GeForce RTX 3080 Ti vs Radeon RX 6950 XT

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

2021Core: 1365 MHzBoost: 1665 MHz
VS
AMD

Radeon RX 6950 XT

2022Core: 1925 MHzBoost: 2324 MHz

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti vs Radeon RX 6950 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 Ti vs Radeon RX 6950 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 Ti vs Radeon RX 6950 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 Ti

2021

Why buy it

  • 0.5% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

  • 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).
  • 9.1% HIGHER MSRP
    $1,199 MSRPvs$1,099 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 22.4 vs 25.5 G3D/$ ($1,199 MSRP vs $1,099 MSRP).

Radeon RX 6950 XT

2022

Why buy it

  • Costs $100 less on MSRP ($1,099 MSRP vs $1,199 MSRP).
  • Delivers 14% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 25.5 vs 22.4 G3D/$ ($1,099 MSRP vs $1,199 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

  • Lower average FPS than GeForce RTX 3080 Ti across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 0.5% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon RX 6950 XT instead at 28,076 vs 26,861, so for this question the real-game FPS result matters more than the synthetic split.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 6950 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 16 GB vs 12 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is limited to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 8nm, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2021. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
Radeon RX 6950 XT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $100 cheaper on MSRP at $1,099 vs $1,199, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 14% (25.5 vs 22.4), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. GeForce RTX 3080 Ti still makes more sense if max raw gaming performance matters more than value.

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti vs Radeon RX 6950 XT Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3080 Ti

The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in May 31 2021. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1365 MHz to 1665 MHz. It has 10240 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 80 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,861 points. Launch price was $1,199.

AMD

Radeon RX 6950 XT

The Radeon RX 6950 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in May 10 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1925 MHz to 2324 MHz. It has 5120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 335W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 80 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 28,076 points. Launch price was $1,099.

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti scores 26,861 and the Radeon RX 6950 XT reaches 28,076 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 4.5% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6950 XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 10,240 (GeForce RTX 3080 Ti) vs 5,120 (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Raw compute: 34.1 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3080 Ti) vs 23.8 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Boost clocks: 1665 MHz vs 2324 MHz. Ray tracing: 80 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3080 Ti) vs 80 (Radeon RX 6950 XT) with 320 Tensor cores.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 TiRadeon RX 6950 XT
G3D Mark Score
26,861
28,076+5%
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
10240+100%
5120
Compute (TFLOPS)
34.1 TFLOPS+43%
23.8 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1665 MHz
2324 MHz+40%
ROPs
112
128+14%
TMUs
320
320
L1 Cache
10 MB+900%
1 MB
L2 Cache
6 MB+50%
4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores
80
80

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6950 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 Ti does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The Radeon RX 6950 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 TiRadeon RX 6950 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 Ti has 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 6950 XT carries 16 GB. Radeon RX 6950 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 Ti) vs 576 GB/s (Radeon RX 6950 XT) — a 58.3% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti. Memory bus width is 384-bit on the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 6950 XT. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3080 Ti) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 6950 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 TiRadeon RX 6950 XT
VRAM Capacity
12 GB
16 GB+33%
Memory Type
GDDR6X
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
912 GB/s+58%
576 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 Ti) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 TiRadeon RX 6950 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 Ti) vs RDNA 2 (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs RDNA 2. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3080 Ti) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 decode (Radeon RX 6950 XT).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 TiRadeon RX 6950 XT
Encoder
NVENC 7th gen
RDNA 2
Decoder
NVDEC 5th gen
RDNA 2
Codecs
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 decode
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 6950 XT's 335W — a 4.4% difference. The Radeon RX 6950 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (GeForce RTX 3080 Ti) vs 850W (Radeon RX 6950 XT). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 285mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 3 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 83°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 TiRadeon RX 6950 XT
TDP
350W
335W-4%
Recommended PSU
750W-12%
850W
Power Connector
2x 8-pin
2x 8-pin
Length
285mm
267mm
Height
112mm
120mm
Slots
2-33%
3
Temp (Load)
85°C
83°C-2%
Perf/Watt
76.7
83.8+9%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3080 Ti came in at $1199, while the Radeon RX 6950 XT launched at $1099. On MSRP, Radeon RX 6950 XT was 8.3% cheaper ($100 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 22.4 (GeForce RTX 3080 Ti) vs 25.5 (Radeon RX 6950 XT) — the Radeon RX 6950 XT offers 13.8% better value. The newer card here is Radeon RX 6950 XT (2022 vs 2021).

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080 TiRadeon RX 6950 XT
MSRP
$1199
$1099-8%
Performance per Dollar
22.4
25.5+14%
Codename
GA102
Navi 21
Release
May 31 2021
May 10 2022
Ranking
#33
#25

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