AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT vs 6900 XT
Is the newer counterpart of the GPU worth it over the previous?
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Team Red and Green have been talking a lot about the upcoming generation of graphics cards, particularly the performance of the enthusiast models. So how do the RX 7900 XT vs 6900 XT compare?
Similar to its archrival, the RTX 4090, AMD’s next-generation RDNA 3 secondary card, is expected to be twice as fast as the older GPU, the Radeon RX 6900 XT.
Architecture
The chipset-based GPU will be twice as fast as the 6900 XT. Additionally, the RX 7900 XT’s GCD (Graphics Die) will have a surface area of 306mm², making it somewhat smaller than the AD103, the die powering the RTX 4080.
Whilst the RX 6900 XT measures in at 520 mm² as the bigger 7nm process keeps its die much larger and less compact. Especially as the 7900 XT has an MCM design made of 5 and 6nm processes.
Specifications
| RX 7900 XT | RX 6900 XT | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | Navi 31 XT | Navi 21 XTX |
| GPU process | TSMC 5+6nm | TSMC 7nm |
| Shaders | 6,144 | 5,120 |
| Base clock | 1,500 MHz | 1,825 MHz |
| Boost clock | 2,400 MHz | 2,250 MHz |
| Memory | 20GB GDDR6 | 16GB GDDR6 |
| Memory clock | 20 Gbps | 16 Gbps |
| Memory bus | 320-bit | 256-bit |
| TBP | 300W | 300W |
20 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, or 4 GB more than the Radeon RX 6900 XT, will be available in the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT. The multi-die Navi 31 GPU is expected to be used by the 7900 XT graphics cards, although other details are unknown.
Performance
Performance predictions for RDNA 3 vary greatly. According to one report, it will perform more than 100% better than RDNA 2. Despite having inferior raw performance, AMD may prevail in the performance-per-dollar category this time around since the graphics cards are substantially less expensive to produce.
With the RDNA 3 cards expected to improve upon the top-end RDNA 2 then it should be a better choice of card.
Is the RX 7900 XT better than the 6900 XT?
So overall as the naming scheme would suggest, the newer card is a better choice of card. Especially, as the new 7000 series card is coming in with a lower MSRP. However, you can expect the older cards to lower in price, so it might still be a good deal to grab an older card on sale.
