System Admin Stuff

Pros

Awesome 4K performance
Generally costs less
Rage Mode
Smart Access Memory

Cons

Not as much raw power

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the flagship GPU that most people will no doubt try to pick up. Stock is limited and prices are out of control, but you should still be able to find one for considerably less than the RX 6900 XT. It will easily handle 4K gaming.

Ultimate Performance

AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT

Pros

Slightly better performance than RX 6800 XT
Rage Mode
Smart Access Memory

Cons

Considerably more expensive
Overkill for most people's needs

The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT sits at the top of AMD's RNDA 2 cards. It's a behemoth that can handle 4K gaming, but it might require a larger PSU to keep up. If this is the GPU you want, be ready to pay dearly.

These two "Big Navi" AMD Radeon RX 6000 GPUs are among the best graphics cards on the market today. Both use AMD's RDNA 2 architecture, and both are near the top of the pile of all graphics cards (GPU) in terms of raw performance. If you're looking at an upgrade for 4K gaming either GPU will do, but you will pay far more for the RX 6900 XT.

AMD RX 6800 XT vs. RX 6900 XT: Tech specs

	AMD RX 6800 XT	AMD RX 6900 XT
Architecture	RDNA 2	RDNA 2
Process	7nm	7nm
Transistors	26.8B	26.8B
Stream processors	4,608	5,120
Compute units	72	80
Texture units	288	320
Ray accelerators	72	80
Game clock	2,015MHz	2,015MHz
Boost clock	2,250MHz	2,250MHz
Memory	16GB GDDR6	16GB GDDR6
Memory speed	16Gbps	16Gbps
Memory interface	256-bit	256-bit
Infinity cache	128MB	128MB
TDP	300W	300W
Recommended PSU	750W	850W
Power connectors	2x8	2x8
Slot size	2.5	2.5

Performance and features

These two AMD GPUs sit at the top of the RDNA 2 collection, with the RX 6900 XT coming in above all others. It's a monster card, with a 2.5-slot size, 300W TDP, and recommended 850W PSU. It uses the same 7nm process as the RX 6800 XT, and it also has a similar frequency, memory speed, memory bus, and 16GB of GDDR6 VRAM.

The RX 6900 XT costs significantly more than the performance boost is likely worth to most people.

Looking at the spec table above, you will see a difference in compute units, stream processors, texture units, and ray accelerators. How that translates in real-world performance will no doubt differ slightly based on the type of GPU you buy, but in most cases you'll be able to expect about a 10% performance increase when going with the RX 6900 XT.

Looking at that performance boost you might think, "OK, enough said. I'll get the RX 6900 XT." However, there is a rather massive price difference between the RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT. You can expect the former card to have a list price around $650, while the latter card has a list price closer to $1,000. And that's before the stock shortages, bot buying, and scalping. You'll now often find both cards above $2,000, though the RX 6900 XT is still most commonly more expensive than the 6800 XT.

Is that extra performance boost worth the price difference? For most people, probably not. The promise of 8K gaming is still more of a novelty than a reality, and with these cards you should be shooting for a high-quality 4K gaming experience. And in that case, the RX 6800 XT is going to be more than enough. Even the AMD Radeon RX 6800 puts up good numbers at 4K, and it has significantly lower specs than the XT version.

Both the RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT offer AMD Smart Access Memory for a boost to performance in some games, and both have Rage Mode for easy overclocking. They're both also capable of ray tracing. You're going to get nearly the same experience from either card, but with the RX 6800 XT you should still have some money left for games.

Stick with the RX 6800 XT for best price-to-performance ratio

The AMD RX 6800 XT is a killer GPU for anyone who wants to enjoy 4K PC gaming. It costs significantly less than the RX 6900 XT, but it lags behind by only about 10% in terms of raw performance. If you don't have an unlimited budget, this is the way to go. Be sure to have a look at our collection of the best AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT graphics cards as well as our guide on where to buy AMD Radeon RX 6000 graphics cards.

Flagship AMD GPU

AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

If you don't want to spend all your money and still get a quality 4K experience, this is the way to go.

The RX 6900 XT is for ultimate performance

Have money to burn? Want the absolute best performance from an AMD RDNA 2 GPU? The RX 6900 XT is standing by. It gets about 10% better performance compared to the RX 6800 XT, but be prepared to pay dearly. Have a look at our roundup of the best AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT graphics cards for extra buying options.

Ultimate Performance

AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT