GeForce RTX 3080 vs Radeon RX 6900 XT

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3080

2020Core: 1440 MHzBoost: 1710 MHz
RTX family
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VS
AMD

Radeon RX 6900 XT

2020Core: 1825 MHzBoost: 2250 MHz
RX family
·······

GeForce RTX 3080 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 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 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

2020

Why buy it

  • Costs $300 less on MSRP ($699 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • Delivers 34.1% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 35.9 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($699 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
  • 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 10 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
  • No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).

Radeon RX 6900 XT

2020

Why buy it

  • 2.6% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
  • Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
  • 60% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 10 GB).

Trade-offs

  • No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.
  • 42.9% HIGHER MSRP
    $999 MSRPvs$699 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 26.8 vs 35.9 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $699 MSRP).

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 2.6% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data and by 6.6% in PassMark G3D (26,729 vs 25,071), so the answer here is pretty clean.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
Radeon RX 6900 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: 16 GB vs 10 GB of VRAM, the newer feature stack, with FSR 3 (2023) and FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023), while GeForce RTX 3080 is limited to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020) and no comparable frame-generation support, a 7nm process instead of 8nm, and 80 vs 68 ray-tracing units. That gives it more room for heavier textures and higher settings over time.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce RTX 3080 makes the most sense to buy today. It is $300 cheaper on MSRP at $699 vs $999, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 34.1% (35.9 vs 26.8), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and strong 1440p, GeForce RTX 3080 is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and strong 1440p headroom, Radeon RX 6900 XT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce RTX 3080 vs Radeon RX 6900 XT Technical Specifications

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

NVIDIA

GeForce RTX 3080

The GeForce RTX 3080 is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in September 1 2020. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1440 MHz to 1710 MHz. It has 8704 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 320W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 68 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 25,071 points. Launch price was $699.

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

In G3D Mark, the GeForce RTX 3080 scores 25,071 versus the Radeon RX 6900 XT's 26,729 — the Radeon RX 6900 XT leads by 6.6%. The GeForce RTX 3080 is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6900 XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 8,704 (GeForce RTX 3080) vs 5,120 (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Raw compute: 29.77 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3080) vs 23.04 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Boost clocks: 1710 MHz vs 2250 MHz. Ray tracing: 68 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3080) vs 80 (Radeon RX 6900 XT) with 272 Tensor cores.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 6900 XT
G3D Mark Score
25,071
26,729+7%
Architecture
Ampere
RDNA 2.0
Process Node
8 nm
7 nm
Shading Units
8704+70%
5120
Compute (TFLOPS)
29.77 TFLOPS+29%
23.04 TFLOPS
Boost Clock
1710 MHz
2250 MHz+32%
ROPs
96
128+33%
TMUs
272
320+18%
L1 Cache
8.5 MB+750%
1 MB
L2 Cache
5 MB+25%
4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores
68
80+18%

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 does not have comparable native support in the same tier.The GeForce RTX 3080 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 3080Radeon 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 has 10 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 6900 XT carries 16 GB. Radeon RX 6900 XT gives you 60% more memory capacity, which matters more once you move into heavier textures, mods, or higher resolutions. Memory bandwidth: 760 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3080) vs 512 GB/s (Radeon RX 6900 XT) — a 48.4% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3080. Memory bus width is 320-bit on the GeForce RTX 3080 and 256-bit on the Radeon RX 6900 XT. L2 Cache: 5 MB (GeForce RTX 3080) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 6900 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3080 has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 6900 XT
VRAM Capacity
10 GB
16 GB+60%
Memory Type
GDDR6X
GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth
760 GB/s+48%
512 GB/s
Bus Width
320-bit+25%
256-bit
L2 Cache
5 MB+25%
4 MB
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (12_2) (GeForce RTX 3080) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Vulkan: 1.3 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 6900 XT
DirectX
12 Ultimate (12_2)
12 Ultimate
Vulkan
1.3
1.3
OpenGL
4.6
4.6
Max Displays
4
4
🎬

Media & Encoding

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

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 6900 XT
Encoder
NVENC (Ampere)
VCN 3.0
Decoder
NVDEC (Ampere)
VCN 3.0
Codecs
H.264,H.265,VP9,AV1
H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3080 draws 320W versus the Radeon RX 6900 XT's 300W — a 6.5% difference. The Radeon RX 6900 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (GeForce RTX 3080) 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: 75 vs 80°C.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 6900 XT
TDP
320W
300W-6%
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)
75-6%
80°C
Perf/Watt
78.3
89.1+14%
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce RTX 3080 came in at $699, while the Radeon RX 6900 XT launched at $999. On MSRP, GeForce RTX 3080 was 30% cheaper ($300 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 35.9 (GeForce RTX 3080) vs 26.8 (Radeon RX 6900 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3080 offers 34% better value.

FeatureGeForce RTX 3080Radeon RX 6900 XT
MSRP
$699-30%
$999
Performance per Dollar
35.9+34%
26.8
Codename
GA102
Navi 21
Release
September 1 2020
October 28 2020
Ranking
#41
#35

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