RTX 4070 vs RX 6800 XT – which GPU is best?

Nvidia vs AMD, RTX 4070 vs RX 6800 XT

Table of Contents Table of Contents

Facing the RTX 4070 vs RX 6800 XT up against each other is an interesting one as these two cards are from different generations and rival companies. We’re going to have a detailed look at how these two compare in specs, performance, and price.

With the release of the mid-range RTX 4070, we take a look back a generation and over to AMD to see if one of the RDNA 2 GPUs can keep up with Nvidia’s latest in the 4000 series. The RTX 4070 sits at the mid-range of the 4000 series, while the 6800 XT is just above that level, but not quite reaching the highest end of its generation. Regardless, both of these GPUs deliver fantastic gaming performance, so let’s get down to the bottom of what separates the two.

ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4070

Pros

Impressive build quality

Brilliant aesthetic

Inexpensive

Cons

only a dual-fan design

Shop on Amazon

CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

ASUS TUF GAMING Radeon RX 6800 XT OC 16GB

Pros

Axial-tech fan design has been enhanced

An all-aluminum shroud

GPU Tweak II provides intuitive performance tweaking, thermal controls, and system monitoring

Good value

Cons

Basic design

Shop on Amazon

CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

RTX 4070 vs RX 6800 XT specs

Below is how the two compare when we put them head to head in regard to specifications. If you’re well versed in this kind of detail, then you should be spotting some differences already. If not, then we’re going to talk you through them regardless.

	RTX 4070	RX 6800 XT
GPU name	AD104	Navi 21
Architecture	Ada Lovelace	RDNA 2.0
Shader cores	5888	4608
Memory type	GDDR6X	GDDR6
Memory size (VRAM)	12 GB	16 GB
Memory bus	192-bit	256-bit
Base clock speed	1920 MHz	1825 MHz
Boost clock speed	2475 MHz	2250 MHz
Bus interface	PCIe 4.0 x16	PCIe 4.0 x16
TDP	200 W	300 W

As we’re comparing different companies entirely using different technology, you’ll first notice that the architecture is a strong contrast. It’s important to point out that Ada Lovelace is the latest for the 4000 series of RTX GPUs, while RDNA 2.0 belongs to the previous generation – now that AMD has moved on to RDNA 3. Ada Lovelace features the latest in ray tracing and upscaling technology with DLSS 3.

The RX 6800 XT takes advantage of more VRAM and a wider memory bus to boost its performance, despite its overall lower clock speeds and cores. Both graphics cards use the standard PCIe 4.0 x 16 bus interface we see in modern GPUs.

One last thing to mention is that the RTX 4070 is a remarkably efficient GPU. Its TDP (Thermal Design Power) is 100W lower than that of the RX 6800 XT, which results in the 4070 having a suggested PSU of just 550W compared to the 700W of AMD’s offering.

RTX 4070 vs RX 6800 XT performance

So, how do all these specs affect the performance of the two? Well, overall performance at a glance seems to put the RX 6800 XT slightly ahead, but benchmarks actually show that the RTX 4070 is holding its own or outperforming the RX 6800 XT in certain areas, for example at 4K – especially if you’re going to be making full use of the 4070’s upscaling and frame generation technology.

When it comes to 1440p, the GPUs are much more even, and this is what these graphics cards aim to provide – fantastic 1440p gameplay. Neither of them disappoints in performance at 1440p, and here we actually see the RX 6800 XT shine, until it has to deal with ray tracing that is. RTX graphics cards are built for ray tracing, and this is noticeable in benchmarks.

1440p performance varies from game to game between the two, with them seemingly swapping around depending on the title – albeit with only slight differences in framerate overall.

RTX 4070 vs RX 6800 XT price

Now let’s move on to the all-important price. All that performance is no use if you’re paying far too much for it. First, let’s look at the MSRP for each of these cards on release.

• RTX 4070: $599 (MSRP)
• RX 6800 XT: $649 (MSRP)

This shows that the RTX 4070 actually beats out the RX 6800 XT on price, but not by too much. This is expected given the fact that they perform so similarly. One important factor to point out though is that the RX 6800 XT has been out for longer, so it may be easier to shop around for the time being, especially for a decreased price.

RTX 4070 vs RX 6800 XT FAQs

Which is best – RTX 4070 or RX 6800 XT?

It’s hard to pick an overall favorite between these two capable mid-range graphics cards. There are pros and cons to both, so what does it come down to? Well, the RTX 4070 is great if you want something a little more future-proof and benefit from it’s raytracing and upscaling tech.

On the other hand, the RX 6800 XT holds the line as a fantastic 1440p graphics card which will perform well across the board.

Is the RTX 4070 or RX 6800 XT cheaper?

MSRPs on release reveal that the RTX 4070 is $50 less than the RX 6800 XT.

Despite that, the RTX 4070 is a much newer GPU, so you may expect to see the price struggle to move anytime soon.

There’s already an established range of RX 6800 XT models on the market, so this allows you to shop around a little more and spot and deal, making it more likely to be the cheaper option right now.

RTX 4070 vs RX 6800 XT : Final word

That completes our comparison between the RTX 4070 vs RX 6800 XT. There’s a lot to take in and plenty to contrast and compare with these two GPUs. Although they represent two different generations – and two different rival companies, there are a lot of similarities between these two. The performance differences have been interesting to compare.

As the RTX 4070 is now ready to launch, we suggest you check out where to buy RTX 4070 if you’re convinced by the power of this new 4000 series GPU.