New RX 7000-series card vs last-gen Nvidia high-end
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The RX 7700 XT release date is finally here, so we want to take a look at how to sizes up against something like the RTX 3080, a popular card from the previous generation of Nvidia GPUs – it’s the RX 7700XT vs RTX 3080! These are some of the best graphics cards on the market if you’re looking for powerful performance without having to stretch your budget to the absolute high-end.
We’re of course comparing two rivalling companies – AMD vs Nvidia – as well as two different generations, but the cards do indeed share some similarities. Let’s get into all the details and see which card comes out on top before you decide to find out where to buy an RX 7700 XT.
Great performance for a sub $500 GPU
Well-designed cooling keeps temps at less than 85°C
Sapphire Pulse keeps the price low without unnecessary extras
Only $50 less than the RX 7800 XT which has better framerates
Ray tracing performance is still lackluster, but much improved
Relatively high power draw even compared to its predecessor
Very competetively priced
2nd Gen Ray Tracing Cores
Very efficient thermal design
One of the quieter 3080 AIBs
Not the most aesthetically pleasing 3080
First up is architecture, and this is a major difference between the rivalling cards. The RX 7700 XT is based on AMD’s latest RDNA 3 architecture, while the RTX 3080 is on Nvidia’s last-gen Ampere. So, the newer 7700 XT has the upper hand here, but that doesn’t mean you should count out the RTX 3080.
Ampere architecture offers some excellent features such as third-gen tensor cores for AI acceleration, taking advantage of DLSS technology for upscaling and optimization. Nvidia have also been the pioneers for ray tracing, and Ampere cards feature second-gen RT cores to handle the workload.
RDNA 3 features new AI acceleration of its own, second-gen ray tracing accelerators and plenty of upgraded features such as second-gen AMD Infinity Cache for improved bandwidth and better color accuracy with AMD Radiance Display Engine.
| RX 7700 XT | RTX 3080 | |
|---|---|---|
| GPU | Navi 32 | GA102 |
| Architecture | RDNA 3.0 | Ampere |
| GPU process | TSMC 5nm | Samsung 8nm |
| Shading units | 3456 | 8960 (12GB) / 8704 (10GB) |
| Base clock speed | 1900 MHz | 1440 MHz |
| Boost clock speed | 2544 MHz | 1710 MHz |
| VRAM | 12GB GDDR6 | 10GB / 12GB GDDR6X |
| Memory bandwidth | 432 GB/s | 760.3 GB/s |
| Memory bus | 192-bit | 320-bit |
| Memory clock | 2250 MHz / 18 Gbps effective | 1188 MHz / 19 Gbps effective |
| TDP | 245W | 320W |
As the RX 7700 XT represents a newer generation, we can see some optimizations which give it plenty of power with a lower TDP – and therefore more power-efficient system. This is partly thanks to the smaller GPU process, as many newer cards are taking advantage of TSMC chips.
The RTX 3080 does have the upper hand for memory (which helps in higher resolutions), but the superior clock speeds of the RX 7700 XT make it a powerful, fresh competitor.
Performance has to be the number one thing many consumers look for when comparing graphics cards. You want to know how your favorite games will perform with a fresh GPU installed in your system after all.
With that being said, our own tests found that the RX 7700 XT can perfect extremely well in 1080p and 1440p, as well as 4K in many titles. To take Cyberpunk 2077 as an example, it hits 122 FPS, 79 FPS, and 36 FPS respectively, though it completely tanked with ray tracing on. This jumps up to 260, 186, and 96 in titles such as Overwatch 2 though (without RT of course).
As for the RTX 3080, TechSpot’s 14 game average from back when it released reveals an average of 181 FPS and 108 FPS at 1440p and 4K respectively. Since then, the card has continued to perform consistently well, and this recent 4K benchmark shows that the card performs superbly at the high resolution, even with ray tracing on – especially thanks to DLSS support.
Overall, the RTX 3080 is the winner here, especially at 4K, but emerging benchmarks show that the cards can hold a relatively similar framerate in some games, which makes the RX 7700 XT a worthy competitor.
Now on to price, a defining factor for whether or not you’ll be spending your hard-earned cash on a new graphics card. Let’s first look as the MSRPs of the two GPUs.
Despite quite the gap between these prices, the RTX 3080 is of course an old GPU and has dropped in price since its release. GPU prices were soaring sky-high back during the 30-series launches, so you can still find many RTX 3080 cards at a premium price tag, with the lower end looking to be around $600, though this is rarer.
With that in mind, we’d have to say the RX 7700 XT is the clear winner on price. This isn’t a massive surprise though, as AMD tend to be the go-to choice when looking for excellent value.
Deciding in which is best has actually turned out to be a close call, but the RX 7700 XT being a newer GPU and great value for money compared to Nvidia equivalents has to weigh strongly. We were impressed when we reviewed the Sapphire Pulse AMD RX 7700 XT, though the next step up the 7800 XT may be the better choice if your budget reaches there.
The RTX 3080 is still a fantastic card – and the performance doesn’t lie, but the RX 7700 XT definitely offers better value for money right now and would be our pick. We do have to commend the 3080 on its ray tracing ability though, and it would definitely be the better option if you’re focusing on RT performance or 4K gaming with the support of DLSS.
Core clock speed
1,900MHz, 2,171MHz Game, 2,544MHz max
Stream processors
3,456
Memory
12GB GDDR6
Dimensions
280 x 128.75 x 52.57 mm
PSU required
700W
TBP
245W
Core Clock Speed
1890MHz boost, 1860MHz Game
CUDA Cores
8960
Memory Size
12GB GDDR6X
Dimensions
318.5 x 140.1 x 57.78mm (2.9 Slot)
PSU Required
850W
AMD are known for offering some great GPUs which offer good value for money, and the RX 7700 XT looks to be another addition to that trend.
We think the GPU is definitely worth it if you want one of the most powerful mid-range cards right now.
The RTX 3080 is a high-end graphics card capable at 4K with ray tracing enable in many titles, so a high cost is expected.
While the price was way too high for some back when it released, it now sits around a decently-priced level and is good value, but not quite as cheap as the RX 7700 XT.
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