AMD Radeon RX 6800M vs AMD Radeon RX 7800M Comparison

The AMD Radeon RX 7800M is the definitive winner in this mobile GPU comparison, taking 9 of 10 head-to-head benchmarks against the older RX 6800M. The single victory for the RX 6800M is a narrow 2% edge in one legacy DirectX test, while the RX 7800M dominates in compute, modern graphics APIs, and raw rasterization by margins ranging from 15.5% to 46.1%. Despite the RX 6800M holding a higher 74th percentile ranking versus the RX 7800M's 73rd, the actual benchmark data shows the newer card is substantially faster in nearly every measurable workload.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most decisive separation occurs in compute-heavy workloads. In the Passmark GPU Compute test, the RX 7800M scores 9342 against the RX 6800M's 5032, a 46.1% advantage that represents the largest gap between the two cards. This result aligns with the FP32 throughput difference, where the RX 7800M delivers 35.87 TFLOPS versus 12.24 TFLOPS for the RX 6800M. The 2D performance gap is nearly as stark: the RX 7800M's Passmark G2D score of 892 is 39.7% higher than the RX 6800M's 538, indicating superior memory bandwidth utilization and pixel throughput.

Modern graphics APIs reinforce the RX 7800M's dominance. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 7800M scores 2994 compared to 2238 for the RX 6800M, a 25.3% lead. The Geekbench Vulkan test shows a 25.2% advantage (126668 versus 94766), while Geekbench OpenCL shows a 27.5% gap (120778 versus 87621). These consistent 25-28% margins across different API implementations suggest the RX 7800M's architectural improvements translate broadly across workloads rather than being confined to a single test scenario.

The legacy DirectX suite paints a similar picture with varying intensity. Passmark DirectX 11 shows the RX 7800M ahead by 27.8% (176 versus 127), and DirectX 12 shows a 27% lead (89 versus 65). The DirectX 9 test is closer but still favors the RX 7800M by 15.5% (174 versus 147). The only benchmark where the RX 6800M wins is Passmark DirectX 10, scoring 101 against the RX 7800M's 99 — a 2% margin that falls well within typical test variance. The overall G3D score tells the story: 17613 for the RX 7800M versus 13261 for the RX 6800M, a 24.7% improvement.

Where Each One Wins

The RX 7800M wins decisively in every category that matters for modern gaming and content creation. Its 46.1% advantage in GPU compute makes it the clear choice for rendering tasks, machine learning inference, and physics simulations. The 39.7% lead in 2D throughput benefits high-resolution desktop work and CAD applications. In DX11 and DX12 gaming — the APIs used by the vast majority of current titles — the RX 7800M maintains a 27-28% edge, ensuring higher frame rates at equivalent settings.

The RX 6800M's sole victory in DirectX 10 is essentially a historical footnote. This API is largely obsolete, and the 2% margin offers no practical benefit in real-world applications. However, the RX 6800M does hold a notable advantage in transistor efficiency relative to its power envelope. It achieves its performance at 145 W TDP versus 180 W for the RX 7800M, though the data does not directly measure performance-per-watt. The RX 6800M also carries a higher boost clock of 2390 MHz versus 2335 MHz for the RX 7800M, which likely contributes to its single benchmark win.

For users on older software stacks or those prioritizing lower power draw, the RX 6800M remains relevant. Its 74th percentile ranking versus the RX 7800M's 73rd suggests that in the broader GPU ecosystem, the two cards are similarly positioned despite the newer card's clear generational superiority. The RX 6800M's 7 nm process node and lower transistor count (17,200 million versus 28,100 million) may also appeal to those concerned about thermal density in thin laptops.

Architecture Differences

The architectural gap is substantial. The RX 6800M uses the RDNA 2.0 architecture on a 7 nm TSMC process, while the RX 7800M employs RDNA 3.0 on a 5 nm TSMC node. This process shrink enables the RX 7800M to pack 28,100 million transistors into a 346 mm² die, compared to 17,200 million transistors on the RX 6800M's 335 mm² die. The transistor density jumps from 51.3M per mm² to 81.2M per mm², a 58% increase that explains the RX 7800M's superior compute capacity.

The execution resources reflect this generational leap. The RX 7800M features 3840 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs, versus 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs on the RX 6800M. Ray tracing hardware scales accordingly, with 60 RT cores on the RX 7800M versus 40 on the RX 6800M. Pixel rate improves from 153.0 GPixel/s to 224.2 GPixel/s, and texture rate from 382.4 GTexel/s to 560.4 GTexel/s.

Memory configurations are identical in capacity — both feature 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus — but the RX 7800M runs faster memory at 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective), boosting bandwidth from 384.0 GB/s to 432.0 GB/s. The FP16 compute ratio also differs fundamentally: the RX 6800M delivers 24.47 TFLOPS FP16 via a 2:1 ratio, while the RX 7800M provides 35.87 TFLOPS FP16 at a 1:1 ratio, meaning it processes FP16 at full FP32 speed. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, and both use PCIe 4.0 x16 interfaces. The RX 7800M's codename is "Wheat Nas," while the RX 6800M has no codename listed.

The Verdict

The data leaves little room for ambiguity. The AMD Radeon RX 7800M is the superior GPU for virtually every modern workload, leading by 24.7% in overall 3D performance and 46.1% in compute. Its 25-28% advantages across DX11, DX12, Vulkan, and OpenCL make it the obvious choice for gaming, and its 39.7% lead in 2D operations extends its utility to professional applications. The RX 7800M's higher 180 W TDP is a reasonable trade-off for these gains, especially in a mobile segment where users accept power trade-offs for performance.

The RX 6800M's case rests on narrow or niche grounds. Its 2% DirectX 10 win is negligible, and its 74th percentile versus 73rd is offset by a 991-point lower average benchmark score (27883 versus 28874). The RX 6800M's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 570 (0.4% faster) and RX 470 (0.4% slower), placing it in the mid-range desktop tier of 2016-2017 hardware. The RX 7800M's rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (0.5% faster) and AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (0.3% slower), a similar performance class with newer architecture.

Choose the RX 7800M if you want the fastest gaming and compute performance available in this comparison. Choose the RX 6800M if you require lower power consumption at 145 W, prefer the 7 nm process for thermal characteristics, or need compatibility with legacy DirectX 10 workloads — but understand that you are sacrificing 24-46% performance in nearly every other test.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher overall benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800M has an average benchmark score of 28874, while the AMD Radeon RX 7800M scores 27883. The RX 6800M is 991 points higher, despite losing 9 of 10 head-to-head tests.

Q: What is the largest performance difference between the two cards?

A: The biggest gap is in the Passmark GPU Compute test, where the AMD Radeon RX 7800M scores 9342 versus 5032 for the RX 6800M, representing a 46.1% advantage for the newer card.

Q: Do both cards have the same memory capacity?

A: Yes, both the AMD Radeon RX 6800M and RX 7800M have 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. However, the RX 7800M has higher bandwidth at 432.0 GB/s versus 384.0 GB/s.

Q: How do the architectures differ between the two GPUs?

A: The RX 6800M uses RDNA 2.0 on a 7 nm process with 17,200 million transistors, while the RX 7800M uses RDNA 3.0 on a 5 nm process with 28,100 million transistors. The RX 7800M also has a higher transistor density of 81.2M per mm² versus 51.3M per mm².

Q: Which card has more shading units?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800M has 3840 shading units, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800M has 2560. The RX 7800M also has 240 TMUs and 96 ROPs versus 160 TMUs and 64 ROPs on the RX 6800M.

Q: What are the power consumption differences?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7800M has a TDP of 180 W, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800M has a TDP of 145 W. Both are listed as IGP slot width with no power connectors, meaning they are portable device dependent.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6800M | AMD Radeon RX 7800M |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | RDNA 3.0 |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 17,200 million | 28,100 million |

| Die Size | 335 mm² | 346 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 51.3M / mm² | 81.2M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 2116 MHz | 1295 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 2390 MHz | 2335 MHz |

| Game Clock | 2300 MHz | 2145 MHz |

| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective) | 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) |

| Memory Bandwidth | 384.0 GB/s | 432.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2560 | 3840 |

| TMUs | 160 | 240 |

| ROPs | 64 | 96 |

| RT Cores | 40 | 60 |

| Pixel Rate | 153.0 GPixel/s | 224.2 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 382.4 GTexel/s | 560.4 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 12.24 TFLOPS | 35.87 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 24.47 TFLOPS (2:1) | 35.87 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 145 W | 180 W |

| Release Date | 2021-05-30 | 2024-09-10 |

| Production Status | End-of-life | Active |

| Codename | None | Wheat Nas |