AMD Radeon RX 6800 vs AMD Radeon R9 280X

VS
Performance
Radeon RX 6800410% better
55,08453% of 104,598
Radeon R9 280X
10,79210% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 6800 has 410% better performance than the Radeon R9 280X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Performance per dollar
Radeon RX 6800164% better
95.1459% of 161.45
Radeon R9 280X
36.0922% of 161.45

The Radeon RX 6800 has 164% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 280X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

Shop Radeon RX 6800
Shop Radeon R9 280X
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Summary

#

About the AMD Radeon RX 6800 GPU

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 is a desktop graphics card that launched in Q4 2020 with a MSRP of $579. It is built on the RDNA 2.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Navi 21) and is manufactured on a 7 nm process.

Memory

The RX 6800 has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, with a 2,000 MHz memory clock and a 256 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 512 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The RX 6800 includes 3,840 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 1,700 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 2,105 MHz. It usually operates at 1,815 MHz during typical gaming workloads. Complementing the processing units are 240 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 96 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing. Additionally, the GPU features 60 ray accelerators dedicated to real-time ray tracing calculations.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The RX 6800 occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Type-C display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 600 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 250 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The RX 6800 has the 22nd best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 52.66% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 55,084 score and $579 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 95.14. This is the 20th best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

About the AMD Radeon R9 280X GPU

The AMD Radeon R9 280X is an end-of-life desktop graphics card that released in Q4 2013 with a MSRP of $299. It is built on the GCN 1.0 GPU microarchitecture (codename Tahiti) and is manufactured on a 28 nm process.

Memory

The R9 280X has 3 GB of GDDR5 memory, with a 1,500 MHz memory clock and a 384 bit interface. This gives it a memory bandwidth of 288 Gb/s, which affects how fast it can transfer data to and from memory. GPU memory stores temporary data that helps the GPU with complex math and graphics operations. More memory is generally better, as not having enough can cause performance bottlenecks.

Cores and Clock Speeds

The R9 280X includes 2,048 stream processors (SPs), the processing units for handling parallel computing tasks. The GPU operates at a core clock speed of 850 MHz and can dynamically boost its clock speed up to 1,000 MHz. Complementing the processing units are 128 texture mapping units (TMUs) for efficient texture filtering and 32 render output units (ROPs) for pixel processing.

Compatibility & Power Consumption

The R9 280X occupies 2 PCIe expansion slots. It supports DVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2 display connections. AMD recommends a power supply of at least 600 W to handle the GPU's thermal design power (TDP) of 250 W.

Benchmark Performance & Value

The R9 280X has the 171st best 3DMark 11 Performance GPU score among the 543 benchmarked GPUs in our database. It achieves 10.32% of the performance of the best benchmarked GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Its 10,792 score and $299 launch price (MSRP) gives it a performance per dollar of 36.09. This is the 73rd best in value for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

General Info

General overview of the GPU, including details like its manufacturer, release date, launch price, and current production status.

InfoRadeon RX 6800Radeon R9 280X
ManufacturerAMDAMD
ArchitectureRDNA 2.0GCN 1.0
Market SegmentDesktopDesktop
Release DateQ4 2020Q4 2013
Launch Price (MSRP)$579$299
Production StatusActiveEnd-of-life
ShopCheck PriceCheck Price

Gaming Performance

#

Select a game to compare FPS metrics

Display FPS for F1 24
F1 24
Display FPS for Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Senua's Saga Hellblade 2
Display FPS for Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima
Display FPS for Dragon's Dogma 2
Dragon's Dogma 2
Display FPS for Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West
Display FPS for Alone in the Dark (2024)
Alone in the Dark (2024)
Display FPS for Sons of the Forest
Sons of the Forest

FPS Benchmarks

This table showcases the average frame rate (FPS) achieved both GPUs in at various resolutions. Frame rate is a crucial indicator of how smoothly the GPU can run the game. A higher FPS generally translates to a smoother gameplay experience.

  • Frames Per Second
FPS data for F1 24
F1 24
Radeon RX 6800Radeon R9 280X
Low - 1080p
415 FPS
--
Medium - 1080p
357 FPS
--
High - 1080p
268 FPS
--
Ultra - 1080p
66 FPS
--
QHD - 1440p
42 FPS
--
4K UHD - 2160p
21 FPS
--
FPS Source: Notebookcheck

Compare Frames Per Second (FPS)

The average frame rate (FPS) in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, higher FPS results in a smoother gameplay experience.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon RX 6800 orRadeon R9 280X
GPUFrames Per Second
Radeon RX 6950 XT30.2+47%
Radeon RX 7800 XT28.7+39%
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti28.2+37%
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti22.2+8%
Arc A77021.2+3%
Radeon RX 680020.6
GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER17-17%
Arc A75016.8-18%

Compare Cost Per Frame

The average cost per frame in can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. Generally, a lower cost per frame implies better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon RX 6800 orRadeon R9 280X
GPUCost Per Frame
GeForce RTX 3070 Ti21.24-24%
Radeon RX 7900 XTX21.44-24%
GeForce RTX 408021.8-22%
Radeon RX 7900 XT24.3-14%
Radeon RX 680028.11
GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER29.35+4%
Radeon RX 6950 XT36.39+29%
GeForce RTX 309037.01+32%

Benchmark Performance

#
Performance
Radeon RX 6800410% better
55,08453% of 104,598
Radeon R9 280X
10,79210% of 104,598

The Radeon RX 6800 has 410% better performance than the Radeon R9 280X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon RX 6800 is ranked 22nd with a score of 55,084, and the Radeon R9 280X is ranked 171st with a score of 10,792.

Performance per dollar
Radeon RX 6800164% better
95.1459% of 161.45
Radeon R9 280X
36.0922% of 161.45

The Radeon RX 6800 has 164% better value for the money than the Radeon R9 280X for the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark.

The Radeon RX 6800 is ranked 20th with a performance per dollar of 95.14, and the Radeon R9 280X is ranked 73rd with a performance per dollar of 36.09.

Relative Performance

The average score in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative performance. Generally, powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon RX 6800 or
GPUBenchmark Performance
Radeon RX 7700 XT57,340+4%
GeForce RTX 3080 (12 GB)56,634+3%
Radeon RX 680055,084
GeForce RTX 308053,713-2%
Radeon RX 6800 XT52,046-6%
GeForce GTX 165013,645-75%
Radeon R9 38012,191-78%
Radeon R9 280X10,792-80%
GeForce GTX 96010,767.5-80%
GeForce GTX 68010,216.5-81%

Relative Value For Money

The average performance per dollar in the benchmark test can be compared to similar GPUs to assess relative value. A higher score implies a better value for your money.

Choose Baseline GPU:Radeon RX 6800 or
GPUPerformance Per Dollar
Radeon RX 6600 XT103.04+8%
GeForce RTX 4070100.12+5%
Radeon RX 680095.14
GeForce RTX 3060 Ti95.09-0%
GeForce RTX 4070 Ti94.63-1%
Radeon R9 390X41.83-56%
GeForce GTX 750 Ti36.09-62%
Radeon R9 280X36.09-62%
GeForce GTX 98032.07-66%
GeForce GTX 76031.98-66%

Benchmark Scores

This table showcases the average performance scores achieved by both GPUs across industry-standard benchmark tests. These scores provide a valuable insight into overall performance. Powerful GPUs tend to have higher scores.

  • Popular
BenchmarkRadeon RX 6800Radeon R9 280X
3DMark Time Spy Graphics
16,191
(+632.62%)
2,210
3DMark Time Spy Score
16,152
(+574.97%)
2,393
3DMark Cloud Gate Graphics
205,274
(+293.87%)
52,117
3DMark Fire Strike Standard Graphics
45,441
(+444.66%)
8,343
3DMark 11 Performance Score
41,784.5
(+308.01%)
10,241
PassMark G3D Mark
22,220
(+259.66%)
6,178
PassMark G2D Mark
985
(+43.59%)
686
Unigine Heaven 3.0 DirectX 11
--
95.2
Benchmarks Source: Notebookcheck

Technical Specs

#

Graphics Processor

General information about the graphics processing unit like their architecture, manufacturing process size, and transistor count. Newer GPU architectures generally bring efficiency improvements and may introduce technologies that enhance graphical capabilities.

SpecRadeon RX 6800Radeon R9 280X
CodenameNavi 21Tahiti
ArchitectureRDNA 2.0GCN 1.0
Process Size7 nm28 nm
Transistors26,800 million4,313 million

Memory Details

Memory specifications like their capacity, bandwidth, and clock speeds. GPU memory stores graphics data like frames, textures, and shadows which helps display rendered images. These specs are crucial for graphics-intense applications like gaming and 3D modeling.

SpecRadeon RX 6800Radeon R9 280X
Memory Size16 GB3 GB
Memory TypeGDDR6GDDR5
Memory Bandwidth512 Gb/s288 Gb/s
Memory Clock2,000 MHz1,500 MHz
Memory Interface256 bit384 bit
L1 Cache128 KB16 KB
L2 Cache4 MB768 KB

Board Compatibility

Compatibility information like their slot size, bus interface, power consumption, and display support. These specs are useful for verifying compatibility with your motherboard, power supply, and monitor.

SpecRadeon RX 6800Radeon R9 280X
Slots2 slots2 slots
Bus InterfacePCIe 4.0 x16PCIe 3.0 x16
Thermal Design Power (TDP)250 W250 W
Suggested PSU600 W600 W
Power Connectors2x 8-pin1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin
OutputsHDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 1.4a, USB Type-CDVI, HDMI 1.4a, DisplayPort 1.2

Cores & Clock Speeds

Processing power information like its cores and clock speed. These specs impact how fast they can process graphics. Each type of core or component serves a specific computational purpose.

SpecRadeon RX 6800Radeon R9 280X
Stream Processors (SP)3,8402,048
Compute Units (CU)6032
Texture Mapping Units (TMU)240128
Render Output Units (ROP)9632
Ray Accelerators60--
Core Clock Speed1,700 MHz850 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Boost)2,105 MHz1,000 MHz
Core Clock Speed (Game)1,815 MHz--

Theoretical Performance

Theoretical performance numbers derived from the raw specifications of the different components like core count and clock speeds. While these provide a glimpse into peak processing power, they do not represent real-world performance.

SpecRadeon RX 6800Radeon R9 280X
Pixel Fill Rate202.1 GPixel/s32 GPixel/s
Texture Fill Rate505.2 GTexel/s128 GTexel/s
FP32 Performance16.17 TFLOPS4.1 TFLOPS
FP64 Performance1,010 GFLOPS1,024 GFLOPS

API Support

Graphics API versions supported by these graphics cards. APIs evolve over time, introducing new features and functionalities. Older GPUs may not support recent versions.

SpecRadeon RX 6800Radeon R9 280X
DirectX12 Ultimate (12_2)12 (11_1)
OpenCL2.12.1 (1.2)
OpenGL4.64.6
Shader Model6.86.5 (5.1)

Check out these comparisons for similar GPUs:

Looking for alternatives? Check out these similar GPUs:

* Performance rating, performance per dollar, and rankings are based on the 3DMark 11 Performance GPU benchmark and MSRP.