Radeon RX 6850M XT vs RX 6900 XT
Aggregate performance score
We've compared Radeon RX 6900 XT with Radeon RX 6850M XT, including specs and performance data.
RX 6900 XT 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 ranking | 23 | 77 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | 29.94 | no data |
| Power efficiency | 15.99 | 18.89 |
| Architecture | RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024) | RDNA 2.0 (2020−2024) |
| GPU code name | Navi 21 | Navi 22 |
| Market segment | Desktop | Laptop |
| Release date | 28 October 2020 (4 years ago) | 4 January 2022 (3 years ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $999 | no data |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance to price ratio. The higher, the better.
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 | 5120 | 2560 |
| Core clock speed | 1825 MHz | 2321 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2250 MHz | 2581 MHz |
| Number of transistors | 26,800 million | 17,200 million |
| Manufacturing process technology | 7 nm | 7 nm |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 300 Watt | 165 Watt |
| Texture fill rate | 720.0 | 413.0 |
| Floating-point processing power | 23.04 TFLOPS | 13.21 TFLOPS |
| ROPs | 128 | 64 |
| TMUs | 320 | 160 |
| Ray Tracing Cores | 80 | 40 |
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 | no data | large |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Length | 267 mm | no data |
| Width | 3-slot | no data |
| Supplementary power connectors | 2x 8-pin | None |
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 | 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Memory bus width | 256 Bit | 192 Bit |
| Memory clock speed | 2000 MHz | 2000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 512.0 GB/s | 384.0 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 Connectors | 1x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C | No outputs |
| 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 | 6.5 |
| OpenGL | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| OpenCL | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Vulkan | 1.2 | 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 | 188
+35.3%
| 139
−35.3%
|
| 1440p | 130
+49.4%
| 87
−49.4%
|
| 4K | 81
+20.9%
| 67
−20.9%
|
Cost per frame, $
| 1080p | 5.31 | no data |
| 1440p | 7.68 | no data |
| 4K | 12.33 | no data |
FPS performance in popular games
Full HD
Low Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 160−170
+67.3%
|
95−100
−67.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 160−170
+0%
|
160
+0%
|
| Elden Ring | 260−270
+201%
|
89
−201%
|
Full HD
Medium Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 110−120
+5.4%
|
110−120
−5.4%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 160−170
+67.3%
|
95−100
−67.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 76
+11.8%
|
68
−11.8%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 350−400
+31%
|
297
−31%
|
| Metro Exodus | 126
+21.2%
|
100−110
−21.2%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 120−130
+47.7%
|
85−90
−47.7%
|
| Valorant | 480
+161%
|
180−190
−161%
|
Full HD
High Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 110−120
+5.4%
|
110−120
−5.4%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 160−170
+67.3%
|
95−100
−67.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 64
+20.8%
|
53
−20.8%
|
| Dota 2 | 160−170
+36.9%
|
122
−36.9%
|
| Elden Ring | 260−270
+65.4%
|
160−170
−65.4%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 130−140
+200%
|
44
−200%
|
| Fortnite | 270−280
+44.4%
|
180−190
−44.4%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 350−400
+50.2%
|
259
−50.2%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 160−170
+32.5%
|
126
−32.5%
|
| Metro Exodus | 123
+186%
|
43
−186%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 210−220
+2.4%
|
210−220
−2.4%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 124
+44.2%
|
85−90
−44.2%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 170−180
+5.5%
|
160−170
−5.5%
|
| Valorant | 300−350
+89.1%
|
180−190
−89.1%
|
| 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 | 160−170
+67.3%
|
95−100
−67.3%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 53
+20.5%
|
44
−20.5%
|
| Dota 2 | 160−170
+75.8%
|
95
−75.8%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 130−140
+28.2%
|
100−110
−28.2%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 350−400
+71.4%
|
227
−71.4%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 210−220
+2.4%
|
210−220
−2.4%
|
| Valorant | 411
+123%
|
180−190
−123%
|
1440p
High Preset
| Dota 2 | 130−140
+51.7%
|
89
−51.7%
|
| Elden Ring | 180−190
+88.7%
|
95−100
−88.7%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 130−140
+51.7%
|
89
−51.7%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 170−180
+0%
|
170−180
+0%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 82
+74.5%
|
45−50
−74.5%
|
| World of Tanks | 450−500
+70.6%
|
280−290
−70.6%
|
1440p
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 85−90
+10.1%
|
75−80
−10.1%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 90−95
+89.8%
|
45−50
−89.8%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 36
+28.6%
|
28
−28.6%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 160−170
+10.3%
|
140−150
−10.3%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 250−260
+51.8%
|
166
−51.8%
|
| Metro Exodus | 117
+23.2%
|
95−100
−23.2%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 150−160
+85.5%
|
80−85
−85.5%
|
| Valorant | 328
+117%
|
150−160
−117%
|
4K
High Preset
| Counter-Strike 2 | 85−90
+75.5%
|
45−50
−75.5%
|
| Dota 2 | 150−160
+57.6%
|
99
−57.6%
|
| Elden Ring | 95−100
+106%
|
45−50
−106%
|
| Grand Theft Auto V | 150−160
+57.6%
|
99
−57.6%
|
| Metro Exodus | 67
+71.8%
|
35−40
−71.8%
|
| PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS | 200−210
+39.3%
|
150−160
−39.3%
|
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | 55
+83.3%
|
30−33
−83.3%
|
| The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 150−160
+57.6%
|
99
−57.6%
|
4K
Ultra Preset
| Battlefield 5 | 90−95
+66.7%
|
50−55
−66.7%
|
| Counter-Strike 2 | 85−90
+75.5%
|
45−50
−75.5%
|
| Cyberpunk 2077 | 17
+30.8%
|
13
−30.8%
|
| Dota 2 | 150−160
+100%
|
78
−100%
|
| Far Cry 5 | 100−110
+47.9%
|
70−75
−47.9%
|
| Fortnite | 95−100
+41.2%
|
65−70
−41.2%
|
| Forza Horizon 4 | 130−140
+51.1%
|
92
−51.1%
|
| Valorant | 185
+126%
|
80−85
−126%
|
This is how RX 6900 XT and RX 6850M XT compete in popular games:
- RX 6900 XT is 35% faster in 1080p
- RX 6900 XT is 49% faster in 1440p
- RX 6900 XT is 21% faster in 4K
Here's the range of performance differences observed across popular games:
- in Elden Ring, with 1080p resolution and the Low Preset, the RX 6900 XT is 201% faster.
All in all, in popular games:
- RX 6900 XT is ahead in 60 tests (95%)
- there's a draw in 3 tests (5%)
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 69.54 | 45.17 |
| Recency | 28 October 2020 | 4 January 2022 |
| Maximum RAM amount | 16 GB | 12 GB |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 300 Watt | 165 Watt |
RX 6900 XT has a 54% higher aggregate performance score, and a 33.3% higher maximum VRAM amount.
RX 6850M XT, on the other hand, has an age advantage of 1 year, and 81.8% lower power consumption.
The Radeon RX 6900 XT is our recommended choice as it beats the Radeon RX 6850M XT in performance tests.
Be aware that Radeon RX 6900 XT 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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