Today, I’ll compare one of AMD’s latest offerings, the RX 7900 GRE with a much older card, namely the RX 6800 XT to see how both the RX 7900 GRE vs RX 6800 XT will perform. Did the old card lose its edge in 2024? You’ll find out in this extensive comparison.
Key Takeaways
- I’ve observed that the RX 7900 GRE performed 8% better than the RX 6800 XT, especially excelling in ray tracing.
- In my observation, the RX 6800 XT drew about 70 watts more power than the RX 7900 GRE despite the lower performance.
- I recommend the RX 6800 XT because of its relatively close performance and for its wider availability.
Comparison Table
| Technical Specs | RX 6800 XT | RX 7900 GRE |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | RDNA 2 | RDNA 3.0 |
| CUDA Cores | 4608 | 5120 |
| RT Cores | 72 | 80 |
| Launch Date | Nov 18th, 2020 | Jul 27th, 2023 |
| MSRP | $500 | $650 |
| Best Variants | Best RX 6800 XT | – |
Architectural Differences
- Clock Speed: The RX 6800 XT boasts a higher base clock at 1825 MHz compared to the RX 7900 GRE’s 1500 MHz. Additionally, the RX 6800 XT has a slightly higher boost clock at 2250 MHz, while the GRE features a slightly lower boost clock at 2245 MHz.
- Process Node: The RX 6800 XT employs a 7nm process, while the RX 7900 GRE has a combination of 5nm and 6nm transistors.
- TDP: The RX 7900 GRE has a rated TDP of 260W, a smidge higher than the RX 6800 XT’s 250W. We suggest a 600W and 650W PSU for both cards respectively.
- VRAM: To further cement that both cards are more alike than different, the RX 7900 GRE and the RX 6800 XT have the same VRAM buffer of 16GB.
- Bus Width & Memory Bandwidth: Both cards have the same bus width of 256-bit. The RX 6800 XT and the RX 7900 GRE consist of 512GB/s and 576GB/s memory bandwidth.
- Other Features: The RX 7900 GRE’s advanced RT cores minimize ray tracing performance loss, outperforming the first-gen RT cores on the RX 6800 XT. Both cards support AMD’s FSR for improved gaming experiences.
RX 6800 XT Vs RX 7900 GRE: Gaming Benchmarks
Now, that the specifications are out of the way, let’s look at the gaming benchmarks on these cards at 4K.
Test Rig
- CPU: Core i9 13900K
- Operating System: Windows 11
- Motherboard: ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus
- RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32GB DDR5-6600 CL34
- SSD: Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 1TB NVMe SSD
- Cooler: Xigmatek Aurora 360mm Cooler
- Power Supply: ENERMAX REVOLUTION D.F. X 1050W
The Last Of Us Part 1
- In The Last Of Us Part 1, the 7900 GRE is around 45 FPS, just a little bit better than last year’s card at 41 FPS.
- In my observation, the 1% lows were somehow better on the 6800 XT as it reached around 37 FPS, whereas the 7900 GRE maintained a framerate of 34 FPS.
Resident Evil 4
- In Resident Evil 4, the RX 7900 GRE obtained an average framerate of 78 FPS. In contrast, the RX 6800 XT was just a few frames behind with a performance of 72 FPS.
- 1% lows were well above 60 FPS across both cards, with the RX 6800 XT obtaining a 65 FPS average, over RX 7900 GRE’s relatively higher 71 FPS.
Forza Horizon 5
- Here, the RX 7900 GRE achieved an average framerate of 108 FPS, whereas the RX 6800 XT had an average framerate of around 96 FPS.
- With the RX 6800 XT obtaining 1% lows of 80 FPS, the RX 7900 GRE was a small amount ahead with a performance of 85 FPS as its minimum.
Hogwarts Legacy
- The RX 7900 GRE had a higher average of 54 FPS, whereas the RX 6800 XT got an even 50 FPS as its average framerate.
- 1% lows were identical between the RX 6800 XT and RX 7900 GRE at 44 FPS.
Fortnite
- The GRE had an average framerate of 82 FPS, whereas the 6800 XT went all the way down to 63 FPS.
- 1% lows also showed me a substantial advantage that the RX 7900 GRE possesses, as it pumped out 45 FPS as its minimum, whereas the RX 6800 XT had a framerate of around 33 FPS as its minimum.
A Plague Tale Requiem
- For the last game, the RX 6800 XT provided me with a conclusion when it outperformed its newer, higher-end counterpart, by gaining 56 FPS over GRE’s 54 FPS respectively.
- I observed the RX 6800 XT came out a frame ahead with an average of 48 FPS on 1% lows, whereas the RX 7900 GRE had an average of around 47 FPS.
Overall Gaming Performance
According to my performance tests at 4K with settings turned to the maximum, the RX 7900 GRE had an average framerate of 70 FPS over the 6 games, whereas the RX 6800 XT was recorded close to 64 FPS, which was 8% slower than the RX 7900 XT.
Power Consumption
The newer card excelled in its power efficiency as the RX 7900 GRE drew 371 watts of power on average, whereas the RX 6800 XT drew around 439 watts on average. This showed me that the RX 7900 GRE drew approximately 70 watts less than the RX 6800 XT.
Price And Availability
The RX 6800 XT goes for around $430 to $600 while the RX 7900 GRE is now being sold at a price point of $663, but it has only broken the market in China as of yet, whereas the only way to get it elsewhere is to get it inside a computer from a prebuilt PC retailer.
RX 6800 XT Vs RX 7900 GRE: My Recommendations
I recommend you RX 6800 XT as it is widely available, unlike its rival whose availability is still a common issue. Furthermore, its performance is very close to its rival and the slight performance gap on the RX 6800 XT can be eliminated by using FSR which will grant you extra frame rates.
Pros And Cons
| CPU | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| RX 7900 GRE | Better performance Better ray tracing performance | More expensive |
| RX 6800 XT | Better price-to-performance ratio | Lower performance |
Frequently Asked Questions
A 700-watt power supply can comfortably support the RX 6800 XT along with any CPU you throw at it.
The RX 6800 XT can do 20.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.
The RX 7900 GRE has 80 2nd gen RT cores.
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[Comparisons Expert]
Abdemanaf is a skilled creative writer who has been honing his craft since 2011. While initially working in different fields, he found a passion for technology and has been exploring the tech world since early 2015. Over the years, he has developed an in-depth knowledge of the latest tech trends and product offerings by various companies.
Abdemanaf’s writing reflects his analytical mindset and ability to think critically. He has a knack for breaking down complex technical information into easily digestible pieces, making his articles engaging and accessible to readers from all backgrounds. In February 2022, he joined Tech4Gamers as a blog and product comparison writer, where he has been able to hone his skills further.
As a writer, Abdemanaf is dedicated to staying up-to-date with the latest technological advancements and trends, enabling him to provide readers with the most relevant and accurate information. He is always eager to learn more and is constantly seeking new challenges to improve his skills.
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