AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 6800M Comparison

Two RDNA 2.0 parts share the same Navi 22 silicon, yet the data splits them sharply by workload. The AMD Radeon RX 6800M is a mobile-first GPU that wins a narrow pair of compute-oriented tests, while the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, a desktop card, dominates the remaining nine benchmark categories, often by wide margins. Benchmark results indicate these are not interchangeable siblings; the 6700 XT is the clear performance leader in the vast majority of tested scenarios, despite the 6800M’s edge in specific API workloads.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 6800M takes its two wins in compute-heavy synthetic tests. Its Geekbench OpenCL score of 87,621 is 98.5% higher than the 6700 XT’s 44,152, an enormous gap that points to a significant advantage in raw, non-gaming compute throughput. It also edges out the 6700 XT in Geekbench Vulkan, scoring 94,766 versus 93,500, a slim 1.4% lead. These wins suggest the mobile part is better tuned for certain general-purpose compute and cross-platform graphics APIs.

The RX 6700 XT wins everywhere else, and its victories are often decisive. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2,435 against the 6800M’s 2,238, an 8.1% advantage. The PassMark suite shows a pattern of escalating leads: DirectX 9 (242 vs 147, a 39.3% delta), DirectX 10 (124 vs 101, an 18.5% delta), DirectX 11 (173 vs 127, a 26.6% delta), and DirectX 12 (77 vs 65, a 15.6% delta). The 6700 XT also wins PassMark G3D with 19,786 versus 13,261, a 33% lead, and PassMark GPU Compute with 9,336 versus 5,032, a 46.1% lead. Its Geekbench Metal score of 130,896 beats the 6800M’s 113,721 by 13.1%. Finally, the 6700 XT crushes the 6800M in PassMark G2D, scoring 951 versus 538, a 43.4% gap.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs are built on the same 7 nm TSMC process and share the same Navi 22 chip, with identical transistor counts of 17,200 million and a die size of 335 mm². The transistor density is the same at 51.3M / mm². They also match on core configuration: 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 40 ray tracing cores. Memory is identical as well, with 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 384.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 16 Gbps effective.

The differences lie in clock speeds and power envelopes. The RX 6700 XT runs a base clock of 2321 MHz, a game clock of 2424 MHz, and a boost clock of 2581 MHz. The RX 6800M counters with a lower base of 2116 MHz, a game clock of 2300 MHz, and a boost of 2390 MHz. This clock advantage translates directly into higher peak rates for the desktop card: the 6700 XT reaches 165.2 GPixel/s and 413.0 GTexel/s, versus 153.0 GPixel/s and 382.4 GTexel/s for the 6800M. FP32 throughput follows suit, with the 6700 XT at 13.21 TFLOPS and the 6800M at 12.24 TFLOPS; FP16 figures are 26.43 TFLOPS and 24.47 TFLOPS, respectively.

Physical and power characteristics diverge sharply. The 6800M is an integrated form factor (IGP) with no power connectors and a 145 W TDP, while the 6700 XT is a dual-slot card measuring 267 mm in length, 110 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, requiring 1x 6-pin and 1x 8-pin power connectors and a 550 W suggested PSU. The 6700 XT’s TDP is 230 W. The desktop card also offers fixed display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a), whereas the mobile part’s outputs are portable device dependent. Both support PCIe 4.0 x16, DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The 6700 XT launched earlier, on 2021-03-02, with a launch MSRP of 479 USD, while the 6800M followed on 2021-05-30.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the RX 6700 XT is the superior performer in nearly every measured category. Its wins span legacy and modern DirectX APIs, Metal, and both 3DMark and PassMark flagship tests. The 33% lead in PassMark G3D and 46.1% lead in PassMark GPU Compute are particularly telling, as they reflect overall gaming and compute performance respectively. The 6700 XT also holds a 13.1% edge in Geekbench Metal, which is relevant for macOS or Metal-based workloads. For any user prioritizing raw graphics performance, gaming, or general GPU compute, the 6700 XT is the clear choice from this benchmark set.

The RX 6800M’s niche is narrow but real. Its 98.5% advantage in Geekbench OpenCL is a massive outlier, suggesting that for OpenCL-specific compute tasks, the mobile part is drastically faster. Its 1.4% win in Vulkan is minor but indicates that in cross-platform graphics, the 6800M can hold its own. However, these two wins do not offset the 6700 XT’s broad dominance. The 6800M’s lower TDP (145 W vs 230 W) and IGP form factor make it suitable for mobile or power-constrained systems, but this benchmark data does not show a performance justification for choosing it over the 6700 XT in a desktop context. The 6700 XT is the pick for performance; the 6800M is only preferable if the workload is specifically OpenCL-heavy and the platform requires a mobile-integrated solution.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU wins more benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT wins 9 out of 11 head-to-head benchmarks, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800M wins only 2.

Q: What is the largest performance gap between the two?

A: The largest gap is in Geekbench OpenCL, where the RX 6800M scores 87,621 versus the RX 6700 XT’s 44,152, a 98.5% difference in favor of the mobile GPU.

Q: How do they compare in DirectX 11 performance?

A: The RX 6700 XT leads in PassMark DirectX 11 with a score of 173, which is 26.6% higher than the RX 6800M’s 127.

Q: Are the memory specifications different?

A: No, both GPUs have 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 384.0 GB/s bandwidth and 16 Gbps effective memory clock.

Q: What is the TDP difference?

A: The RX 6800M has a 145 W TDP and is an IGP form factor, while the RX 6700 XT has a 230 W TDP and is a dual-slot card.

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The RX 6700 XT has a boost clock of 2581 MHz, compared to the RX 6800M’s 2390 MHz.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The RX 6700 XT’s biggest wins come in compute and legacy APIs. Its PassMark GPU Compute score of 9,336 is 46.1% higher than the 6800M’s 5,032, a significant margin for any compute-heavy workload. The DirectX 9 test shows an even larger relative gap, with the 6700 XT scoring 242 against the 6800M’s 147, a 39.3% lead. PassMark G2D is also a landslide for the desktop card: 951 versus 538, a 43.4% delta. These results indicate that the 6700 XT is not just faster in modern games but also in older DirectX titles and 2D acceleration tasks.

The RX 6800M’s wins are concentrated in Geekbench. Its OpenCL score of 87,621 nearly doubles the 6700 XT’s 44,152, an 98.5% delta that is the single largest gap in the entire comparison. This is a striking anomaly, given that the 6700 XT has higher clocks and more power. In Vulkan, the 6800M scores 94,766 versus 93,500, a modest 1.4% win. These results suggest that the mobile GPU’s drivers or architecture configuration favor these specific APIs, but the effect does not carry over to other benchmarks.

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, a modern gaming workload, goes to the 6700 XT with 2,435 points versus 2,238, an 8.1% lead. Geekbench Metal also favors the desktop card, with 130,896 versus 113,721, a 13.1% advantage. PassMark DirectX 10 and DirectX 12 results show consistent, if smaller, wins for the 6700 XT: 124 vs 101 (18.5%) and 77 vs 65 (15.6%), respectively. The pattern is clear: the 6700 XT is the stronger GPU across the board, with the 6800M’s only meaningful counterpoint being its exceptional OpenCL performance.