AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive sweep for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D across all three shared benchmark tests. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RTX 4090 D scores 8,587 points against the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT's 2,257 points, a performance advantage of 280.5%. This is the largest gap between the two cards in any measured workload, and it reflects the fundamental difference in their respective positions within the database.

Moving to Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA card records 278,621 points, while the AMD mobile part reaches 85,040 points. The delta here is 227.6% in favor of the RTX 4090 D. In Geekbench Vulkan, the margin narrows slightly to 148.2%, with the NVIDIA card posting 246,941 points against the AMD card's 99,483 points. Even the smallest win is still a dominant one, and no single test in the dataset shows the RX 6850M XT ahead.

The average benchmark score amplifies the story. The RTX 4090 D holds an average of 178,050 points, placing it in the 98th percentile of all GPUs in the database. The RX 6850M XT averages 78,940 points, which still lands it in the 92nd percentile, a strong result for a mobile part, but the raw gap between the two averages is substantial. The NVIDIA card's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell at 182,109 points (2.2% higher) and the NVIDIA A100 SXM4 80 GB at 183,725 points (3.1% higher), show that the 4090 D is competing in a completely different performance tier than the AMD mobile GPU, whose nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (0.6% lower) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 (1.1% lower).

Where Each One Wins

The RTX 4090 D wins in every category where both cards have recorded data. In DX12-based 3DMark Steel Nomad, it is not merely ahead but nearly four times faster, which points to a large advantage in sustained rasterization and compute workloads typical of modern game engines. In OpenCL, the 280.5% delta in 3DMark shrinks to 227.6%, but the NVIDIA card still more than triples the AMD card's score. In Vulkan, the margin is 148.2%, still a commanding lead but the closest the AMD card gets in any shared test.

For the RX 6850M XT, there are no benchmark wins in the head-to-head data. However, the database records one test that the AMD card participates in that the NVIDIA card does not: Geekbench Metal, where the RX 6850M XT scores 128,981 points. This is not a comparison, since the RTX 4090 D has no Metal result, but it does indicate that the AMD card has a functional Metal path, which may matter for specific software ecosystems. In every direct comparison, the RTX 4090 D is the winner, so the use-case split is straightforward. The NVIDIA card is the choice for maximum compute throughput, high-resolution gaming, and any workload that stresses DX12 or Vulkan. The AMD card, despite its losses, remains a capable mobile solution for portable systems, as its 92nd percentile ranking suggests it outperforms the majority of GPUs in the database even while being outclassed by a desktop flagship.

Architecture Differences

The two GPUs come from different design philosophies and process nodes. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D is built on the AD102 chip using the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated by TSMC on a 5 nm process. It packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT uses the Navi 22 chip with RDNA 2.0 architecture, also on TSMC silicon but on a 7 nm process. Its transistor count is 17,200 million on a 335 mm² die, for a density of 51.3 million per square millimeter. The NVIDIA card has more than four times the transistor count and nearly double the die area.

The compute resources diverge sharply. The RTX 4090 D has 14,592 shading units, 456 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. It also includes 114 ray tracing cores and 456 tensor cores. The RX 6850M XT has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with 40 ray tracing cores and no tensor cores listed. Pixel and texture rates follow the same pattern: the NVIDIA card achieves 443.5 GPixel/s and 1,149.1 GTexel/s, while the AMD card reaches 165.2 GPixel/s and 413.0 GTexel/s. In FP32 compute, the RTX 4090 D delivers 73.54 TFLOPS, while the RX 6850M XT delivers 13.21 TFLOPS. In FP16, the NVIDIA card holds a 1:1 ratio at 73.54 TFLOPS, while the AMD card uses a 2:1 ratio, reaching 26.43 TFLOPS.

Memory configurations also differ fundamentally. The RTX 4090 D has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, yielding 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6850M XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, yielding 432.0 GB/s. The NVIDIA card's memory clock is listed at 1313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed, while the AMD card runs at 2250 MHz with 18 Gbps effective. Both support PCIe 4.0 x16, and both list DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The power situation is not comparable: the RTX 4090 D has a 425 W TDP, a triple-slot cooler, a single 16-pin power connector, and an 800 W suggested PSU. The RX 6850M XT has a 165 W TDP, no dedicated power connectors, and is classified as an integrated graphics package, making it suitable for laptops where the NVIDIA card cannot physically fit.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU is faster in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D scores 8,587 points, which is 280.5% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT's 2,257 points.

Q: How do the two cards compare in Geekbench Vulkan?

A: The RTX 4090 D records 246,941 points, while the RX 6850M XT records 99,483 points. The NVIDIA card leads by 148.2%.

Q: Does the AMD card win any benchmark in the head-to-head data?

A: No. The RX 6850M XT has zero wins across the three shared tests. It does have a Geekbench Metal score of 128,981 points, but the RTX 4090 D has no Metal result in the database, so no comparison exists.

Q: What is the average benchmark score for each GPU?

A: The RTX 4090 D has an average benchmark score of 178,050 points, placing it in the 98th percentile. The RX 6850M XT averages 78,940 points, placing it in the 92nd percentile.

Q: How much memory does each GPU have, and what type?

A: The RTX 4090 D has 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. The RX 6850M XT has 12 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with 432.0 GB/s bandwidth.

Q: Are the architectures fundamentally different?

A: Yes. The RTX 4090 D uses Ada Lovelace on a 5 nm TSMC process with 76,300 million transistors. The RX 6850M XT uses RDNA 2.0 on a 7 nm TSMC process with 17,200 million transistors.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in nearly every measurable specification. The RTX 4090 D has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, while the RX 6850M XT has a higher base clock of 2321 MHz and a boost clock of 2581 MHz, plus a game clock of 2463 MHz. Despite the AMD card's higher clock speeds, its much lower shader count and narrower memory bus result in far lower throughput. The memory systems differ in size, type, bus width, and bandwidth: 24 GB GDDR6X at 1.01 TB/s versus 12 GB GDDR6 at 432.0 GB/s. The RTX 4090 D has 14,592 shading units, 456 TMUs, 176 ROPs, 114 RT cores, and 456 tensor cores. The RX 6850M XT has 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 40 RT cores, with no tensor cores listed.

Pixel rate, texture rate, and FP32 throughput are all higher on the NVIDIA card: 443.5 GPixel/s versus 165.2 GPixel/s, 1,149.1 GTexel/s versus 413.0 GTexel/s, and 73.54 TFLOPS versus 13.21 TFLOPS. The FP16 numbers are 73.54 TFLOPS (1:1) for NVIDIA and 26.43 TFLOPS (2:1) for AMD. Power consumption is also far apart: 425 W versus 165 W, with the NVIDIA card requiring a triple-slot cooler and a 16-pin connector, while the AMD card is an IGP with no connectors. The physical dimensions differ as well: the RTX 4090 D measures 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 61 mm in width, while the RX 6850M XT has no recorded dimensions. The NVIDIA card was released on 2023-12-27, while the AMD card came earlier on 2022-01-03. The RTX 4090 D had a launch MSRP of 1,599 USD; the RX 6850M XT has no launch MSRP in the database. Both are end-of-life products.

The Verdict

The data points to a single conclusion: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 D is the superior GPU by every measured metric in the database. It wins all three head-to-head benchmarks, with deltas ranging from 148.2% to 280.5%. Its average benchmark score of 178,050 places it in the 98th percentile, and its nearest rivals are professional-grade NVIDIA cards like the RTX PRO 5000 Blackwell and the A100 SXM4 80 GB. The RX 6850M XT, by contrast, sits in the 92nd percentile with an average score of 78,940, and its nearest rivals are older Tesla P100 parts and the GeForce RTX 5090. The AMD card is not a weak product in absolute terms, but it is a mobile part with 165 W TDP, 12 GB of memory, and a 192-bit bus, while the NVIDIA card is a desktop flagship with 425 W TDP, 24 GB of memory, and a 384-bit bus.

Who should pick which? Strictly from the recorded data, the RTX 4090 D is for users who need maximum compute throughput, high-bandwidth memory, and top-tier ray tracing and tensor core resources. It is the only choice if the workload involves DX12, Vulkan, or OpenCL and demands the highest scores. The RX 6850M XT is for portable systems where a 425 W triple-slot card is physically impossible. Its 92nd percentile ranking means it still outperforms most GPUs in the database, and its 165 W TDP with no power connectors makes it a viable option for laptops. The decision is not about which card is better, which the data answers clearly, but about whether the system can accommodate a desktop flagship or requires a mobile solution.