AMD Radeon RX 6800 vs NVIDIA RTX A4000 Comparison

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has the higher average benchmark score?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 records an average benchmark score of 30095, while the NVIDIA RTX A4000 records 26683. The RX 6800 sits at the 75th percentile among all GPUs, compared to the 72nd percentile for the RTX A4000.

Q: How do the two cards compare in DirectX 12 performance?

A: In the PassMark DirectX 12 test, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 scores 89, which is 23.6% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A4000’s 72. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the RX 6800 leads by 22.4%, scoring 3188 versus 2604.

Q: Does the NVIDIA RTX A4000 win any benchmark categories?

A: Yes, the RTX A4000 wins 3 of the 10 head-to-head tests. It takes Geekbench OpenCL with a score of 105739 versus the RX 6800’s 24508, Geekbench Vulkan at 127645 versus 115107, and PassMark G2D at 1024 versus 990.

Q: Which card has more shading units and tensor cores?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A4000 has 6144 shading units and 192 tensor cores. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 has 3840 shading units and no tensor cores. However, the RX 6800 has 60 RT cores versus 48 on the RTX A4000.

Q: What is the TDP difference between the two?

A: The NVIDIA RTX A4000 has a TDP of 140 W, while the AMD Radeon RX 6800 has a TDP of 250 W. The RTX A4000 also requires only a 300 W suggested PSU, compared to 600 W for the RX 6800.

Q: How do their transistor counts and die sizes compare?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 uses 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, while the NVIDIA RTX A4000 uses 17,400 million transistors on a 392 mm² die. The RX 6800 has a higher transistor density at 51.5M per mm² versus 44.4M per mm² for the RTX A4000.

The Verdict

The data separates these two cards by workload type more than by raw capability. If the benchmark list is dominated by gaming and general 3D rendering, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is the clear choice, winning 7 of the 10 recorded head-to-head tests. Its PassMark G3D score of 22067 is 13.4% ahead of the RTX A4000’s 19459, and its DirectX 11 lead is substantial at 35.4%.

However, the NVIDIA RTX A4000 is not simply an inferior card. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 76.8% higher than the RX 6800, a massive margin that suggests a different compute profile. For users whose workloads rely on OpenCL acceleration, the RTX A4000 is the stronger pick. Its 192 tensor cores are also a feature the RX 6800 lacks entirely, indicating a design for professional compute tasks.

The choice should be guided by the specific application list. If the workload is gaming, DirectX, or Vulkan gaming scenarios, the RX 6800 wins. If the workload is OpenCL compute, memory bandwidth demands, or power-constrained environments, the RTX A4000 is a better match. The RTX A4000’s 140 W TDP and single-slot design also make it easier to integrate into dense workstation builds, while the RX 6800’s 250 W TDP and dual-slot footprint require more power and space.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The largest single win for the AMD Radeon RX 6800 comes in PassMark DirectX 11, where it scores 214 versus the RTX A4000’s 158, a 35.4% advantage. This is followed by PassMark DirectX 12, where the RX 6800 leads 89 to 72, a 23.6% gap. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the RX 6800 scores 3188 against 2604, a 22.4% lead. These three tests show a consistent pattern in modern DirectX workloads.

The RX 6800 also wins PassMark G3D, scoring 22067 versus 19459, a 13.4% margin, and PassMark GPU Compute at 10864 versus 9760, an 11.3% lead. Smaller wins include PassMark DirectX 9 (257 to 240, 7.1%) and PassMark DirectX 10 (128 to 126, 1.6%).

The NVIDIA RTX A4000’s biggest win is in Geekbench OpenCL, where it scores 105739 against the RX 6800’s 24508, a 76.8% margin. That is the largest delta in the entire comparison. The RTX A4000 also wins Geekbench Vulkan at 127645 versus 115107, a 9.8% lead, and PassMark G2D at 1024 versus 990, a 3.3% advantage.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ across nearly every physical and performance spec. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 also has 16 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, but bandwidth is 448.0 GB/s, which is 64 GB/s lower.

Clock speeds are not directly comparable. The RX 6800 has a base clock of 1700 MHz and a boost clock of 2105 MHz, while the RTX A4000 has a base clock of 735 MHz and a boost clock of 1560 MHz. The RX 6800 also records a game clock of 1815 MHz, which the RTX A4000 lacks.

The transistor count differs by 9,400 million, with the RX 0 at 26,800 million and the RTX A4000 at 17,400 million. The die size is 520 mm² for the RX 6800 and 392 mm² for the RTX A4000. Transistor density is 51.5M / mm² versus 44.4M / mm².

Shading units are 3840 for the RX 6800 and 6144 for the RTX A4000, a difference of 2304. TMUs are 240 versus 192, 48 more on the RX 6800. ROPs are identical at 96 each. RT cores are 60 versus 48, a 12-core difference. The RTX A4000 has 192 tensor cores, while the RX 6800 has none.

Pixel rate is higher on the RX 6800 at 202.1 Gpixel/s versus 149.8 GPixel/s. Texture rate is also higher: 505.2 GTexel/s versus 299.5 GTexel/s. FP32 performance is 16.17 TFLOPS for the RX 6800 and 19.17 TFLOPS for the RTX A4000. FP16 performance shows a larger gap in the other direction: 32.33 TFLOPS (2:1) for the RX 6800 versus 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1) for the RTX A4000.

Power and physical dimensions differ greatly as well. The RX 6800 has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W PSU. The RTX A4000 has a TDP of 140 W and a 300 W PSU. The RX 6800 is dual-slot, requires 2x 8-pin power connectors, and measures 267 mm in length. The RTX A4000 is single-slot, uses 1x 6-pin power, and is 241 mm long.

Display outputs differ: the RX 6800 has 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C. The RTX A4000 has 4x DisplayPort 1.4a and no HDMI or USB Type-C.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is built on RDNA 2.0 architecture using the Navi 21 chip. It is fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 uses Ampere architecture with the GA104 chip, fabricated on an 8 nm process at Samsung. The process node difference (7 nm versus 8 nm) partially explains the different transistor densities.

Memory configuration is similar in capacity (16 GB GDDR6) and bus width (256-bit), but the RX Read 6800 achieves 512.0 GB/s versus 448.0 GB/s for the RTX A4000. The RX 6800’s memory clock runs at 2000 MHz with 16 Gbps effective rate, while the RTX A4000’s memory clock is 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective.

The RTX A4000 includes 192 tensor cores, which the RX 6800 lacks entirely. Tensor cores are typically used for AI and deep learning workloads. The RTX A4000 also has more shading units (6144 versus 3840) and more RT cores count is lower (48 versus 60). The RX 6800 has higher pixel and texture fill rates (202.1 GPixel/s and 505.2 GTexel/s versus 149.8 and 299.5), which benefits rasterization-heavy scenes.

The FP32 peak is higher on the RTX A4000 at 19.17 TFLOPS versus 16.17 TFLOPS. However, the FP16 peak is higher on the RX 6800 due to its 2:1 ratio: 32.33 TFLOPS versus 19.17 TFLOPS (1:1). This suggests the RX 0 can process half-precision data faster, while the RTX A4000 maintains a 1:1 ratio.

Both cards support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. Release dates differ: the RX 6800 was released on 2020-10-27, and the RTX A4000 on 2021-04-11. The RX 6800’s predecessor is Navi and successor is Navi III. The RTX A4000’s predecessor is Quadro Turing, and its successor is Workstation Ada.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 wins the majority of the benchmark suite, taking 7 out of 10 tests. It dominates DirectX tests: DX11 is a 35.4% lead, DX12 is a 23.6% lead, and DX9 is a 7.1% lead. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it leads by 22.4%. It also wins PassMark G3D (13.4%) and PassMark GPU Compute (11.3%). These wins suggest it is better suited for gaming, real-time rendering, and compute workloads that use DirectX or standard graphics pipelines. The RX 6800’s higher pixel and texture rates translate to faster rasterization in many game engines.

The NVIDIA RTX A4000 wins 3 tests. Its Geekbench OpenCL score is 105739 versus 24508, which means it is 76.8% faster in that specific API. That is an enormous advantage that cannot be ignored for applications that rely on OpenCL. It also wins Geekbench Vulkan by 9.8% and PassMark G2D by 3.3%. The Vulkan win is notable because the RX 6800 wins DirectX tests, but the RTX A4000 takes Vulkan. The G2D win is for 2D graphics, which is usually less critical for 3D workloads.

For use-case selection: if the software stack uses OpenCL heavily (some professional 3D applications, physics simulations, or video processing), the RTX A4000 is the superior choice. Its 76.8% OpenCL lead is the largest margin in the entire comparison. The RTX A4000 also fits into low-power or space-constrained systems, with a 140 W TDP and single-slot design versus the RX 6800’s 250 W and dual-slot footprint. The 192 tensor cores also make it a better candidate for AI inference or training tasks that leverage TensorRT or similar frameworks, though no direct tensor benchmark is listed.

The RX 6800 is the winner for a traditional gaming PC or a workstation that prioritizes DirectX 12 performance. Its 23.6% lead in DX12 and 35.4% in DX11 are substantial. The 16 GB memory is equal on both, so capacity not a differentiator. The RX 6800 also has higher fill rates (202.1 GPixel/s versus 149.8) and texture rates (505.2 GTexel/s versus 299.5), which help in high-resolution textures and high-polygon scenes. The RX 6800’s launch MSRP is 579 USD, but that is not relevant to its performance.

In summary, the RX 6800 is the more balanced performer in the majority of recorded benchmarks, but the RTX A4000’s OpenCL and Vulkan wins make it a specialists in compute-heavy environments. The choice is not about which is better overall, but which workload is more important.