Duel: Radeon RX 6800 XT vs. GeForce RTX 3080 (part 1/2)

Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS and FidelityFX

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

We did not manage the first, second or third wave of tests of graphics cards from the new AMD and Nvidia generations, but we believe that you will accept them in this way as well, with a delay. It took some time to build a few gimmicks for unique (and we believe useful) measurements. These will be in-depth tests, but structured and presented with all their simplicity so that you don’t get lost in them. We will not complicate it and try a model in which the first and last chapter is written with respect to an average user. Everything between them is then determined for more demanding users. Everything is shown clearly in bar and line graphs.

As part of performance tests, we will also focus on application performance and multimedia, as graphics cards definitely do not have just a single purpose – gaming. For better orientation, however, we will divide it into several articles and start with gaming. In a week, we will release a sequel with computational tests, where we will check OpenCL, CUDA and OptiX. These tests will later be published with gaming tests and will be incorporated into one article.

Applications that typically use AMD VCE and Nvidia Nvenc encoders for video editing will not be covered on a regular basis. Across generations, all graphics cards have the same encoder, so it doesn’t make much sense to test these things on every card. But we’ll always test applications that benefit from shaders. But now to the main heroes of this article.

Details about AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT

Hopefully the new reference cooler will be better than the previous one. On the Radeon VII, the developers did not do the job properly with TIM and the heat transfer to an otherwise large heatsink was inefficient. However, AMD will probably not repeat this schoolboy error twice in a row.

The 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) RX 6800 XT in the AMD reference design makes a very good first impression. The card is extremely firm and most of the cover body is metal, including the backplate.

The cooler has three axial fans with a diameter of 80 mm. Except for the circular frame into which the ends of all blades are embedded. This is to achieve better laminar flow with more efficient flow around the heatsink.

Remarkable are the larger spaces between the fins, up to 1.45 mm. However, the aluminum fins themselves are among the thinner ones with a thickness of 0.35 mm. In any case, larger gaps promise higher cooling efficiency even at lower speeds.

However, it should be noted that the card is relatively closed, with a minimum of vents. Even the rear I/O plate is a solid metal sheet, which usually has a grid.

The card exceeds the height of two slots. The photo below illustrates how far the card extends from the center of the first PCI Express slot.

Details about Asus TUF RTX 3080 O10G Gaming

GeForce RTX 3080 in the TUF version outgrows the competing Radeon in all axes, but despite weighs 100 g less. But they definitely didn’t save on the cooler. The lower weight is due to the fact that less material was used for the cover.

Asus, like other manufacturers, uses a short PCB for better cooling. The backplate has an opening at the back for better transfer of warm air from the fins. As the TUF brand did not debut too well among graphics cards (the case of long screw on the RX 5700 (XT)), we also paid more attention to the pressure of coldplates. It seems that everything is fine here.

The fans are 90 millimeters long and the middle one rotates in the opposite direction of the other two. This is to reduce the turbulent flow. As on the Radeon, the ends of the blades are embedded in a circular frame that rotates with them.

The card is equipped with two BIOSes with the default mode “Performance”, which we also use in tests. I don’t understand the “Quiet mode” option very well. Power draw is lower by less than 3 W in this setting and it is hard to talk about difference in noise, heating or performance. And the fans also switch off in “Performance” when idle or at a lower load, which was not the case on older cards where quiet mode was required for passive operation.

Compared to the reference card, it boasts a richer set of connectors, i.e. has a second HDMI port in addition to the three DisplayPorts (Nvidia has only one on the FE).

The height of the card is not so surprising, but pay attention to its depth (127 mm). That is exceeded by 3 cm due to the extended part with the logo compared to standard graphics cards, which can be a stumbling block for some smaller cases. It is also 30 cm in length. In short, everything needs to be properly measured before buying/pre-ordering (the availability of all new cards is still poor).

You can read a detailed 50-line overview of the specifications in the following chapter.

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust  for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Methodology: performance tests

The largest sample of tests is from games. This is quite natural given that GeForce and Radeons, i.e. cards primarily intended for gaming use, will mostly be tested.

We chose the test games primarily to ensure the balance between the titles better optimized for the GPU of one manufacturer (AMD) or the other one (Nvidia). But we also took into account the popularity of the titles so that you could find your own results in the charts. Emphasis was also placed on genre diversity. Games such as RTS, FPS, TPS, car racing as well as a flight simulator, traditional RPG and sports games are represented by the most played football game. You can find a list of test games in the library of chapters (9–33), with each game having its own chapter, sometimes even two (chapters) for the best possible clarity, but this has its good reason, which we will share with you in the following text.

Before we start the gaming tests, each graphics card will pass the tests in 3D Mark to warm up to operating temperature. That’s good synthetics to start with.

We’re testing performance in games across three resolutions with an aspect ratio of 16:9 – FHD (1920 × 1080 px), QHD (2560 × 1440 px) and UHD (3840 × 2160 px) and always with the highest graphic settings, which can be set the same on all current GeForce and Radeon graphics cards. We turned off proprietary settings for the objectivity of the conclusions, and the settings with ray-tracing graphics are tested separately, as lower class GPUs do not support them. You will find their results in the complementary chapters. In addition to native ray-tracing, also after deploying Nvidia DLSS (2.0) and AMD FidelityFX CAS.

If the game has a built-in benchmark, we use that one (the only exception is Forza Horizon 4, where due to its instability – it used to crash here and there – we drive on our track), in other cases the measurements take place on the games’ own scenes. From those we capture the times of consecutive frames in tables (CSV) via OCAT, which FLAT interprets into intelligible fps speech. Both of these applications are from the workshop of colleagues from the gpureport.cz magazine. In addition to the average frame rate, we also write the minimum in the graphs. That contributes significantly to the overall gaming experience. For the highest possible accuracy, all measurements are repeated three times and the final results form their average value.

Tests with active AMD Smart Access Memory will not be part of the standard methodology yet. Of course, we will focus on SAM, but for better orientation, we will include these tests in a separate article. But we’re doing this just temporarily, until GeForce graphics supports it as well. Then we switch to the opposite model and all cards will be tested with SAM turned on. Until then, however, SAM will be turned off in standard tests, and we will publish the performance increase under its influence separately. No one will be cut short by anything (neither those who have pure AMDs in their cases, nor the owners of Intel platforms) and the clarity of the results will be nicely preserved. Still, putting multiple modes of one card into the same chart (or having 500 charts per article instead of 300) would no longer do any good.

We plan to do one more thing – once a quarter to measure the impact of various updates (drivers, OS, games, BIOS) on performance. This will result in percentage increases or drops in performance that you can work with when studying older tests. It’s a bit of a compromise, but it’s definitely a better option than releasing new tests with out-of-date software. Of course, it would be ideal to test all previous cards before doing every new test, but this is unrealistic. But we believe that you will also appreciate the continuous measurement with one GeForce graphics card and one Radeon and the inclusion of the appropriate coefficient in the criteria of interactive graphs.

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Methodology: how we measure power draw

We have been tuning the method of measuring power draw for quite a long time and we will also be tuning it for some time. But we already have gimmicks that we can work with happily.

To get the exact value of the total power draw of the graphics card, it is necessary to map the internal power draw on the PCI Express slot and the external one on the additional power supply. For the analysis of the PCIe slot, it was necessary to construct an in-between card on which the power draw measurement takes place. Its basis is resistors calibrated to the exact value (0.1 Ω) and according to the amount of their voltage drop we can calculate the current. We then substitute it into the formula for the corresponding value of the output voltage ~ 12 V and ~ 3.3 V. The voltage drop is so low that it doesn’t make the VRM of the graphics card unstable and the output is still more than 12/3.3 V.

We are also working on a similar device for external power supply. However, significantly higher currents are achieved there, longer cabling and more passages between connectors are necessary, which means that the voltage drop will have to be read on an even smaller resistance of 0.01 Ω, the current state (with 0.1 Ω) is unstable for now. Until we fine-tune it, we will use Prova 15 current clamp for cable measurements, which also measures with good accuracy, they just have a range of up to 30 A. But that is also enough for the OC version of the RTX 3090 Gaming X Trio. If a card is over the range, it is always possible to split the consumption measurement (first into one half and then into the other half of the conductors for +12 V).

And why bother with such devices at all when Nvidia has a PCAT power draw analyzer? For complete control over the measurements. While our devices are transparent, the Nvidia’s tool uses the processor that can (but of course does not have to) affect the measurements. After testing the AMD graphics card on the Nvidia’s tool, we probably wouldn’t sleep well.

To read and record measurements, we use a properly calibrated multimeter UNI-T UT71E, which exports samples to XLS. From it we obtain the average value and by substituting into the formula with the exact value of the sub-circuit output voltages we obtain the data for the graphs.

   

We will analyze the line graphs with the waveforms for each part of the power supply separately. Although the 3.3 V value is usually negligible, it needs to be monitored. It is difficult to say what exactly this branch powers, but usually the consumption on it is constant and when it changes only with regard to whether a static or dynamic image is rendered. We will measure the consumption in this article in a demanding game (Shadow of the Tomb Raider) and less demanding (CS:GO) with the highest graphic settings and UHD resolution (3840 × 2560 px) and out of load on the idle Windows 10 desktop. But measurements from work environment, which is well presented by LuxMark, will also be added, and in less power-thirsty 4K@60 fps video (Jellyfish) decoding modes with a data rate of 120 Mbps in online format VP9 (Google Chrome) and HEVC (VLC). And you might also be interested in how much the power draw will increase when you connect a second high-resolution monitor? 🙂

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Noise measurement…

Noise, as well as other operating characteristics, which we will focus on, we’re measuring in the same modes as consumption, so that the individual values overlap nicely. In addition to the level of noise produced, we also record the frequency responses of the sound, the course of the GPU frequencies and its heating.

In this part of the methodology description, we will present something about the method of noise measurement. We use a Reed R8080 sound level meter, which we continuously calibrate with a calibrated Voltcraft SLC-100 meter. A small addition to the sound level meter is a parabola-shaped collar, which has two functions. Increases the sensitivity to distinguish the sound produced even at very low speeds. It is thus possible to better compare even very quiet cards with the largest possible ratio difference. Otherwise (without this adjustment) it could simply happen that we measured the same noise level across several graphics cards, even though would actually be a little different. This parabolic shield also makes sense because, from the outer convex side (from the back), it reflects all the parasitic sounds that everyone who really aims for accuracy of the measurements struggles with during the test. These are various cracks of the body or objects in the room during normal human activity.

To ensure the same conditions when measuring the noise level (and later also the sound), we use acoustic panels with a foam surface around the bench-wall. This is so that the sound is always reflected to the sound level meter sensor in the same way, regardless of the current situation of the objects in the test room. These panels are from three sides (top, right and left) and their purpose is to soundproof the space in which we measure the noise of graphics cards. Soundproofing means preventing different reflections of sound and oscillations of waves between flat walls. Don’t confuse it with sound-absorbing, we’ve had that solved well in the test lab for a long time.

During the measurements, the sound level meter sensor is always placed on a tripod at the same angle and at the same distance (35 cm) from the PCI Express slot in which the graphics card is installed. Of course, it’s always closer to the card itself, depending on its depth. The indicated reference point and the sensor angles are fixed. In addition to the “aerodynamic noise” of the coolers, we also measure the noise level of whining coils. Then we stop the fans for a moment. And for the sake of completeness, it should be added that during sound measurements, we also switch off the power supply fan as well as the CPU cooler fan. Thus, purely the graphics card is always measured without any distortion by other components.

… and the frequency response of the sound

From the same place, we also measure the frequency of the sound produced. One thing is the noise level (or sound pressure level in decibels) and the other thing is its frequency response, coloration.

According to the data on the noise level, you can quickly find out whether the graphics card is quieter or noisier, or where it is on the scale, but it is still a mix of different frequencies. Thus, it does not say whether the sound produced is more booming (with a lower frequency) or squeaking (with a high frequency). The same 35 dBA can be pleasant but also unpleasant for you under certain circumstances – it depends on each individual how they perceive different frequencies. For this reason, we will also measure the frequency response of the sound graphics card in addition to the noise level, via the TrueRTA application. The results will be interpreted in the form of a spectrograph with a resolution of 1/24 octave and for better comparison with other graphics cards we will include the dominant frequency of lower (20 – 200 Hz), medium (201 – 2000 Hz) and higher (2001 – 20 000 Hz) sound spectrum into standard bar graphs. For measurements, we’re using a calibrated miniDSP UMIK-1 microphone, which accurately copies the position of the sound level meter, but also has a collar, even with the same focal length.

At the end of this chapter, it should be noted that measurements of noise and frequency response of sound will be performed on most cards only in load tests, as out of load and at lower load (including video decoding) operation is usually passive with fans turned off. On the other hand, we must also be prepared for exceptions with active operation in idle or graphics cards with dual BIOS setup, from which the more powerful one never turns off the fans and they run at least at minimum speed. Finally, as with measuring the noise level in one of the tests, we also record the frequency response of whining coils. But don’t expect any dramatic differences here. It will usually be one frequency, and the goal is rather to detect any potential anomalies. The sound of the whining coils is of course variable, depending on the scene, but we always measure in the same scene (in CS:GO@1080p).

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Methodology: heat tests

We will also bring you heat tests, too. You are at HWCooling after all. However, in order to make it sensible at all to monitor temperatures on critical components not only of the graphics card, but anything in the computer, it is important to simulate a real computer case environment with healthy air circulation. The overall behavior of the graphics card as such then follows from this. In many cases, an open bench-table is inappropriate and results can be distorted. Therefore, during all, not only heat tests, but also measurement of consumption or course of graphics core frequencies, we use a wind tunnel with equilibrium flow.

Two Noctua NF-S12A fans are at the inlet and the same number is on the exhaust. When testing different system cooling configurations, this proved to be the most effective solution. The fans are always set to 5 V and the speed corresponds to approx. 550 rpm. The stability of the inlet air is properly controlled during the tests, the temperature being between 21 and 21.3 °C at a humidity of ±40%.

We read the heat from the internal sensors via GPU-Z. This small, single-purpose application also allows you to record samples from sensors in a table. From the table, it is then easy to create line graphs with waveforms or the average value into bar graphs. We will not use the thermal camera very much here, as most graphics cards have a backplate, which makes it impossible to measure the PCB heating. The key for the heating graphs will be the temperature reading by internal sensors, according to which, after all, the GPU frequency control also takes place. It will always be the heating of the graphics core, and if the sensors are also on VRAM and VRM, we will extract these values into the article as well.

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Test rig

Note.: At the time of testing, graphics drivers Nvidia GeForce Game Ready 461.09 and AMD Adrenalin 20.12.2 are used, and the OS Windows 10 Enterprise build is 19042.

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

3DMark

For tests we use 3DMark Professional and the Night Raid (Dx12) is suitable for comparing weaker GPUs, for more powerful ones there is Fire Strike (Dx11) and Time Spy (Dx12).

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Age of Empires II: DE

Test platform benchmark, API DirectX 11; graphics settings preset Ultra; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla

Test platform benchmark; API DirectX 12; graphics settings preset Ultra High; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Battlefield V

Test platform custom scene (War stories/Under no flag); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; TAA high; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Battlefield V with DXR

Test platform custom scene (War stories/Under no flag); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; TAA high; extra settings DXR.

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Note: This game also supports DLSS, but considering it is an older title and there are already more than enough tests, we will no longer test this setting. But we can test it if you ask for it.

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Borderlands 3

Test platform benchmark; API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; TAA; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Control

Test platform custom scene (chapter Polaris); API DirectX 11, graphics settings preset High; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Control with DXR and DLSS

Test platform custom scene (chapter Polaris); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset High; extra settings DXR and DXR with DLSS (performance).

DXR (native)

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DLSS (performance)

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Counter Strike: GO

Test platform benchmark (Dust 2 map tour); API DirectX 9, graphics settings preset High; 4× MSAA; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Cyberpunk 2077

Test platform custom scene (Little China); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS and FidelityFX

Test platform custom scene (Little China); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; extra settings DLSS and FidelityFX CAS.

   

DLSS (performance)

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FidelityFX CAS

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Cyberpunk 2077 with DXR, DLSS and FidelityFX

Test platform custom scene (Little China); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; extra settings DXR with DLSS and FidelityFX CAS.

   

DXR

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DXR with DLSS (performance)

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DXR with FidelityFX CAS (50%)

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

DOOM Eternal

Test platform custom scene; API Vulkan, graphics settings preset Ultra Nightmare; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

F1 2020

Test platform benchmark (Australia, Clear/Dry, Cycle); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra High; TAA; extra settings Skidmarks blending off*.

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*on GeForce graphics cards, the Skidmarks blending option is disabled. This option is missing on AMD graphics cards. However, the overall quality of Skidmarks is otherwise set to High on both GeForce and AMD.
Note: The game also supports DLSS 2.0 and FidelityFX for upscaling and sharpening, but due to the relatively low hardware requirements in the native settings, we will not address them in standard tests. However, some measurement on request is possible if you ask for it.

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

FIFA 21

Test platform custom scene (Autumn/Fall, Overcast, 9pm, Old Trafford); API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Forza Horizon 4

Test platform custom scene; API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; 2× MSAA; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Mafia: DE

Test platform custom scene (from the Salieri’s Bar parking lot to the elevated railway gate); API DirectX 11, graphics settings preset High; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Metro Exodus

Test platform benchmark; API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Extreme; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Metro Exodus with DXR and DLSS

Test platform benchmark; API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Ultra; extra settings DXR and DXR with DLSS.

   

DXR (native)

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DXR s DLSS

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020

Test platform custom scene; API DirectX 11, graphics settings preset Ultra; TAA; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Vulkan)

Test platform custom scene; API Vulkan, graphics settings preset Favor Quality; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Red Dead Redemption 2 (Dx12)

Test platform custom scene; API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Favor Quality; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

Test platform custom scene; API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Highest; TAA; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider with DXR

Test platform benchmark; API DirectX 12, graphics settings preset Highest; extra settings DXR.

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Note: This game also supports DLSS and FidelityFX CAS, but since this is an older title and there are more than enough tests, we will not address this setting in standard tests. However, some testing on request is possible if you ask for it.

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Total War Saga: Troy

Test platform benchmark; API DirectX 11, graphics settings preset Ultra; 4× AA, no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Wasteland 3

Test platform custom scene; API DirectX 11, graphics settings preset Ultra; no extra settings.

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Overall gaming performance

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Performance per euro

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

GPU clock speed

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Heating of the GPU

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Heating of the VRAM

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Net graphics power draw

Performance per watt

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Analysis of 12 V sub-circuit power supply

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Analysis of 3.3 V sub-circuit power supply

Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Noise level

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Frequency response of sound

Measurements are performed in the TrueRTA application, which records sound in a range of 240 frequencies in the recorded range of 20–20,000 Hz. For the possibility of comparison across articles, we export the dominant frequency from the low (20–200 Hz), medium (201–2000 Hz) and high (2001–20,000 Hz) range to standard bar graphs. However, for an even more detailed analysis of the sound expression, it is important to perceive the overall shape of the graph and the intensity of all frequencies/tones.

   

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Eighteen selection games in various resolutions and settings, performance tests in computing applications, detailed analysis of power draw and generated sound, in which we go up to the level of frequency responses. This captures the new robust methodology for graphics card testing. And right at the beginning, popular high-end models from both camps are going to undergo the tests.

Conclusion

The performance difference between the cards is minimal. Across resolutions, it ranges from 3–4% to the detriment of the RX 6800 XT. However, it should be noted that it achieves such results with AMD SAM turned off. You will soon find out where the performance will advance with the activation of Smart Access Memory during the extension tests.

The RX 6800 XT is a 5–15% more efficient card in terms of vector graphics, depending on the resolution. Its power draw is 14–21% lower and on Radeon’s side, under certain circumstances (without DXR), the price-performance ratio, too. If, of course, you are calculating with recommended prices or with the fact that the RTX 3080 is at least a hundred euros more expensive. But even this extra money is not just thrown out the window. Ray-tracing graphics is much faster on GeForce and especially in say Cyberpunk 2077 it is still exclusive. Not to mention CUDA and Optix support. But that’s for another article with outrage on a topic like OpenCL in AMD is “useless”…

Assuming you’re looking for a gaming card and you don’t crave ray-tracing effects, the RX 6800 XT makes more sense. And its attractiveness is further enhanced in combination with an AMD processor with active SAM. In any case, instead of the tested reference model, we recommend looking at one of the third-party versions. The efficiency of the cooler is decent and the card is aerodynamically quiet, but the whole thing is spoiled by loud coils.

GeForce RTX 3080 is more attractive not only for ray-tracing enthusiasts, but DLSS 2.0 is also more impressive than FidelityFX CAS. In this case, you can safely reach for the tested TUF O10G Gaming from Asus. It should also be emphasized that the declared GPU boost (1815 MHz) in practice is significantly exceeded (1900–1960 MHz depending on the load). The advantage over the RX 6800 XT is also in the overall higher minimum fps, which significantly determines the overall enjoyment of gaming. Namely, by 8–14% and it is true that with increasing number of points, the lead of the RTX 3080 increases.

If it weren’t for us starting with graphics cards and not having a database for comparison yet, it might have deserved a “Smart buy!” award. For these reasons, however, we will stick to “Approved”, that we award hardware that passes testing without obvious shortcomings, but does not fall into the category of “Smart buy” and does not rank to the top either (Top-notch).

Thank you to Spacebar for providing us with games for our tests

• Contents
• Graphics cards in details
• Table of specs
• Methodology: performance tests
• Methodology: how we measure power draw
• Methodology: noise and sound measurement
• Methodology: heat tests
• Test rig
• 3DMark
• Age of Empires II: DE
• Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
• Battlefield V
• Battlefield V with DXR
• Borderlands 3
• Control
• Control with DXR and DLSS
• Counter Strike: GO
• Cyberpunk 2077
• Cyberpunk 2077 with DLSS and FidelityFX
• Cyberpunk 2077 with DXR, DLSS and FidelityFX
• DOOM Eternal
• F1 2020
• FIFA 21
• Forza Horizon 4
• Mafia: DE
• Metro Exodus
• Metro Exodus with DXR and DLSS
• Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Vulkan)
• Red Dead Redemption 2 (Dx12)
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider
• Shadow of the Tomb Raider with DXR
• Total War Saga: Troy
• Wasteland 3
• Overall gaming performance and performance per euro
• GPU clock speed
• Heating of the GPU and VRAM
• Net graphics power draw and performance per watt
• Analysis of 12 V sub-circuit power supply
• Analysis of 3.3 V sub-circuit power supply
• Noise level
• Frequency response of sound
• Conclusion