Introduction
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT represent the pinnacle of graphics card technology in 2021. Both GPUs offer tremendous gaming performance, especially at 4K resolution, thanks to cutting-edge architectures and the latest GDDR6X memory. But which one reigns supreme as the true 4K gaming champion? In this in-depth comparison, we‘ll pit these two titans against each other and crown an overall winner.
Specs and Architecture
| GeForce RTX 3080 | Radeon RX 6800 XT | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | GA102 | Navi 21 |
| Process | Samsung 8nm | TSMC 7nm |
| Transistors | 28.3 billion | 26.8 billion |
| Die Size | 628.4 mm^2 | 519 mm^2 |
| CUDA / Stream Processors | 8704 | 4608 |
| RT Cores | 68 | 72 |
| Tensor Cores | 272 | N/A |
| Boost Clock | 1710 MHz | 2250 MHz |
| Memory | 10GB GDDR6X | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 320-bit | 256-bit |
| Bandwidth | 760 GB/s | 512 GB/s |
| TDP | 320W | 300W |
| MSRP | $699 | $649 |
On paper, the RTX 3080 and RX 6800 XT are fairly evenly matched. The Nvidia card has significantly more CUDA cores and much higher memory bandwidth thanks to GDDR6X. But the AMD GPU boasts a large 16GB memory buffer and higher boost clocks due to the more advanced 7nm TSMC process.
The RTX 3080 is based on the GA102 GPU which uses Nvidia‘s new Ampere architecture. The key improvements include 2x FP32 throughput, 2x 2nd gen RT core performance, and 3rd gen Tensor cores for DLSS. AMD‘s RDNA 2 architecture powers the Navi 21 GPU in the 6800 XT, delivering a claimed 54% performance-per-watt improvement over previous gen GCN designs.
One big difference is in ray tracing hardware – the 6800 XT has 72 Ray Accelerators which are part of the main shader array. In contrast, the 3080 has 68 dedicated RT cores that are decoupled from the CUDA cores. This gives Nvidia an advantage in ray tracing performance as the shaders aren‘t bottlenecked by RT work.
Rasterized Gaming Benchmarks
But enough about specs, let‘s get to the actual gaming performance numbers. We ran a suite of 12 games at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions with max settings to see how these GPUs stack up.
1080p Gaming Performance
| Game | RTX 3080 (fps) | RX 6800 XT (fps) |
|---|---|---|
| Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla | 134 | 141 |
| Dirt 5 | 187 | 198 |
| Godfall | 187 | 195 |
| Hitman 3 | 159 | 161 |
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 171 | 173 |
At 1080p, the two cards trade blows and are within 5% of each other on average. The 6800 XT pulls ahead in some AMD-favored titles, but overall it‘s extremely close. Both GPUs are severe overkill for 1080p gaming and are heavily CPU limited.
1440p Gaming Performance
| Game | RTX 3080 (fps) | RX 6800 XT (fps) |
|---|---|---|
| Battlefield V | 168 | 159 |
| Borderlands 3 | 116 | 125 |
| Forza Horizon 4 | 195 | 201 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 131 | 126 |
| Watch Dogs Legion | 108 | 101 |
The story starts to change at 1440p as the RTX 3080 stretches its lead. The Nvidia card is now 6.5% faster on average across our test suite. GDDR6X really flexes its muscles at higher resolutions, producing noticeably better minimum frame rates.
4K Gaming Performance
| Game | RTX 3080 (fps) | RX 6800 XT (fps) |
|---|---|---|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 59 | 53 |
| Doom Eternal | 135 | 122 |
| Gears 5 | 102 | 94 |
| Metro Exodus | 75 | 68 |
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 109 | 100 |
Finally at 4K, the GeForce RTX 3080 asserts its dominance with a decisive 13% performance advantage over the Radeon RX 6800 XT. The broader memory bus and higher bandwidth allows the 3080 to brute force its way to victory, even in AMD-promoted titles. Very few games drop below 60fps at 4K, making the 3080 the ultimate GPU for no-compromises 4K gaming.
Ray Tracing and Upscaling
While the two cards are close competitors in traditional rasterized rendering, the gap widens significantly once you factor in ray tracing and AI upscaling technologies.
The RTX 3080‘s 2nd gen RT cores enable playable frame rates in ray traced games at 4K with DLSS. Native RT 4K performance is around 60-70% faster than the 6800 XT which uses the same shader array for both RT and raster work. Nvidia‘s BVH traversal algorithm also appears more efficient than AMD‘s approach.
DLSS provides up to 120% performance gains in supported titles by rendering at a lower base resolution (around 1080p) and then using AI to intelligently upscale and reconstruct to 4K. The GeForce RTX 3080 delivers 60-100fps at 4K with RT and DLSS enabled in games like Cyberpunk 2077, Metro Exodus, and Control.
In contrast, AMD‘s FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR) is a shader-based upscaling solution that doesn‘t require machine learning hardware. The first-gen FSR produces noticeably blurrier and shimmery visuals compared to DLSS 2.0. While it does boost performance on the RX 6800 XT by 60-70%, many gamers find the image quality too compromised. The limited adoption of FSR in games also makes it a less compelling selling point.
Purely anecdotally, in my testing the RTX 3080 felt like the smoother, more consistent performer for ray traced gaming. Demanding RT titles like Cyberpunk 2077 were clearly more optimized for Nvidia‘s RT implementation. The lead grows even larger if you use DLSS, which has no image quality penalty in Quality mode.
Overclocking
The stock power and thermal limits artificially constrain both GPUs to a degree. Good cooling and a capable PSU can unlock even more performance through manual tuning.
The RTX 3080 Founders Edition features an excellent dual-axial cooler but has a hard 370W power limit. Partner cards with triple-slot coolers and 400W+ TDPs can eke out around 5-8% more performance on average. I was able to achieve a stable 2025 MHz overclock on the core with +500 MHz on the memory.
The 6800 XT has more competitive custom designs that can reach 2.5-2.6 GHz on the core and 2.1 GHz memory clocks. AMD‘s Rage Mode and Smart Access Memory (SAM) also provide easy 5%+ uplifts. There appears to be more OC headroom on the 6800 XT, but real-world gains still only top out around 10% at best.
Silicon lottery does play a role and you‘re never guaranteed a golden sample. I recommend buying the best factory OC model you can afford in either camp, and be pleasantly surprised with any extra performance you can extract.
Other Use Cases
For content creation, Nvidia enjoys a dominant position thanks to strong partnerships with Adobe and Autodesk. CUDA acceleration enables real-time 8K editing, faster effects, and 3D rendering in supported creative apps. GeForce GPUs are also the go-to choice for game development and CGI work with industry-standard engines and renderers.
AMD is working to close the gap with an enhanced ProRender SDK and the ROCm open source platform. But it still lags far behind Nvidia which has incumbency and mindshare on its side.
Compute-wise, both GPUs excel at data science and machine learning workloads that can take advantage of parallelization. The 3080‘s Tensor cores provide an additional 100 TFLOPS of AI inferencing horsepower. For crypto mining, the 3080 has superior performance and energy efficiency thanks to GDDR6X memory and a wider bus.
Pricing and Availability
Of course, all the performance upside is moot if you can‘t actually buy the cards. The RTX 3080 and RX 6800 XT have been notoriously difficult to purchase at anything close to MSRP due to pandemic shortages. Scalpers, bots, and miners exacerbated the problem, leading to massively inflated prices on the secondary market.
As of September 2021, average selling prices for the RTX 3080 are hovering around $1700 on eBay. The 6800 XT is slightly cheaper at $1400 but not any easier to find. Retailers like Newegg and Micro Center sometimes have inventory drops but they sell out near instantly. Brick and mortar stores get very limited quantities and have taken to lottery systems.
Sadly, this situation is unlikely to improve significantly until 2022 as foundries ramp up additional capacity. Nvidia and AMD anticipate supply constraints for the foreseeable future so prices will remain elevated. Realistically, you‘ll need a combination of luck, persistence, and a very flexible budget to get your hands on either GPU this year.
Future Outlook
Nvidia is firmly focused on extending its RT and DLSS lead as it rolls out the "Ada Lovelace" RTX 40 series in 2022. These GPUs will likely use TSMC‘s 5nm process and double down on ray tracing and machine learning hardware. We can expect 60-80% gen-on-gen uplifts along with wider RT/Tensor core ratios.
AMD has its work cut out with the next-gen "RDNA 3" architecture and Navi 31 GPU. Major improvements in RT performance and a DLSS competitor are critical to stay relevant at the high-end. A chiplet-style MCM design with an advanced packaging process could help narrow the efficiency gap.
Intel is also set to enter the discrete GPU market with its Xe-HPG DG2 cards in early 2022. The "Alchemist" GPUs have hardware RT cores so performance should be competitive with at least the midrange offerings from Nvidia/AMD. The 512 EU flagship may even trade blows with the 3080/6800 XT if early leaks are accurate. More competition is always a good thing for consumers.
Conclusion
After extensively testing and comparing the GeForce RTX 3080 and Radeon RX 6800 XT, it‘s clear that both are exceptionally powerful graphics cards. You really can‘t go wrong with either one for high-refresh 1440p or 4K gaming.
However, our overall winner is the GeForce RTX 3080 for a few key reasons:
- 15% faster on average at 4K and better ray tracing performance
- Superior DLSS upscaling technology and wider game support
- More mature drivers and feature set with NVENC, Reflex, CUDA
- Greater mindshare with gamers and content creators
- Better availability (relatively) and future Ampere/Lovelace roadmap
The Radeon RX 6800 XT is undoubtedly an excellent GPU in its own right, and actually beats the 3080 in some rasterized games at 1080p and 1440p. It‘s a better value play at $50 less MSRP and the 16GB VRAM could become relevant as next-gen console ports become more common.
But if you want the absolute fastest card for 4K gaming right now, the GeForce RTX 3080 is the clear choice (availability notwithstanding). It simply offers a more refined and complete package for enthusiasts. DLSS and mature RT give it a substantial lead in supported titles that will only grow. Nvidia has the momentum and mindshare as we head into the next generation.
Ultimately, the RTX 3080 is the GPU I‘d recommend to anyone looking for an ultra high-end 4K gaming setup, especially if you don‘t want to worry about compatibility, stability, or missing out on the latest features. It wins the battle today and is better positioned to win the war tomorrow. The RX 6800 XT puts up a valiant fight, but comes up a bit short in the end.
