Good introduction to the high end? - AMD Radeon RX 6800 desktop GPU with 16 GB of VRAM in review
With the RDNA2 architecture, AMD has already achieved a significant gen-to-gen performance advantage. Today we are reviewing the AMD Radeon RX 6800, which represents the entry level to the high-end segment. More specifically, we are reviewing AMD's reference design of the card. When it comes to buying one of the latest graphics cards, the number of available units is still very limited.
Like the two bigger models (RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT), the AMD RX 6800 is based on the Navi 21 chip. Comparatively, there are fewer shader units and RT cores as well as lower clock speeds. We will take a closer look at how all of this affects the overall performance later. The VRAM falls in line with the other high-end offerings, meaning the AMD Radeon RX 6800 also comes with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory.
We are pleased with AMD's decision to include more VRAM than the competition. The 256-bit memory bus allows for an 8- or 16-GB configuration. Luckily, AMD opted for 16 GB.
When it comes to the energy consumption, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is similarly economical as the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT. Compared to the current development of high-end GPU TGPs, this model's TGP of 250 watts is fairly modest. The build quality of the reference model feels exceptionally high. The front and back plates consist of metal and offer great haptics. The graphics card is adorned with an illuminated "Radeon" lettering. AMD recommends PSUs rated for at least 650 watts. For displays, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 offers one HDMI port, two DisplayPorts and one USB type-C port.
Overview of GPU Specifications
Specifications | AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT | AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT | AMD Radeon RX 6800 | AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT | AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT | AMD Radeon RX 5700 | RTX 3080 FE | RTX 3070 FE |
Chip | Navi 21 XTX | Navi 21 XT | Navi 21 XL | Navi 22 | Navi 10 | Navi 10 | GA102 | GA104 |
Manufactured | 7 nm | 7 nm | 7 nm | 7 nm | 7 nm | 7 nm | 8 nm | 8 nm |
Shader | 5,120 | 4,608 | 3,840 | 2,560 | 2,560 | 2,304 | 8,704 | 5,888 |
Texture Units | 320 | 288 | 240 | 160 | 160 | 144 | 272 | 184 |
Tensor Cores | - | - | - | - | - | - | 272 3. Gen. | 184 3. Gen. |
RT Cores | 80 | 72 | 60 | 40 | - | - | 68 | 46 |
GPU Base Clock | 1,825 MHz | 1,825 MHz | 1,700 MHz | 1,569 MHz | 1,605 MHz | 1,465 MHz | 1,440 MHz | 1,500 MHz |
GPU Boost Clock | 2,250 MHz | 2,250 MHz | 2,105 MHz | 2,639 MHz | 1,755 MHz | 1,625 MHz | 1,710 MHz | 1,750 MHz |
Memory Bus | 256 Bit | 256 Bit | 256 bit | 192 Bit | 256 Bit | 256 Bit | 320-bit | 256 Bit |
Memory Bandwidth | 512 GB/s | 512 GB/s | 512 GB/s | 384 GB/s | 448 GB/s | 448 GB/s | 760 GB/s | 448 GB/s |
Memory Size | 16 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6 | 12 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 10 GB GDDR6X | 8 GB GDDR6 |
Power (watts) | 300 W | 300 W | 250 W | 230 W | 225 W | 180 W | 320 W | 220 W |
Our Review System Is Based on the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
Our review system is based on the latest AMD platform and the Asus X570 ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wi-Fi. The CPU (AMD Ryzen 9 5900X) offers fast performance with an AIO for cooling (G.Skill ENKI 360). Like the AIO, the RAM (32 GB) comes courtesy of G.Skill. Furthermore, we use the Acer Predator XB321HK monitor. Thanks to its UHD capabilities, we are not limited while testing. We also want to thank AMD for providing us with this system.
The following benchmarks were conducted on the following system:
- Lian Li O11 Dynamic
- AMD Ryzen 9 5900X
- AMD Radeon RX 6800 (Adrenalin 22.1.2)
- Asus X570 ROG Crosshair VIII Hero Wi-Fi (BIOS 2402, Default Settings, XMP 1 for DDR4-4000)
- Corsair RM1000X 1000-watt power supply
- G.Skill Trident Z Neo RGB DDR4-4000 memory kit 2 x 16 GB
- Corsair MP600 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD
- Crucial MX500 2TB (forr Spiele)
Synthetic Benchmarks
The AMD Radeon RX 6800 matches our overall performance expectations relative to its specifications. However, the RX 6800 performs very well compared to the Radeon RX 6700 XT with a solid lead in terms of the performance despite a TGP difference of only 20 watts. In total, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 offers about 20% faster performance. Even the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 struggles to keep up with the Radeon RX 6800. The latter also does not fall too far behind compared to the two fastest models of the Radeon RX 6000 series with a performance deficit of 15% and 25%, respectively, making the AMD Radeon RX 6800 a very solid choice.
Upgrading from an older AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT results in an incredible jump in performance. In this case, users can expect between 50% and 70% faster performance in synthetic benchmarks. Since the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT was advertised as a 1440p gaming card, whereas the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is primarily designed for 2160p gaming, this performance jump was a necessity.
Unigine Superposition | |
1280x720 720p Low | |
NVIDIA Titan RTX | |
Radeon RX 6900 XT | |
Radeon RX 6800 XT | |
Radeon RX 6700 XT | |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 | |
1920x1080 1080p High | |
Radeon RX 6900 XT | |
Radeon RX 6800 XT | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 | |
NVIDIA Titan RTX | |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | |
Radeon RX 6700 XT | |
1920x1080 1080p Extreme | |
Radeon RX 6900 XT | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 | |
Radeon RX 6800 XT | |
NVIDIA Titan RTX | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 | |
Radeon RX 6700 XT | |
3840x2160 4k Optimized | |
Radeon RX 6900 XT | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 | |
Radeon RX 6800 XT | |
NVIDIA Titan RTX | |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | |
Radeon RX 6700 XT | |
7680x4320 8k Optimized | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 | |
Radeon RX 6900 XT | |
NVIDIA Titan RTX | |
Radeon RX 6800 XT | |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 | |
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 | |
Radeon RX 6700 XT |
3DMark 05 Standard | 54333 points | |
3DMark 06 Standard Score | 47631 points | |
3DMark Vantage P Result | 97749 points | |
3DMark 11 Performance | 37402 points | |
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 215882 points | |
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 70377 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Score | 33415 points | |
3DMark Fire Strike Extreme Score | 20407 points | |
3DMark Time Spy Score | 15327 points | |
Help |
Gaming Benchmarks
With the AMD Radeon RX 6800, the manufacturer primarily targets gamers who perfer playing at 2160p. While this is certainly possible, users may want to look at our gaming tests and decide for themselves, whether they regard our recorded frame rates as sufficient. In two of the titles we tested, the average frame rate dropped very slightly below 30 FPS at 4K. Here, reducing the quality settings is the only way to improve the frame rates. However, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is generally very capable of good and smooth 4K gaming.
While AMD fares well with its Radeon RX 6800 for the most part relative to Nvidia's GeForce RTX 3080, it falls behind performance-wise at higher resolutions, where the difference becomes significant. Unfortunately, AMD's decision to include more VRAM does not alleviate this issue.
We use the game The Witcher 3 (ultra preset) to measure the frame times and frame rates. Other than one single outlier, there are no notable deviations. Our recorded frame rates remain consistent and fluctuate by only 6 FPS to 7 FPS. The performance is relatively stable and the AMD Radeon RX 6800 delivers 136.6 frames per second on average. We did not observe a notable frame rate dip after prolonged gaming.
low | med. | high | ultra | QHD | 4K | |
GTA V (2015) | 186 | 180 | 177 | 118 | 106 | 119 |
The Witcher 3 (2015) | 414 | 384 | 277 | 156 | 96.8 | |
Dota 2 Reborn (2015) | 212.3 | 139.8 | 117 | 112.2 | 98.3 | |
Rise of the Tomb Raider (2016) | 441 | 313 | 202 | 165 | 86.6 | |
Final Fantasy XV Benchmark (2018) | 217 | 189 | 139 | 106 | 62.2 | |
X-Plane 11.11 (2018) | 75.7 | 62.5 | 54.2 | 39.5 | ||
Far Cry 5 (2018) | 160 | 141 | 134 | 126 | 125 | 90 |
Strange Brigade (2018) | 597 | 408 | 338 | 290 | 212 | 123 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) | 231 | 200 | 196 | 182 | 134 | 69.6 |
Far Cry New Dawn (2019) | 139 | 122 | 118 | 107 | 106 | 86 |
Metro Exodus (2019) | 253 | 178 | 134 | 103 | 86 | 54.6 |
Anno 1800 (2019) | 125 | 120 | 90.2 | 48.5 | 43.1 | 41.7 |
Control (2019) | 237 | 206 | 145 | 92.8 | 43.8 | |
Borderlands 3 (2019) | 130 | 116 | 108 | 100 | 86.3 | 48.6 |
F1 2020 (2020) | 379 | 341 | 314 | 222 | 175 | 107 |
Horizon Zero Dawn (2020) | 212 | 202 | 180 | 156 | 129 | 70 |
Crysis Remastered (2020) | 253 | 179 | 105 | 80.5 | 51.8 | 30 |
Mafia Definitive Edition (2020) | 159 | 142 | 132 | 111 | 57.3 | |
Watch Dogs Legion (2020) | 114 | 115 | 104 | 87.7 | 72.3 | 44.5 |
Dirt 5 (2020) | 308.1 | 199.2 | 162 | 139.2 | 116.6 | 77.4 |
Assassin´s Creed Valhalla (2020) | 256 | 205 | 172 | 162 | 144 | 99 |
Immortals Fenyx Rising (2020) | 122 | 108 | 106 | 106 | 104 | 70 |
Cyberpunk 2077 1.0 (2020) | 71.8 | 70.3 | 70.6 | 69.6 | 64.8 | 29.8 |
Mass Effect Legendary Edition (2021) | 117 | 110 | 106 | 101 | ||
F1 2021 (2021) | 415 | 411 | 357 | 167 | 126 | 71.8 |
New World (2021) | 138 | 101 | 89.3 | 83.3 | 79 | 49.5 |
Alan Wake Remastered (2021) | 148 | 147 | 145 | 87.7 | ||
Far Cry 6 (2021) | 157 | 138 | 126 | 116 | 109 | 68.1 |
Back 4 Blood (2021) | 306 | 292 | 273 | 199 | 100 | |
Guardians of the Galaxy (2021) | 133 | 140 | 135 | 136 | 134 | 82 |
Riders Republic (2021) | 125 | 124 | 121 | 116 | 107 | 65 |
Call of Duty Vanguard (2021) | 115 | 170 | 164 | 147 | 107 | 61.3 |
Forza Horizon 5 (2021) | 231 | 182 | 178 | 118 | 101 | 70 |
Battlefield 2042 (2021) | 168 | 153 | 145 | 128 | 112 | |
Farming Simulator 22 (2021) | 281 | 224 | 188 | 164 | 162 | 126 |
Halo Infinite (2021) | 155 | 121 | 116 | 90.4 | 67.4 | |
God of War (2022) | 135 | 135 | 128 | 93.8 | 78 | 51.7 |
Rainbow Six Extraction (2022) | 353 | 285 | 278 | 202 | 149 | 72 |
Dying Light 2 (2022) | 227 | 133 | 113 | 80.8 | 43 | |
GRID Legends (2022) | 298.8 | 256.1 | 171.3 | 169.2 | 145.1 | 97.8 |
Elden Ring (2022) | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 59.6 |
Cyberpunk 2077 1.6 (2022) | 79.1 | 78.9 | 78.8 | 78.4 | 70.2 | 31.7 |
Elex 2 (2022) | 69 | 67.9 | 65.1 | 65.1 | 63.6 | 44 |
Ghostwire Tokyo (2022) | 219 | 209 | 206 | 204 | 148.4 | 74.6 |
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands (2022) | 292 | 237 | 167.4 | 133.1 | 98.7 | 53.4 |
Vampire Bloodhunt (2022) | 436 | 286 | 260 | 253 | 178.5 | 95.3 |
Compute Performance
The compute performance primarily depends on the GPU performance, which was improved significantly with RDNA 2. Due to the number of compute units, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 comes in between the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT - a familiar spot by now. Compared to its green competition, the AMD model cannot consistently pull ahead. In these benchmarks, RDNA 2 and Turing trade blows. By contrast, the pure rendering results (SPECviewperf) often favor AMD over Nvidia.
Emissions - Energy Consumption and Noise Levels
In light of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 250-watt TGP rating, it offers very fast performance. Despite being rated for just 20 watts more than the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT, it achieves a noticeably higher performance level. Meanwhile, Nvidia's Turing series model GeForce RTX 3080 demands at least 320 watts. AMD appears to lean significantly more towards the economical side, although the performance at very high resolutions (4K) is lower compared to the GeForce RTX 3080.
The cooling solution, which we have not yet discussed, is quite effective. That being said, it is nothing new coming from the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. Both graphics cards carry the same cooling solution including three axial fans. In 2D mode and under low load, they do not need to spin at all. Even under high load, the fans spin at pleasantly quiet speeds and are not audible from outside of the case. The fans of our AIO produced more noise at all times.
Our recorded temperatures also reflect the cooling solution's abilities to dissipate heat. For an air cooler, reaching just 72 °C (161.6 °F) during the stress test is a very good result. At 85 °C (185 °F), the GPU hot spot temperature is only slightly higher. AMD specifies a maximum hot spot temperature of 110 °C. As a result, the GPU has some breathing room. This should not come as a surprise, since the cooling solution is identical to the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT.
The emission values of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 are excellent overall. Compared to its competitors, the graphics card offers a solid 4K gaming performance at a maximum TGP of 250 watts. With the aforementioned 320-watt TGP, Nvidia and its GeForce RTX 3080 require significantly more power to compete in terms of the performance.
Power Consumption / The Witcher 3 ultra (external Monitor) | |
ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 ROG STRIX OC GAMING (Idle: 88.3 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (Idle: 99.5 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (Idle: 99.15 W) | |
KFA2 GeForce RTX 2080 Ti EX (Idle: 100.5 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (Idle: 74.3 W) | |
MSI RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio (Idle: 87.78 W) | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio (Idle: 95.1 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 (Idle: 81.4 W) | |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Idle: 78.87 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (Idle: 77.1 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (Idle: 69.8 W) | |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super (96.8 fps, Idle: 80.5 W) | |
MSI RTX 2070 Gaming Z 8G (Idle: 73.3 W) | |
AMD Radeon VII (Idle: 81.39 W) | |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super (82.7 fps, Idle: 77.12 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 (84.2 fps, Idle: 64.5 W) | |
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G (Idle: 74.66 W) |
Power Consumption / FurMark 1.19 GPU Stress Test (external Monitor) | |
ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 ROG STRIX OC GAMING (Idle: 88.3 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT (Idle: 99.15 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT (Idle: 99.5 W) | |
AMD Radeon VII (Idle: 81.39 W) | |
MSI RTX 2080 Gaming X Trio | |
KFA2 GeForce RTX 2080 Ti EX (Idle: 100.5 W) | |
MSI GeForce RTX 3070 Gaming X Trio (Idle: 95.1 W) | |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 Super (Idle: 78.87 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 6800 (Idle: 81.4 W) | |
MSI RTX 2070 Gaming Z 8G (Idle: 73.3 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT (Idle: 77.1 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (239 fps, Idle: 69.8 W) | |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super (283 fps, Idle: 80.5 W) | |
MSI RTX 2060 Gaming Z 6G (Idle: 74.66 W) | |
Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super (237 fps, Idle: 77.12 W) | |
AMD Radeon RX 5700 (207 fps, Idle: 64.5 W) |
* ... smaller is better
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Economical 2160p Graphics Card
With this review of the AMD Radeon RX 6800, we have now tested all of the latest RDNA 2 graphics cards. The GPU is well suited to 2160p gaming with very few exceptions. However, DLSS is an ace that is exclusively up Nvidia's sleeve. Although with FSR, AMD has developed its own competing technology, the implementation still lags slightly behind. The same holds true for ray tracing features. The 6000 series still is not competitive when RTX is enabled. Aside from this, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 is a modern GPU with low noise levels and sufficient performance for all current titles. With 16 GB, there is more than enough VRAM with no artificial limitations. Finally, a direct comparison with the competition shows the GPU to be fairly economical.
The new AMD Radeon RX 6800 enters the high-end segment with solid performance at a very reasonable TGP limit. At 16 GB, the VRAM configuration is as generous as those of the series' most powerful models.
The success hinges on the availability. What good is a good GPU that is not in stock anywhere? Even one year after the release of the AMD Radeon RX 6800, this problem persists. More specifically, the availability is not a problem per se, but rather the price. Those lucky enough can snatch an RX 6800 through AMD's online shop for 600 Euros ($579). However, the available board partner models cost significantly more than 1000 Euros/USD. This represents a price premium that many users are not willing to pay. On the Nvidia side, things are not looking any better.
Due to the performance of the AMD Radeon RX 6800, the price of 579 USD (AMD shop) is certainly justified. We recommend purchasing one, should you get the chance to. The performance is solid and that is what matters. Alternatively, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is an excellent choice as well. Here, AMD currently demands around 649 USD. The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT currently costs 999 USD. Since the price premium relative to the performance jump is high for this model, the cost-benefit factor is questionable.