AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded database contains one direct head-to-head comparison between these two AMD Radeon parts: the Geekbench OpenCL test. The results are decisive. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT scored 171,304, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scored 76,904. This translates to a delta of -55.1% for the mobile part, meaning the desktop RX 6800 XT is more than twice as fast in this compute workload. The RX 6650M XT trails by a substantial margin, a gap that reflects their fundamentally different positions in the product stack.

Looking at the broader database context, the RX 6650M XT holds a percentile rank of 91 among all GPUs, which is surprisingly strong for a mobile chip. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, which averages 77,712 and sits just 1% ahead, and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which averages 78,940 and leads by 2.6%. The RX 6650M XT also trails the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and 16 GB variants by 3.1% and 3.4%, respectively. These are tight margins, indicating that the RX 6650M XT competes in rarefied air for a laptop GPU.

The RX 6800 XT, by contrast, holds a lower percentile rank of 85, yet its raw OpenCL score is far higher. This seeming contradiction is explained by the fact that the RX 6800 XT's average benchmark score across all tests is 48,477, which is dragged down by its results in several older DirectX and Passmark tests. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, which averages 47,743 and sits 1.5% behind, and the Intel Arc A550M, which averages 49,737 and leads by 2.5%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 both average around 49,957 and 50,001, respectively, placing them 3% ahead of the RX 6800 XT in the aggregate.

The head-to-head OpenCL result is the only direct comparison available, and it is unambiguous: the RX 6800 XT dominates. However, the aggregate benchmark picture is more nuanced. The RX 6650M XT's single recorded score of 76,904 is its average benchmark score, meaning it has no other tests dragging it down. The RX 6800 XT's average of 48,477 includes a wide range of results, from a Passmark DirectX 12 score of 100 to a Geekbench Metal score of 181,337 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 136,875. This variance suggests the RX 6800 XT excels in modern compute APIs but performs poorly in legacy rasterization tests, possibly due to driver overhead or test methodology.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture and use the same 7 nm process node from TSMC, but they diverge sharply in every physical and logical dimension. The RX 665M XT uses the Navi 23 chip, while the RX 6800 XT uses the much larger Navi 21 chip. The transistor counts tell the story: Navi 23 packs 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 46.7 million per square millimeter. Navi 21, in contrast, contains 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, with a density of 51.5 million per square millimeter. The desktop chip is not only physically larger but also more densely packed.

The memory subsystems are vastly different. The RX 6650M XT comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6800 XT doubles both capacity and bus width: 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, yielding exactly 512.0 GB/s. Both run their memory at the same 2000 MHz clock with 16 Gbps effective transfer rate, so the bandwidth advantage is purely a function of the wider bus. This 2x memory bandwidth difference is critical for high-resolution textures and compute workloads that stream large datasets.

The compute resource counts are similarly lopsided. The RX 6650M XT has 2,048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, 64 render output units, and 32 ray tracing cores. The RX 6800 XT has 4,608 shading units, 288 TMUs, 128 ROPs, and 72 ray tracing cores. In every category, the desktop part has more than double the resources of the mobile part. The pixel rate of the RX 6800 XT is 288.0 GPixel/s versus 154.6 GPixel/s for the RX 6650M XT, and the texture rate is 648.0 GTexel/s versus 309.2 GTexel/s. Floating point performance follows the same pattern: the RX 6800 XT delivers 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 and 41.47 TFLOPS FP16, while the RX 6650M XT delivers 9.896 TFLOPS FP32 and 19.79 TFLOPS FP16.

Clock speeds tell a different story. The RX 6650M XT has a base clock of 2068 MHz, a boost clock of 2416 MHz, and a game clock of 2162 MHz. The RX 6800 XT has a lower base clock of 1825 MHz, a boost clock of 2250 MHz, and a game clock of 2015 MHz. The mobile chip actually runs at higher frequencies, yet it still loses badly in throughput because of its smaller execution engine. The power envelopes reflect this: the RX 6650M XT carries a 120 W TDP and uses no external power connectors, while the RX 6800 XT has a 300 W TDP and requires two 8-pin connectors with a suggested 700 W power supply.

The form factors are entirely different. The RX 6650M XT is an integrated graphics package (IGP) with portable-device-dependent display outputs, meaning it is soldered onto a motherboard. The RX 6800 XT is a dual-slot add-in card measuring 267 mm in length, 120 mm in height, and 50 mm in width, with display outputs including HDMI 2.1, two DisplayPort 1.4a, and one USB Type-C. The bus interface also differs: the mobile part uses PCIe 4.0 x8, while the desktop part uses PCIe 4.0 x16.

The Verdict

The data points to a clear split. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the compute powerhouse, winning the only direct head-to-head benchmark by 55.1%. Its 171,304 OpenCL score dwarfs the RX 6650M XT's 76,904. For anyone building a desktop system with room for a dual-slot card and a 700 W power supply, the RX 6800 XT is the obvious choice based on raw performance. It also offers twice the memory capacity and bandwidth, which matters for large datasets and high-resolution textures.

The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, however, should not be dismissed. Its percentile rank of 91 places it above the RX 6800 XT's rank of 85, and its nearest rivals are all within 3.4% of its score. This suggests that in the mobile space, the RX 6650M XT is a top-tier part, competing with desktop-class workstation GPUs like the Tesla P100 and newer laptop parts like the RTX 5090 D. It achieves this with a 120 W TDP, no external power connectors, and integrated form factor, making it suitable for thin gaming laptops.

The RX 6800 XT's aggregate average of 48,477 is misleading because it includes several very low DirectX scores. In modern APIs like Metal, Vulkan, and OpenCL, it performs exceptionally well. The RX 6650M XT has no such legacy baggage, with only a single OpenCL score on record. Users who prioritize consistent performance across old and new APIs may find the RX 6800 XT's variance concerning, but those who focus on compute-heavy workloads will see it as a clear winner.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins the direct head-to-head benchmark?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 171,304 versus 76,904 for the RX 6650M XT, a delta of -55.1%.

Q: How much memory does each card have?

A: The RX 6650M XT has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, while the RX 6800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus.

Q: What are the memory bandwidth figures?

A: The RX 6650M XT delivers 256.0 GB/s, and the RX 6800 XT delivers 512.0 GB/s.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The RX 6650M XT has a boost clock of 2416 MHz, which is higher than the RX 6800 XT's boost clock of 2250 MHz.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The RX 6650M XT has a TDP of 120 W and uses no power connectors, while the RX 6800 XT has a TDP of 300 W and requires two 8-pin connectors.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RX 6800 XT?

A: The launch MSRP is 649 USD.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6800 XT wins in every category where raw throughput matters. It has more than double the shading units (4,608 vs 2,048), TMUs (288 vs 128), ROPs (128 vs 64), and ray tracing cores (72 vs 32). Its FP32 performance of 20.74 TFLOPS is more than double the RX 6650M XT's 9.896 TFLOPS. It also has double the memory capacity (16 GB vs 8 GB) and double the bandwidth (512.0 GB/s vs 256.0 GB/s). These advantages translate directly to the OpenCL benchmark, where it leads by 55.1%.

The RX 6650M XT wins in the areas of efficiency and portability. Its 120 W TDP is less than half of the RX 6800 XT's 300 W, and it requires no external power connectors. Its integrated form factor means it can be built into laptops, while the RX 6800 XT requires a dual-slot expansion card. The mobile chip also has higher clock speeds, with a base of 2068 MHz versus 1825 MHz and a boost of 2416 MHz versus 2250 MHz. Its percentile rank of 91 versus 85 indicates that relative to its peers, it sits higher in the overall GPU hierarchy.

For legacy DirectX performance, the RX 6800 XT shows mixed results. Its Passmark DirectX 9 score is 265, DirectX 10 is 155, DirectX 11 is 264, and DirectX 12 is 100. These are not directly comparable to the RX 6650M XT, which has no recorded results in those tests. The RX 6800 XT also has strong showings in Geekbench Metal (181,337) and Vulkan (136,875), suggesting it is well optimized for modern APIs.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT | AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT |

|---|---|---|

| Chip | Navi 23 | Navi 21 |

| Generation | Navi Mobile (RX 6000M) | Navi II (RX 6000) |

| Transistors | 11,060 million | 26,800 million |

| Die Size | 237 mm² | 520 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 46.7M / mm² | 51.5M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2068 MHz | 1825 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2416 MHz | 2250 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2162 MHz | 2015 MHz |

| Memory Size | 8 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 128 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 256.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2048 | 4608 |

| TMUs | 128 | 288 |

| ROPs | 64 | 128 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | 32 | 72 |

| Pixel Rate | 154.6 GPixel/s | 288.0 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 309.2 GTexel/s | 648.0 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 9.896 TFLOPS | 20.74 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 19.79 TFLOPS (2:1) | 41.47 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 120 W | 300 W |

| Slot Width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power Connectors | None | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | None | 700 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |

| Display Outputs | Portable Device Dependent | 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |

| Dimensions | Not specified | 267 mm x 120 mm x 50 mm |

| Release Date | 2022-01-03 | 2020-10-27 |

| Launch MSRP | Not specified | 649 USD |