Radeon RX 6900 XT vs RX 590
Aggregated performance score
RX 6900 XT outperforms RX 590 by 184% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
General info
GPU architecture, market segment, value for money and other general parameters compared.
| Place in performance ranking | 206 | 18 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Value for money | 32.29 | 21.14 |
| Architecture | Polaris (2016−2019) | Navi / RDNA2 (2020−2022) |
| GPU code name | Polaris 30 | Navi 21 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Desktop |
| Release date | 15 November 2018 (5 years ago) | 8 December 2020 (3 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $279 | $999 |
| Current price | $133 (0.5x MSRP) | $957 (1x MSRP) |
Value for money
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
RX 590 has 53% better value for money than RX 6900 XT.
Technical specs
General performance parameters such as number of shaders, GPU core base clock and boost clock speeds, manufacturing process, texturing and calculation speed. These parameters indirectly speak of performance, but for precise assessment you have to consider their benchmark and gaming test results. Note that power consumption of some graphics cards can well exceed their nominal TDP, especially when overclocked.
| Pipelines / CUDA cores | 2304 | 5120 |
| Core clock speed | 1469 MHz | 1825 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 1545 MHz | 2250 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 5,700 million | 26,800 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 12 nm | 7 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 175 Watt | 300 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 222.5 | 720.0 |
Size and 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).
| Interface | PCIe 3.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Length | 241 mm | 267 mm |
| Width | 2-slot | 3-slot |
| Supplementary power connectors | 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
Memory
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 type | GDDR5 | GDDR6 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 256 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 8000 MHz | 16000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 256.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |
| Shared memory | - | - |
Video outputs and ports
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 Connectors | 1x HDMI, 3x DisplayPort | 1x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C |
| HDMI | + | + |
Technologies
Supported technological solutions. This information will prove useful if you need some particular technology for your purposes.
| FreeSync | + | no data |
API support
List of supported graphics and general-purpose computing APIs, including their specific versions.
| DirectX | 12 (12_0) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |
| Shader Model | 6.4 | 6.5 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Vulkan | 1.2.131 | 1.2 |
Synthetic benchmark performance
Non-gaming benchmark performance comparison. The combined score is measured on a 0-100 point scale.
Combined synthetic benchmark score
This is our combined benchmark performance 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.
RX 6900 XT outperforms RX 590 by 184% based on our aggregated benchmark results.
Passmark
This is the most ubiquitous GPU benchmark, part of Passmark PerformanceTest suite. 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.
Benchmark coverage: 25%
RX 6900 XT outperforms RX 590 by 184% in Passmark.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 17%
RX 6900 XT outperforms RX 590 by 153% in 3DMark 11 Performance GPU.
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.
Benchmark coverage: 14%
RX 6900 XT outperforms RX 590 by 201% in 3DMark Fire Strike Graphics.
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 HD | 103
−87.4%
| 193
+87.4%
|
| 1440p | 60
−123%
| 134
+123%
|
| 4K | 37
−124%
| 83
+124%
|
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 40−45
−240%
|
130−140
+240%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 65
−80%
|
117
+80%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 86
−96.5%
|
169
+96.5%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 133
−46.6%
|
195
+46.6%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 99
−74.7%
|
170−180
+74.7%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 40−45
−240%
|
130−140
+240%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 85
−84.7%
|
150−160
+84.7%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 88
−43.2%
|
126
+43.2%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 120
−136%
|
283
+136%
|
| Hitman 3 | 70−75
−288%
|
283
+288%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 73
−181%
|
205
+181%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 77
−155%
|
196
+155%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 78
−185%
|
222
+185%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 72
−164%
|
190
+164%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 54
−96.3%
|
106
+96.3%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 73
−94.5%
|
142
+94.5%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 111
−76.6%
|
196
+76.6%
|
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 81
−114%
|
170−180
+114%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 40−45
−240%
|
130−140
+240%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 79
−98.7%
|
150−160
+98.7%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 83
−48.2%
|
123
+48.2%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 113
−147%
|
279
+147%
|
| Hitman 3 | 70−75
−278%
|
276
+278%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 55
−216%
|
174
+216%
|
| Metro Exodus | 52
−215%
|
164
+215%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 39
−218%
|
124
+218%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 71
−192%
|
207
+192%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 88
−267%
|
323
+267%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 59
−188%
|
170
+188%
|
Full HD
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 39
−151%
|
98
+151%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 62
−121%
|
137
+121%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 100
−97%
|
197
+97%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 40−45
−240%
|
130−140
+240%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 74
−112%
|
150−160
+112%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 76
−55.3%
|
118
+55.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 91
−173%
|
248
+173%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 51
−222%
|
164
+222%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 35
−246%
|
121
+246%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 56
−125%
|
120−130
+125%
|
| Hitman 3 | 40−45
−420%
|
213
+420%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 37
−268%
|
136
+268%
|
| Metro Exodus | 31
−229%
|
102
+229%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 25
−228%
|
82
+228%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 30−35
−382%
|
159
+382%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 24−27
−281%
|
99
+281%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 55
−98.2%
|
109
+98.2%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 50−55
−263%
|
196
+263%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 14−16
−393%
|
70−75
+393%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 40−45
−219%
|
130−140
+219%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 58
−102%
|
117
+102%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 50−55
−362%
|
231
+362%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 27−30
−341%
|
120−130
+341%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 25
−264%
|
91
+264%
|
4K
High Preset
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare | 31
−152%
|
75−80
+152%
|
| Hitman 3 | 21−24
−457%
|
128
+457%
|
| Horizon Zero Dawn | 10
−280%
|
38
+280%
|
| Metro Exodus | 19
−253%
|
67
+253%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 16
−244%
|
55
+244%
|
| Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 24
−254%
|
85
+254%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 32
−281%
|
122
+281%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Assassin's Creed Odyssey | 19
−258%
|
68
+258%
|
| Assassin's Creed Valhalla | 42
−57.1%
|
66
+57.1%
|
| Battlefield 5 | 40
−235%
|
134
+235%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 6−7
−483%
|
35−40
+483%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 24
−242%
|
80−85
+242%
|
| Far Cry New Dawn | 31
−226%
|
101
+226%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 46
−252%
|
162
+252%
|
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 13
−315%
|
54
+315%
|
This is how RX 590 and RX 6900 XT compete in popular games:
- RX 6900 XT is 87.4% faster than RX 590 in 1080p
- RX 6900 XT is 123% faster than RX 590 in 1440p
- RX 6900 XT is 124% faster than RX 590 in 4K
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Cyberpunk 2077, with 4K resolution and the Ultra Preset, the RX 6900 XT is 483% faster than the RX 590.
All in all, in popular games:
- Without exception, RX 6900 XT surpassed RX 590 in all 68 of our tests.
Advantages and disadvantages
| Performance score | 24.44 | 69.36 |
| Recency | 15 November 2018 | 8 December 2020 |
| Cost | $279 | $999 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| Chip lithography | 12 nm | 7 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 175 Watt | 300 Watt |
The Radeon RX 6900 XT is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 590 in performance tests.
Should you still have questions concerning choice between the reviewed GPUs, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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