Radeon RX 6850M XT vs GeForce RTX 3090

VS

Aggregate performance score

We've compared GeForce RTX 3090 with Radeon RX 6850M XT, including specs and performance data.

RTX 3090
2020
24 GB GDDR6X, 350 Watt
69.49
+53.8%

RTX 3090 outperforms RX 6850M XT by an impressive 54% based on our aggregate benchmark results.

Primary details

GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.

Place in the ranking2477
Place by popularitynot in top-100not in top-100
Cost-effectiveness evaluation14.96no data
Power efficiency13.6918.89
ArchitectureAmpere (2020−2024)RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)
GPU code nameGA102Navi 22
Market segmentDesktopLaptop
Release date1 September 2020 (4 years ago)4 January 2022 (3 years ago)
Launch price (MSRP)$1,499 no data

Cost-effectiveness evaluation

Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.

no data

Detailed specifications

General parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.

Pipelines / CUDA cores104962560
Core clock speed1395 MHz2321 MHz
Boost clock speed1695 MHz2581 MHz
Number of transistors28,300 million17,200 million
Manufacturing process technology8 nm7 nm
Power consumption (TDP)350 Watt165 Watt
Texture fill rate556.0413.0
Floating-point processing power35.58 TFLOPS13.21 TFLOPS
ROPs11264
TMUs328160
Tensor Cores328no data
Ray Tracing Cores8240

Form factor & compatibility

Information on compatibility with other computer components. Useful when choosing a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. For desktop graphics cards it's interface and bus (motherboard compatibility), additional power connectors (power supply compatibility).

Laptop sizeno datalarge
InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 4.0 x16
Length336 mmno data
Width3-slotno data
Supplementary power connectors1x 12-pinNone

VRAM capacity and type

Parameters of VRAM installed: its type, size, bus, clock and resulting bandwidth. Integrated GPUs have no dedicated video RAM and use a shared part of system RAM.

Memory typeGDDR6XGDDR6
Maximum RAM amount24 GB12 GB
Memory bus width384 Bit192 Bit
Memory clock speed1219 MHz2000 MHz
Memory bandwidth936.2 GB/s384.0 GB/s
Shared memory--

Connectivity and outputs

Types and number of video connectors present on the reviewed GPUs. As a rule, data in this section is precise only for desktop reference ones (so-called Founders Edition for NVIDIA chips). OEM manufacturers may change the number and type of output ports, while for notebook cards availability of certain video outputs ports depends on the laptop model rather than on the card itself.

Display Connectors1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPortNo outputs
HDMI+-

API compatibility

List of supported 3D and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.

DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model6.56.5
OpenGL4.64.6
OpenCL2.02.1
Vulkan1.21.3
CUDA8.5-

Synthetic benchmark performance

Non-gaming benchmark results comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.


Combined synthetic benchmark score

This is our combined benchmark score. We are regularly improving our combining algorithms, but if you find some perceived inconsistencies, feel free to speak up in comments section, we usually fix problems quickly.

RTX 3090 69.49
+53.8%
RX 6850M XT 45.19

Passmark

This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark. It gives the graphics card a thorough evaluation under various types of load, providing four separate benchmarks for Direct3D versions 9, 10, 11 and 12 (the last being done in 4K resolution if possible), and few more tests engaging DirectCompute capabilities.

RTX 3090 26709
+53.8%
RX 6850M XT 17369

3DMark 11 Performance GPU

3DMark 11 is an obsolete DirectX 11 benchmark by Futuremark. It used four tests based on two scenes, one being few submarines exploring the submerged wreck of a sunken ship, the other is an abandoned temple deep in the jungle. All the tests are heavy with volumetric lighting and tessellation, and despite being done in 1280x720 resolution, are relatively taxing. Discontinued in January 2020, 3DMark 11 is now superseded by Time Spy.

RTX 3090 61518
+46.4%
RX 6850M XT 42016

3DMark Fire Strike Graphics

Fire Strike is a DirectX 11 benchmark for gaming PCs. It features two separate tests displaying a fight between a humanoid and a fiery creature made of lava. Using 1920x1080 resolution, Fire Strike shows off some realistic graphics and is quite taxing on hardware.

RTX 3090 47241
+39.4%
RX 6850M XT 33901

3DMark Cloud Gate GPU

Cloud Gate is an outdated DirectX 11 feature level 10 benchmark that was used for home PCs and basic notebooks. It displays a few scenes of some weird space teleportation device launching spaceships into unknown, using fixed resolution of 1280x720. Just like Ice Storm benchmark, it has been discontinued in January 2020 and replaced by 3DMark Night Raid.

RTX 3090 231612
+33.9%
RX 6850M XT 172972

Gaming performance

Let's see how good the compared graphics cards are for gaming. Particular gaming benchmark results are measured in FPS.

Average FPS across all PC games

Here are the average frames per second in a large set of popular games across different resolutions:

Full HD198
+42.4%
139
−42.4%
1440p128
+47.1%
87
−47.1%
4K87
+29.9%
67
−29.9%

Cost per frame, $

1080p7.57no data
1440p11.71no data
4K17.23no data

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2 220
+124%
95−100
−124%
Cyberpunk 2077 207
+29.4%
160
−29.4%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5 102
−8.8%
110−120
+8.8%
Counter-Strike 2 188
+91.8%
95−100
−91.8%
Cyberpunk 2077 151
+122%
68
−122%
Forza Horizon 4 505
+70%
297
−70%
Forza Horizon 5 184
+61.4%
110−120
−61.4%
Metro Exodus 169
+62.5%
100−110
−62.5%
Red Dead Redemption 2 130
+51.2%
85−90
−51.2%
Valorant 393
+114%
180−190
−114%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5 110−120
+5.4%
110−120
−5.4%
Counter-Strike 2 161
+64.3%
95−100
−64.3%
Cyberpunk 2077 135
+155%
53
−155%
Dota 2 186
+52.5%
122
−52.5%
Far Cry 5 147
+234%
44
−234%
Fortnite 270−280
+44.4%
180−190
−44.4%
Forza Horizon 4 402
+55.2%
259
−55.2%
Forza Horizon 5 182
+59.6%
110−120
−59.6%
Grand Theft Auto V 171
+35.7%
126
−35.7%
Metro Exodus 150
+249%
43
−249%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 210−220
+2.4%
210−220
−2.4%
Red Dead Redemption 2 132
+53.5%
85−90
−53.5%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 170−180
+5.5%
160−170
−5.5%
Valorant 222
+20.7%
180−190
−20.7%
World of Tanks 270−280
+0%
270−280
+0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 95
−16.8%
110−120
+16.8%
Counter-Strike 2 146
+49%
95−100
−49%
Cyberpunk 2077 121
+175%
44
−175%
Dota 2 213
+124%
95
−124%
Far Cry 5 130−140
+27.2%
100−110
−27.2%
Forza Horizon 4 351
+54.6%
227
−54.6%
Forza Horizon 5 159
+39.5%
110−120
−39.5%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 210−220
+2.4%
210−220
−2.4%
Valorant 296
+60.9%
180−190
−60.9%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2 150
+68.5%
89
−68.5%
Grand Theft Auto V 150
+68.5%
89
−68.5%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 170−180
+0%
170−180
+0%
Red Dead Redemption 2 92
+95.7%
45−50
−95.7%
World of Tanks 450−500
+70.6%
280−290
−70.6%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 91
+15.2%
75−80
−15.2%
Counter-Strike 2 95
+97.9%
45−50
−97.9%
Cyberpunk 2077 87
+211%
28
−211%
Far Cry 5 160−170
+10.3%
140−150
−10.3%
Forza Horizon 4 266
+60.2%
166
−60.2%
Forza Horizon 5 134
+74%
75−80
−74%
Metro Exodus 139
+46.3%
95−100
−46.3%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 152
+83.1%
80−85
−83.1%
Valorant 295
+95.4%
150−160
−95.4%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2 59
+20.4%
45−50
−20.4%
Dota 2 182
+83.8%
99
−83.8%
Grand Theft Auto V 182
+83.8%
99
−83.8%
Metro Exodus 76
+94.9%
35−40
−94.9%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS 200−210
+39.3%
150−160
−39.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2 64
+113%
30−33
−113%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 182
+83.8%
99
−83.8%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5 91
+68.5%
50−55
−68.5%
Counter-Strike 2 85−90
+75.5%
45−50
−75.5%
Cyberpunk 2077 45
+246%
13
−246%
Dota 2 202
+159%
78
−159%
Far Cry 5 100−110
+47.9%
70−75
−47.9%
Fortnite 95−100
+41.2%
65−70
−41.2%
Forza Horizon 4 159
+72.8%
92
−72.8%
Forza Horizon 5 83
+88.6%
40−45
−88.6%
Valorant 188
+129%
80−85
−129%

This is how RTX 3090 and RX 6850M XT compete in popular games:

  • RTX 3090 is 42% faster in 1080p
  • RTX 3090 is 47% faster in 1440p
  • RTX 3090 is 30% faster in 4K

Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:

  • in Metro Exodus, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the RTX 3090 is 249% faster.
  • in Battlefield 5, with 1080p resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RX 6850M XT is 17% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

  • RTX 3090 is ahead in 60 tests (94%)
  • RX 6850M XT is ahead in 2 tests (3%)
  • there's a draw in 2 tests (3%)

Pros & cons summary


Performance score 69.49 45.19
Recency 1 September 2020 4 January 2022
Maximum RAM amount 24 GB 12 GB
Chip lithography 8 nm 7 nm
Power consumption (TDP) 350 Watt 165 Watt

RTX 3090 has a 53.8% higher aggregate performance score, and a 100% higher maximum VRAM amount.

RX 6850M XT, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, a 14.3% more advanced lithography process, and 112.1% lower power consumption.

The GeForce RTX 3090 is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 6850M XT in performance tests.

Be aware that GeForce RTX 3090 is a desktop card while Radeon RX 6850M XT is a notebook one.


Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.

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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090
GeForce RTX 3090
AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT
Radeon RX 6850M XT

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Community ratings

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Questions & comments

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