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.

Radeon 8040S vs Radeon RX 6500 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.

Radeon 8040S vs Radeon RX 6500 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.

Radeon 8040S

2025

Why buy it

✅Draws 55W instead of 107W, a 52W reduction.
✅More future proof: RDNA 3.5 (2024−2025) on 4nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

❌Lower average FPS than Radeon RX 6500 XT across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌
101% HIGHER MSRP
$400 MSRPvs$199 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 24.4 vs 48.3 G3D/$ ($400 MSRP vs $199 MSRP).

Radeon RX 6500 XT

2022

Why buy it

✅15.7% more average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data.
✅Costs $201 less on MSRP ($199 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Delivers 97.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 48.3 vs 24.4 G3D/$ ($199 MSRP vs $400 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).

Trade-offs

❌94.5% higher power demand at 107W vs 55W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?

Radeon RX 6500 XT is the faster gaming card right now. In our data, it leads by 15.7% in average FPS across 50 tracked games in our benchmark data. PassMark G3D leans toward Radeon 8040S instead at 9,756 vs 9,603, 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 8040S is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of FSR 3 (2023), a 4nm process instead of 6nm, and a newer 2025 generation instead of 2022. That makes it the less risky pick as game demands keep moving.

Which GPU is the better buy today?

Radeon RX 6500 XT makes the most sense to buy today. It is $201 cheaper on MSRP at $199 vs $400, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 97.9% (48.3 vs 24.4), so the value case lines up with the gaming result. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, Radeon RX 6500 XT is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, Radeon 8040S has the stronger long-term case.

Radeon 8040S vs Radeon RX 6500 XT Technical Specifications

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

Radeon 8040S

The Radeon 8040S is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 6 2025. It features the RDNA 3.5 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1295 MHz to 2800 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 55W. Manufactured using 4 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,756 points.

Radeon RX 6500 XT

The Radeon RX 6500 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in January 19 2022. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 2610 MHz to 2815 MHz. It has 1024 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 107W. Manufactured using 6 nm process technology. It features 16 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 9,603 points. Launch price was $199.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The Radeon 8040S scores 9,756 and the Radeon RX 6500 XT reaches 9,603 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 1.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The Radeon 8040S is built on RDNA 3.5 while the Radeon RX 6500 XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 4 nm vs 6 nm. Shader units: 1,024 (Radeon 8040S) vs 1,024 (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Raw compute: 5.734 TFLOPS (Radeon 8040S) vs 5.765 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Boost clocks: 2800 MHz vs 2815 MHz. Ray tracing: 16 RT cores (Radeon 8040S) vs 16 (Radeon RX 6500 XT).

Feature	Radeon 8040S	Radeon RX 6500 XT
G3D Mark Score	9,756+2%	9,603
Architecture	RDNA 3.5	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	4 nm	6 nm
Shading Units	1024	1024
Compute (TFLOPS)	5.734 TFLOPS	5.765 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	2800 MHz	2815 MHz
ROPs	32	32
TMUs	64	64
L2 Cache	8 MB+700%	1 MB
Frame Generation	FSR upscaling + RSR	FSR 3 + AFMF
Ray Tracing Cores	16	16

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The clearest feature edge for the Radeon RX 6500 XT is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. In games that support it, that can smooth out motion and lift perceived FPS. The Radeon 8040S does not have comparable native support in the same tier.

Feature	Radeon 8040S	Radeon RX 6500 XT
Upscaling Tech	FSR Upscaling / FSR 4	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	AMD Anti-Lag	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 4 GB of video memory. Memory bus width is System on the Radeon 8040S and 64-bit on the Radeon RX 6500 XT. L2 Cache: 8 MB (Radeon 8040S) vs 1 MB (Radeon RX 6500 XT) — the Radeon 8040S has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	Radeon 8040S	Radeon RX 6500 XT
VRAM Capacity	4 GB	4 GB
Memory Type	Shared	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	System	144 GB/s
Bus Width	System	64-bit
L2 Cache	8 MB+700%	1 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12.2 (Radeon 8040S) vs 12.2 (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 2.

Feature	Radeon 8040S	Radeon RX 6500 XT
DirectX	12.2	12.2
Vulkan	1.4+8%	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4+100%	2

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: VCN 4.5 (Radeon 8040S) vs None (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Decoder: VCN 4.5 vs VCN 3.0 (Limited). Supported codecs: MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1 (Radeon 8040S) vs MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode) (Radeon RX 6500 XT).

Feature	Radeon 8040S	Radeon RX 6500 XT
Encoder	VCN 4.5	None
Decoder	VCN 4.5	VCN 3.0 (Limited)
Codecs	MPEG-2,H.264,HEVC,VP9,AV1	MPEG-2,H.264 (Decode),HEVC (Decode)

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The Radeon 8040S draws 55W versus the Radeon RX 6500 XT's 107W — a 64.2% difference. The Radeon 8040S is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 500W (Radeon 8040S) vs 400W (Radeon RX 6500 XT). Power connectors: PCIe-powered vs 1x 6-pin. Card length: 0mm vs 172mm, occupying 0 vs 2 slots. Typical load temperature: 85°C vs 70°C.

Feature	Radeon 8040S	Radeon RX 6500 XT
TDP	55W-49%	107W
Recommended PSU	500W	400W-20%
Power Connector	PCIe-powered	1x 6-pin
Length	0mm	172mm
Height	0mm	112mm
Slots	0-100%	2
Temp (Load)	85°C	70°C-18%
Perf/Watt	177.4+98%	89.7

💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the Radeon 8040S came in at $400, while the Radeon RX 6500 XT launched at $199. On MSRP, Radeon RX 6500 XT was 50.2% cheaper ($201 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 24.4 (Radeon 8040S) vs 48.3 (Radeon RX 6500 XT) — the Radeon RX 6500 XT offers 98% better value. The newer card here is Radeon 8040S (2025 vs 2022).

Feature	Radeon 8040S	Radeon RX 6500 XT
MSRP	$400	$199-50%
Performance per Dollar	24.4	48.3+98%
Codename	Strix Halo	Navi 24
Release	January 6 2025	January 19 2022
Ranking	#265	#270

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