AMD has finally presented its new graphics cards today. We at MeinMMO present you with the most important facts about the new graphics cards. Fans can expect the following.
The most important points at a glance:
- AMD has introduced three graphics cards: The RX 6800 XT, the RX 6800, and the RX 6900 XT.
- The 6800 series graphics cards will be released on November 18, 2020, while the RX 6900 XT will hit the market on December 8.
- AMD places its graphics cards in the high-end segment and aims for 4K resolution. AMD does not shy away from direct comparisons to the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090.
- All three graphics cards based on RDNA 2 technology come with 16 GB of video memory.
AMD has presented the new graphics cards. In our article, we want to introduce you to the graphics cards and provide a look at the first numbers around the new graphics cards.
Today also marks the start of the sale of Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3070.
AMD Livestream: What was shown?
What is it about? On October 28, 2020, AMD presented its latest graphics cards during its official stream. With this, AMD aims to compete in the high-end segment and provide significant competition to Nvidia. On October 5, AMD had previously revealed its new Ryzen 5000 processors.
You can also watch the entire stream again (in English) here:
| RX 6900 XT | RX 6800 XT | RX 6800 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute Units | 80 | 72 | 60 |
| Base Clock | 2015 MHz | 2015 MHz | 1815 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2250 MHz | 2250 MHz | 2105 MHz |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR | 16 GB GDDR6 |
| TDP | 300 Watts | 300 Watts | 250 Watts |
| MSRP | 999 US Dollars | 649 US Dollars | 579 US Dollars |
Radeon 6000 Price and Performance: How AMD positions itself against Nvidia
AMD has published the prices, release dates, and initial performance data in its stream. And AMD clearly shows against whom each card is aimed:
- The Radeon RX 6800 is the smallest model presented. It will cost 579 US Dollars and stands in direct competition to the Nvidia RTX 3070, which will officially be released on October 29, 2020, and will cost 499 Dollars.
- The Radeon RX 6800 XT will cost 649 US Dollars and is intended to be AMD’s counterpart to Nvidia’s RTX 3080, which costs slightly more at 699 Dollars.
- AMD’s strongest graphics card is the Radeon RX 6900 XT. It will cost 999 US Dollars and is meant to compete with the RTX 3090, priced at 1,499 US Dollars.
When is the AMD “Big Navi” Release? AMD has also announced the official release date of the graphics cards.
- The Radeon RX 6800 and the RX 6800 XT will both be released on November 18, 2020.
- The Radeon RX 6900 XT will be released on December 8, 2020.
AMD Big Navi: Improved efficiency is AMD’s greatest success
AMD’s greatest success is likely the significantly improved efficiency compared to earlier AMD graphics cards. It consumes less power but offers more performance at the same time (via ComputerBase.de).
AMD has significantly improved efficiency since the Polaris generation (RX 400 and 500 series). The RX 480 was already a huge leap compared to the RX 390 (via ComputerBase.de).
The significant increase in efficiency achieved with the jump from Polaris to RDNA is now expected to increase by another 54%.
Among gamers, AMD graphics cards have long been regarded as power hogs, consuming significantly more power than the competitor Nvidia with similar or worse performance (via GameStar.de). This could finally change with the RX 6000 series.
AMD’s benchmarks against Nvidia’s RTX 3080 and RTX 3090
What is in AMD’s test system? AMD tested the games with an AMD graphics card, a Ryzen 9 5900X (3.7 GHz), and 16 GB DDR4 RAM on an AM4 motherboard.
You should take the benchmarks with a grain of salt: AMD tests its latest graphics cards with a currently unknown processor, the Ryzen 9 5900X, which will officially be available on November 5. Additionally, the new feature “Smart Access Memory” is used, the functionality of which we also do not yet know well.
Below we show you the performance that AMD has presented.
AMD RX 6800 vs. Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti, RTX 3070
The RX 6800 compares AMD with Nvidia’s RTX 2080 Ti and shows benchmarks in both WQHD (1440p) and 4K. However, AMD’s GPU is expected to compete more with Nvidia’s RTX 3070 in the long run.
- In 4K and WQHD benchmarks, AMD’s new GPU often outperforms the RTX 2080 Ti. The RX 6800 performs better on average in the WQHD benchmarks than in 4K resolutions.
AMD RX 6800 Price: AMD demands 579 US Dollars for its weakest “Big Navi” card. This price is significantly lower than the RTX 2080 Ti, which currently costs around 1200 Euros, but is more expensive than Nvidia’s RTX 3070, which is expected to be available for 499 US Dollars starting October 29.
AMD RX 6800 XT vs. Nvidia RTX 3080
AMD compares its RX 6800 XT against the GeForce RTX 3080 in benchmarks and shows games in both WQHD and 4K.
- In 4K, AMD’s graphics card is somewhat faster in 4 games, in 3 games both are equally fast, and in 3 games the RTX 3080 is faster.
- In WQHD, AMD’s graphics card is almost always faster than the GeForce RTX 3080.
RTX 3080 Price vs RX 6800 XT Price: AMD starts at 649 US Dollars for its card. The RTX 3080 costs 699 Dollars in comparison and is thus slightly more expensive. The RTX 3080 was sold out within moments.
AMD RX 6900 XT vs. Nvidia RTX 3090
The RX 6900 XT compares AMD with the RTX 3090. However, the benchmarks here are more challenging to assess.
- In some games, the RX 6900 XT is faster than the competition, but it is slightly overclocked with the Rage Mode. Due to the use of 2 new features, the benchmarks are hard to evaluate.
RTX 3090 Price vs RX 6900 XT Price: While Nvidia’s high-end GPU cost 1499 US Dollars at release, the RX 6900 XT will be priced at 999 US Dollars at launch.
This makes AMD’s new GPU $500 cheaper than the competition and, according to benchmarks, should offer similar performance and better efficiency.
The RTX 3090 offers more memory: There is also a difference between the two graphics cards. While Nvidia’s RTX 3090 offers 20 GB of GDDR6X memory, the AMD RX 6900 XT only has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory.
AMD’s Graphics Cards 2020: Finally Competition for Nvidia?
Waiting for independent tests: So far, all benchmarks and data come officially from AMD itself. Whether AMD or Nvidia now offers the best graphics card for gamers will only be revealed in the first tests, namely on November 18 and December 8, when the graphics cards are officially launched.
This particularly applies to AMD’s innovative technologies such as Infinity Cache and Raytracing, which the RX 6000 series also offers, thus taking away Nvidia’s monopoly status.
Question of availability: The crucial question remains the situation regarding availability. Nvidia has had major problems with the sale of the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090. How AMD’s launch on November 5 will go remains to be seen.
If AMD can deliver, unlike Nvidia, AMD will likely have a significant advantage over the competition. And the “RTX 3080” problem could be the best thing that could happen to AMD.
