GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB vs Radeon RX 6900 XT
Aggregated performance score
Radeon RX 6900 XT outperforms GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB by a minimal 1% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Primary details
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 18 | 20 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 21.31 | 19.04 |
| Architecture | Navi / RDNA2 (2020−2022) | Ampere (2020−2022) |
| GPU code name | Navi 21 | Ampere GA102 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 8 December 2020 (3 years ago) | 11 January 2022 (2 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $999 | $799 |
| Current price | $957 (1x MSRP) | $1053 (1.3x MSRP) |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
RX 6900 XT has 12% better value for money than RTX 3080 12 GB.
Detailed specifications
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 5120 | 8960 |
| Core clock speed | 1825 MHz | no data |
| Boost clock speed | 2250 MHz | 1260 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 26,800 million | 28,300 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 7 nm | 8 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 300 Watt | 350 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 720.0 | 478.8 |
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 | 267 mm | 285 mm |
| Width | 3-slot | 2-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 2x 8-pin | 1x 12-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 | GDDR6 | GDDR6X |
| Maximum RAM amount | 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 384 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 16000 MHz | 1710 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 512.0 GB/s | 912.4 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, 2x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a |
| HDMI | + | + |
API compatibility
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 Ultimate (12_2) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |
| Shader Model | 6.5 | 6.6 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 2.1 | 3.0 |
| Vulkan | 1.2 | 1.3 |
| CUDA | no data | 8.6 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance 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.
Radeon RX 6900 XT outperforms GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB by 1% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. 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.
Benchmark coverage: 25%
Radeon RX 6900 XT outperforms GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB by 1% in Passmark.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB outperforms Radeon RX 6900 XT by 267% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 14%
Radeon RX 6900 XT outperforms GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB by 41% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.
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 | 193
+4.9%
| 184
−4.9%
|
| 1440p | 134
+8.9%
| 123
−8.9%
|
| 4K | 83
+0%
| 83
+0%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 130−140
+0.7%
|
130−140
−0.7%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 117
+10.4%
|
100−110
−10.4%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 169
+39.7%
|
120−130
−39.7%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 195
+23.4%
|
150−160
−23.4%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 170−180
+0.6%
|
170−180
−0.6%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 130−140
+0.7%
|
130−140
−0.7%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 150−160
−8.2%
|
171
+8.2%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 126
−7.9%
|
136
+7.9%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 283
+45.9%
|
190−200
−45.9%
|
| Hitman 3 | 283
+37.4%
|
200−210
−37.4%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 205
+2.5%
|
200
−2.5%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 196
+70.4%
|
110−120
−70.4%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 222
+6.2%
|
209
−6.2%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 190
+61%
|
118
−61%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 106
+0%
|
100−110
+0%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 142
+17.4%
|
120−130
−17.4%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 196
+24.1%
|
150−160
−24.1%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 170−180
+0.6%
|
170−180
−0.6%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 130−140
+0.7%
|
130−140
−0.7%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 150−160
−2.5%
|
162
+2.5%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 123
−6.5%
|
131
+6.5%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 279
+43.8%
|
190−200
−43.8%
|
| Hitman 3 | 276
+34%
|
200−210
−34%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 174
+5.5%
|
165
−5.5%
|
| Metro Exodus | 164
+11.6%
|
147
−11.6%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 124
+7.8%
|
110−120
−7.8%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 207
+2.5%
|
202
−2.5%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 323
+0.6%
|
321
−0.6%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 170
+57.4%
|
108
−57.4%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 98
−8.2%
|
100−110
+8.2%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 137
+13.2%
|
120−130
−13.2%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 197
+24.7%
|
150−160
−24.7%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 130−140
+0.7%
|
130−140
−0.7%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 150−160
+4.6%
|
151
−4.6%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 118
+0%
|
118
+0%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 248
+27.8%
|
190−200
−27.8%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 164
−0.6%
|
165
+0.6%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 121
+27.4%
|
95
−27.4%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 120−130
+0.8%
|
120−130
−0.8%
|
| Hitman 3 | 213
+39.2%
|
150−160
−39.2%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 136
+3%
|
132
−3%
|
| Metro Exodus | 102
+4.1%
|
98
−4.1%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 82
+24.2%
|
65−70
−24.2%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 159
+8.2%
|
147
−8.2%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 99
+28.6%
|
75−80
−28.6%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 109
+26.7%
|
85−90
−26.7%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 196
+50.8%
|
130−140
−50.8%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 70−75
+1.4%
|
70−75
−1.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 130−140
−9.7%
|
147
+9.7%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 117
+0.9%
|
116
−0.9%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 231
+43.5%
|
160−170
−43.5%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 120−130
+0.8%
|
120−130
−0.8%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 91
+8.3%
|
84
−8.3%
|
4K
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 75−80
+1.3%
|
75−80
−1.3%
|
| Hitman 3 | 128
+47.1%
|
85−90
−47.1%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 38
−5.3%
|
40
+5.3%
|
| Metro Exodus | 67
+3.1%
|
65
−3.1%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 55
+27.9%
|
40−45
−27.9%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 85
+2.4%
|
83
−2.4%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 122
−8.2%
|
132
+8.2%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 68
+23.6%
|
55−60
−23.6%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 66
+22.2%
|
50−55
−22.2%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 134
+48.9%
|
90−95
−48.9%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 35−40
+2.9%
|
30−35
−2.9%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 80−85
−24.4%
|
102
+24.4%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 101
+3.1%
|
98
−3.1%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 162
+39.7%
|
110−120
−39.7%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 54
−1.9%
|
55
+1.9%
|
This is how RX 6900 XT and RTX 3080 12 GB compete in popular games:
- RX 6900 XT is 5% faster in 1080p
- RX 6900 XT is 9% faster in 1440p
- RTX 3080 12 GB is 0% faster in 4K
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1080p resolution and the Medium Preset, the RX 6900 XT is 70% faster than the RTX 3080 12 GB.
- in Far Cry 5, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RTX 3080 12 GB is 24% faster than the RX 6900 XT.
All in all, in popular games:
- RX 6900 XT is ahead in 55 tests (81%)
- RTX 3080 12 GB is ahead in 11 tests (16%)
- there's a draw in 2 tests (3%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 69.42 | 69.03 |
| Recency | 8 December 2020 | 11 January 2022 |
| Cost | $999 | $799 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Chip lithography | 7 nm | 8 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 300 Watt | 350 Watt |
Given the minimal performance differences, no clear winner can be declared between Radeon RX 6900 XT and GeForce RTX 3080 12 GB.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
Comparisons with similar GPUs
We selected several comparisons of graphics cards with performance close to those reviewed, providing you with more options to consider.
