G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

Head-to-Head Verdict, Benchmarks, Value & Long-Term Outlook

This comparison brings together gaming FPS, raw graphics performance, VRAM, feature set, power efficiency, pricing context, and long-term value so you can see which GPU actually makes more sense.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

2022

Why buy it

✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌
25.1% HIGHER MSRP
$1,250 MSRPvs$999 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.3 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($1,250 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
❌16.7% higher power demand at 350W vs 300W.

Radeon RX 6900 XT

2020

Why buy it

✅Costs $251 less on MSRP ($999 MSRP vs $1,250 MSRP).
✅Delivers 25.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.8 vs 21.3 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $1,250 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
✅Draws 300W instead of 350W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

2022

Radeon RX 6900 XT

2020

Why buy it

✅Access to DLSS 2 Super Resolution (2020).

Why buy it

✅Costs $251 less on MSRP ($999 MSRP vs $1,250 MSRP).
✅Delivers 25.9% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 26.8 vs 21.3 G3D/$ ($999 MSRP vs $1,250 MSRP).
✅Access to a newer frame-generation stack with FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
✅33.3% more VRAM for high-resolution textures and newer games (16 GB vs 12 GB).
✅Draws 300W instead of 350W, a 50W reduction.

Trade-offs

❌Less VRAM, with 12 GB vs 16 GB for high-resolution textures and newer games.
❌No equivalent frame-generation stack like FSR Frame Generation + AFMF (2023).
❌
25.1% HIGHER MSRP
$1,250 MSRPvs$999 MSRP
❌Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 21.3 vs 26.8 G3D/$ ($1,250 MSRP vs $999 MSRP).
❌16.7% higher power demand at 350W vs 300W.

Trade-offs

❌No DLSS support; it relies on FSR 3 (2023) instead.

Quick Answers

So, is Radeon RX 6900 XT better than GeForce RTX 3080 12GB?

Yes, but this is not really about a huge raw performance gap. The broader synthetic picture is also very close at 26,569 vs 26,729 in G3D Mark. The bigger reason to prefer Radeon RX 6900 XT is the overall package: you are getting FSR 3 + AFMF.

Which one is more future-proof for 2026 and beyond?

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is the more future-proof choice for 2026 and beyond. You are getting a newer 2022 generation instead of 2020 and the stronger feature stack with DLSS Super Resolution instead of FSR 3 + AFMF. That broader feature stack should age better as more games lean on modern upscaling and frame-generation support.

Which one is the smarter buy today, not just the cheaper card?

Radeon RX 6900 XT can still make sense if you find it at the right price, especially around $999 MSRP. Radeon RX 6900 XT is still the smarter buy for most people, though, because the raw performance is close while the overall package is cleaner. Radeon RX 6900 XT is about $251 cheaper on MSRP at $999 MSRP versus $1,250 MSRP, and you are getting 0.6% higher G3D Mark. GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is the newer 2022 card, so it still has a real case if you care more about newer architecture and future-proofing than about squeezing out the strongest gaming value today.

When does GeForce RTX 3080 12GB make more sense than Radeon RX 6900 XT?

Yes. GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is still an excellent gaming GPU in 2026: it is excellent for 1080p, very strong for 1440p, and still capable at 4K with sensible settings or upscaling. It makes more sense if your priority is newer architecture, future-proofing, and staying closer to $1,250 MSRP more than squeezing out the extra headroom of Radeon RX 6900 XT. The trade-off is that Radeon RX 6900 XT currently gives you 0.6% higher G3D Mark. It also leads G3D-per-dollar by 25.9%.

Games Benchmarks

Real-world benchmarks and performance projections based on comprehensive hardware analysis and comparative metrics. Values represent expected performance on High/Ultra settings at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K. Modeled using a Ryzen 7 9800X3D reference profile to minimize specific CPU bottlenecks.

Note: Performance behavior can vary per game. Specific architectures may perform better or worse depending on game engine optimizations and API implementation.

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB Benchmark Check

Radeon RX 6900 XT Benchmark Check

Path of Exile 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
1080p
low	212 FPS	258 FPS
medium	198 FPS	235 FPS
high	174 FPS	203 FPS
ultra	132 FPS	176 FPS
1440p
low	176 FPS	242 FPS
medium	147 FPS	200 FPS
high	123 FPS	162 FPS
ultra	96 FPS	146 FPS
4K
low	88 FPS	171 FPS
medium	74 FPS	143 FPS
high	56 FPS	107 FPS
ultra	50 FPS	95 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3080 12GB Open Radeon RX 6900 XT

Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2

Counter-Strike 2

Preset	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
1080p
low	593 FPS	601 FPS
medium	505 FPS	500 FPS
high	409 FPS	400 FPS
ultra	372 FPS	341 FPS
1440p
low	432 FPS	397 FPS
medium	353 FPS	330 FPS
high	280 FPS	271 FPS
ultra	242 FPS	221 FPS
4K
low	205 FPS	193 FPS
medium	172 FPS	162 FPS
high	147 FPS	135 FPS
ultra	124 FPS	111 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3080 12GB Open Radeon RX 6900 XT

Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

League of Legends

Preset	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
1080p
low	999 FPS	924 FPS
medium	956 FPS	767 FPS
high	797 FPS	683 FPS
ultra	598 FPS	585 FPS
1440p
low	897 FPS	714 FPS
medium	717 FPS	587 FPS
high	598 FPS	510 FPS
ultra	448 FPS	432 FPS
4K
low	564 FPS	498 FPS
medium	478 FPS	412 FPS
high	399 FPS	353 FPS
ultra	299 FPS	290 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3080 12GB Open Radeon RX 6900 XT

League of Legends

League of Legends

Valorant

Preset	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
1080p
low	543 FPS	684 FPS
medium	488 FPS	565 FPS
high	409 FPS	494 FPS
ultra	330 FPS	446 FPS
1440p
low	421 FPS	563 FPS
medium	383 FPS	471 FPS
high	319 FPS	408 FPS
ultra	252 FPS	360 FPS
4K
low	279 FPS	365 FPS
medium	256 FPS	317 FPS
high	226 FPS	290 FPS
ultra	189 FPS	256 FPS

Open GeForce RTX 3080 12GB Open Radeon RX 6900 XT

Valorant

Valorant

Check FPS for your specific build

Technical Specifications

Side-by-side comparison of GeForce RTX 3080 12GB and Radeon RX 6900 XT

GeForce RTX 3080 12GB

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in January 11 2022. It features the Ampere architecture. The core clock ranges from 1260 MHz to 1710 MHz. It has 8960 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 350W. Manufactured using 8 nm process technology. It features 70 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,569 points. Launch price was $799.

Radeon RX 6900 XT

The Radeon RX 6900 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in October 28 2020. It features the RDNA 2.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1825 MHz to 2250 MHz. It has 5120 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 7 nm process technology. It features 80 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 26,729 points. Launch price was $999.

⚡

Graphics Performance

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB scores 26,569 and the Radeon RX 6900 XT reaches 26,729 in the G3D Mark benchmark — just a 0.6% difference, making them near-identical in rasterization performance. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is built on Ampere while the Radeon RX 6900 XT uses RDNA 2.0, both on 8 nm vs 7 nm. Shader units: 8,960 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 5,120 (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Raw compute: 30.64 TFLOPS (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 23.04 TFLOPS (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Boost clocks: 1710 MHz vs 2250 MHz. Ray tracing: 70 RT cores (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 80 (Radeon RX 6900 XT) with 280 Tensor cores.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
G3D Mark Score	26,569	26,729
Architecture	Ampere	RDNA 2.0
Process Node	8 nm	7 nm
Shading Units	8960+75%	5120
Compute (TFLOPS)	30.64 TFLOPS+33%	23.04 TFLOPS
Boost Clock	1710 MHz	2250 MHz+32%
ROPs	96	128+33%
TMUs	280	320+14%
L1 Cache	8.8 MB+780%	1 MB
L2 Cache	6 MB+50%	4 MB
Ray Tracing Cores	70	80+14%

✨

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

A critical advantage for the Radeon RX 6900 XT is support for FSR Frame Generation + AFMF. This allows it to generate entire frames using AI/Algorithms, essentially doubling the frame rate in CPU-bound scenarios or heavy ray-tracing titles. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB lacks specific hardware/driver support for this native frame generation tier.The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB gives access to NVIDIA DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), widely regarding as the superior upscaling method for image quality. The Radeon RX 6900 XT relies on FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution), which is capable but generally slightly noisier than DLSS in motion.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
Upscaling Tech	DLSS 2 Super Resolution	FSR 3
Frame Generation	Not Supported	FSR Frame Generation + AFMF
Ray Reconstruction	No	No
Low Latency	NVIDIA Reflex	AMD Anti-Lag

💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB comes with 12 GB of VRAM, while the Radeon RX 6900 XT has 16 GB. The Radeon RX 6900 XT offers 33.3% more capacity, crucial for higher resolutions and texture-heavy games. Memory bandwidth: 912 GB/s (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 512 GB/s (Radeon RX 6900 XT) — a 78.1% advantage for the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB. Bus width: 384-bit vs 256-bit. L2 Cache: 6 MB (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 4 MB (Radeon RX 6900 XT) — the GeForce RTX 3080 12GB has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
VRAM Capacity	12 GB	16 GB+33%
Memory Type	GDDR6X	GDDR6
Memory Bandwidth	912 GB/s+78%	512 GB/s
Bus Width	384-bit+50%	256-bit
L2 Cache	6 MB+50%	4 MB

🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 12 Ultimate (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 12 Ultimate (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Vulkan: 1.4 vs 1.3. OpenGL: 4.6 vs 4.6. Maximum simultaneous displays: 4 vs 4.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
DirectX	12 Ultimate	12 Ultimate
Vulkan	1.4+8%	1.3
OpenGL	4.6	4.6
Max Displays	4	4

🎬

Media & Encoding

Hardware encoder: NVENC 7th gen (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs VCN 3.0 (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Decoder: NVDEC 5th gen vs VCN 3.0. Supported codecs: H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9 (Radeon RX 6900 XT).

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
Encoder	NVENC 7th gen	VCN 3.0
Decoder	NVDEC 5th gen	VCN 3.0
Codecs	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1	H.264,H.265/HEVC,AV1,VP9

🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB draws 350W versus the Radeon RX 6900 XT's 300W — a 15.4% difference. The Radeon RX 6900 XT is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 750W (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 850W (Radeon RX 6900 XT). Power connectors: 2x 8-pin vs 2x 8-pin. Card length: 285mm vs 267mm, occupying 2 vs 2.5 slots. Typical load temperature: 80°C vs 80°C.

Feature	GeForce RTX 3080 12GB	Radeon RX 6900 XT
TDP	350W	300W-14%
Recommended PSU	750W-12%	850W
Power Connector	2x 8-pin	2x 8-pin
Length	285mm	267mm
Height	112mm	120mm
Slots	2-20%	2.5
Temp (Load)	80°C	80°C
Perf/Watt	75.9	89.1+17%

💰

Value Analysis

The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB launched at $1250 MSRP, while the Radeon RX 6900 XT launched at $999. The Radeon RX 6900 XT costs 20.1% less ($251 savings) on MSRP. Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 21.3 (GeForce RTX 3080 12GB) vs 26.8 (Radeon RX 6900 XT) — the Radeon RX 6900 XT offers 25.8% better value. The GeForce RTX 3080 12GB is the newer GPU (2022 vs 2020).