AMD Radeon RX 6700 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 are both RDNA 2.0 parts from the Radeon RX 6000 series, but the benchmark data positions them in different lanes. The RX 6800 dominates the head-to-head with 10 wins out of 11 tests, yet the RX 6700 scores a single victory with a massive margin that flips the average-score narrative. Overall average benchmark scores are nearly identical — the RX 6700 sits at 30433 and the RX 6800 at 30095 — with the RX 6700 holding a 1.1% edge over its big sibling in that aggregate metric. This is a case where the "better" card depends entirely on the workload, not on raw hierarchy.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6800 is the clear winner for DirectX gaming and modern API workloads. It leads in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 by 36.8% (3188 vs 2014), in Geekbench Vulkan by 27% (115107 vs 83974), and in Geekbench Metal by 20.4% (153635 vs 122223). Across the Passmark suite, it wins every DirectX test: DirectX 9 by 2.7% (257 vs 250), DirectX 10 by 10.2% (128 vs 115), DirectX 11 by 22.4% (214 vs 166), and DirectX 12 by 20.2% (89 vs 71). It also takes Passmark G3D by 14.2% (22067 vs 18931) and Passmark GPU Compute by 24.2% (10864 vs 8240). For any rasterization-heavy or ray-tracing-adjacent workload, the RX 6800 is the definitive pick.

The RX 6700 wins exactly one head-to-head: Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 97841 against the RX 6800's 24508. That is a 299.2% advantage — the largest delta in the entire comparison. This result suggests the RX 6700 has a specific compute-path advantage in OpenCL that is not reflected in other APIs. It also means the RX 6700's average benchmark score is buoyed by this outlier, making its overall average (30433) slightly higher than the RX 6800's (30095) despite losing 10 of 11 tests. For users running OpenCL-accelerated compute tasks, the RX 6700 is unexpectedly superior, while the RX 6800 wins everywhere else.

Architecture Differences

Both cards are built on the same 7 nm TSMC process, but they use different dies. The RX 6700 uses Navi 22 with 17,200 million transistors on a 335 mm² die, while the RX 6800 uses Navi 21 with 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die. Transistor density is nearly identical (51.3M/mm² vs 51.5M/mm²), meaning the performance gap comes from scale, not process efficiency. The RX 6800 packs 3840 shading units, 240 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, versus 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 64 ROPs on the RX 6700. Ray tracing cores follow the same pattern: 60 on the RX 6800 versus 36 on the RX 6700.

Memory is a major differentiator. The RX 6700 has 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both run at 16 Gbps effective memory speed, but the RX 6800's wider bus provides 60% more bandwidth. Clock speeds favor the RX 6700: base 1941 MHz vs 1700 MHz, boost 2450 MHz vs 2105 MHz, and game clock 2174 MHz vs 1815 MHz. The RX 6700 compensates for fewer cores with higher clocks, but raw throughput still favors the RX 6800 — FP32 is 16.17 TFLOPS on the RX 6800 versus 11.29 TFLOPS on the RX 6700, and texture rate is 505.2 GTexel/s versus 352.8 GTexel/s.

Power and physical specs differ substantially. The RX 6700 is rated at 175 W TDP with a single 8-pin connector and a 450 W suggested PSU; the RX 6800 draws 250 W with dual 8-pin connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU. Both are dual-slot and 267 mm long, but the RX 6800 is taller at 120 mm versus 110 mm. Display outputs differ: the RX 6700 offers 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a, while the RX 6800 offers 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. Both share the same API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 6700, at 30433, is 1.1% ahead of the RX 6800's 30095. This is driven by the RX 6700's massive OpenCL win.

Q: Is the RX 6800 always faster than the RX 6700?

A: No. The RX 6700 wins Geekbench OpenCL by 299.2% (97841 vs 24508). The RX 6800 wins the other 10 head-to-head tests.

Q: How much faster is the RX 6800 in DirectX 12?

A: In Passmark DirectX 12, the RX 6800 scores 89 versus 71, a 20.2% advantage. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the gap is larger at 36.8% (3188 vs 2014).

Q: What are the memory specifications of each card?

A: The RX 6700 has 10 GB GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6800 has 16 GB GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. Both use 16 Gbps effective memory.

Q: Which card requires more power?

A: The RX 6800 has a 250 W TDP with 2x 8-pin connectors and a 600 W suggested PSU. The RX 6700 has a 175 W TDP with 1x 8-pin connector and a 450 W suggested PSU.

Q: Do both cards support the same APIs?

A: Yes. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. They also both use PCIe 4.0 x16.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6700 | AMD Radeon RX 6800 |

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

| Chip | Navi 22 | Navi 21 |

| Transistors | 17,200 million | 26,800 million |

| Die Size | 335 mm² | 520 mm² |

| Base Clock | 1941 MHz | 1700 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2450 MHz | 2105 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2174 MHz | 1815 MHz |

| Memory Size | 10 GB | 16 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 160 bit | 256 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 320.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 3840 |

| TMUs | 144 | 240 |

| ROPs | 64 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 36 | 60 |

| Pixel Rate | 156.8 GPixel/s | 202.1 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 352.8 GTexel/s | 505.2 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 11.29 TFLOPS | 16.17 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 22.58 TFLOPS (2:1) | 32.33 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 175 W | 250 W |

| Power Connectors | 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 600 W |

| Height | 110 mm | 120 mm |

| Display Outputs | 1x HDMI 2.1, 3x DP 1.4a | 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DP 1.4a, 1x USB Type-C |

| Release Date | 2021-06-08 | 2020-10-27 |

| Launch MSRP | N/A | 579 USD |

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single victory belongs to the RX 6700 in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 97841 versus the RX 6800's 24508 — a 299.2% lead. This is the only test the RX 6700 wins, and it is decisive enough to push its average score above the RX 6800's.

Every other benchmark goes to the RX 6800. The biggest margin is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12: 3188 vs 2014, a 36.8% difference. Geekbench Vulkan shows a 27% gap (115107 vs 83974), and Geekbench Metal shows 20.4% (153635 vs 122223). In Passmark, the RX 6800 leads DirectX 11 by 22.4% (214 vs 166), DirectX 12 by 20.2% (89 vs 71), and DirectX 10 by 10.2% (128 vs 115). The narrowest win is DirectX 9 at 2.7% (257 vs 250). Passmark G3D sees a 14.2% lead (22067 vs 18931), and Passmark GPU Compute shows a 24.2% lead (10864 vs 8240). Even Passmark G2D, a 2D graphics test, goes to the RX 6800 by 5.5% (990 vs 936).

The pattern is consistent: the RX 6800 wins all modern gaming and general compute tests by margins ranging from 2.7% to 36.8%, while the RX 6700's lone OpenCL win is an outlier that distorts its aggregate score. The RX 6800's nearest rivals include the RTX 3070 Ti (0.5% ahead) and RTX 2080 Ti (1% ahead), while the RX 6700 sits near the CMP 70HX (-0.1%) and Tesla M60 (-0.2%). Both cards hold the 75th percentile among all GPUs.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous for gaming: the RX 6800 is the superior card. It wins every DirectX test, every Vulkan test, and every Passmark gaming metric. The 36.8% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is the kind of gap that defines a tier difference. With 16 GB of memory versus 10 GB, and 512.0 GB/s bandwidth versus 320.0 GB/s, the RX 6800 is also better equipped for high-resolution textures and future workloads. The higher TDP (250 W vs 175 W) and dual 8-pin connectors are the price of that performance.

The RX 6700 is not without a niche. Its 299.2% OpenCL advantage over the RX 6800 is a genuine, measurable strength for compute applications that use that API. Its lower TDP and single 8-pin connector make it a simpler installation, and its higher clocks (2450 MHz boost vs 2105 MHz) suggest it can hold its own in lightly-threaded or clock-sensitive scenarios. But the benchmark record shows only one win out of eleven tests. Users who need OpenCL compute should consider the RX 6700; everyone else should take the RX 6800, which offers a decisive performance lead across virtually every measurable workload. The RX 6800's launch MSRP was 579 USD, and its benchmark results justify that positioning relative to the RX 6700.