AMD Radeon RX 560 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data presents a decisive hierarchy between these two graphics cards. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti wins every head-to-head benchmark in the database, with a 100% win record against the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT. The average benchmark score for the RTX 3080 Ti is 41,187, placing it at the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, while the RX 560 XT averages 34,133, which places it at the 79th percentile. The delta between these averages is substantial, and the individual test results confirm a massive performance gulf.

For the user, the choice is clear based on the data. The RTX 3080 Ti is the only option for anyone seeking high-end performance, particularly in compute-heavy or modern API workloads. Its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 (average score 40,377, a 2% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (average score 40,870, a 0.8% delta), show that it competes in a completely different performance tier than the RX 560 XT. The RX 560 XT, in contrast, sits alongside the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB (average score 34,154, a -0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 480 (average score 33,997, a 0.4% delta), indicating its position in the mid-range segment of the database.

Therefore, the RTX 3080 Ti is the pick for gamers and professionals who demand maximum frame rates and compute throughput, as its benchmark scores show it is over four times faster than the RX 560 XT in the tests recorded. The RX 560 XT is the pick for a user with modest performance needs who is constrained to the lower end of the market, as its scores are still competitive with other cards in its percentile band. The 3080 Ti is end-of-life, but its performance data shows it remains a top-tier part, while the RX 560 XT is also end-of-life and represents a legacy, entry-level solution.

FAQ

Q: How much faster is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti than the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT in OpenCL?

A: In the Geekbench OpenCL test, the RTX 3080 Ti scored 170,037, while the RX 560 XT scored 31,387. This gives the NVIDIA card a 441.7% advantage over the AMD card.

Q: What is the difference in their average benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti has an average benchmark score of 41,187, whereas the RX 560 XT has an average score of 34,133. The NVIDIA card's score is significantly higher, reflecting its position in the 83rd percentile compared to the RX 560 XT's 79th percentile.

Q: Which card has a higher percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has a higher percentile ranking at 83, compared to the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT's 79th percentile. This indicates the 3080 Ti outperforms a larger percentage of the GPUs in the database.

Q: What is the closest rival to the RX 560 XT according to the database?

A: The closest rival to the RX 560 XT is the NVIDIA RTX A2000 12 GB, which has an average score of 34,154, a delta of -0.1% from the RX 560 XT's score. This shows they perform nearly identically.

Q: What is the closest rival to the RTX 3080 Ti?

A: The closest rival to the RTX 3080 Ti is the AMD Radeon Pro 5300, which has an average score of 40,870, a delta of 0.8% from the 3080 Ti's score. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is also close with a 2% delta and a score of 40,377.

Q: Did the AMD card win any benchmark in the head-to-head comparison?

A: No. In the two head-to-head benchmarks recorded (Geekbench OpenCL and Geekbench Vulkan), the AMD Radeon RX 560 XT lost both, with the NVIDIA card winning 2 out of 2 tests.

Architecture Differences

The two cards are built on fundamentally different architectures from different generations. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is based on the Ampere architecture, utilizing the GA102 chip, and is manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT, on the other hand, is based on the older GCN 4.0 architecture, using the Ellesmere chip, and is fabricated on a 14 nm process at GlobalFoundries.

These architectural differences lead to major disparities in transistor counts and die sizes. The GA102 chip on the RTX 3080 Ti contains 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, resulting in a transistor density of 45.1M per mm². In contrast, the Ellesmere chip on the RX 560 XT contains only 5,700 million transistors on a 232 mm² die, with a density of 24.6M per mm². This means the RTX 3080 Ti has roughly five times the transistor count and a much higher density, which directly correlates with its significantly higher shading unit count of 10,240 versus 1,792 on the RX 560 XT.

The feature sets also diverge sharply. The RTX 3080 Ti includes dedicated hardware for ray tracing with 80 RT cores, and it also has 320 Tensor cores for AI acceleration. The RX 560 XT has no RT cores and no Tensor cores, as it predates those features in the AMD lineup. The API support reflects this: the RTX 3080 Ti supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4, while the RX 560 XT is limited to DirectX 12 (12_0) and Vulkan 1.3. Both cards support OpenGL 4.6.

Specification Differences

The specification sheets show clear differences across almost every measurable field. The process node is a fundamental split, with the RTX 3080 Ti at 8 nm and the RX 560 XT at 14 nm. Clock speeds differ, with the RTX 3080 Ti having a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost of 1665 MHz, while the RX 560 XT has a base of 1074 MHz and a boost of 1226 MHz. Memory clocks also differ, with the NVIDIA card running at 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) and the AMD card at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective).

Memory configuration is a major differentiator. The RTX 3080 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 560 XT has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s. This represents a fourfold difference in memory size and a similar gap in bandwidth.

Compute and throughput figures all favor the NVIDIA card. The RTX 3080 Ti has a pixel rate of 186.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 532.8 GTexel/s, while the RX 560 XT achieves 39.23 GPixel/s and 137.3 GTexel/s. In FP32 compute, the RTX 3080 Ti delivers 34.10 TFLOPS, and the RX 560 XT delivers 4.394 TFLOPS, a difference of nearly eight times. Both have 1:1 FP16 ratios, but the absolute numbers are vastly different.

Power and physical specifications also differ. The RTX 3080 Ti has a TDP of 350 W and requires a 750 W power supply, using a 1x 12-pin connector. The RX 560 XT has a TDP of 150 W, a suggested PSU of 450 W, and uses a 1x 6-pin connector. The RTX 3080 Ti is longer at 285 mm (11.2 inches) and wider at 40 mm (1.6 inches), while the RX 560 XT is 241 mm (9.5 inches) long, with no recorded height or width. Both are dual-slot cards. The bus interface also differs, with the RTX 3080 Ti using PCIe 4.0 x16 and the RX 560 XT using PCIe 3.0 x16.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database records two head-to-head benchmark results between these cards, and in both, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti dominates completely. The first test is Geekbench OpenCL, where the RTX 3080 Ti scored 170,037 against the RX 560 XT's 31,387. This yields a delta of 441.7% in favor of the NVIDIA card. This is not a marginal win; it is a massive, order-of-magnitude difference in compute throughput.

The second recorded test is Geekbench Vulkan, which shows a similar pattern. The RTX 3080 Ti scored 192,697, while the RX 560 XT scored 36,879. The delta here is 422.5% for the NVIDIA card. This confirms that the performance gap is consistent across different graphics APIs, not just a single benchmark artifact.

Looking at the broader benchmark data, the RTX 3080 Ti also shows strength in other tests not available for the RX 560 XT. For instance, it scores 26,896 in Passmark G3D and 15,282 in Passmark GPU Compute, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,077. The RX 560 XT lacks these specific scores in the database, so a direct comparison is only possible on the two Geekbench tests, where the NVIDIA card wins by over 400% in both cases.

Where Each One Wins

Based on the recorded data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti wins in every scenario where performance is the primary criterion. Its wins in both OpenCL and Vulkan benchmarks, with deltas of 441.7% and 422.5% respectively, make it the clear choice for compute-heavy tasks such as rendering, machine learning inference, or any workload that leverages general-purpose GPU computing. Its higher average score of 41,187 and 83rd percentile ranking indicate that it sits in a performance class far above the RX 560 XT.

The AMD Radeon RX 560 XT, with no wins in the head-to-head comparison, wins only in the context of lower absolute requirements. Its 79th percentile ranking and average score of 34,133 show it is still a functional card for basic tasks, but the data does not support any performance scenario where it would be preferred over the RTX 3080 Ti. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 480 with a 0.4% delta, show that it is competitive with other older mid-range cards, but it cannot challenge the 3080 Ti.

In terms of physical integration, the RX 560 XT does have advantages in its lower TDP of 150 W versus 350 W, and its shorter length of 241 mm versus 285 mm, which could make it easier to install in compact systems with smaller power supplies. However, these are not performance wins, and the database's benchmark results show that for any user prioritizing speed, the RTX 3080 Ti is the only logical choice. The RTX 3080 Ti also has a higher memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s versus 224.0 GB/s, making it superior for high-resolution textures and data-intensive applications.