Radeon RX 6800 vs Radeon RX 6950 XT
The Radeon RX 6950 XT is a big jump in performance — leading the Radeon RX 6800 by roughly 35% in our performance index. It also comes out ahead on value, making it the straightforward pick if the price fits your budget.
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Comparable or lower specs
Radeon RX 6950 XT vs Radeon RX 6800: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: Radeon RX 6950 XT vs Radeon RX 6800
The Radeon RX 6950 XT is significantly faster, around 35% ahead of the Radeon RX 6800. That gap is enough to move it up a tier: the Radeon RX 6950 XT is comfortable at 4K with upscaling and native 1440p, while the Radeon RX 6800 is better matched to 1440p. The Radeon RX 6950 XT packs 5,120 stream processors versus 3,840 on the Radeon RX 6800. The Radeon RX 6950 XT also has more RT cores (80 vs 60), strengthening its ray-tracing and AI-upscaling performance.
Price & Value
On price, expect to pay $1,300 EUR for the Radeon RX 6800 versus $1,472 EUR for the Radeon RX 6950 XT. Because it's both faster and competitively priced, the Radeon RX 6950 XT wins on performance-per-dollar by about 20%. The Radeon RX 6800 still sits about $721 EUR above its $579 EUR MSRP. The Radeon RX 6950 XT still sits about $373 EUR above its $1,099 EUR MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
The Radeon RX 6800 pulls less power (250W vs 335W), so it's the easier card to cool and the lighter load on your PSU. The faster Radeon RX 6950 XT draws more overall but extracts more performance from each watt — plan for a sturdier power supply if you pick it.
Memory & Bandwidth
The Radeon RX 6950 XT's memory is faster — 576 GB/s versus 512 GB/s — which helps feed the GPU at 4K and with heavy textures.
Generation & Longevity
The Radeon RX 6950 XT is roughly 2 years newer than the Radeon RX 6800, so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Which should you buy: Radeon RX 6800 or Radeon RX 6950 XT?
The Radeon RX 6950 XT is the all-round winner here — it's faster and the better value, so buy it if it fits your budget. Only consider the Radeon RX 6800 if you find it at a steep discount.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Radeon RX 6950 XT better than the Radeon RX 6800?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the Radeon RX 6800 or the Radeon RX 6950 XT?
Is the Radeon RX 6950 XT worth the extra $172 EUR over the Radeon RX 6800?
Which is better for ray tracing, the Radeon RX 6950 XT or the Radeon RX 6800?
Which should you buy: Radeon RX 6800 or Radeon RX 6950 XT?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | Radeon RX 6800 | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | RDNA 2 | RDNA 2 |
| Process Node | TSMC N7 | TSMC N7 |
| CUDA Cores (Stream Processors / Stream Processors) | 3,840 | 5,120✓ |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 60 | 80✓ |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | Radeon RX 6800 | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,700 MHz | 1,860 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 2,105 MHz | 2,310 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | Radeon RX 6800 | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory Type | GDDR6 | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 16 Gbps | 18 Gbps✓ |
| Bandwidth | 512 GB/s | 576 GB/s✓ |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | Radeon RX 6800 | Radeon RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| TDP | 250 W✓ | 335 W |
| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Released | Nov 2020 | May 2022 |
