GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 6900 XT

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

2022Core: 1260 MHzBoost: 1710 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 6900 XT

2020Core: 1825 MHzBoost: 2250 MHz
RX family
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GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 6900 XT Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 6900 XT FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 6900 XT: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

2022

Why buy it

  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

  • Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 6900 XT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • 25.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,250 MSRPvs$999 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.3 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($1,250 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).

Radeon RX 6900 XT

2020

Why buy it

  • 5.8% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Costs $251 less on MSRP ($999 MSRP vs $1,250 MSRP).
  • Delivers 25.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.8 vs 21.3 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $1,250 MSRP).
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • 33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
Radeon RX 6900 XT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 5.8% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 0.6% in PassMark G3D (26,729 vs 26,569), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: a newer 2022 generation instead of 2020. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 6900 XT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $251 cheaper on MSRP at $999 vs $1,250, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 25.9% (26.8 vs 21.3), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and strong 1440p, Radeon RX 6900 XT is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and strong 1440p headroom, GeForce RTX 3080 12GB has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 6900 XT Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 11 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1260 MHz to 1710 MHz. It has 8960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 70 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,569 points. Launch price was $799.

AMD

Radeon RX 6900 XT

The Radeon RX 6900 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 28 2020. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1825 MHz to 2250 MHz. It has 5120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 80 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,729 points. Launch price was $999.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB scores 26,569 and the Radeon RX 6900 XT reaches 26,729 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6900 XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 8,960 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 5,120 (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Raw compute: 30.64 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 23.04 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Boost clocks: 1710 MHz vs 2250 MHz. Ray tracing: 70 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 80 (Radeon RX 6900 XT) with 280 Tensor cores.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 12GBRadeon RX 6900 XT
G3D Mark Score
26,569
26,729
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
8960+75%
5120
Compute (TFLOPS)
30.64 TFLOPS+33%
23.04 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1710 MHz
2250 MHz+32%
ROPs
96
128+33%
TMUs
280
320+14%
L1 Cache
8.8 MB+780%
1 MB
L2 Cache
6 MB+50%
4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores
70
80+14%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6900 XT is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 6900 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 12GBRadeon RX 6900 XT
Upscaling Tech
DLSS 2 Super Resolution
FSR 3
Frame Generation
Not Supported
FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 6900 XT carries 16 GB. Radeon RX 6900 XT gives you 33.3% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 912 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 512 GB/s (Radeon RX 6900 XT) — a 78.1% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 6900 XT. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 6900 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 12GBRadeon RX 6900 XT
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
16 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6X
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
912 GB/s+78%
512 GB/s
Bus Width
384-bit+50%
256-bit
L2 Cache
6 MB+50%
4 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 12GBRadeon RX 6900 XT
DirectX
12 Ultimate
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.4+8%
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (Radeon RX 6900 XT).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 12GBRadeon RX 6900 XT
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
VCN 3.0
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
VCN 3.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 6900 XT's 300W — a 15.4% difference. The Radeon RX 6900 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 850W (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 285mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2.5 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 12GBRadeon RX 6900 XT
TDP
350W
300W-14%
Recommended PSU
750W-12%
850W
Power Connector
2x 8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
285mm
267mm
Height
112mm
120mm
Slots
2-20%
2.5
Temp (Load)
80°C
80°C
Perf/Watt
75.9
89.1+17%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB came in at $1250, while the Radeon RX 6900 XT launched at $999. On MSRP, Radeon RX 6900 XT was 20.1% cheaper ($251 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.3 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 26.8 (Radeon RX 6900 XT) — the Radeon RX 6900 XT offers 25.8% better value. The newer card here is GeForce RTX 3080 12GB (2022 vs 2020).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 12GBRadeon RX 6900 XT
MSRP
$1250
$999-20%
Performance per Dollar
21.3
26.8+26%
Codename
GA102
Navi 21
Release
January 11 2022
October 28 2020
Ranking
#38
#35

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