At long last, AMD has taken the wraps off of its long-awaited Radeon RX 6000 series of graphics cards. And the new Radeon RX 6800 XT just might prove to be the most popular of the bunch, offering impressive 4K gaming power that can hold its own with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 for a lower price.
Powered by AMD's new RDNA 2 architecture, the RX 6800 XT (along with the cheaper RTX 6800 and flagship RX 6900 XT) is one of AMD's biggest GPU releases yet, delivering key features such as DirectX Raytracing and variable rate shading for some of the most immersive PC gaming yet. Here's everything you need to know about this new AMD powerhouse, including its price, release date and specs.
- The best gaming PCs to buy now
- Our picks for the best gaming laptops
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT price
The Radeon RX 6800 XT costs $649. That makes it a little pricier than the starting $579 RX 6800, but much more attainable than the beastly, $999 RX 6900 XT.
The RX 6800 XT also slightly undercuts the $699 Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080, which is its closest Nvidia competitor in terms of specs and performance.
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT release date
The Radeon RX 6800 XT was released on November 18, 2021, alongside the standard RX 6800.
Sadly, thanks to chip shortages and supply problems, it's not an easy graphics card to track down and buy.
AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT specs and performance
The RX 6800 XT brings a number of big upgrades to the mix, promising up to 54 percent more performance-per-watt compared to the last-gen RX 5700 XT card. Like the RTX 3080, this GPU is designed to deliver consistent 4K gaming at a smooth 60 frames per second.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | AMD Radeon™ RX 6800 | AMD Radeon™ RX 6800 XT | AMD Radeon™ RX 6900 XT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute units | 60 | 72 | 80 |
| GDDR6 RAM | 16GB | 16GB | 16GB |
| Game Clock | 1,815 MHz | 2,015 MHz | 2,015 MHz |
| Boost Clock | Up to 2,105 MHz | Up to 2,250 MHz | Up to 2,250 MHz |
| Memory Interface | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Infinity Cache | 128MB | 128MB | 128MB |
Key RX 6000 series features include DirectX Raytracing support, which allows for immersive real-time lighting, shadows and reflection and brings the Radeon GPU family up to speed with Nvidia's RTX cards. Developers can also tap into AMD FidelityFX for balancing fidelity and framerate, and Variable Rate Shading (VRS), which dynamically adjusts in-game shading to boost performance with minimal expense to visuals.
Announcing the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. Powered by the incredibly efficient #RDNA2 architecture, paired with Infinity Cache for blazing fast memory performance, the RX 6800 XT is the winning choice in popular demanding games. #GameOnAMD pic.twitter.com/GUzXg6xhWCOctober 28, 2020
If you're wondering how the RX 6800 XT will hold up during real-world gaming, Nvidia says to expect up to 84 frames per second for Gears 5 running at 4K and Ultra settings. According to benchmarks shared by AMD, the 6800 XT holds its own with the RTX 3080 in most modern titles, and even surpasses it in games like Battlefield V and Forza Horizon 4.
That bodes well for AMD's new series of graphics cards — especially since many of them undercut the competition from Nvidia.
