AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
Rated: 8/10
Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 Super
Rated: 8.5/10
Pros And Cons
Graphics Card | Pros | Cons |
RTX 4080 Super | ✅ Better Performance ✅ Better thermals | ❌Expensive |
RX 6900 XT | ✅ Solid performance for a four year old GPU. ✅Cost Effective | ❌Runs hotter |
- As per our testing, the RTX 4080 Super performed 40% better than the RX 6900 XT in games.
- In terms of thermal efficiency, the RX 6900 XT ran 10% hotter than the RTX 4080 Super.
- At launch price, both GPUs cost the same. However, the RX 6900 XT has seen massive drops in price over the years.
- Our recommendation lies with the RTX 4080 Super, as it is the faster and newer GPU out of the two.
Comparison Table
Feature | GeForce RTX 4080 Super | Radeon RX 6900 XT |
Architecture | Ada Lovelace | RDNA 2.0 |
Design Chip | AD103-400-A1 | Navi 21 XTX |
Product Family | Nvidia GeForce RTX 40 series | Navi II |
Steam Processors/Cuda Cores | 10240 | 5120 |
Compute Units/Tensor Cores | 320 | - |
Ray Accelerators | 80 | 80 |
ROPs | 112 | 128 |
Memory Bandwidth | 736.3 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |
Best Variants | Best RTX 4080 Super Graphics Cards | The BEST RX 6900 XT Graphics Cards [Performance & Budget] |
Architectural Differences
- Clock Speed: Significantly faster clock speeds were observed on the RTX 4080 Super. The RTX 4080 Super has a base clock of 2295MHz and goes up to 2550MHz. Whereas the RX 6900 XT starts at 1825 MHZ and goes up to 2015 MHz.
- VRAM: Despite releasing 3.5 years before the RTX 4080 Super, the RX 6900 XT matches the 16 GB VRAM offered by the RTX 4080 Super. This is embarrassing from a $999 graphics card in today’s age, but at least it’s faster GDDR6X RAM.
- TDP: The RTX 4080 Super will require a bigger PSU to run, as it has a slightly bigger TDP of 320 watts. Compared to that, the RX 6900 XT comes with a TDP of 300 watts.
- Process Node: The RTX 4080 Super comes with the latest 5 nm process node launched by TSMC. Compared to that, the RX 6900 XT features a slightly older 7 nm process node by the same manufacturer.
- Other Technologies: This is the aspect where Nvidia GPUs excel. The RTX 4080 Super comes with DLSS 3 and Frame generation which nearly double its performance. Compared to that, AMD’s GPU offers FSR as a replacement to that.
Nvidia has dropped a new thousand-dollar GPU in the market, the RTX 4080 Super. But how does that compete against a similarly priced GPU from the previous generation launched by their competitor AMD? Keep reading as we compare the RTX 4080 Super Vs RX 6900 XT and analyse their performance differences.
Gaming Tests – 2160p
In order to fully utilise the potential of these flagship GPUs, we have assembled this testing rig with a top-of-the-line CPU, ensuring zero bottlenecks. The only performance difference we will observe would be among the GPUs ensuring a thorough and fair trial among both of our competitors for today.
Test Bench
- CPU: Core i9 13900K
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus
- RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6600 CL34
- SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 1TB NVMe SSD
- Cooler: Xigmatek Aurora 360mm Cooler
- Power Supply: ENERMAX REVOLUTION D.F. X 1050W
Cyberpunk 2077
- Cyberpunk appeared to run much more smoothly on the RTX 4080 Super compared to the RX 6900 XT. This is because the RTX 4080 Super was roughly 42% ahead, providing 69 fps on average, compared to the 45 fps of the RX 6900 XT.
- The RTX 4080 Super maintains a constant 60 fps even in the 1% lows, staying 55% ahead of its competitor, the RX 6900 XT, which maxed out at 34 fps.
Doom Eternal
- Doom Eternal was a walk in the park for our competing GPUs, compared to the previous title. Both GPUs are easily hitting triple figures. The RTX 4080 Super at 254 fps, whereas the RX 6900 XT was at 191 fps.
- The 1% lows provided by both graphics cards were also in a very acceptable range. This time, the RTX 4080 Super was providing 212 1% low fps, whereas the RX 6900 XT was able to provide 180 fps.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla runs better on AMD GPUs compared to Nvidia but even that could not save the RX 6900 XT. The RTX 4080 SUper is still ahead by a drastic margin of 37% yielding 113 fps compared to 77 fps of the RX 6900 XT.
- 1% lows had a wider degree of separation at around 42%, as the RTX 4080 Super extends its lead by providing 98 fps. The RX 6900 XT, in comparison, maxed out at 64 fps.
Watch Dogs Legion
- The RTX 4080 Super not only maintains its lead in the Watch Dogs Legion but also by a staggering margin of around 48%. This time it was able to yield a stunning average of 119 fps, in a title that only ran at 73 fps on the RX 6900 XT.
- Even the 1% lows could not save the AMD GPU here, as it is still lagging behind with a margin of 44%, by providing an average of 62 fps. The RTX 4080 Super, on the other hand, is leagues ahead at 97 fps.
A Plague Tale Requiem
- A Plague Tale Requiem is a very hard title to run at 2160p. Luckily both our graphics cards were able to provide a playable experience. The RTX 4080 Super ran the game at 86 fps average, while the RX 6900 XT ran it at 53 fps.
- Minor stutters were observed on the RX 6900 XT, as it was only providing 39 1% low fps. Compared to that, the RTX 4080 Super ensured a significantly smoother gameplay at 64 1% low fps.
Red Dead Redemption 2
- Red Dead Redemption 2 saw one of the bigger differences observed throughout this benchmark. The RTX 4080 Super was now 50% ahead, providing a 119 fps average. The RX 6900 XT provided 73 fps on average in the same conditions.
- The difference in 1% lows turned out to be around 45% in favour of the RTX 4080 Super, which was now flying high at 97 fps. Its competitor, at the same time, could not go beyond 62 fps.
Horizon Zero Dawn
- The RTX 4080 Super ends the benchmark by retaining its lead by a 40% margin in Horizon Zero Dawn. The game appeared smooth as it was being run at 134 fps. The RX 6900 XT also managed to run well, at an average of 89 fps.
- To RX 6900 XT’s credit, it manages to close the gap to 19% in terms of 1% lows by providing a solid 76 fps average. The RTX 4080 Super is still ahead though, yielding an average of 92 1% low fps.
Overall Gaming Performance
Featured | RTX 4080 Super | RX 6900 XT |
Average FPS | 127 📈 | 85 📈 |
%1 lows | 102 📉 | 73 📉 |
Winner: Nvidia's RTX 4080 Super |
Based on the gaming benchmarks we observed, our testing indicates that the RTX 4080 Super is roughly 40% ahead of the RX 6900 XT in average fps. This is the average data of the results measured across seven games at 2160p resolution at maxed-out settings. A smaller 33% difference was observed between the 1% lows of both GPUs.
In terms of gaming benchmarks, the RTX 4080 Super seems to crush it against the older RX 6900 XT. However, one thing we need to keep in mind is that the RX 6900 XT does not cost $999 anymore, and is now available for a fraction of its price. So does, the RTX 4080 Super justify its hefty price tag?
– Uzair Qureshi
Thermal Efficiency
Game | RTX 4080 Super (°C) | RX 6900 XT (°C) |
Cyberpunk 2077 | 64🌡️ | 72🌡️ |
Red Dead Redemption 2 | 60🌡️ | 66🌡️ |
Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 62🌡️ | 72🌡️ |
Watch Dogs Legion | 61🌡️ | 65🌡️ |
Doom Eternal | 72🌡️ | 75🌡️ |
Horizon Zero Dawn | 60🌡️ | 64🌡️ |
A Plague Tale Requiem | 63🌡️ | 75🌡️ |
Average Temperature | 63.14🌡️ | 69.8🌡️ |
Winner: Nvidia's RTX 4080 Super |
In terms of thermal efficiency, our observation states that the RTX 4080 Super runs 10% cooler as compared to the RX 6900 XT. The new 5 nm process node is easier to cool. Regardless of that, the difference is not small enough to fall within the margin of error, hence the RTX 4080 Super is the more thermal efficient GPU out of the two.
Price And Value
Graphics Card | Launch MSRP | Current Price |
RTX 4080 Super | 💲999 | 💲999 |
RX 6900 XT | 💲999 | 💲499 |
Difference | 0% | 66.7% |
Both of these flagship GPUs were launched for $999 with a 0% difference in MSRP. However, since the RX 6900 XT has been out for a while, you can find it for much less than what it launched for. Our research indicates that you can find it for around $499 now. That puts RTX 4080 Super in a tricky position as it is 66% more expensive now.
What We Recommend
RX 6900 XT: If you are on a tight budget, and you want to squeeze the absolute most amount of gaming performance within the budget and want top performance for your dollar, we recommend you to check out RX 6900 XT. Its massive VRAM enables us to be able to play games at 2160p even after four years of its launch date.
RTX 4080 Super: If you can afford to increase your budget, the RTX 4080 Super is recommended for you. It literally crushed the RX 6900 XT in almost every game we tested while also running cooler. That is before we even factor in DLSS 3, Frame generation and Ray Tracing performance, which make this GPU very hard to ignore.
After spending our time testing with these graphics cards, we can confirm that both of these GPUs are very capable in their respective price range. Which one is better suited for you would depend greatly on your budget, however, you can not go wrong with either of these GPUs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our observation states that the RTX 4080 Super runs roughly 10% cooler as compared to the RX 6900 XT. So if you dwell in a warm climate zone, you should consider that.
DLSS is limited to Nvidia GPUs. AMD features their FSR as an alternate with their GPUs to counter Nvidia’s DLSS.
Both of our GPUs come with 16 GB VRAM and we tested around seven games at maxed-out 2160p resolution and both GPUs were able to provide a playable experience.
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