AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT vs AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT represent two distinct generations of AMD’s Radeon lineup, with the former built on RDNA 4.0 and the latter on RDNA 2.0. Benchmark data reveals a split decision: the RX 9070 GRE dominates in a modern DirectX 12 test, while the RX 6800 XT counters with a massive lead in OpenCL compute. The numbers tell a story of architectural priorities, memory configurations, and generational shifts, but neither card is a universal winner.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most striking difference appears in the 3dmark_3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test, where the RX 9070 GRE scores 5424 against the RX 6800 XT’s 3689. That is a 47% advantage for the newer card. This is not a marginal gap; it is a decisive rout in a workload that heavily exercises ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate features. The RX 9070 GRE’s RDNA 4.0 architecture, with its 48 ray tracing cores and 3072 shading units, clearly translates into superior performance in this specific scenario. The RX 6800 XT, despite having 72 ray tracing cores and 4608 shading units, falls far behind, suggesting that raw core counts do not predict modern API performance when architecture generation differs so significantly.

However, the geekbench_opencl test flips the script entirely. Here, the RX 6800 XT scores 171304, while the RX 9070 GRE manages only 109309. The RX 6800 XT leads by 36.2% in this compute-oriented benchmark. This is a substantial victory for the older card, and it highlights a key divergence: the RX 6800 XT’s FP16 throughput is 41.47 TFLOPS, which is double its FP32 rate of 20.74 TFLOPS, whereas the RX 9070 GRE offers identical 34.28 TFLOPS for both FP16 and FP32. That 2:1 FP16 ratio on the RX 6800 XT suggests a hardware advantage in certain compute tasks that rely on half-precision math. The RX 9070 GRE’s 1:1 ratio, while efficient, does not provide the same acceleration in this OpenCL workload.

Looking at the broader benchmark landscape, the average benchmark score reinforces this split. The RX 9070 GRE has an avgBenchmarkScore of 57367, while the RX 6800 XT sits at 48477. The RX 9070 GRE’s nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A580 (deltaPct -0.7%), AMD Radeon RX 5600 OEM (-1.2%), Intel Arc A570M (-1.5%), and AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT (-1.8%). This places the RX 9070 GRE in a tight cluster where the RX 6950 XT, a previous flagship, is only slightly behind. For the RX 6800 XT, its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile (deltaPct 1.5%), Intel Arc A550M (-2.5%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (-3%), and AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (-3%). The RX 6800 XT holds a narrow edge over these cards, but the data shows it competes in a lower performance tier than the RX 9070 GRE.

The percentile rankings align with these averages. The RX 9070 GRE sits at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, while the RX 6800 XT is at the 85th. That two-percentile gap might seem small, but it masks the fact that the RX 9070 GRE’s average score is about 18.4% higher than the RX 6800 XT’s average. The head-to-head tests, however, prove that averages do not tell the whole story.

The Verdict

From the data, the RX 9070 GRE is the stronger card for modern gaming and DirectX 12 workloads. Its 47% win in 3DMark Steel Nomad is a clear signal that it handles current-generation rendering techniques with far greater efficiency. The RX 6800 XT, conversely, wins decisively in OpenCL compute, suggesting it retains value for users whose primary tasks involve general-purpose GPU computing rather than gaming.

The RX 9070 GRE’s launch MSRP is 549 USD, while the RX 6800 XT launched at 649 USD. The newer card also consumes less power, with a TDP of 220 W versus 300 W, and requires a 550 W PSU instead of 700 W. These factors, combined with its higher average benchmark score, point to the RX 9070 GRE as the better all-around purchase for most users. The RX 6800 XT, however, offers 16 GB of memory compared to 12 GB, which could be a deciding factor for users who need more VRAM for large datasets or high-resolution textures.

The production status also matters: the RX 9070 GRE is listed as Active, while the RX 6800 XT is End-of-life. This means the newer card will likely receive driver optimizations and remain available for purchase, whereas the older card is being phased out. For a long-term investment, the RX 9070 GRE is the rational choice based on the data.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 9070 GRE wins in scenarios that stress DirectX 12 and ray tracing. The 3DMark Steel Nomad result is a prime example, and this correlates with its RDNA 4.0 architecture, which was designed to improve ray tracing performance over previous generations. Its 432.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, while lower than the RX 6800 XT’s 512.0 GB/s, does not seem to hinder it in this test. The 192-bit bus width and 12 GB GDDR6 memory are sufficient for this workload.

The RX 6800 XT wins in compute-heavy tasks, as evidenced by the OpenCL score. Its 4608 shading units and 288 texture mapping units provide raw parallel processing power. The 256-bit bus and 16 GB memory give it a capacity and bandwidth advantage that could benefit machine learning inference, data processing, or any application that loads large working sets into VRAM. The 2:1 FP16 ratio is particularly noteworthy, as it suggests the card can double its throughput on half-precision operations, a common optimization in AI workloads.

For gaming, the RX 9070 GRE is the clear pick. For compute, the RX 6800 XT holds its ground. There is no overlap in their head-to-head wins, which makes the choice straightforward based on primary use case.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE has an average benchmark score of 57367, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT scores 48477.

Q: How big is the RX 9070 GRE’s lead in the 3DMark Steel Nomad test?

A: The RX 9070 GRE scores 5424 versus 3689 for the RX 6800 XT, a 47% advantage.

Q: Does the RX 6800 XT win any benchmark?

A: Yes, it wins the Geekbench OpenCL test with a score of 171304 against the RX 9070 GRE’s 109309, a lead of 36.2%.

Q: What is the memory configuration difference?

A: The RX 9070 GRE has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth. The RX 6800 XT has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth.

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

A: The RX 9070 GRE is at the 87th percentile, while the RX 6800 XT is at the 85th.

Q: What are the TDP requirements for each card?

A: The RX 9070 GRE has a TDP of 220 W and recommends a 550 W PSU. The RX 6800 XT has a TDP of 300 W and recommends a 700 W PSU.

Architecture Differences

The RX 9070 GRE uses the Navi 48 chip built on RDNA 4.0, while the RX 6800 XT uses Navi 21 on RDNA 2.0. The process nodes differ significantly: the RX 9070 GRE is fabricated on a 4 nm process at TSMC, whereas the RX 6800 XT uses a 7 nm process. This leads to a stark contrast in transistor counts: the RX 9070 GRE packs 53,900 million transistors into a 357 mm² die, giving a density of 151.0M / mm². The RX 6800 XT has 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, with a density of just 51.5M / mm². The newer process allows the RX 9070 GRE to nearly double the transistor count while using a smaller die.

Ray tracing hardware also differs. The RX 9070 GRE has 48 ray tracing cores, while the RX 6800 XT has 72. Despite the lower count, the RX 9070 GRE’s superior 3DMark Steel Nomad score suggests that RDNA 4.0’s ray tracing implementation is more efficient per core. The shading units also favor the RX 6800 XT (4608 versus 3072), yet this does not translate into a win in the DirectX 12 test. Texture mapping units are 288 on the RX 6800 XT versus 192 on the RX 9070 GRE, and ROPs are 128 versus 96. The RX 6800 XT’s higher pixel rate of 288.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 648.0 GTexel/s exceed the RX 9070 GRE’s 267.8 GPixel/s and 535.7 GTexel/s, but these advantages do not overcome the architectural efficiency of RDNA 4.0 in modern workloads.

The RX 9070 GRE supports PCIe 5.0 x16, while the RX 6800 XT uses PCIe 4.0 x16. Display outputs also differ: the RX 9070 GRE offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1a, while the RX 6800 XT has 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Specification Differences

The core specifications that differ between the two cards are extensive. The RX 9070 GRE has a base clock of 1420 MHz, a boost clock of 2790 MHz, and a game clock of 2220 MHz. The RX 6800 XT runs at a higher base clock of 1825 MHz but a lower boost clock of 2250 MHz and a game clock of 2015 MHz. Memory clocks also vary: the RX 9070 GRE runs at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective), while the RX 6800 XT runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective).

Memory size and bandwidth are major differentiators, with the RX 9070 GRE offering 12 GB and 432.0 GB/s, versus the RX 6800 XT’s 16 GB and 512.0 GB/s. The FP32 compute is higher on the RX 9070 GRE at 34.28 TFLOPS compared to 20.74 TFLOPS, but the RX 6800 XT’s FP16 performance of 41.47 TFLOPS exceeds the RX 9070 GRE’s 34.28 TFLOPS. Power consumption favors the RX 9070 GRE at 220 W versus 300 W, and the suggested PSU is 550 W versus 700 W. Both are dual-slot and use 2x 8-pin power connectors. The RX 6800 XT has physical dimensions of 267 mm length, 120 mm height, and 50 mm width; the RX 9070 GRE’s dimensions are not listed.

Release dates are far apart: the RX 9070 GRE was released on 2025-05-07, while the RX 6800 XT came out on 2020-10-27. The RX 9070 GRE is currently Active, whereas the RX 6800 XT is End-of-life. These differences confirm that the RX 9070 GRE is a modern product designed for current and future workloads, while the RX 6800 XT represents an older generation that still has compute strengths but lacks the architectural advancements of its successor.