AMD Radeon R9 M295X vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The benchmark data presents an unambiguous picture: the AMD Radeon RX 6800 wins every single head-to-head comparison against the AMD Radeon R9 M295X. Across the three shared tests, the RX 6800 takes all three victories, with the margins ranging from modest to staggering. The most dramatic gap appears in the Geekbench Metal test, where the RX 6800 scores 153,635 against the R9 M295X’s 33,790, a delta of 354.7%. This means the RX 6800 delivers more than four times the Metal performance, a result that reflects the enormous generational leap between the two architectures.

The Geekbench Vulkan test tells a similar story, though with a slightly smaller relative gap. Here the RX 6800 posts 115,107 points versus 29,091 for the R9 M295X, a 295.7% advantage. This nearly four-fold difference in Vulkan performance indicates that the RX 6800 is not merely faster in one API but maintains its dominance across modern graphics interfaces. The smallest margin comes in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 6800 scores 24,508 against 22,858 for the R9 M295X, a 7.2% lead. While still a win, this narrower gap suggests the older GCN 3.0 architecture remains relatively competitive in compute-oriented OpenCL workloads, even if it falls far behind in graphics-centric tests.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the RX 6800’s average benchmark score of 30,095 places it in the 75th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti at 29,945 (0.5% behind), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile at 29,928 (0.6% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti at 29,783 (1% behind). The AMD Radeon RX 6700 sits slightly ahead at 30,433, which is 1.1% above the RX 6800. This clustering indicates that the RX 6800 performs in a tight band with these competitors, with all deltas within roughly one percent.

The R9 M295X, by contrast, holds an average benchmark score of 28,580 with a 74th percentile ranking. Its nearest rivals show a similar clustering: the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 at 28,421 (0.6% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 570 at 28,766 (0.6% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6800M at 28,874 (1% ahead), and the AMD Radeon RX 470 at 28,996 (1.4% ahead). Notably, the R9 M295X’s percentile ranking (74) is only one point lower than the RX 6800’s (75), yet the absolute score difference of 1,515 points translates to a meaningful performance gap in practice. The RX 6800’s head-to-head sweep, combined with its higher average score, demonstrates that while both cards occupy similar percentile positions, the RX 6800 is categorically faster in shared workloads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the Geekbench Metal benchmark, and by how much?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 wins decisively with a score of 153,635 against the R9 M295X’s 33,790, representing a 354.7% advantage.

Q: How do the two compare in Geekbench OpenCL performance?

A: The RX 6800 scores 24,508, while the R9 M295X scores 22,858, giving the RX 6800 a 7.2% lead. This is the closest margin of the three shared benchmarks.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each card?

A: The RX 6800 has an average benchmark score of 30,095, while the R9 M295X averages 28,580. Both cards sit near the 75th percentile of all GPUs, with the RX 6800 at 75 and the R9 M295X at 74.

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The RX 6800 has 3,840 shading units, while the R9 M295X has 2,048, giving the RX 6800 nearly double the shader count.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth of each GPU?

A: The RX 6800 delivers 512.0 GB/s over a 256-bit GDDR6 interface, while the R9 M295X provides 160.0 GB/s over a 256-bit GDDR5 interface.

Q: How does the RX 6800 rank among its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 6800 sits within 1.1% of all its nearest rivals. It trails the AMD Radeon RX 6700 by 1.1%, while leading the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti by 0.5%, the RTX 5070 Mobile by 0.6%, and the RTX 2080 Ti by 1%.

Where Each One Wins

The data shows a clear split: the AMD Radeon RX 6800 wins everywhere that both cards were tested. There are no benchmark categories where the R9 M295X comes out ahead. The RX 6800’s dominance spans graphics APIs (Metal, Vulkan) and compute workloads (OpenCL), indicating that it is the superior choice for any application that can leverage these interfaces.

For users prioritizing modern graphics APIs, the RX 6800’s Vulkan score of 115,107 versus 29,091 makes it the obvious pick for Vulkan-based games and applications. Similarly, its Metal score of 153,635 versus 33,790 positions it as the stronger option for Metal-accelerated software, particularly on platforms where Metal is the primary graphics API. In OpenCL compute tasks, the RX 6800 still wins, albeit by a smaller 7.2% margin, suggesting that the R9 M295X can hold its own in some compute-oriented scenarios despite its age.

The R9 M295X, while losing every head-to-head test, does show relative strength in OpenCL compared to its Metal and Vulkan results. Its OpenCL score of 22,858 is within 7.2% of the RX 6800’s 24,508, whereas its Metal and Vulkan scores are roughly a quarter of the RX 6800’s. This indicates that the GCN 3.0 architecture’s compute capabilities have aged better than its graphics throughput. However, this relative strength does not translate into an actual win in any category, making the RX 6800 the unambiguous performance leader across all measured metrics.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification, reflecting their different eras and market positions. The RX 6800 features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, while the R9 M295X has 4 GB of GDDR5. Both use a 256-bit memory bus, but the RX 6800’s memory clock runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) versus 1250 MHz (5 Gbps effective) for the R9 M295X, resulting in bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s versus 160.0 GB/s.

The compute configurations diverge substantially. The RX 6800 packs 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, while the R9 M295X has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 6800 also includes 60 ray tracing cores, a feature entirely absent from the R9 M295X. Pixel rate and texture rate follow suit: the RX 6800 achieves 202.1 GPixel/s and 505.2 GTexel/s, versus 23.14 GPixel/s and 92.54 GTexel/s for the R9 M295X. Floating-point performance shows 16.17 TFLOPS (FP32) for the RX 6800 against 2.961 TFLOPS for the R9 M295X, with FP16 at 32.33 TFLOPS (2:1) versus 2.961 TFLOPS (1:1).

The RX 6800 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the R9 M295X only reaches DirectX 12 (12_0). Vulkan support differs as well: the RX 6800 runs Vulkan 1.4, while the R9 M295X supports 1.2.170. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6. Physical specifications also differ: the RX 6800 is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length, 120 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, with 2x 8-pin power connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU. The R9 M295X uses an MXM module form factor with no power connectors and no suggested PSU listed. Display outputs also differ, with the RX 6800 offering 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C, while the R9 M295X’s outputs are portable device dependent.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap between these two GPUs is vast. The RX 6800 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using the Navi 21 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It contains 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 51.5 million per square millimeter. The R9 M295X, by contrast, uses the GCN 3.0 architecture with the Amethyst chip, built on a 28 nm process, also at TSMC. It houses 5,000 million transistors on a 366 mm² die, with a density of 13.7 million per square millimeter. The RX 6800’s process node advantage allows it to pack over five times the transistor count into a die that is only 42% larger.

The RX 6800 belongs to the Radeon RX 6000 series, specifically the Navi II generation, while the R9 M295X is part of the Gem System generation within the R9 M200 series. The RX 6800’s release date is 2020-10-27, with a successor of Navi III, while the R9 M295X launched on 2014-11-22 and was succeeded by Polaris Mobile. Both are end-of-life products, but the RX 6800’s newer architecture brings features that the R9 M295X cannot offer, most notably ray tracing cores and a 2:1 FP16 ratio that doubles its half-precision throughput.

Clock behavior also differs fundamentally. The RX 6800 has defined base (1700 MHz), boost (2105 MHz), and game (1815 MHz) clocks, while the R9 M295X lists no base, boost, or game clocks, only a memory clock of 1250 MHz. The RX 6800’s boost clock is a key factor in its performance, allowing it to sustain higher frequencies under load. The memory architecture also reflects the generational shift: GDDR6 with 16 Gbps effective speed versus GDDR5 at 5 Gbps, both over 256-bit buses but with more than triple the bandwidth on the newer card.

The Verdict

The data points to a single conclusion: the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is the superior GPU in every head-to-head measurement. Its 3-0 sweep in shared benchmarks, combined with its higher average score (30,095 versus 28,580), leaves no category where the R9 M295X can claim an advantage. The RX 6800’s 354.7% lead in Metal and 295.7% lead in Vulkan make it the clear choice for any modern graphics workload, while its 7.2% edge in OpenCL shows it also handles compute tasks better, even if by a narrower margin.

Buyers who need maximum graphics performance across modern APIs should choose the RX 6800. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, 3,840 shading units, and 60 ray tracing cores provide a foundation for demanding applications and future titles. The R9 M295X, with its 4 GB GDDR5, 2,048 shading units, and lack of ray tracing support, is limited to older or less demanding workloads. Its 74th percentile ranking is respectable for a 2014 part, but it cannot match the RX 6800’s performance in any shared test.

The RX 6800 also holds its own against its nearest rivals, sitting within 1.1% of the AMD Radeon RX 6700, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, RTX 5070 Mobile, and RTX 2080 Ti. Its 75th percentile ranking places it among the better-performing GPUs in the database. For users choosing between these two AMD cards, the RX 6800 is the only rational pick based on the benchmark evidence, offering dramatically higher performance in Metal and Vulkan, a solid lead in OpenCL, and a feature set that includes modern API support and ray tracing. The R9 M295X remains a functional mobile GPU for its era, but the data shows it is outclassed by the RX 6800 in every measurable way.