Nvidia RTX 3080 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT: Which GPU is better for gaming?
The Nvidia RTX 3080 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT were fiercely competitive when they were first released. They are still quite popular, and a lot of gamers are using these two GPUs. The AMD graphics card looks better on the surface since it has 16GB of video memory compared to the Nvidia card's 10 GB, but that's not how things work in gaming. Having a higher video memory is certainly an advantage, but it may not reflect on actual performance.
In this article, we are comparing the two GPUs in detail to see which is the best for gaming.
Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions.
Nvidia RTX 3080 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
The Nvidia RTX 3080 is based on the Ampere architecture that brought significantly higher CUDA cores, memory capacity, and more compared to its predecessor.
On the other hand, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is designed with the RDNA 2 architecture that brought several new features, including ray tracing, for the first time. Let's begin the comparison of the two GPUs, starting with the specs.
Specs comparison
Here are the specs of the Nvidia RTX 3080 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT:
The Nvidia GPU has higher shader cores and more memory bandwidth, but the AMD graphics card has faster core clock speeds. The Radeon 6900 XT also has 60% more VRAM and consumes less power, which means lower bills.
Performance comparison
Let's put the specs aside and look at the gaming comparisons of the Nvidia RTX 3080 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. We will compare the two graphics cards in both rasterizations and ray tracing to get a full glimpse of how much performance they have and what their ups and downs are.
Note: The two video cards were tested at 1440p resolution with high/ultra settings. All the FPS numbers have been sourced from the GPU Tester channel on YouTube.
Here's how the two GPUs perform in rasterization:
If you take an average performance score from this list of 10 games, the two GPUs perform neck and neck with each other. The Radeon RX 6800 XT is only 0.1% faster on average. Even if you judge the performance of the two cards in individual games, the story remains the same.
For example, the RTX 3080 is significantly faster in The Witcher 3, while the same can also be said for the Radeon 6800 XT in Forza Horizon 5. The two graphics cards have similar performance capabilities in rasterized games, but what about ray tracing?
Here's how the two GPUs perform in games with ray tracing turned on:
When ray tracing is turned on, the RTX 3080 is 26% faster on average than the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. Nvidia has a distinct advantage in ray tracing performance, which is true for every game on the list above.
Pricing
The pricing is where the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT takes a clear win. It costs $439, which is 31.5% cheaper than the Nvidia RTX 3080 ($640.99).
Nvidia RTX 3080 vs AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT: Final verdict
The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is better for gaming since it provides the same performance as the RTX 3080 for a 31.5% lower cost. It also has a higher video memory than its Nvidia counterpart.
However, the ray tracing performance of the RTX 3080 is significantly better, but it can't provide 60 FPS constantly with ray tracing turned on in every game. If ray tracing is a priority, you will need a much better card than these two or you'll have to settle for upscaling technologies like DLSS or FSR.
Therefore, I would recommend the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT instead, which not only delivers a great 1440p but also costs less.