Radeon RX 7800 XT vs RX 6850M XT

Place in the ranking	77	30
Place by popularity	not in top-100	60
Cost-effectiveness evaluation	no data	67.89
Power efficiency	18.89	16.53
Architecture	RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024)	RDNA 3.0 (2022−2024)
GPU code name	Navi 22	Navi 32
Market segment	Laptop	Desktop
Release date	4 January 2022 (3 years ago)	25 August 2023 (1 year ago)
Launch price (MSRP)	no data	$499

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 cores	2560	3840
Core clock speed	2321 MHz	1295 MHz
Boost clock speed	2581 MHz	2430 MHz
Number of transistors	17,200 million	28,100 million
Manufacturing process technology	7 nm	5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	165 Watt	263 Watt
Texture fill rate	413.0	583.2
Floating-point processing power	13.21 TFLOPS	37.32 TFLOPS
ROPs	64	96
TMUs	160	240
Ray Tracing Cores	40	60

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 size	large	no data
Interface	PCIe 4.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
Length	no data	267 mm
Width	no data	2-slot
Supplementary power connectors	None	2x 8-pin

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 type	GDDR6	GDDR6
Maximum RAM amount	12 GB	16 GB
Memory bus width	192 Bit	256 Bit
Memory clock speed	2000 MHz	2438 MHz
Memory bandwidth	384.0 GB/s	624.1 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 Connectors	No outputs	1x HDMI 2.1a, 3x DisplayPort 2.1
HDMI	-	+

API compatibility

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

DirectX	12 Ultimate (12_2)	12 Ultimate (12_2)
Shader Model	6.5	6.7
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
OpenCL	2.1	2.2
Vulkan	1.3	1.3

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.

RX 6850M XT 45.17

RX 7800 XT 63.01
+39.5%

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.

RX 6850M XT 17369

RX 7800 XT 24229
+39.5%

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.

RX 6850M XT 42016

RX 7800 XT 65611
+56.2%

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.

RX 6850M XT 33901

RX 7800 XT 49707
+46.6%

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.

RX 6850M XT 172972

RX 7800 XT 202773
+17.2%

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	139 −54.7%	215 +54.7%
1440p	87 −40.2%	122 +40.2%
4K	67 −9%	73 +9%

Cost per frame, $

1080p	no data	2.32
1440p	no data	4.09
4K	no data	6.84

FPS performance in popular games

Full HD
Low Preset

Counter-Strike 2	95−100 −146%	241 +146%
Cyberpunk 2077	160 −61.3%	258 +61.3%
Elden Ring	89 −153%	225 +153%

Full HD
Medium Preset

Battlefield 5	110−120 −5.4%	110−120 +5.4%
Counter-Strike 2	95−100 −104%	200 +104%
Cyberpunk 2077	68 −41.2%	96 +41.2%
Forza Horizon 4	297 −64.3%	488 +64.3%
Metro Exodus	100−110 −64.4%	171 +64.4%
Red Dead Redemption 2	85−90 −33.7%	110−120 +33.7%
Valorant	180−190 −59.2%	290−300 +59.2%

Full HD
High Preset

Battlefield 5	110−120 −5.4%	110−120 +5.4%
Counter-Strike 2	95−100 −66.3%	163 +66.3%
Cyberpunk 2077	53 −50.9%	80 +50.9%
Dota 2	122 −45.9%	178 +45.9%
Elden Ring	160−170 −47.5%	230−240 +47.5%
Far Cry 5	44 −157%	113 +157%
Fortnite	180−190 −30.7%	240−250 +30.7%
Forza Horizon 4	259 −53.7%	398 +53.7%
Grand Theft Auto V	126 −41.3%	178 +41.3%
Metro Exodus	43 −242%	147 +242%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	210−220 −2.4%	210−220 +2.4%
Red Dead Redemption 2	85−90 −33.7%	110−120 +33.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	160−170 −5.5%	170−180 +5.5%
Valorant	180−190 −59.2%	290−300 +59.2%
World of Tanks	270−280 +0%	270−280 +0%

Full HD
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	110−120 −5.4%	110−120 +5.4%
Counter-Strike 2	95−100 −52%	149 +52%
Cyberpunk 2077	44 −68.2%	74 +68.2%
Dota 2	95 −36.8%	130−140 +36.8%
Far Cry 5	100−110 −19.4%	120−130 +19.4%
Forza Horizon 4	227 −49.8%	340 +49.8%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	210−220 −2.4%	210−220 +2.4%
Valorant	180−190 −59.2%	290−300 +59.2%

1440p
High Preset

Dota 2	89 −57.3%	140 +57.3%
Elden Ring	95−100 −62.9%	150−160 +62.9%
Grand Theft Auto V	89 −57.3%	140 +57.3%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	170−180 +0%	170−180 +0%
Red Dead Redemption 2	45−50 −61.7%	75−80 +61.7%
World of Tanks	280−290 −47.9%	400−450 +47.9%

1440p
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	75−80 −10.1%	85−90 +10.1%
Counter-Strike 2	45−50 −98%	97 +98%
Cyberpunk 2077	28 −71.4%	48 +71.4%
Far Cry 5	140−150 −10.3%	160−170 +10.3%
Forza Horizon 4	166 −46.4%	243 +46.4%
Metro Exodus	95−100 −55.8%	148 +55.8%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	80−85 −77.1%	147 +77.1%
Valorant	150−160 −68.9%	250−260 +68.9%

4K
High Preset

Counter-Strike 2	45−50 +16.7%	42 −16.7%
Dota 2	99 −53.5%	152 +53.5%
Elden Ring	45−50 −74.5%	80−85 +74.5%
Grand Theft Auto V	99 −53.5%	152 +53.5%
Metro Exodus	35−40 −61.5%	63 +61.5%
PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS	150−160 −39.3%	200−210 +39.3%
Red Dead Redemption 2	30−33 −66.7%	50−55 +66.7%
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt	99 −53.5%	152 +53.5%

4K
Ultra Preset

Battlefield 5	50−55 −50%	80−85 +50%
Counter-Strike 2	45−50 −53.1%	75−80 +53.1%
Cyberpunk 2077	13 −69.2%	22 +69.2%
Dota 2	78 −28.2%	100−105 +28.2%
Far Cry 5	70−75 −47.9%	100−110 +47.9%
Fortnite	65−70 −41.2%	95−100 +41.2%
Forza Horizon 4	92 −41.3%	130 +41.3%
Valorant	80−85 −76.8%	140−150 +76.8%

This is how RX 6850M XT and RX 7800 XT compete in popular games:

RX 7800 XT is 55% faster in 1080p
RX 7800 XT is 40% faster in 1440p
RX 7800 XT is 9% faster in 4K

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

in Counter-Strike 2, with 4K resolution and the High Preset, the RX 6850M XT is 17% faster.
in Metro Exodus, with 1080p resolution and the High Preset, the RX 7800 XT is 242% faster.

All in all, in popular games:

RX 6850M XT is ahead in 1 test (2%)
RX 7800 XT is ahead in 58 tests (95%)
there's a draw in 2 tests (3%)

Pros & cons summary

Performance score	45.17	63.01
Recency	4 January 2022	25 August 2023
Maximum RAM amount	12 GB	16 GB
Chip lithography	7 nm	5 nm
Power consumption (TDP)	165 Watt	263 Watt

RX 6850M XT has 59.4% lower power consumption.

RX 7800 XT, on the other hand, has a 39.5% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 1 year, a 33.3% higher maximum VRAM amount, and a 40% more advanced lithography process.

The Radeon RX 7800 XT is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 6850M XT in performance tests.

Be aware that Radeon RX 6850M XT is a notebook card while Radeon RX 7800 XT is a desktop one.

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