Radeon RX 7900 XTX vs RX 6950 XT

Place in the ranking	17	8
Place by popularity	not in top-100	61
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	27.11	34.64
Power efficiency	15.18	15.81
Architecture	RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)	RDNA 3.0 (2022−2024)
GPU code name	Navi 21	Navi 31
Market segment	Desktop	Desktop
Release date	10 May 2022 (2 years ago)	3 November 2022 (2 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	$1,099	$999

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

RX 7900 XTX has 28% better value for money than RX 6950 XT.

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	5120	6144
Core clock speed	1925 MHz	1929 MHz
Boost clock speed	2324 MHz	2498 MHz
Number of transistors	26,800 million	57,700 million
Manufacturing process technology	7 nm	5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	335 Watt	355 Watt
Texture fill rate	743.7	959.2
Floating-point processing power	23.8 TFLOPS	61.39 TFLOPS
ROPs	128	192
TMUs	320	384
Ray Tracing Cores	80	96

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	287 mm
Width	3-slot	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	2x 8-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	GDDR6	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	16 GB	24 GB
Memory bus width	256 Bit	384 Bit
Memory clock speed	2250 MHz	2500 MHz
Memory bandwidth	576.0 GB/s	960.0 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 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a	1x HDMI 2.1a, 2x DisplayPort 2.1, 1x USB Type-C
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	6.7
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	2.1	2.2
Vulkan	1.3	1.3

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.

RX 6950 XT 72.98

RX 7900 XTX 80.52
+10.3%

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.

RX 6950 XT 28154

RX 7900 XTX 31062
+10.3%

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.

RX 6950 XT 72228

RX 7900 XTX 83322
+15.4%

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.

RX 6950 XT 119918

RX 7900 XTX 148746
+24%

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.

RX 6950 XT 59882

RX 7900 XTX 64680
+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.

RX 6950 XT 229172
+8.4%

RX 7900 XTX 211480

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.

RX 6950 XT 497297

RX 7900 XTX 758139
+52.5%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 maya-04

RX 6950 XT 143

RX 7900 XTX 367
+157%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 sw-03

RX 6950 XT 188

RX 7900 XTX 360
+92%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 snx-02

RX 6950 XT 53

RX 7900 XTX 400
+656%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 catia-04

RX 6950 XT 284

RX 7900 XTX 536
+89.1%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 creo-01

RX 6950 XT 139

RX 7900 XTX 187
+34.5%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 mediacal-01

RX 6950 XT 77

RX 7900 XTX 347
+352%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 showcase-01

RX 6950 XT 286

RX 7900 XTX 322
+12.6%

SPECviewperf 12 - specvp12 3dsmax-05

RX 6950 XT 451

RX 7900 XTX 553
+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	222 −14.9%	255 +14.9%
1440p	135 −28.1%	173 +28.1%
4K	87 −21.8%	106 +21.8%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	4.95	3.92
1440p	8.14	5.77
4K	12.63	9.42

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Cyberpunk 2077

161

−50.3%

242
+50.3%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	150−160 −9.9%	166 +9.9%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	130−140 −114%	283 +114%
Battlefield 5	230−240 −3.8%	240−250 +3.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	120−130 +0%	120−130 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	143 −61.5%	231 +61.5%
Far Cry 5	110−120 −0.9%	110−120 +0.9%
Far Cry New Dawn	180−190 −11%	200−210 +11%
Forza Horizon 4	240−250 −3.7%	250−260 +3.7%
Hitman 3	120−130 +0%	120−130 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	260−270 −8%	280−290 +8%
Metro Exodus	150−160 +0%	150−160 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	120−130 −0.8%	120−130 +0.8%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	300−350 −11.8%	350−400 +11.8%
Watch Dogs: Legion	150−160 −0.7%	150−160 +0.7%

Full HD
High Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	150−160 −119%	330 +119%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	130−140 −82.6%	241 +82.6%
Battlefield 5	230−240 −3.8%	240−250 +3.8%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	120−130 +0%	120−130 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	128 −62.5%	208 +62.5%
Far Cry 5	110−120 −0.9%	110−120 +0.9%
Far Cry New Dawn	180−190 −11%	200−210 +11%
Forza Horizon 4	240−250 −3.7%	250−260 +3.7%
Hitman 3	120−130 +0%	120−130 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	260−270 −8%	280−290 +8%
Metro Exodus	150−160 +0%	150−160 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	120−130 −0.8%	120−130 +0.8%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	442 −21%	535 +21%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	150−160 −11.3%	170−180 +11.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	150−160 −0.7%	150−160 +0.7%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	150−160 +12.7%	134 −12.7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	130−140 −59.1%	210 +59.1%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	120−130 +0%	120−130 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	122 −63.1%	199 +63.1%
Far Cry 5	110−120 −0.9%	110−120 +0.9%
Forza Horizon 4	240−250 −21.9%	295 +21.9%
Hitman 3	120−130 +0%	120−130 +0%
Horizon Zero Dawn	318 −27.7%	406 +27.7%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	396 −18.9%	471 +18.9%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	216 −38%	298 +38%
Watch Dogs: Legion	107 −47.7%	158 +47.7%

Full HD
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

120−130

−0.8%

120−130
+0.8%

1440p
High Preset

Battlefield 5	160−170 +0%	160−170 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	110−120 +0%	110−120 +0%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	85−90 −51.7%	132 +51.7%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	90−95 −81.9%	171 +81.9%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	80−85 +0%	80−85 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	93 −51.6%	141 +51.6%
Far Cry 5	80−85 +0%	80−85 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	270−280 +0%	270−280 +0%
Hitman 3	100−110 −10.3%	110−120 +10.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	255 −28.6%	328 +28.6%
Metro Exodus	132 −10.6%	146 +10.6%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	294 −22.4%	360 +22.4%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	130−140 −76.3%	238 +76.3%
Watch Dogs: Legion	240−250 +0%	240−250 +0%

1440p
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

110−120

−5.1%

120−130
+5.1%

4K
High Preset

Battlefield 5	85−90 +0%	85−90 +0%
Far Cry New Dawn	65−70 +0%	65−70 +0%
Hitman 3	65−70 −12.3%	70−75 +12.3%
Horizon Zero Dawn	220−230 +0%	220−230 +0%
Metro Exodus	110−120 −14.3%	130−140 +14.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	144 −26.4%	182 +26.4%

4K
Ultra Preset

Assassin's Creed Odyssey	60−65 −80.3%	110 +80.3%
Assassin's Creed Valhalla	55−60 −81.4%	107 +81.4%
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare	50−55 +0%	50−55 +0%
Cyberpunk 2077	46 −54.3%	71 +54.3%
Far Cry 5	50−55 +0%	50−55 +0%
Forza Horizon 4	130−140 −72%	227 +72%
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	172 −14.5%	197 +14.5%
Watch Dogs: Legion	65 −58.5%	103 +58.5%

4K
Epic Preset

Red Dead Redemption 2

80−85

−15.9%

95−100
+15.9%

This is how RX 6950 XT and RX 7900 XTX compete in popular games:

RX 7900 XTX is 15% faster in 1080p
RX 7900 XTX is 28% faster in 1440p
RX 7900 XTX is 22% faster in 4K

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

in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RX 6950 XT is 13% faster.
in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the RX 7900 XTX is 119% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RX 6950 XT is ahead in 1 test (1%)
RX 7900 XTX is ahead in 52 tests (72%)
there's a draw in 19 tests (26%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	72.98	80.52
Recency	10 May 2022	3 November 2022
Maximum RAM amount	16 GB	24 GB
Chip lithography	7 nm	5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	335 Watt	355 Watt

RX 6950 XT has 6% lower power consumption.

RX 7900 XTX, on the other hand, has a 10.3% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 5 months, a 50% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 40% more advanced lithography process.

The Radeon RX 7900 XTX is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 6950 XT in performance tests.

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