The BEST RX 6900 XT Graphics Cards [Performance & Budget]

AMD has been making graphics cards for a long time, with the target to compete with the Nvidia flagship cards. Nvidia announced their RTX 3000 series GPUs in September 2020, which AMD’s RX 6000 series responded to with its GPU lineups flowing into the market around November 2020. AMD released the Radeon RX 6900 XT in December 2020, their flagship GPU. If you have decided to buy Radeon RX 6900 XT, let us help you find the best RX 6900 XT on the market.

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Want other RX 60-series cards? Check our tested round-ups:

• Best RX 6800 XT Graphics Cards
• Best RX 6700 XT Graphics Cards

Best RX 6900 XT Graphics Cards

Here are our chosen contender GPUs for the Best RX 6900 XT Graphics Cards.

1. Best Overall RX 6900 XT: ASRock Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D
2. Best Water-Cooled RX 6900 XT: Sapphire Toxic AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Extreme Edition
3. Best RX 6900 XT for Overclocking: ASUS ROG Strix LC AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT OC Edition
4. Best Budget RX 6900 XT: PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate
5. RX 6900 XT with Best Air Cooling: GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6900 XT Master 16G

ASRock Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D

Best Overall RX 6900 XT

Specifications: Dimensions: 330 x 140 x 56 mm | Frequencies: 1925 MHz (Base), 2340 MHz (Boost Clock), 2105 MHz (Game Clock) | Power Connectors: 3 x 8 pin | RGB: Yes | Display Outputs: 1 x HDMI 2.1, 3 x DisplayPort 1.4a | Recommended PSU: 900W

Design & Build Quality: The ASRock Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming’s front shroud comes covered in a silver and black finish with multiple red stripes near the center, accentuating its already vibrant design. RGB has not been disregarded either, with all three of the fans featuring a polished surface that allows RGB to seep through.

Cooling: ASRock has equipped the card with their Phantom Gaming 3X Cooling System, which incorporates three ARGB fans, a Nickel-plated copper base plate, along a high-density metal heatsink. All of that is then reinforced by a metal frame and held into place thanks to the rigid backplate, which also comes with a vent for better airflow.

Performance: As far as its performance is concerned, the ASRock Radeon RX 6900 XT Phantom Gaming D features a boost clock speed of 2340 MHz, a 90 MHz increase over the reference edition card. While it doesn’t provide huge upgrades over the reference design, the performance remains excellent.

Buy It If:

✅You want balanced cooling and performance: Providing reasonable noise levels, capable cooling, and a slight factory overclock, the ASRock Radeon RX 6900 XT is ideal for anyone who wants a balanced variant.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌You want better case compatibility: While its 2.8 slot design might strike some people as standard, it still takes up a huge amount of space, especially when taking its dimensions into account.

What Makes It The Best Overall RX 6900 XT?

In conclusion, the ASRock Radeon RX 6900 XT  Phantom Gaming D is a feature-complete card that successfully delivers on all aspects. It boasts multiple standout features, allowing it to cater to everyone’s needs, making it worthy of holding the title of the Best Overall Radeon RX 6900 XT.

Performance: 9/10	Value: 8/10
Features: 9/10	Design: 9/10

Sapphire Toxic AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Extreme Edition

Best Water-Cooled RX 6900 XT

Specifications: Dimensions: ‎18.75 x 14 x 6.75 inches | Frequencies: 2365 MHz (Base), 2660 MHz (Toxic Boost) | 2135 MHz (Gaming) | Bandwidth: 512GB/s | Recommended PSU: 850W | Power Connectors: 2x 8-pin + 1x 6-pin | RGB: 16.8 million ARGB

Design & Build Quality: Design-wise, Sapphire Toxic contains 16.8 million ARGB lighting on the fans and shroud. The backplate has Toxic branding on the back and is made of Aluminium, and the front of the GPU also has RGB glowing company branding. Lastly, the overall color theme used on the GPU is a hybrid of grey and metallic gun color.

Cooling: Its state-of-the-art Toxic AIO Cooling features an additional 360mm radiator with three 120mm fans to cool the GPU and an onboard fan to cool down the Memory and VRM. The heat is transferred through diecast heatsinks and then through the pipes to the AIO radiator with three additional fans to cool. Sapphire claims that GPU will remain below 70°C.

Performance: The Sapphire Toxic AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT can manage a boost clock speed of 2600 MHz, a substantive increase over the reference card. Adding on to that, The GPU comprises a VRM with 13+1 Power Phases along with an increased total power draw of 400W compared to 300W in the stock Radeon RX 6900 XT card. 

Buy It If:

✅You want uncompromised cooling: The feature that makes this Graphic Card unique from the rest is Sapphire’s state-of-the-art Toxic AIO Cooling system; one of the top things to like about Sapphire Toxic AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Extreme Edition.

✅You want high factory clocks: The GPU comprises Sapphire Toxic Boost allows the card to reach clock speeds up to 2600 MHz as well as a memory speed increase to 16.8 Gbps from 16Gbps.

Don’t Buy It If:

❌You are on a limited budget: The Sapphire Extreme Edition is on the pricey side compared to other variants.

❌You have a low-wattage PSU: Sapphire Toxic is a little demanding about power, pulling close to 500W when running the Toxic Boost Mode making it one of the most power-hungry graphic cards.

What Makes It The Best Water-Cooled RX 6900 XT?

We can safely say that Sapphire Toxic Extreme Edition is the Best Water-Cooled RX 6900 XT for its ability to maintain low temperatures and reach high boost clock speeds.

Performance: 10/10	Value: 7/10
Features: 9/10	Design: 9/10

ASUS ROG Strix LC AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT OC Edition

Best RX 6900 XT for Overclocking

Specifications: Dimensions: ‎10.9 x 5.16 x 1.72 inches | Frequencies: 1825 MHz (Base), 2365 MHz (Boost) | 2135 MHz (Gaming) | Bandwidth: 512GB/s | Recommended PSU: 850W | Power Connectors: 2 x 8-pin | RGB: Yes

Design & Build Quality: The ASUS ROG Strix LC RX 6900 XT OC Edition features RGB strips on the GPU itself along with RGB fans on the radiator. ASUS has included its premium PCB parts in ROG Strix, including premium alloy chokes, solid polymer capacitors, and an array of high-current power stages in line with ASUS’s other premium range products.

Cooling: ASUS ROG has liquid cooling technology, featuring a cold plate in contact with the GPU die along with a 240mm radiator with 600mm tubing to accommodate the bigger PC cases. A separate blower-style fan as well as a low-profile heatsink has also been integrated into the cooling system.

Performance: ASUS ROG has made the GPU with their best Navi 21 XTX that has abilities to reach an overclocking speed of nearly 2700 MHz. The process of modifying clock speed and voltages is made very easy with the help of ROG GPU Tweak II software. The card also has the stock 11+2 VRM Power phase design.

What We Liked:

✅You want the best overclocking experience: The ASUS ROG Strix LC RX 6900 XT provides a fantastic overclocking experience.

What We Disliked:

❌You want a cheaper variant: ASUS ROG Strix is one the most expensive GPUs in the market, with an approximate price of $1400; the price is only justified if you push the clock speed to the limit.

What Makes It The Best RX 6900 XT For Overclocking?

The ASUS ROG Strix LC AMD RX 6900 XT offers a good combination of water cooling and very little software restriction in overclocking, making it the Best Radeon RX 6900 XT for Overclocking.

Performance: 10/10	Value: 7/10
Features: 9/10	Design: 9/10

PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate

Best Budget RX 6900 XT

Specifications: Dimensions: ‎12.6 x 5.31 x 2.44 inches | Frequencies: 2050 MHz (Base), 2525 MHz (Boost) | 2135 MHz (Gaming) | Bandwidth: 512GB/s | Recommended PSU: 900W | Power Connectors: 3 x 8-pin | RGB: Yes

Design & Build Quality: Regarding build quality and design, the GPU has a black theme with the devil branding printed in the middle of the fan. The back plate is made of aluminum and has a cut-out devil design that glows with the RGB. The RGB lighting on the side of the GPU always glows to give you a devilish look.

Cooling: The thermal efficiency is not off the charts; instead, it is satisfactory in terms of the price that PowerColor offers. It gives you triple fans with double ball bearings and an increased airflow design. Not only the fans but also there is a big copper base plate with seven big copper pipes in the heatsink to dissipate all the heat out of the card.

Performance: PowerColor Red Devil AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT Ultimate features a Base Clock of up to 2050 MHz which you can boost up to 2425 MHz. The card is limited to 270W in terms of maximum power draw from the board, and it contains 14+2 VRM Power Phases with DrMOS rigid capacitors to assist the VRM by using the PWM technology. 

What we Liked:

✅You want excellent value: One of the Best 6900 XT cards, PowerColor Red Devil RX 6900 XT Ultimate, is giving a decent performance in terms of price.

What we Disliked:

❌You want better overclocking potential:  A power limit of 270W could be problematic because when you are overclocking, you will need high power input to facilitate overclocking fully.

What Makes It The Best Budget RX 6900 XT?

Packed with a decent VRM configuration and powerful cooling, the Red Devil RX 6900 XT clearly has a lot to offer at a reasonable price, which is why it has been crowned the Best Budget RX 6900 XT.

Performance: 8/10	Value: 10/10
Features: 8/10	Design: 8/10

GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6900 XT Master 16G

RX 6900 XT with Best Air Cooling

Specifications: Dimensions: ‎12.6 x 5.5 x 2.3 inches | Frequencies: 1950 MHz (Base), 2365 MHz (Boost) | 2135 MHz (Gaming) | Bandwidth: 512GB/s | Recommended PSU: 850W | Power Connectors: 3 x 8-pin | RGB: Yes

Design & Build Quality: The GPU comprises a charcoal-colored body with diamond-shaped curves on the front of the card with AORUS branding in the middle of the fan. The GIGABYTE logo on the back does light up with the RGB lightning. Topping all of that off is the LCD screen which can be customized to show a custom text, image, or GIF on the side of the GPU.

Cooling: The company’s manufacturing target was to extract the maximum out of the Navi21 chipset, which GIGABYTE achieved with their WindForce 3X cooling and Max-Covered Cooling design. AORUS’s cooling system consists of a triple fan setup, six copper heat pipes as well as a copper baseplate in direct contact with the VRAM and the GPU.

Performance: GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6900 XT Master 16G provides a Base Clock speed of 1950 MHz and a Boost Clock speed of 2365 MHz which are decent baseline speeds. The VRM in the AORUS is 11+2 Power Phases which is also what the stock Radeon RX 6900 has.

What we Liked:

✅You prioritize thermal efficiency: The thermal efficiency of GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6900 XT Master 16G is perfect thanks to WindForce 3X cooling, and the Max-Covered Cooling design has all the kick to support overclocking without any other modifications.

✅You want excellent aesthetics: The card also has a nice aesthetic due to the RGB lightning and the small LCD on the side, making this GPU unique due to its looks.

What we Disliked:

❌You want a completely silent experience: The GPU can get loud when operating at higher speeds.

What Makes It The Best RX 6900 XT With Air Cooling?

I have titled the Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX 6900 XT Master 16G as the Best RX 6900 XT With Air Cooling for its fantastic thermal prowess; however, the card also stands out for its visual appearance which includes an onboard display and plenty of RGB. It is worth mentioning that all of that does translate to a higher overall price tag.

Performance: 9/10	Value: 9/10
Features: 9/10	Design: 9/10

Gaming Benchmarks

How We Selected These RX 6900 XT Graphic Card

Choosing the best Radeon RX 6900 XT Graphic Card among all the GPU and at the same time giving an unbiased opinion is hard without setting ground rules. Therefore, we’ve set ground rules that include measuring every GPU with some points to take care of in testing. You can take a peek at each one of the criteria to select Best RX 6900 XT Graphic Card.

VRM: One of the essential parts of the GPU is the VRM (Voltage Regulator Module), as it acts as a gateway that delivers power from PSU to all the components on the board, including the fans. A good VRM has more Power Phases to divide all the power load among different phases to achieve smoother power delivery.

Cooler: Cooler plays a critical role in the longevity of the GPU and consists of heat sinks, fans, and copper pipes. Different GPUs have different cooling performances because of different coolers like AIO, Water Cooling, and Air Cooling. Put simply, the GPU with the best cooler has a lot of room for overclocking and can attain higher clock speeds.

Performance: When purchasing a new GPU, performance reigns supreme. Assessing FPS, checking for screen tearing or frame drops, and gauging performance at maximum resolution, such as 4K for the Radeon RX 6900 XT, are crucial. Clock speeds indicate the GPU’s operational velocity. All of my picks provide reasonable performance for their price.

Temperature: Generally, a short-term high temperature will not hurt your GPU, but if the high temperature is consistent, it will for sure hurt your GPU and, in some cases, destroy the GPU completely. Users like us should also have an eye on temperatures, but it is the manufacturer’s responsibility to provide the best cooling hardware that does not overheat.

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