AMD Radeon RX 6800S vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Comparison

The Verdict

The recorded data points to a clear overall winner: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 takes 9 of 10 head-to-head benchmark matchups, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800S claims only 1. The RTX 5050 leads by a wide margin in modern workloads, particularly in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 where it scores 2502 against 1689, a 32.5% advantage. That gap is substantial enough to define the comparison for most users.

The RTX 5050 is the better choice for anyone running current DirectX 12 titles, compute-heavy tasks, or general desktop acceleration. Its average benchmark score of 21035 sits just below the RX 6800S average of 24063, but that headline number is skewed by the AMD card's unusually strong legacy DirectX 9 result. In every modern test that matters, the RTX 5050 leads.

The RX 6800S still has one niche: legacy DirectX 9 performance. It wins that test 200 to 186, a 7.5% margin. If a workload is locked to older APIs, the AMD card is the safer pick. But for anyone choosing between these two today, the RTX 5050 is the default recommendation. It is an active product, while the RX 6800S is end-of-life, and its performance profile is more consistent across the benchmark suite.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different design generations and process nodes. The AMD Radeon RX 6800S uses the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 7 nm TSMC process. It packs 11,060 million transistors into a 237 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 46.7M per mm². The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 uses the GB207 chip on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm TSMC process. It holds 16,900 million transistors in a smaller 149 mm² die, reaching a much higher density of 113.4M per mm².

The RTX 5050 also introduces features the RX 6800S lacks. It includes 80 tensor cores, which the AMD card does not have at all. Its ray tracing implementation uses 20 RT cores, while the RX 6800S has 32 RT cores. The NVIDIA card offers 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. The AMD card counters with 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs.

Memory configurations match in capacity but differ in speed. Both use 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus. The RX 6800S reaches 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX 5050 hits 320.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card also runs a faster memory clock at 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective speed, versus 2000 MHz at 16 Gbps effective on the AMD side.

The RTX 5050 operates at a higher TDP of 130 W, requiring a 1x 8-pin power connector and a 300 W suggested PSU. The RX 6800S is more power efficient at 100 W, uses no power connectors, and is designed as an integrated graphics processor (IGP) for portable devices. The NVIDIA card is a dual-slot design with 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs, while the AMD card's display outputs are portable device dependent.

Clock speeds also differ significantly. The RTX 5050 has a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. The RX 6800S runs at a base of 1800 MHz, a game clock of 1975 MHz, and a boost of 2100 MHz. The bus interface is PCIe 4.0 x8 on the AMD card versus PCIe 5.0 x8 on the NVIDIA card. Both support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test is the most demanding modern workload in the data, and the RTX 5050 dominates it with 2502 points versus 1689 for the RX 6800S. That 32.5% deficit is the largest performance gap in the head-to-head results, and it signals a clear advantage for the NVIDIA card in current generation DirectX 12 gaming.

Compute performance also favors the RTX 5050 decisively. In PassMark GPU Compute, the NVIDIA card scores 9184 against 6144, a 33.1% lead. The Geekbench OpenCL result shows a similar story: 90334 for the RTX 5050 versus 73202 for the RX 6800S, a 19% difference. The RTX 5050 also wins Geekbench Vulkan with 89381 points against 81272, a 9.1% margin.

The PassMark G2D test shows the largest relative gap in the suite. The RTX 5050 scores 1113 versus 732, a 34.2% advantage. This suggests the NVIDIA card handles 2D desktop workloads much more efficiently. PassMark DirectX 10 also favors NVIDIA at 103 versus 91, an 11.7% gap. DirectX 11 results are closer: 150 versus 139, a 7.3% margin. The DirectX 12 PassMark test is nearly a tie at 66 versus 65, a 1.5% difference.

The RX 6800S takes its sole win in PassMark DirectX 9, scoring 200 against 186, a 7.5% margin. This is the only test where the older AMD architecture outperforms the newer NVIDIA chip, and it is a legacy API that most modern software no longer uses. The overall PassMark G3D score goes to NVIDIA at 17326 versus 15908, an 8.2% gap.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 6800S | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 |

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

| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 | Blackwell 2.0 |

| Process node | 7 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 11,060 million | 16,900 million |

| Die size | 237 mm² | 149 mm² |

| Transistor density | 46.7M / mm² | 113.4M / mm² |

| Base clock | 1800 MHz | 2317 MHz |

| Boost clock | 2100 MHz | 2572 MHz |

| Game clock | 1975 MHz | N/A |

| Memory clock | 2000 MHz, 16 Gbps effective | 2500 MHz, 20 Gbps effective |

| Memory bandwidth | 256.0 GB/s | 320.0 GB/s |

| Shading units | 2048 | 2560 |

| TMUs | 128 | 80 |

| ROPs | 64 | 32 |

| RT cores | 32 | 20 |

| Tensor cores | N/A | 80 |

| Pixel rate | 134.4 GPixel/s | 82.30 GPixel/s |

| Texture rate | 268.8 GTexel/s | 205.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 | 8.602 TFLOPS | 13.17 TFLOPS |

| FP16 | 17.20 TFLOPS (2:1) | 13.17 TFLOPS (1:1) |

| TDP | 100 W | 130 W |

| Slot width | IGP | Dual-slot |

| Power connectors | None | 1x 8-pin |

| Suggested PSU | N/A | 300 W |

| Bus interface | PCIe 4.0 x8 | PCIe 5.0 x8 |

| Display outputs | Portable device dependent | 1x HDMI 2.1b, 3x DisplayPort 2.1b |

| Production status | End-of-life | Active |

| Release date | 2022-01-03 | 2025-06-30 |

| Predecessor | Polaris Mobile | GeForce 40 |

| Successor | N/A | GeForce 60 |

| Launch MSRP | N/A | 249 USD |

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher raw compute throughput?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 leads in FP32 with 13.17 TFLOPS versus 8.602 TFLOPS for the AMD Radeon RX 6800S. The RTX 5050 also wins the PassMark GPU Compute test 9184 to 6144, a 33.1% margin.

Q: How do the two compare in ray tracing hardware?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800S has 32 RT cores, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has 20 RT cores. However, the RTX 5050 also includes 80 tensor cores, which the AMD card does not have at all.

Q: Which GPU is more power efficient?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800S has a TDP of 100 W and requires no power connectors. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has a TDP of 130 W and needs a 1x 8-pin power connector with a 300 W suggested PSU.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 6800S still a viable product?

A: The RX 6800S is end-of-life with a release date of 2022-01-03. The RTX 5050 is active with a release date of 2025-06-30. The NVIDIA card has a successor planned (GeForce 60), while the AMD card does not list one.

Q: Which GPU wins in legacy DirectX 9 performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800S wins the PassMark DirectX 9 test with 200 points versus 186 for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, a 7.5% margin. This is the only head-to-head test the AMD card wins.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 5050?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has a launch MSRP of 249 USD. The AMD Radeon RX 6800S does not have a recorded launch MSRP in the database.