AMD and NVIDIA offer unique features in their top-of-the-line graphics cards, and they both come with high price tags. They are also typically out-of-stock, raising prices even higher. Nevertheless, many users need the best for demanding gaming and studio workloads. So, what sets apart the RX 6900 XT vs 3080 Ti?
The RX 6900 XT has 4GB more VRAM, 35% faster boosted clock speeds and better performance in rasterized renders than the 3080 Ti. However, the 3080 Ti exclusively uses GDDR6X VRAM, 80 dedicated RT cores, and NVIDIA DLSS. Both have similar performance, but the RX 6900 XT consumes 50W less power and is nearly $120 cheaper.
NVIDIA RTX 3080 Ti
The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end graphics card with NVIDIA Ampere architecture, combining third-generation Tensor Cores with second-generation RT cores. It uses a GA102 silicon processor made in the 8 nm process, and it is compatible with DirectX 12 Ultimate in the GA102-225-A1 version.
The RTX 3080 Ti handles triple-A games almost as well as the RTX 3090, supporting ray-tracing, variable-rate shading, and DLSS technology. However, its $1119 starting price may turn away budget-conscious users.
Features
The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti delivers many new upgrades, with key features summarized below.
| Architecture | Ampere (GA102) |
| Manufacturing Process | 8 nm |
| Transistors | 28.3 billion |
| Die Size | 628 mm² |
| CUDA Cores | 10240 |
| RT Cores | 80 |
| Tensor Cores | 320 |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6X |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 912.4 GB/s |
| Base Clock | 1365 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1665 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 1188 MHz, 19 Gbps |
| Slot Width | Dual-slot |
| Size (L x W x H) | 285 mm x 112 mm x 40 mm |
| Weight | 2419 g |
| Starting Price | $1119 |
| Thermal Design Power | 350 W |
| Outputs | 1 x HDMI 3 x DisplayPort |
| Power Connectors | 1 x 12-pin |
Memory
The RTX 3080 Ti offers 12GB GGDR6X VRAM, connected with a fast 384-bit memory bus. With 912 GB/s of memory bandwidth, it is about 20% faster than the RTX 3080 and only 3% slower than the higher-end RTX 3090. As a result, you can expect excellent gaming performance at 4K resolution.
Clock Speeds
Thanks to NVIDIA GPU Boost technology, the RTX 3080 Ti runs a base frequency of 1365 MHz and a boosted frequency of 1665 MHz. The memory clock rate runs at 1188 MHz, with an effective speed of 19Gbps.
Thermal Design Power
The RTX 3080 Ti consumes a lot of power with a 350 Watt TDP, requiring a 750W power supply unit at minimum. If you want to overclock, you need a more powerful PSU. To compare, the RTX 3090 has a 350 Watt TDP while the RTX 3080 uses only 320W.
Power Connectors
The RTX 3080 Ti has a dual-slot design powered by its proprietary 12-pin power connector, the Molex MicroFit 3.0 dual row (12 circuits). The connector is compact, saving space and improving cooling inside the GPU. NVIDIA conveniently includes a twin 8-pin power adapter if you do not use a PSU with a 12-pin PCIe cable.
Connectivity
The RTX 3080 Ti display outputs include one HDMI and three DisplayPort connections. The graphics board connects to other systems using a PCI-Express 4.0 x16 interface. This interface improves performance with Resizable BAR technology, allowing the CPU to immediately access the entire GPU frame buffer.
GPU Cores
The RTX 3080 Ti has 10240 CUDA cores across 80 streaming multiprocessors, 80 RT cores, and 320 Tensor cores. It has 17% more CUDA cores than the RTX 3080 and is about the same as the RTX 3090, but it is only a modest improvement.
Still, the increased RT cores speed up ray-tracing calculations, and the Tensor cores handle DLSS and deep learning processes better.
Buying an RTX 3080 Ti
With the global shortage of silicon chips, it is difficult to find RTX 3080 Ti cards in stock. If you buy them from other users, prices will be much higher than you expect. Still, these are the best RTX 3080 Ti cards you can buy, including budget options!
MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming X Trio
If you want the best performance, the MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming X Trio has extensive overclocking and an exceptional boost clock rate – all cooled by an efficient thermal design.
Its boost clock rate of 1770 MHz is the fastest among RTX 3080 Ti GPUs, with a memory speed of 19 Gbps. Quiet cooling accompanies high performance in the TRI FROZR 2 thermal design, featuring TORX Fan 4.0 blades and automatic airflow control.
It also features RGB strips, a three-fan setup, and a metal backplate to remain sturdy with a sharp design. However, it is large at 324 mm x 140 x 56 mm (L x W x H) and uses 3 PCI case slots, which may not fit small cases.
The MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming X Trio is expensive at $2,399, but it is the best RTX 3080 Ti model that money can buy!
ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC
If you want a budget GPU without sacrificing quality, the ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC is a must-buy for its balance between performance and cooling.
With a boost clock rate of 1845 MHz, 10240 CUDA cores, and 12GB of GDDR6X VRAM, it is practically as fast as more expensive RTX 3080 Ti cards. Three fans with an axial-tech design cool the GPU, so even 4K ray-traced games do not overheat your GPU.
With AURA Sync RGB lighting enabled, you can make gaming sessions colorful. Premium alloy chokes, solid polymer capacitors, and a metal backplate also add durability.
The ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 Ti OC costs only $1,299 and still provides impressive performance for gamers on a budget.
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is a top-tier graphics card that equips the Navi 21 GPU, a chip made with the 7 nm process. It uses RDNA 2 architecture, featuring 128 MB of Infinity Cache, hardware-accelerated ray-tracing, and DirectX 12 Ultimate support.
Gamers will enjoy its fast performance in 4K environments, but its ray-tracing performance is somewhat lacking. Still, the RX 6900 XT reduces slow calls to external memory by about 60-80% without compromising die size or power draw. With a price tag of $999, it is a powerful but expensive GPU that delivers only 10% better performance than the Radeon RX 6800 XT.
Features
The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT promises many new upgrades, with key features summarized below.
| Architecture | Navi 21 XTX |
| Manufacturing Process | 7 nm |
| Transistors | 26.8 billion |
| Die Size | 519.8 mm² |
| GPU Cores | 5120 |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Memory Size | 16 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit |
| Bandwidth | 512 GB/s |
| Base Clock | 1825 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2250 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 2000 MHz, 16 Gbps |
| Slot Width | Triple-slot |
| Size (L x W x H) | 267 mm x 120 mm x 50 mm |
| Weight | 1505 g |
| Starting Price | $999 |
| Thermal Design Power | 300 W |
| Outputs | 1x HDMI 2x DisplayPort 1x USB Type-C |
| Power Connectors | 2 x 8-pin |
Memory
The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT provides 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM, with a memory bandwidth of 512 GB/s. The 128 MB Infinity Cache improves the bandwidth of its 256-bit memory by up to 325%, compensating for a smaller memory bus.
The RX 6900 XT also uses AMD’s SAM (Smart Access Memory) to eliminate GPU memory bottlenecks. If you own an AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processor, you can enable SAM to access more GPU VRAM and improve performance.
Clock Speeds
The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT operates at a base frequency of 1825 MHz and a boosted frequency of 2250 MHz. The memory clock also runs at 2000 MHz, with an effective speed of 16 Gbps.
Thermal Design Power
The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is power-hungry with a 300 Watt TDP, identical to the RX 6800 XT. Stress tests show that its core can use up to 255 Watts. It requires a 700W power supply unit at minimum, but if you plan to overclock, AMD recommends an 850W PSU.
Power Connectors
The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT is a triple-slot card, drawing power from two 150W 8-pin power connectors. As a result, you can use the GPU straight from the box without extra adapters.
Connectivity
The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT includes two DisplayPort 1.4, one HDMI 2.1, and one USB-C output. It connects to the system using a PCIe 4.0 x16 interface, without AMD CrossFire support.
GPU Cores
The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT features 80 compute units and 5120 stream processors, only 8 CUs and 4608 SMs more than the RX 6800 XT. It has excellent performance during rasterized renders but falls short in ray-tracing compared to its top competitors.
Buying an RX 6900 XT
Due to stock shortages and high GPU demands, finding RX 6900 XTs in stock is challenging. It may be available in the second-hand market but will likely be overpriced. Nevertheless, these are the best RX 6900 XT cards you can buy, including budget options!
ROG Strix LC Radeon RX 6900 XT
If you want the best performing RX 6900 XT card, the ROG Strix LC Radeon RX 6900 XT offers excellent cooling, high overclocking speeds, and durable design.
Gamers will appreciate its boosted clock speed of up to 2375 MHz, with gaming mode activated. Two 120 mm RGB fans, a 240 mm radiator, and a liquid-cooling plate maintain beefy but silent performance. It only takes up two PCI slots thanks to the water-cooling, but the pump makes a clicking noise that may be annoying.
Priced at about $2500, the ROG Strix LC Radeon RX 6900 XT is very expensive but offers one of the best cooling and performance a GPU can have.
PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT
If you are on a budget, the PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT is an excellent option for its efficient cooling and high boosted clock speeds.
It has a base clock speed of 2015 MHz, with overclocking boosting it up to 2250 MHz. Even after overclocking, it cools down quickly with two 100 mm fans and a 90 mm fan on a copper base. The PCB design also houses a VRM with 14+2 power phases and DrMOS.
However, it consumes a ton of power, requiring a 900W power supply unit. Its triple-slot heatsink also only fits cases with an ATX form factor.
Nevertheless, the PowerColor Red Devil Radeon RX 6900 XT gives you enthusiast-level performance and cooling at a reasonable $1099 price tag.
RX 6900 XT vs RTX 3080 Ti Differences
The RTX 3080 Ti and RX 6900 XT are top-tier GPUs that deliver unique features and specs at different prices. Let us review their key differences, summarized in the table below!
| GPU Name | NVIDIA RTX 3080 TI | AMD RX 6900 XT |
| Starting Price | $1119 | $999 |
| Architecture | Ampere | Navi 21 XTX |
| Manufacturing Process | 8 nm | 7 nm |
| GPU Cores | 10240 | 5120 |
| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Memory | 12GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 912.4 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |
| Base Clock | 1365 MHz | 1825 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1665 MHz | 2250 MHz |
| Memory Clock | 1188 MHz, 19 Gbps | 2000 MHz, 16 Gbps effective |
| Slot Width | Dual-slot | Triple-slot |
| Size (L x W x H) | 285 mm x 112 mm x 40 mm | 267 mm x 120 mm x 50 mm |
| Weight | 2419 g | 1505 g |
| Thermal Design Power | 350 W | 300 W |
| Required PSU | 750 W | 700 W |
| Connectivity | 1 x HDMI 3 x DisplayPort | 1x HDMI 2 x DisplayPort 1 x USB-C |
| Power Connectors | 1 x 12-pin | 2 x 8-pin |
Price
Due to the chip shortage, both GPUs are frequently out-of-stock and overpriced on second-hand markets. Regardless, the RX 6900 XT is $500 cheaper than the RTX 3090 and $120 more affordable than the RTX 3080 Ti.
However, prices do not tell the whole story because the RTX 3090 upgrades from its predecessor much more than the RX 6900 XT does. The RTX 3090 has twice the VRAM, a larger memory bus, and 20% more CUDA cores than the RTX 3080. Meanwhile, the RX 6900 XT upgrades with only 10% more GPU cores than the 6800 XT.
Design
The RX 6900 XT is slightly larger than the RTX 3080 Ti and is about 60% lighter. Still, the RTX 3080 Ti takes up only two PCI slots, while the RX 6900 XT takes up three.
Both GPUs include an HDMI port, while the RTX 3080 Ti has one more DisplayPort and the RX 6900 XT has an exclusive USB-C port. The RX 6900 XT also uses a standard pair of 8-pin power connectors that works out-of-the-box, whereas the RTX 3080 Ti uses 12-pin power connectors that require a unique, included adapter.
Performance
The RTX 3080 Ti may have less VRAM than the RX 6900 XT, but its GDDR6X memory type is faster. However, with SAM enabled on AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processors, the RX 6900 XT experiences fewer VRAM bottlenecks.
If you want to overclock, the RX 6900 XT operates at a base frequency of 1825 MHz and a boosted frequency of 2250 MHz. The RTX 3080 Ti falls a bit behind, with a base frequency of 1365 MHz and a boosted frequency of 1665 MHz.
Both are more than capable of handling 4K gaming, but the RTX 3080 Ti’s dedicated RT cores perform better in ray-traced environments. Additionally, NVIDIA DLSS makes use of dedicated Tensor cores to improve performance. Still, the RX 6900 XT holds an edge in games with traditional rasterization.
Power Consumption
Being enthusiast-level GPUs, the RTX 3080 Ti and RX 6900 XT take a lot of power. The RX 6900 XT’s TDP is 300W and requires a 700W PSU, while the RTX 3080 Ti’s TDP is 350W and needs a 750W PSU. Both have similar power consumption and need a more demanding PSU for overclocking.
Should You Get an NVIDIA or AMD Graphics Card?
Most high-end NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards are out-of-stock, so you should grab either if they are available. The RTX 3080 Ti and RX 6900 XT perform excellently in 4K games, but the RTX 3080 Ti is better for ray-tracing and DLSS. However, with an AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processor, more VRAM is accessible on the RX 6900 XT.
AMD provides cheaper graphics cards with similar performance and power consumption if you do not need the unique technologies that NVIDIA GPUs provide. Still, NVIDIA holds the competitive edge if you want the best that money can buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is RX 6900 XT Good for 4K Gaming?
The RX 6900 XT performs smoothly in 4K games, especially in traditional rasterization. It is about 10% faster than the RX 6800 XT, giving 155 FPS in Forza Horizon 4 at 4K Ultra settings. You can get even better performance by using AMD’s overclocking, Smart Access Memory, and DirectX 12 Ultimate features.
Is RTX 3080 TI Good for 4K Gaming?
The RTX 3080 Ti performs without problems in 4K games, giving 106 FPS in Far Cry 5 at 4K Ultra settings. It excels in ray-tracing environments with 80 RT cores and saves FPS with DLSS enabled. Despite Cyberpunk 2077’s lacking optimization, it runs at 60+ FPS at 4K Ultra ray-traced settings!
What is the Difference Between RTX 3080 and RTX 3080 TI?
The RTX 3080 Ti has 2GB more VRAM, 17% more CUDA cores, 17% more RT cores, and 152 Gbps faster memory bandwidth than the RTX 3080. You can expect a 10-20 FPS improvement in 4K games with Ultra settings, such as Metro Exodus, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Witcher 3.
What Is the Difference Between CUDA Cores and Stream Processors?
CUDA cores and Stream Processors are parallel processors with proprietary architectures from NVIDIA or AMD. NVIDIA implements Ampere architecture in their latest GPUs, while AMD uses Navi 21 XTX. They operate differently, so you cannot compare their core count. Instead, benchmarks from games or intensive applications determine differences in performance.
Conclusion
The 6900 XT and 3080 Ti perform nearly the same, with unique selling points. The RTX 3080 Ti has dedicated RT cores and NVIDIA DLSS but is slightly more expensive and power-consuming. Meanwhile, the 6900 XT experiences fewer VRAM bottlenecks with AMD Ryzen 5000 Series processors but fails to impress with ray-tracing.
If you enjoyed this guide on RX 6900 XT vs RTX 3080 Ti, you could learn how to test GPU fans to avoid overheating!