In this video card buyer’s guide, we’ve listed some of the best RX 6800 XT graphics cards on the market to help you choose the right card for your needs.
As the second-tier of AMD’s RDNA 2.0 powered RX 6000 series line-up, the AMD RX 6800 XT is geared to go up against the NVIDIA RTX 3080. Featuring AMD’s brand new RDNA 2.0 architecture, and support for DirectX Ray-Tracing, this is AMD’s answer to the revered RTX 3000 series line-up.
Despite AMD’s claim that this card can match the RTX 3080, in most settings the RTX 3080 pulls ahead slightly—with NVIDIA’s vastly improved Tensor Cores alongside DLSS 2.0.
Also Read: RX 6800 XT vs 3080: Which High-End GPU is Best?
However, the RX 6800 XT does come in at a significant discount to the RTX 3080. Currently, you can find an RX 6800 XT on Amazon for ~$650, whereas the cheapest RTX 3080 costs about ~$750.
So, if you’re looking for high-end GPU performance and you’d prefer to stick with an AMD-based option, then the RX 6800 XT might be your best bet. And, in this guide, we’ve highlighted a handful of the best RX 6800 XT graphics cards currently available.
Table of Contents
– Best RX 6800 XT Graphics Cards
1. Sapphire Nitro+ RX 6800 XT (Top Pick)
2. PowerColor Red Devil RX 6800 XT (Runner-Up)
A Quick Look at the Best RX 6800 XT Video Cards
In the table below, we’ve showcased our selections for the best RX 6800 XT video cards currently available.
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NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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TOP PICK
|
 |
Sapphire Nitro+ |
|
/10 | |
|
RUNNER-UP
|
 |
PowerColor Red Devil |
|
/10 | |
|
LIQUID
|
 |
PowerColor Liquid Devil |
|
/10 | |
|
VALUE
|
 |
MSI Gaming X Trio |
|
/10 |
*Read our reviews on the RX 6800 XT graphics cards listed above by clicking on the “Read Review »” link.
1. Sapphire Nitro+ RX 6800 XT
The best RX 6800 XT video card
As of right now, our pick for the best Radeon RX 6800 XT overall is Sapphire’s Nitro+ edition card. Sapphire has packed in 4608 stream cores alongside 16GB of 256-bit GDDR6 VRAM. The RX 6800 XT chip inside is overclocked to reach a boost clock of 2360 MHz.
This is all cooled by a triple axial-tech fan air cooler, delivering impeccable cooling performance. The WAVE Fin Design of the GPU’s heat sink helps reduce air friction, cutting down on noise and increasing cooling efficiency.
To complete the mix, Sapphire has installed an addressable RGB logo on the side of the card to add some customizable flair to your build.
How does all of this translate into performance? According to GPU Monkey’s testing, this card holds a theoretical performance score of 21.75 TFLOPS in the FP32 benchmark. For the uninitiated, the FP32 test measures how many trillions of floating-point operations the card can perform per second. The higher the TFLOPs count, the higher the card can theoretically perform.
In gaming performance, this card does keep up with the most powerful RTX 3080’s. In the Battlefield 5 4K benchmark, this card scores an average of 105 FPS. This is on par with some of our best RTX 3080 picks.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s 4K benchmark shows the RX 6800 XT dropping down to the performance we see in some RTX 3070 Tis with an average of 71 FPS.
In conclusion, the Sapphire Nitro+ AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is a brilliant pick for a RX 6800 XT and offers a fantastic gaming experience for those looking for an RTX 3080 alternative.
2. PowerColor Red Devil RX 6800 XT
Our runner-up RX 6800 XT option
Just one notch below in quality and performance to the Sapphire Nitro+ is this card from another lesser known AMD-exclusive manufacturer: PowerColor.
The PowerColor Red Devil RX 6800 XT also offers great performance at a good price point (all things considered), and is worth consideration if you’re not able to get your hands on the Sapphire Nitro+
Packing in the same 4608 shader cores alongside 16GB of 256-bit VRAM, PowerColor has overclocked this card to reach a boost clock of 2340MHz.
Also Read: How Much VRAM Do I Need for Gaming?
Cooling is handled by a triple-fan air cooler set-up. One smaller 90mm fan is flanked by two larger 100m fans, arranged in an alternate blowing pattern for maximum airflow.
An interesting addition here is a USB-C display output, along with two display port output slots and a single HDMI 2.1.
RGB lovers will be pleased with the brilliant accent lighting scaling the length and width of this card. Through PowerColor’s desktop utility tool, you can customize the color and routine of these lights.
Of course, with any graphics card, the performance is by far the most important metric. According to GPU monkey, In the FP32 single-precision benchmark, this card delivers a theoretical performance of 21.57 TFLOPS.
In gaming, we’ve chosen the Battlefield 5 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider 4K benchmarks to compare. In Battlefield 5, the PowerColor Red Devil RX 6800 XT delivers an average of 104 FPS. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider, that figure is an average of 70 FPS in their 4K benchmark.
In conclusion, the PowerColor Red Devil RX 6800 XT is another excellent choice for a great gaming graphics card. This is also a fantastic choice for those who want the best RGB design RX 6800 XT. This card’s RGB lighting is very cool indeed.
3. PowerColor Liquid Devil RX 6800 XT
An RX 6800 XT for liquid cooling setups
PowerColor dominates this round-up of RX 6800 XTs as they also present the best-watercooled graphics card in this line-up. The main selling point of this card is its water block, which is compatible with high-end custom water cooling setups.
Cooling is enhanced by PowerColor’s nickel-plated base – increasing thermal transfer efficiency, and protecting the copper base from corrosion. The pre-installed water block also features RGB lighting to add a great range of color customization. The addressable lighting strips will illuminate the water tank, adding mystic ambience to your PC build.
Strangely, this card also comes with a liquid dye pack—allowing you to transform your liquid coolant into different colors. This isn’t an expensive tool to purchase separately, but it’s still a nice inclusion nonetheless.
Under the hood, the RX 6800 XT chip is factory overclocked to a boost clock of 2360MHz. It also packs in the same 4608 stream cores and 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM as the rest of the RX 6800 XT line-up.
So, how does this card perform? In the FP32 benchmark, this card churns out 21.75 TFLOPs.
Other benchmark results include 105 FPS in Battlefield 5 at 4K and 71 FPS in Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s 4K benchmark.
For those looking for a premium graphics card for their PC that comes ready to use with a custom liquid cooling setup, the PowerColor Liquid Devil AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is an excellent choice.
4. MSI RX 6800 XT Gaming X Trio 16G
The best value RX 6800 XT right now
While the RX 6800 XT is by no means a budget graphics card, there’s still credence in the pursuit of a ‘value’ RX 6800 XT. Some aftermarket cards are significantly cheaper than others, and offer similar—if not identical—performance to the chart-toppers.
For the RX 6800 XT, that card is the MSI Radeon RX 6800 XT Gaming X Trio 16G. Under the hood, this card is tuned to reach a boost clock speed of 2285 MHz – and is packing the same 4608 shader cores and slightly overkill 16GB of 265-bit GDDR6 VRAM as is standard with the RX 6800 XT lineup.
The cooling for this card is handled by MSI’s brilliant triple-fan axial-tech air cooler dubbed TRI FROZR 2. Its core Pipes are precision-machined for maximum contact over the GPU and spread the heat along the full length of the heatsink for optimal cooling.
This air cooler is plastered with addressable RGB accents for greater customization to complete your dream PC look. A graphene backplate adds extra protection and rigidity whilst also increasing the surface area for extra cooling headroom.
MSI even throw in a bundled support bracket to stop your GPU from sagging.
The important question is how does the card perform? In the FP32 benchmark, this card churns out 20.74 TFLOPs.
Other benchmark results include 103 FPS in Battlefield 5 4K and 69 FPS in Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s 4K benchmark.
If you’re looking to save a few bucks, the MSI Radeon RX 6800 XT Gaming X Trio 16G offers similar in-game performance as the other RX 6800 XT’s but for a discount
Is an RX 6800 XT the Right Video Card for You?
And that rounds off our list of four of the best AMD RX 6800 XT graphics cards on the market right now.
When shopping for your next graphics card, please keep note that there are newer generation NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards available.
However, it is still a good idea to consider an RX 6800 XT, as the newer generation GPUs are currently priced much higher—and, there is the possibility that the 6800 XT (and all 6000 series GPUs) will come down in price even further as a result.
