AMD Radeon RX 560 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data splits cleanly between two very different workloads. The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT wins the OpenCL compute test, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 dominates the Vulkan test. For users whose primary workload is OpenCL compute, the RX 560 XT is the better choice based on the 28.1% lead in that specific benchmark. For anything else, particularly Vulkan-based gaming or rendering, the RX 6800 is the clear pick, with a score roughly three times higher. The RX 6800 also carries the architectural advantage of newer RDNA 2.0 technology, a larger memory pool, and higher raw throughput figures, making it the more versatile card for modern workloads. The RX 560 XT, while older and less powerful overall, still holds a niche for compute tasks that favor its GCN design.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from entirely different design eras. The RX 560 XT uses the Ellesmere chip built on GCN 4.0 architecture, produced on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It belongs to the Polaris (RX 500) generation. The RX 6800 uses the Navi 21 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, built on a 7 nm process at TSMC, and belongs to the Navi II (RX 6000) generation. This process shrink allows the RX 6800 to pack 26,800 million transistors into a 520 mm² die, versus 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die for the RX 560 XT. The transistor density tells the story: 51.5 million per mm² for the RX 6800 versus 24.6 million per mm² for the RX 560 XT.

Core counts differ substantially. The RX 560 XT has 1,792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The RX 6800 has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The RX 6800 also features 60 dedicated ray tracing cores, which the RX 560 XT lacks entirely. Clock speeds favor the newer card: the RX 6800 runs at a base of 1700 MHz and boosts to 2105 MHz, with a game clock of 1815 MHz. The RX 560 XT runs at a base of 1074 MHz and boosts to 1226 MHz. Memory configurations also diverge. The RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256 bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256 bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s, more than double the bandwidth.

API support differs as well. The RX 560 XT supports DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3. The RX 6800 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 6800 also supports PCIe 4.0 x16, while the RX 560 XT is limited to PCIe 3.0 x16. The RX 6800 has a higher TDP at 250 W versus 150 W for the RX 560 XT, and requires two 8-pin power connectors instead of a single 6-pin. The suggested PSU rating is 600 W for the RX 6800, compared to 450 W for the RX 560 XT.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The direct comparison includes only two shared tests. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RX 560 XT scores 31,387, while the RX 6800 scores 24,508. This gives the RX 560 XT a 28.1% advantage. This is a significant margin, and it suggests the GCN architecture handles OpenCL compute workloads more efficiently than RDNA 2.0 in this particular test. The RX 560 XT's score places it near the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB, which averages 34,154, and above the AMD Radeon RX 480, which averages 33,997.

In Geekbench Vulkan, the results reverse dramatically. The RX 6800 scores 115,107, while the RX 560 XT scores 36,879. The delta is 68% in favor of the RX 6800, meaning the RX 6800 delivers roughly triple the performance in this test. This is the kind of gap that defines a generation leap. The RX 6800's Vulkan result is consistent with its position among rivals like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti, which averages 29,945, and the AMD Radeon RX 6700, which averages 30,433. The RX 560 XT's Vulkan score, by contrast, is closer to its OpenCL result, suggesting a more balanced performance profile across APIs.

The wins are split one apiece. The RX 560 XT takes the OpenCL test, and the RX 6800 takes the Vulkan test. The margin in the Vulkan test is far larger than the margin in the OpenCL test, which tilts the overall comparison toward the RX 6800. The RX 6800's average benchmark score across all recorded tests is 30,095, while the RX 560 XT averages 34,133. The percentile data shows the RX 560 XT ranks at the 79th percentile among all GPUs, while the RX 6800 ranks at the 75th percentile. This is an unusual situation where the older card has a higher percentile rank, driven by its strong OpenCL showing.

FAQ

Q: Which card performs better in Vulkan?

A: The RX 6800, with a Geekbench Vulkan score of 115,107 versus 36,879 for the RX 560 XT, a 68% advantage.

Q: Which card performs better in OpenCL?

A: The RX 560 XT, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 31,387 versus 24,508 for the RX 6800, a 28.1% advantage.

Q: Does the RX 6800 support ray tracing?

A: Yes, it has 60 dedicated ray tracing cores. The RX 560 XT has no ray tracing cores.

Q: What is the memory bandwidth difference?

A: The RX 6800 has 512.0 GB/s, while the RX 560 XT has 224.0 GB/s. The RX 6800 provides more than double the bandwidth.

Q: Which card has a higher transistor density?

A: The RX 6800, at 51.5 million transistors per mm², compared to 24.6 million per mm² for the RX 560 XT.

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

A: The RX 560 XT averages 34,133, and the RX 6800 averages 30,095 across all recorded tests.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 560 XT wins in OpenCL compute. Its 28.1% lead over the RX 6800 in Geekbench OpenCL is the clearest single advantage for either card. This makes it suitable for workloads that rely on OpenCL acceleration, such as certain scientific computing tasks or older compute frameworks. Its lower TDP of 150 W and single 6-pin power connector also make it easier to integrate into systems with modest power delivery. The RX 560 XT's 79th percentile ranking among all GPUs, higher than the RX 6800's 75th percentile, reflects this compute strength.

The RX 6800 wins in Vulkan, with a score of 115,107 that is 68% higher than the RX 560 XT's 36,879. This makes it the obvious choice for Vulkan-based gaming and modern graphics workloads. The RX 6800 also has the advantage in raw specifications: more shading units, more TMUs, more ROPs, higher clocks, and more than double the memory bandwidth. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is four times the RX 560 XT's 4 GB, which matters for high-resolution textures and large datasets. The RX 6800 also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, giving it access to newer rendering features including ray tracing.

For users deciding between the two, the choice depends on the dominant workload. Pure OpenCL compute tasks favor the RX 560 XT. Everything else, especially Vulkan gaming, favors the RX 6800. The RX 6800's larger memory pool and higher throughput make it more future-proof for modern applications, while the RX 560 XT is a specialized tool for a narrower set of tasks.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every major specification category. The RX 560 XT uses a 14 nm process, while the RX 6800 uses 7 nm. The RX 560 XT has 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, while the RX 6800 has 26,800 million on a 520 mm² die. Transistor density is 24.6M per mm² for the RX 560 XT versus 51.5M per mm² for the RX 6800.

Clock speeds: the RX 560 XT runs at 1074 MHz base and 1226 MHz boost, while the RX 6800 runs at 1700 MHz base, 1815 MHz game clock, and 2105 MHz boost. Memory: the RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective) with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6 at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use a 256 bit memory bus.

Compute units: the RX 560 XT has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The RX 6800 has 3,840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, plus 60 ray tracing cores. Pixel rate is 39.23 GPixel/s for the RX 560 XT versus 202.1 GPixel/s for the RX 6800. Texture rate is 137.3 GTexel/s versus 505.2 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 4.394 TFLOPS for the RX 560 XT versus 16.17 TFLOPS for the RX 6800. FP16 performance is 4.394 TFLOPS (1:1) for the RX 560 XT versus 32.33 TFLOPS (2:1) for the RX 6800.

Power and connectivity: the RX 560 XT has a 150 W TDP and requires a 450 W PSU, while the RX 6800 has a 250 W TDP and requires a 600 W PSU. The RX 560 XT uses a single 6-pin power connector, while the RX 6800 uses two 8-pin connectors. The RX 560 XT is PCIe 3.0 x16, the RX 6800 is PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs: the RX 560 XT has 1x HDMI 2.0b and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. The RX 6800 has 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. Physical dimensions: the RX 560 XT is 241 mm long, while the RX 6800 is 267 mm long, 120 mm high, and 40 mm wide. The RX 6800 lists a launch MSRP of 579 USD. Both cards are end-of-life, with the RX 560 XT releasing in March 2019 and the RX 6800 in October 2020.