AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a clear split between these two cards, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 winning 8 of the 10 head-to-head benchmark comparisons. However, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT claims two notable victories, one of which is dramatic.

The largest gap in either direction appears in the Geekbench Vulkan test. The RX 6750 XT scores 98,089 against the RTX 3080's 33,620, a 191.8% advantage. This is not a marginal win; the AMD card more than doubles the NVIDIA card's output in this specific API workload. For Vulkan-based titles, the data suggests the RX 6750 XT is the stronger choice.

The RTX 3080 answers decisively in the Geekbench OpenCL test, scoring 152,423 versus 16,360 for the RX 6750 XT, a 89.3% deficit for AMD. This is the second-largest delta in the head-to-head set and points to a massive difference in compute-oriented OpenCL performance. The NVIDIA card also leads in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 with 4,407 points against 2,548 points, a 42.2% gap. For modern DX12 gaming loads, the RTX 3080 holds a commanding position.

In PassMark tests, the RTX 3080 wins five of the six categories. The DirectX 10 result shows 170 versus 125, a 26.5% lead. DirectX 11 shows 207 versus 180, a 13% lead. DirectX 12 shows 100 versus 80, a 20% lead. The G2D test shows 1,054 versus 972, a 7.8% lead. The G3D test shows 25,086 versus 20,700, a 17.5% lead. The GPU Compute test shows 14,397 versus 9,550, a 33.7% lead. The only PassMark category the AMD card wins is DirectX 9, with 263 against 258, a slim 1.9% margin.

The average benchmark score in the database tells a different story than the head-to-head wins. The RX 6750 XT has an average score of 26,011, which places it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 3080 has an average score of 23,172, placing it in the 68th percentile. Despite losing most head-to-head tests, the AMD card actually holds a higher average score and a higher percentile ranking. This occurs because the database average includes a wider set of workloads, including the Geekbench Metal test where the RX 6750 XT scores 137,249 (no comparable Metal score exists for the RTX 3080 in the recorded data), and the Vulkan result that so strongly favors AMD.

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database adds context. The RTX 3080's nearest competitors by average score are the NVIDIA P106-100 at 23,249 (0.3% behind), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 at 23,250 (0.3% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23,273 (0.4% behind), and the AMD Radeon R9 M290X at 23,276 (0.4% behind). The RX 6750 XT's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R9 M395X at 25,891 (0.5% ahead), the AMD FirePro W7100 at 25,856 (0.6% ahead), the AMD FirePro D700 at 25,842 (0.7% ahead), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile at 25,740 (1.1% ahead). The RX 6750 XT sits in a cluster of high-end workstation and mobile parts, while the RTX 3080 sits among midrange and older parts in the database average, despite its strong head-to-head results.

The Verdict

The data indicates that these cards target different priorities. If the workload leans on Vulkan or DirectX 9, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT is the correct pick. Its 191.8% Vulkan lead over the RTX 3080 is the single largest advantage in the entire comparison, and its DirectX 9 win, though small at 1.9%, still counts in its favor.

For everything else in the recorded benchmarks, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 wins. It dominates OpenCL with an 89.3% lead, leads 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 by 42.2%, and wins every PassMark category except DirectX 9. The RTX 3080 also has a higher PassMark G3D score (25,086 versus 20,700) and a higher GPU Compute score (14,397 versus 9,550), which makes it the more versatile card for general GPU compute and modern DX11/DX12 gaming.

The average score paradox matters here. The RX 6750 XT's higher average score of 26,011 versus 23,172 reflects the inclusion of its strong Metal and Vulkan results. A user running primarily Vulkan titles or macOS environments (where Metal applies) should not be misled by the head-to-head loss count. Conversely, a user focused on OpenCL compute or DX12 gaming should trust the head-to-head tests, where the RTX 3080 wins by wide margins.

Final guidance: choose the RX 6750 XT for Vulkan-first workloads and legacy DirectX 9 titles. Choose the RTX 3080 for OpenCL compute, DX12 gaming, and the broadest PassMark coverage. The RTX 3080 is the stronger all-rounder in the tested suite; the RX 6750 XT is the specialist that excels where NVIDIA stumbles.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT wins in two recorded areas. The Geekbench Vulkan result is the headline: 98,089 versus 33,620, a 191.8% advantage. This indicates a substantial architectural efficiency in Vulkan API workloads, likely relevant for Vulkan-based game engines and compute tasks using that API. The DirectX 9 PassMark result is the second win, 263 versus 258, a 1.9% margin. This is small but consistent; the RX 6750 XT edges out the RTX 3080 in legacy DX9 performance.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 wins across eight recorded areas. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test shows 4,407 versus 2,548, a 42.2% lead, indicating strong modern DX12 rendering performance. The Geekbench OpenCL test shows 152,423 versus 16,360, an 89.3% lead, which is the largest NVIDIA advantage in the set. PassMark wins include DirectX 10 (170 versus 125, 26.5% ahead), DirectX 11 (207 versus 180, 13% ahead), DirectX 12 (100 versus 80, 20% ahead), G2D (1,054 versus 972, 7.8% ahead), G3D (25,086 versus 20,700, 17.5% ahead), and GPU Compute (14,397 versus 9,550, 8.5% ahead in absolute terms, 33.7% in the delta). The RTX 3080 also has no DirectX 9 win, ceding that category to AMD.

Use-case split based on wins: Vulkan development, Vulkan gaming, and DX9-era titles favor the RX 6750 XT. DX12 gaming, OpenCL compute, DX11 titles, DX10 titles, 2D desktop workloads, general 3D rendering, GPU compute tasks, and high-bandwidth rasterization workloads favor the RTX 3080. The RTX 3080's consistent PassMark dominance across five PassMark categories make it the safer choice for mixed workloads that include any PassMark-tested APIs.

FAQ

Q: Which card wins in Vulkan performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT wins decisively with a 191.8% advantage over the RTX 3080 in the Geekbench Vulkan test, scoring 98,099 versus 33,620.

Q: Which card has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT has an average score of 26,011, placing it in the 71st percentile, while the RTX 3080 averages 23,172 and sits in the 68th percentile.

Q: Which card wins the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 wins with 4,407 points against 2,548 for the RX 6750 XT, a 42.2% lead.

Q: How does the RTX 3080 compare in OpenCL compute?

A: The RTX 3080 scores 152,423 in Geekbench OpenCL versus 16,360 for the RX 6750 XT, an 89.3% advantage.

Q: Does the RX 6750 XT win any PassMark tests?

A: Yes, it wins the DirectX 9 test with 263 points versus 258 for the RTX 3080, a 1.9% margin. The RTX 3080 wins all other PassMark categories.

Q: What is the closest rival to each card by average score?

A: The RX 6750 XT's closest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 M395X at 25,891, 0.5% behind. The RTX 3080's closest rival is the NVIDIA P106-100 at 23,249, 0.3% behind.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT uses the Navi 22 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, manufactured on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 uses the GA102 chip built on Ampere architecture, manufactured on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The process node difference is small but meaningful: 7 nm versus 8 nm.

Transistor counts differ substantially. The RTX 3080 packs 28,300 million transistors on a 628 mm² die, while the RX 6750 XT has 17,200 million on a 335 mm² die. Transistor density favors AMD: 51.3 million per mm² versus 45.1 million per mm² for NVIDIA. The RTX 3080 is a much larger chip with more total transistors, but the RX 6750 XT achieves higher density on its smaller die.

Shader resources differ significantly. The RTX 3080 has 8,704 shading units, 272 TMUs, 96 ROPs, 68 RT cores, and 272 tensor cores. The RX 6750 XT has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 40 RT cores, with no tensor cores listed. The RTX 3080's raw shader count is over three times higher. Despite this, the RX 6750 XT achieves comparable pixel rates: 166.4 GPixel/s versus 164.2 GPixel/s for the RTX 3080. Texture rates are closer than shader counts suggest: 416.0 GTexel/s for AMD versus 465.1 GTexel/s for NVIDIA. Floating-point performance favors NVIDIA heavily: 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 for the RTX 3080 versus 13.31 TFLOPS for the RX 6750 XT. FP16 shows the same pattern: 29.77 TFLOPS (1:1) for NVIDIA versus 26.62 TFLOPS (2:1) for AMD.

Memory architecture diverges completely. The RX 6750 XT uses 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RTX 3080 uses 10 GB of GDDR6X on a 320-bit bus with 760.3 GB/s bandwidth. NVIDIA has a 76% bandwidth advantage. The RX 6750 XT has 2 GB more capacity but a narrower bus and slower memory type.

API support is identical on paper: both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The real differences lie in hardware features. The RTX 3080 includes tensor cores, which the RX 6750 XT lacks entirely. Both have ray tracing cores, with NVIDIA at 68 and AMD at 40, but the architectural approach differs. The RX 6750 XT's FP16 is halved (2:1 ratio), while the RTX 3080 runs FP16 at full rate (1:1), a significant advantage for mixed-precision compute.

Specification Differences

Clock speeds favor the AMD card. The RX 6750 XT has a base clock of 2150 MHz and a boost clock of 2600 MHz, with a game clock of 2495 MHz. The RTX 3080 has a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz. The RX 6750 XT runs at much higher frequencies, though its smaller shader count and narrower memory bus limit the practical impact.

Power requirements differ. The RX 6750 XT has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W power supply, with connectors of 1x 6-pin plus 1x 8-pin. The RTX 3080 has a TDP of 320 W and requires a 700 W power supply, with a single 12-pin connector. The RTX 3080 draws more power and demands a beefier PSU.

Physical dimensions are close. The RX 6750 XT measures 267 mm long, 110 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. The RTX 3080 measures 285 mm long, 112 mm tall, and 40 mm wide. Both are dual-slot cards. The RTX 3080 is slightly longer and taller, which may matter for compact cases.

Memory speed differs: the RX 6750 XT runs memory at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective, while the RTX 3080 runs at 1188 MHz with 19 Gbps effective. Despite the lower clock, the RTX 3080's wider 320-bit bus and GDDR6X type deliver far higher bandwidth.

Display outputs are identical: both offer 1x HDMI 2.1 and 3x DisplayPort 1.4a. Both use PCIe 4.0 x16. Release dates differ, with the RX 6750 XT launching in March 2022 and the RTX 3080 launching in August 2020. Both are now end-of-life products. The launch MSRP for the RX 6750 XT is 549 USD; the launch MSRP for the RTX 3080 is 699 USD.