficiency	13.80	15.18
Architecture	Ampere (2020−2024)	RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)
GPU code name	GA102	Navi 21
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	1 September 2020 (4 years ago)	10 May 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,499	$1,099

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RX 6950 XT has 82% better value for money than RTX 3090.

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores	10496	5120
Core clock speed	1395 MHz	1925 MHz
Boost clock speed	1695 MHz	2324 MHz
Number of transistors	28,300 million	26,800 million
Manufacturing process technology	8 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	350 Watt	335 Watt
Texture fill rate	556.0	743.7
Floating-point processing power	35.58 TFLOPS	23.8 TFLOPS
ROPs	112	128
TMUs	328	320
Tensor Cores	328	no data
Ray Tracing Cores	82	80

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Interface	PCIe 4.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	336 mm	267 mm
Width	3-slot	3-slot
Supplementary power connectors	1x 12-pin	2x 8-pin

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory type	GDDR6X	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	24 GB	16 GB
Memory bus width	384 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	1219 MHz	2250 MHz
Memory bandwidth	936.2 GB/s	576.0 GB/s
Shared memory	-	-

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors	1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort	1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a
HDMI	+	+

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_2)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.5	6.5
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	2.0	2.1
Vulkan	1.2	1.3
CUDA	8.5	-

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.

Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

RTX 3090 69.29

RX 6950 XT 72.98
+5.3%

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

RTX 3090 26731

RX 6950 XT 28154
+5.3%

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

RTX 3090 61518

RX 6950 XT 72228
+17.4%

3DMark Vantage Performance

3DMark Vantage is an outdated DirectX 10 benchmark using 1280x1024 screen resolution. It taxes the graphics card with two scenes, one depicting a girl escaping some militarized base located within a sea cave, the other displaying a space fleet attack on a defenseless planet. It was discontinued in April 2017, and Time Spy benchmark is now recommended to be used instead.

RTX 3090 124350
+3.7%

RX 6950 XT 119918

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

RTX 3090 47241

RX 6950 XT 59882
+26.8%

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 3090 231612
+1.1%

RX 6950 XT 229172

3DMark Ice Storm GPU

Ice Storm Graphics is an obsolete benchmark, part of 3DMark suite. Ice Storm was used to measure entry level laptops and Windows-based tablets performance. It utilizes DirectX 11 feature level 9 to display a battle between two space fleets near a frozen planet in 1280x720 resolution. Discontinued in January 2020, it is now superseded by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 3090 779348
+56.7%

RX 6950 XT 497297

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04

RTX 3090 300
+110%

RX 6950 XT 143

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03

RTX 3090 105

RX 6950 XT 188
+79.4%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02

RTX 3090 16

RX 6950 XT 53
+223%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04

RTX 3090 170

RX 6950 XT 284
+67.3%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01

RTX 3090 93

RX 6950 XT 139
+49%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01

RTX 3090 86
+12.1%

RX 6950 XT 77

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01

RTX 3090 262

RX 6950 XT 286
+9.2%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 energy-01

RTX 3090 26

RX 6950 XT 29
+12.1%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 3dsmax-05

RTX 3090 368

RX 6950 XT 451
+22.6%

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD	203 −9.4%	222 +9.4%
1440p	131 −3.1%	135 +3.1%
4K	90 +3.4%	87 −3.4%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	7.38	4.95
1440p	11.44	8.14
4K	16.66	12.63

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

207
+28.6%

161

−28.6%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	159 +5.3%	150−160 −5.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	114 −15.8%	130−140 +15.8%
Battlefield 5	220−230 −5.9%	230−240 +5.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	110−120 −0.8%	120−130 +0.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	176 +23.1%	143 −23.1%
Far Cry 5	110−120 +0%	110−120 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	160−170 −7.1%	180−190 +7.1%
Forza Horizon 4	230−240 −1.7%	240−250 +1.7%
Hitman 3	117 −10.3%	120−130 +10.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	250−260 −4.3%	260−270 +4.3%
Metro Exodus	144 −7.6%	150−160 +7.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	130 +5.7%	120−130 −5.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	290−300 −7.2%	300−350 +7.2%
Watch Dogs: Legion	200 +30.7%	150−160 −30.7%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	247 +63.6%	150−160 −63.6%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	105 −25.7%	130−140 +25.7%
Battlefield 5	220−230 −5.9%	230−240 +5.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	110−120 −0.8%	120−130 +0.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	151 +18%	128 −18%
Far Cry 5	110−120 +0%	110−120 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	160−170 −7.1%	180−190 +7.1%
Forza Horizon 4	230−240 −1.7%	240−250 +1.7%
Hitman 3	117 −10.3%	120−130 +10.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	250−260 −4.3%	260−270 +4.3%
Metro Exodus	144 −7.6%	150−160 +7.6%
Red Dead Redemption 2	120−130 −0.8%	120−130 +0.8%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	402 −10%	442 +10%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	140−150 −6.7%	150−160 +6.7%
Watch Dogs: Legion	199 +30.1%	150−160 −30.1%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	108 −39.8%	150−160 +39.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	91 −45.1%	130−140 +45.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	110−120 −0.8%	120−130 +0.8%
Cyberpunk 2077	134 +9.8%	122 −9.8%
Far Cry 5	110−120 +0%	110−120 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	217 −11.5%	240−250 +11.5%
Hitman 3	116 −11.2%	120−130 +11.2%
Horizon Zero Dawn	295 −7.8%	318 +7.8%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	351 −12.8%	396 +12.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	181 −19.3%	216 +19.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	107 +0%	107 +0%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

129
+4.9%

120−130

−4.9%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	160−170 −0.6%	160−170 +0.6%
Far Cry New Dawn	110−120 −1.8%	110−120 +1.8%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	93 +6.9%	85−90 −6.9%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	79 −19%	90−95 +19%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	80−85 −1.2%	80−85 +1.2%
Cyberpunk 2077	93 +0%	93 +0%
Far Cry 5	80−85 −3.7%	80−85 +3.7%
Forza Horizon 4	270−280 +0%	270−280 +0%
Hitman 3	115 +7.5%	100−110 −7.5%
Horizon Zero Dawn	233 −9.4%	255 +9.4%
Metro Exodus	139 +5.3%	132 −5.3%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	266 −10.5%	294 +10.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	152 +12.6%	130−140 −12.6%
Watch Dogs: Legion	203 −18.2%	240−250 +18.2%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

127
+7.6%

110−120

−7.6%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	85−90 −1.1%	85−90 +1.1%
Far Cry New Dawn	65−70 +0%	65−70 +0%
Hitman 3	83 +27.7%	65−70 −27.7%
Horizon Zero Dawn	220−230 +0%	220−230 +0%
Metro Exodus	141 +18.5%	110−120 −18.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	153 +6.3%	144 −6.3%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	70 +14.8%	60−65 −14.8%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	57 −3.5%	55−60 +3.5%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	50−55 −2%	50−55 +2%
Cyberpunk 2077	46 +0%	46 +0%
Far Cry 5	50−55 +0%	50−55 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	153 +15.9%	130−140 −15.9%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	159 −8.2%	172 +8.2%
Watch Dogs: Legion	60 −8.3%	65 +8.3%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

111
+35.4%

80−85

−35.4%

This is how RTX 3090 and RX 6950 XT compete in popular games:

RX 6950 XT is 9% faster in 1080p
RX 6950 XT is 3% faster in 1440p
RTX 3090 is 3% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the RTX 3090 is 64% faster.
in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RX 6950 XT is 45% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RTX 3090 is ahead in 21 test (29%)
RX 6950 XT is ahead in 41 test (57%)
there's a draw in 10 tests (14%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	69.29	72.98
Recency	1 September 2020	10 May 2022
Maximum RAM amount	24 GB	16 GB
Chip lithography	8 nm	7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	350 Watt	335 Watt

RTX 3090 has a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount.

RX 6950 XT, on the other hand, has a 5.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 14.3% more advanced lithography process, and 4.5% lower power consumption.

Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between GeForce RTX 3090 and Radeon RX 6950 XT.

Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.