GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 6800
The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB pulls ahead here — substantially quicker, about 19% ahead of the Radeon RX 6800. But the Radeon RX 6800 is the better value, undercutting it by $110,849 JPY for the performance you get.
Maximum Capacity Reached. Remove a model to add another. (2/2)
GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 6800: In-Depth Breakdown
Performance: GeForce RTX 3080 12GB vs Radeon RX 6800
The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is significantly faster, around 19% ahead of the Radeon RX 6800. Both cards sit in the same broad class, well suited to 1440p.
Price & Value
Pricing has the Radeon RX 6800 at $153,754 JPY, $110,849 JPY under the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB's $264,603 JPY. Despite being slower, the Radeon RX 6800 offers the better performance-per-dollar (~44% better value), so budget-focused buyers should weigh it carefully. The Radeon RX 6800 still sits about $153,175 JPY above its $579 JPY MSRP. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB still sits about $263,804 JPY above its $799 JPY MSRP.
Power & Efficiency
Power draw favors the Radeon RX 6800 (250W vs 350W), and it's the more efficient card too, so it's the easy pick if thermals or a smaller PSU matter.
VRAM & Future-Proofing
The Radeon RX 6800 carries 16GB versus 12GB on the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB. The extra 4GB helps at 4K, with high-resolution texture packs, and for content-creation or local-AI workloads that exhaust smaller buffers.
Generation & Longevity
The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is roughly 2 years newer than the Radeon RX 6800 (Ampere vs RDNA 2), so it generally benefits from a more modern architecture and longer driver-support runway.
Features & Ecosystem
Beyond raw numbers, the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB brings NVIDIA DLSS upscaling/frame generation and stronger ray tracing, while the Radeon RX 6800 offers AMD FSR upscaling and strong rasterization value. If you lean on upscaling or ray tracing, that ecosystem difference can matter as much as the frame-rate gap.
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3080 12GB or Radeon RX 6800?
Choose the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB if you want the most performance and can absorb the higher price. If you're optimizing for value, the Radeon RX 6800 stretches your money further for only slightly lower performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB better than the Radeon RX 6800?
Which is better for 4K gaming, the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB or the Radeon RX 6800?
Is the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB worth the extra $110,849 JPY over the Radeon RX 6800?
Does the Radeon RX 6800 have enough VRAM advantage to matter?
Which should you buy: GeForce RTX 3080 12GB or Radeon RX 6800?
Technical Specifications Comparison
Architecture & Cores
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | Radeon RX 6800 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 2 |
| Process Node | Samsung 8nm | TSMC N7 |
| CUDA Cores (CUDA Cores / Stream Processors) | 8,960✓ | 3,840 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | — | 60 |
Clock Speeds
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | Radeon RX 6800 |
|---|---|---|
| Base Clock | 1,440 MHz | 1,700 MHz✓ |
| Boost Clock | 1,710 MHz | 2,105 MHz✓ |
Memory
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | Radeon RX 6800 |
|---|---|---|
| VRAM Capacity | 12 GB | 16 GB✓ |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit✓ | 256-bit |
| Memory Speed | 19 Gbps✓ | 16 Gbps |
| Bandwidth | 912 GB/s✓ | 512 GB/s |
Connectivity & Power
| Specification | GeForce RTX 3080 12GB | Radeon RX 6800 |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| TDP | 350 W | 250 W✓ |
| Power Connectors | 2x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Released | Jan 2022 | Nov 2020 |
