AMD Radeon RX 6800S vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Comparison

# NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800S

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is a decisive winner across every benchmark in this comparison, sweeping all 10 head-to-head tests against the AMD Radeon RX 6800S. The RTX 5060 achieves an average benchmark score of 26,331 compared to the RX 6800S's 24,063, representing a 9.4% overall advantage. The RTX 5060 sits at the 72nd percentile among all GPUs, while the RX 6800S ranks at the 69th percentile. The data shows a clear generational and architectural gap, with the newer Blackwell 2.0 design delivering consistently higher performance across DirectX, OpenCL, and Vulkan workloads.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest margin comes in the demanding 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the RTX 5060 scores 3,628 against the RX 6800S's 1,689. That is a 114.8% advantage — more than double the AMD card's result. This is the single biggest win in the entire comparison and signals that the RTX 5060 handles modern DX12 game workloads with far greater efficiency. The delta is so large that it dwarfs every other benchmark gap, suggesting the RTX 5060's Blackwell architecture is particularly well-suited to current-generation rendering techniques.

Compute performance tells a similar story. In Passmark GPU Compute, the RTX 5060 posts 10,899 versus 6,144 for the RX 6800S, a 77.4% lead. OpenCL results reinforce this trend: the RTX 5060 scores 112,787 compared to 73,202, a 54.1% advantage. Vulkan performance shows a 39.4% gap, with the RTX 5060 at 113,321 and the RX 6800S at 81,272. These compute deltas indicate that the RTX 5060 is not merely faster in gaming but also substantially stronger in general-purpose GPU workloads.

The 2D and legacy DirectX tests reveal smaller but still consistent leads. Passmark G2D shows the RTX 5060 at 1,154 versus 732, a 57.7% difference. DirectX 11 scores are 200 against 139, a 43.9% lead, while DirectX 10 shows 127 versus 91, a 39.6% gap. DirectX 9 is closer at 225 versus 200, just 12.5% apart. The narrowest margin is in DirectX 12, where the RTX 5060 scores 77 against 65, an 18.5% edge. Even in these less demanding tests, the RTX 5060 never loses ground, and the 3DMark result shows that the gap widens as workload complexity increases.

Passmark G3D, which aggregates general 3D rendering performance, gives the RTX 5060 a 20,891 score against 15,908 for the RX 6800S, a 31.3% lead. The RTX 5060 also holds a small advantage in its nearest-rival comparison, sitting 1.2% above the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT's average score of 26,011. The RX 6800S, by contrast, is 0.4% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER's average of 24,170 and 0.7% below the GTX 780 Ti's 24,236.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26,331, which is 9.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6800S's average of 24,063.

Q: What is the biggest performance gap between the two cards?

A: The largest difference is in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the RTX 5060 scores 3,628 versus 1,689 for the RX 6800S, a 114.8% advantage.

Q: Are there any benchmarks where the RX 6800S wins?

A: No. The RTX 5060 wins all 10 head-to-head benchmarks. The RX 6800S has zero wins in this comparison.

Q: How does each card compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060 is 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT and 0.8% behind the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary. The RX 6800S is 0.4% behind the RTX 2080 SUPER and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 9070.

Q: What is the production status of each card?

A: The RTX 5060 is listed as Active, while the RX 6800S is End-of-life. The RX 6800S was released in January 2022, and the RTX 5060 was released in May 2025.

Q: Which card has better compute performance?

A: The RTX 5060 leads in Passmark GPU Compute with 10,899 versus 6,144 for the RX 6800S, a 77.4% advantage. OpenCL scores also favor the RTX 5060 at 112,787 versus 73,202.

Architecture Differences

The RTX 5060 uses the GB206 chip built on TSMC's 5 nm process, while the RX 6800S uses the Navi 23 chip on a 7 nm process. This process advantage is substantial: the RTX 5060 packs 21,900 million transistors into a 181 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 121.0 million per mm². The RX 6800S has 11,060 million transistors on a larger 237 mm² die, with a density of just 46.7 million per mm². The RTX 5060 crams nearly twice the transistors into a smaller area, which explains its higher performance despite a higher 145 W TDP versus 100 W for the RX 6800S.

The RTX 5060 is built on Blackwell 2.0 architecture, while the RX 6800S uses RDNA 2.0. Blackwell 2.0 brings 3,840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores. The RX 6800S has 2,048 shading units, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 32 RT cores, but no tensor cores at all. The RTX 5060's tensor cores are a key architectural differentiator, enabling AI-accelerated features that the RX 6800S cannot access. The shading unit count is nearly double on the RTX 5060, which drives its FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS versus 8.602 TFLOPS for the RX 6800S.

Memory architecture also diverges. The RTX 5060 uses 8 GB of GDDR7 on a 128-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6800S uses 8 GB of GDDR6 on the same 128-bit bus but with only 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. That is a 75% bandwidth advantage for the RTX 5060, which directly contributes to its superior results in memory-intensive DX12 and compute workloads. Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, but the RTX 5060 adds PCIe 5.0 x8 connectivity versus PCIe 4.0 x8 on the RX 6800S.

Specification Differences

The RTX 5060 has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, while the RX 6800S runs at 1800 MHz base and 2100 MHz boost. The RTX 5060's memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), whereas the RX 6800S uses 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). The RTX 5060 has 3,840 shading units against 2,048, 120 TMUs versus 128, 48 ROPs against 64, 30 RT cores versus 32, and 120 tensor cores versus none. Pixel rate favors the RX 6800S at 134.4 GPixel/s against 119.9 GPixel/s, but texture rate favors the RTX 5060 at 299.6 GTexel/s versus 268.8 GTexel/s.

The RTX 5060 is a dual-slot card with a 1x 8-pin power connector, a 300 W suggested PSU, and dimensions of 241 mm × 111 mm × 40 mm. The RX 6800S is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and no listed dimensions. The RTX 5060 offers 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs, while the RX 6800S's display outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent." The RTX 5060 has a launch MSRP of 299 USD. The RX 6800S has no launch MSRP listed. The RTX 5060 is the successor to the GeForce 40 series and has a successor in the GeForce 60 series, while the RX 6800S's predecessor is Polaris Mobile and it has no successor listed.

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 5060 wins every benchmark category in this comparison, so the use-case split is straightforward. For gamers targeting modern DX12 titles, the RTX 5060's 114.8% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad is the strongest argument. For compute-heavy tasks like OpenCL or Vulkan workloads, the RTX 5060's 54.1% and 39.4% leads, respectively, make it the clear choice. The 77.4% advantage in Passmark GPU Compute further cements its position for GPGPU applications. The RTX 5060 also wins on connectivity with DisplayPort 2.1b outputs and PCIe 5.0 support, making it better suited for future systems.

The RX 6800S's only advantages are structural rather than performance-based. It has a lower 100 W TDP, which matters in power-constrained or mobile scenarios, and it is an IGP with no power connectors, which simplifies installation in portable devices. It also has a higher pixel rate of 134.4 GPixel/s against 119.9 GPixel/s, though this does not translate into any benchmark win. Its 64 ROPs exceed the RTX 5060's 48, but again, this does not produce a performance victory. For users with strict power budgets or those building in ultra-compact form factors, the RX 6800S is the only viable option, but the data shows that choice comes with a substantial performance penalty.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 outperforms the AMD Radeon RX 6800S in every measured benchmark. The RTX 5060's 10-0 sweep includes wins ranging from 12.5% in DirectX 9 to 114.8% in 3DMark Steel Nomad. Its average benchmark score of 26,331 places it 9.4% above the RX 6800S, and its 72nd percentile ranking versus 69th reflects a meaningful gap in the broader GPU landscape. The RTX 5060 is also a current, Active product, while the RX 6800S is End-of-life, which matters for long-term driver support and availability.

Buyers should choose the RTX 5060 unless power consumption or form factor constraints force the RX 6800S. The RTX 5060's 145 W TDP is higher, but it delivers more than double the performance in key DX12 workloads and nearly double the compute throughput. The RX 6800S's 100 W TDP and IGP design make it attractive for portable applications, but the performance trade-off is severe. The RTX 5060's GDDR7 memory, tensor cores, and PCIe 5.0 interface ensure it remains relevant for future workloads, whereas the RX 6800S's GDDR6 and RDNA 2.0 design is already dated. For anyone who can accommodate the RTX 5060's size and power requirements, the benchmark data leaves no room for debate.