AMD Radeon RX 6800S vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile Comparison

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile and AMD Radeon RX 6800S represent two distinct philosophies for high-performance gaming laptops, with the data showing a clear, though nuanced, performance hierarchy. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile emerges as the outright performance leader across every single benchmark in this comparison, yet the RX 6800S counters with a significantly more efficient design that raises compelling questions about the trade-offs between raw power and portability.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The most dramatic separation occurs in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, where the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scores 2869 against the AMD Radeon RX 6800S's 1689. This represents a massive 69.9% delta, the largest performance gap in the entire dataset. This single result suggests that in modern, graphics-heavy DX12 workloads, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile operates in a different performance class entirely.

Compute workloads tell a similar story. In Geekbench OpenCL, the NVIDIA part scores 117866 compared to 73202 for the AMD, a 61% advantage. The gap narrows somewhat in Geekbench Vulkan, where the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's 107502 is 32.3% ahead of the RX 6800S's 81272. This pattern implies that while NVIDIA's architecture excels across all compute APIs, its advantage is particularly pronounced in OpenCL, which often reflects more general-purpose or GPU-compute-heavy tasks.

The legacy DirectX benchmarks reveal a mixed but still NVIDIA-favorable picture. In PassMark DirectX 10, the margin is 44% (131 vs 91), while DirectX 12 shows a 35.4% lead (88 vs 65). The narrowest victory in the entire head-to-head set comes in PassMark DirectX 9, where the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's 201 barely edges out the RX 6800S's 200, a mere 0.5% delta. This near-tie in an older API suggests that when workloads are simple and bound by other factors, the two GPUs perform almost identically.

The synthetic gaming aggregate, PassMark G3D, shows the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile at 19288 versus 15908 for the RX 6800S, a 21.2% overall lead. Interestingly, the PassMark GPU Compute score shows a larger 37.9% gap (8471 vs 6144), reinforcing that the NVIDIA GPU's advantage grows with computational intensity. Even in the 2D test, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile leads by 11.7% (818 vs 732), though this is likely influenced by memory bandwidth and cache efficiencies rather than raw shader power.

Where Each One Wins

Based strictly on the benchmark data, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile wins in every category. There are zero benchmark victories for the AMD Radeon RX 6800S in the head-to-head comparison. However, analyzing the magnitude of these wins reveals distinct use-case strengths.

The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's dominance is most pronounced in high-end DX12 gaming and compute-heavy applications. Its 69.9% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad and 61% lead in OpenCL point to a GPU that is built to handle the most demanding next-generation titles and professional workloads like rendering or scientific computation. The 37.9% advantage in PassMark GPU Compute further cements this as a compute-first powerhouse.

Where the RX 6800S shows relative strength is in legacy and lighter workloads. Its near-identical DirectX 9 score (200 vs 201) means that for older games or less demanding esports titles, the AMD GPU loses almost nothing in practical performance. The 18% gap in DirectX 11 (139 vs 164) and 21.2% in G3D are far more moderate than the DX12 and compute margins, suggesting that in typical current-generation games with DX11 rendering paths, the RX 6800S remains competitive despite its lower overall specifications.

The data implies that a user prioritizing maximum frame rates in the latest AAA titles or running GPU-accelerated productivity workloads should favor the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile. Conversely, the RX 6800S's smaller deltas in older APIs and its significantly lower power draw make it a more balanced option for gamers whose library is weighted toward established titles or who value system-wide efficiency.

Architecture Differences

The architectural chasm between these two GPUs is substantial and explains the performance data. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is built on the Ampere architecture using a GA103 chip manufactured on Samsung's 8 nm process. This is a large, complex die measuring 496 mm² and containing 22,000 million transistors, yielding a transistor density of 44.4M per mm². In contrast, the AMD Radeon RX 6800S uses the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip on TSMC's more advanced 7 nm node. Its die is much smaller at 237 mm², housing 11,060 million transistors at a higher density of 46.7M per mm².

These physical differences translate directly into massive specification gaps. The NVIDIA GPU features 7424 shading units, 232 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, dwarfing the AMD's 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile also carries 58 RT cores and 232 tensor cores, while the RX 6800S has 32 RT cores and no tensor cores at all. This explains the NVIDIA GPU's massive lead in compute-heavy benchmarks, as it simply has over 3.6 times the shading units.

Memory configuration further differentiates them. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile offers 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RX 6800S is limited to 8 GB on a 128-bit bus, halving bandwidth to 256.0 GB/s. This 2x bandwidth advantage is critical for the 4K textures and high-resolution rendering that the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile handles with relative ease.

Clock speeds tell a different story, however. The RX 6800S runs at a base clock of 1800 MHz and boosts to 2100 MHz, with a game clock of 1975 MHz. The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is far more conservative, with an 810 MHz base and 1260 MHz boost. This is where the AMD GPU's efficiency shines. Despite much lower clocks, the RX 6800S achieves a pixel rate of 134.4 GPixel/s, actually higher than the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's 121.0 GPixel/s. This is a direct result of the AMD GPU's higher clock speed compensating for fewer ROPs.

The FP32 compute figures are stark: the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile delivers 18.71 TFLOPS, while the RX 6800S manages only 8.602 TFLOPS. Interestingly, in FP16, the AMD GPU achieves 17.20 TFLOPS via a 2:1 ratio, nearly matching the NVIDIA's 18.71 TFLOPS with its 1:1 ratio. This suggests that in workloads using FP16 precision, the performance gap narrows significantly, though the NVIDIA GPU still leads.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has higher raw compute performance?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile delivers 18.71 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is more than double the AMD Radeon RX 6800S's 8.602 TFLOPS. This aligns with its 61% lead in Geekbench OpenCL and 37.9% lead in PassMark GPU Compute.

Q: How do the memory subsystems compare?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth, while the RX 6800S has 8 GB on a 128-bit bus with 256.0 GB/s. This 2x bandwidth advantage is a key factor in the NVIDIA GPU's superior DX12 and high-resolution performance.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 6800S more power-efficient?

A: Yes, the RX 6800S has a 100 W TDP compared to the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile's 115 W. Despite drawing 15 W less, it achieves higher clock speeds (2100 MHz boost vs 1260 MHz) and a higher pixel rate (134.4 GPixel/s vs 121.0 GPixel/s), indicating superior architectural efficiency per watt.

Q: What explains the near-tie in DirectX 9 performance?

A: In PassMark DirectX 9, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile scores 201 versus 200 for the RX 6800S, a negligible 0.5% delta. This likely reflects that older DX9 workloads are not demanding enough to utilize the NVIDIA GPU's massive shading unit advantage, allowing the AMD GPU's higher clocks to nearly equalize performance.

Q: Which GPU has better ray tracing hardware?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile features 58 RT cores, while the RX 6800S has 32 RT cores. While this suggests superior ray tracing capability for the NVIDIA GPU, the benchmark data does not include a dedicated ray tracing test to quantify the real-world difference.

Q: How do these GPUs compare in overall benchmark standings?

A: The RTX 3080 Ti Mobile has an average benchmark score of 25740, placing it in the 71st percentile of all GPUs. The RX 6800S averages 24063, sitting in the 69th percentile. The NVIDIA GPU's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon Pro W5700, while the AMD GPU's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER.

The Verdict

The data paints a clear picture: the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the unequivocal performance winner, taking all 10 head-to-head benchmarks and holding an average score advantage of 25740 versus 24063. For users who demand maximum frame rates in the latest DX12 titles, engage in GPU compute work, or require the headroom of 16 GB of memory, the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the only logical choice. Its 69.9% lead in 3DMark Steel Nomad alone justifies its position as the high-performance option.

However, the AMD Radeon RX 6800S presents a compelling counter-argument centered on efficiency. Its 7 nm process allows for a 100 W TDP, 15 W lower than the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile, while still delivering competitive performance in legacy APIs and maintaining a respectable 21.2% deficit in overall gaming performance. The 8 GB memory capacity is a limitation for future-proofing at high resolutions, but for a user prioritizing battery life, thinner chassis designs, or who primarily plays less demanding titles, the RX 6800S offers a more balanced package.

The choice ultimately depends on what the user values more: maximum absolute performance or efficiency and portability. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 3080 Ti Mobile is the top-tier performer, while the RX 6800S is a smart, efficient alternative that sacrifices significant compute and high-end gaming performance but offers a more favorable power profile.

Specification Differences

| Specification | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Mobile | AMD Radeon RX 6800S |

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

| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 2.0 |

| Process Node | 8 nm (Samsung) | 7 nm (TSMC) |

| Die Size | 496 mm² | 237 mm² |

| Transistors | 22,000 million | 11,060 million |

| Base Clock | 810 MHz | 1800 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1260 MHz | 2100 MHz |

| Game Clock | N/A | 1975 MHz |

| Memory Size | 16 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus | 256 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 512.0 GB/s | 256.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 7424 | 2048 |

| TMUs | 232 | 128 |

| ROPs | 96 | 64 |

| RT Cores | 58 | 32 |

| Tensor Cores | 232 | N/A |

| Pixel Rate | 121.0 GPixel/s | 134.4 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 292.3 GTexel/s | 268.8 GTexel/s |

| FP32 Performance | 18.71 TFLOPS | 8.602 TFLOPS |

| FP16 Performance | 18.71 TFLOPS (1:1) | 17.20 TFLOPS (2:1) |

| TDP | 115 W | 100 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |