AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is a high-end graphics card from the Radeon RX 6000 series, built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a 7 nm process at TSMC. It packs 26,800 million transistors on a 520 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 51.5M per mm². The card runs at a base clock of 1825 MHz, a game clock of 2015 MHz, and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. It launched on October 27, 2020, with a launch MSRP of 649 USD. The GPU is now end-of-life, but its benchmark data remains relevant for comparing current and legacy hardware.

Power and Cooling — TDP, PSU recommendation, connector requirements

The RX 6800 XT carries a thermal design power (TDP) of 300 W, a figure that directly informs the recommended power supply rating. AMD specifies a suggested PSU of 700 W, which provides headroom for the card’s peak transient loads and the rest of a typical system. Power is delivered through two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, a standard configuration for high-end cards of this generation. The card is dual-slot in width, measuring 267 mm in length, 120 mm in height, and 50 mm in width. These dimensions mean it will fit in most full-size ATX cases, but users with compact builds should verify clearance. The interface is PCIe 4.0 x16, which is backward compatible with PCIe 3.0 slots, though the card may operate at reduced bandwidth in older systems. The 300 W TDP also implies that adequate case airflow is necessary; the dual-slot design typically accommodates a capable air cooler, though the fact pack does not specify the cooler type. For power delivery, the 2x 8-pin connectors are standard for this power class, and the 700 W PSU recommendation aligns with similar GPUs from the same era. No additional power connector details are provided beyond these.

Memory Subsystem — VRAM size/type, bus width, bandwidth and what it means for high resolutions

The RX 6800 XT is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 512.0 GB/s. The memory clock is listed as 2000 MHz with a 16 Gbps effective data rate. This configuration is significant for high-resolution workloads: 16 GB of VRAM allows for large textures and complex scenes without overflowing into system memory, which is a common bottleneck at 4K and above. The 512 GB/s bandwidth provides sufficient data throughput to feed the 4608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 128 ROPs. In practice, the combination of large capacity and high bandwidth supports smooth performance in memory-intensive games and professional applications that rely on large datasets. The 256-bit bus width is a middle ground between narrower 128-bit and wider 384-bit designs, but the high effective clock rate compensates to deliver a competitive bandwidth figure. For users who prioritize high-resolution gaming or content creation with large assets, the 16 GB pool is a clear advantage over cards with 8 GB or 12 GB. The memory subsystem is also well-matched to the card’s compute capabilities, as the FP32 throughput of 20.74 TFLOPS and FP16 of 41.47 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio) can be sustained without memory starvation. While the fact pack does not include resolution-specific benchmark results, the memory configuration strongly suggests that the card is designed for high-resolution scenarios.

Ray Tracing and Feature Set — RT/tensor cores, API support from facts

The RX 6800 XT includes 72 ray tracing (RT) cores, which are dedicated hardware units for accelerating ray-traced effects. This places it among the first generation of GPUs with hardware ray tracing support from AMD. The card does not list tensor cores; the fact pack shows a null value for tensorCores, indicating that no AI acceleration hardware is specified for this model. This is a notable distinction from some rival architectures that include tensor cores for deep learning tasks. In terms of API support, the card is compliant with DirectX 12 Ultimate (version 12_2), which includes features such as ray tracing, variable rate shading, and mesh shaders. It also supports OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, covering a wide range of modern graphics APIs. The display outputs are 1x HDMI 2.1, 2x DisplayPort 1.4a, and 1x USB Type-C, which allows for flexible multi-monitor setups and future-proof connectivity. The presence of RT cores means that games with ray-traced lighting, shadows, and reflections can be rendered with hardware acceleration, though the performance impact will depend on the specific workload. The absence of tensor cores means that features like DLSS (which rely on tensor hardware) are not available; however, the card can still use AMD’s FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) if supported by games, though FSR is not mentioned in the fact pack. The API support is comprehensive for modern titles, and the hardware ray tracing capability is a key selling point for this generation.

How It Compares — position vs each nearest rival

The RX 6800 XT’s average benchmark score is 49,982, placing it at the 87th percentile among all GPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals, based on average scores, are four cards with very close performance margins.

Intel Arc A550M: The Intel Arc A550M has an average score of 49,737, which is 0.5% lower than the RX 6800 XT. This is a negligible difference, indicating that the two cards perform nearly identically in aggregate. The RX 6800 XT holds a slight edge, but the margin is within run-to-run variance. Users choosing between these would likely see no perceptible difference in most games.

NVIDIA RTX A1000: The NVIDIA RTX A1000 posts an average score of 50,826, which is 1.7% higher than the RX 6800 XT. This puts the RX 6800 XT slightly behind this professional-focused card. The RTX A1000 is a workstation GPU, so its lead in synthetic benchmarks may not translate to gaming performance, but the data shows a measurable deficit for the RX 6800 XT.

NVIDIA CMP 50HX: The NVIDIA CMP 50HX achieves an average score of 49,071, which is 1.9% lower than the RX 6800 XT. This mining-oriented card is slightly slower, and the RX 6800 XT outperforms it by a small but consistent margin. The CMP 50HX lacks display outputs, but in pure compute benchmarks, the RX 6800 XT holds a clear advantage.

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER: The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER has an average score of 48,704, which is 2.6% lower than the RX 6800 XT. This is the largest gap among the nearest rivals, with the RX 6800 XT leading by a modest but real margin. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a newer generation card, yet the RX 6800 XT’s aggregate benchmark performance is slightly higher.

Benchmark Performance — analyze scores vs rivals with exact % deltas

The RX 6800 XT’s average benchmark score of 49,982 is derived from a suite of tests covering various APIs and workloads. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test yields a score of 3,689, which is a measure of modern gaming performance under DirectX 12. In Geekbench, the card achieves 199,366 in Metal, 154,506 in OpenCL, and 152,200 in Vulkan, indicating strong compute capabilities across different frameworks. The PassMark suite shows a mix of results: DirectX 10 scores 155, DirectX 11 scores 264, DirectX 12 scores 100, and DirectX 9 scores 265. The notably low DirectX 12 score (100) compared to DirectX 11 (264) suggests that the card may be better optimized for older APIs, or that the test is not representative of real-world performance. The PassMark G2D (2D graphics) score is 1,030, while G3D (3D graphics) scores 24,980, and GPU compute scores 13,245. These numbers provide a broad view of the card’s capabilities, but the aggregate score is what drives the comparison to rivals.

Against its nearest rivals, the RX 6800 XT is 0.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A550M, 1.7% behind the NVIDIA RTX A1000, 1.9% ahead of the NVIDIA CMP 50HX, and 2.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER. These deltas are all within a few percentage points, meaning the card sits in a tight competitive cluster. The 87th percentile ranking indicates that the RX 6800 XT outperforms 87% of all GPUs in the database, which is a strong showing even for a card that is now end-of-life. The average score of 49,982 is the reference point for all these comparisons, and it reflects the card’s overall balance of compute, memory, and rasterization performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the TDP of the RX 6800 XT?

A: The TDP is 300 W, and AMD recommends a 700 W power supply for a system using this card.

Q: How much memory does the RX 6800 XT have, and what is its bandwidth?

A: It has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

Q: Does the RX 6800 XT support hardware ray tracing?

A: Yes, it includes 72 dedicated ray tracing cores. It also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Q: How does the RX 6800 XT compare to the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti SUPER?

A: The RX 6800 XT has an average benchmark score of 49,982, which is 2.6% higher than the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER’s score of 48,704.

Q: What is the average benchmark score of the RX 6800 XT?

A: The average benchmark score is 49,982, placing it at the 87th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What power connectors does the RX 6800 XT require?

A: It uses two 8-pin PCIe power connectors, and the card is dual-slot in width.

Who Should Consider It

The RX 6800 XT is best suited for users who demand high performance in demanding graphics workloads, particularly at high resolutions. The 16 GB VRAM and 512 GB/s bandwidth are well-suited for large textures and complex scenes, making it a strong candidate for 4K gaming or high-refresh-rate 1440p play. The card’s 87th percentile ranking and its lead over several close rivals (including the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER by 2.6%) indicate that it can handle modern titles with high settings. However, its end-of-life status means that new stock may be scarce, and buyers should consider the 300 W TDP and 700 W PSU requirement when planning a build. For users who prioritize ray tracing, the 72 RT cores provide hardware acceleration, though the absence of tensor cores means no AI-based upscaling like DLSS. The card’s compute performance (20.74 TFLOPS FP32, 41.47 TFLOPS FP16) also makes it capable for content creation and scientific workloads. Given its competitive benchmark scores, the RX 6800 XT remains a viable option for those who can find it at a reasonable price, but the lack of modern features like tensor cores and the end-of-life status should be weighed against newer alternatives. In summary, the data shows a well-rounded card that still holds its own against much newer hardware, making it a sensible choice for high-resolution gaming and general compute tasks.