AMD Radeon RX 6800: This is a powerful gaming graphics card that works just as it’s supposed to. It doesn’t get overheated and shows high-level performance. The device is opposed to GeForce RTX 3070, RTX 3080, and 2080 TI models. Taking all the characteristics and test results, RX 6800 is better than its closest competitors for some tasks. The card is chosen for its brilliant productivity, smart cooling system, and nice design.
AMD Radeon RX 6800 gaming graphics card is suitable for any activities, including gaming and mining.
Benefits:
- Smart Access – a new memory access technology that boosts the performance of the card
- Hardware ray tracing accelerators for better video quality – especially useful in AAA titles with top-notch graphics
- A balanced cooling system that perfectly gets rid of heat both at automatic and maximum modes
- Great performance when gaming or mining thanks to efficient work of all components
- Huge Infinity Cash (128 MB) for improving bandwidth features and accelerating overall work
- Balanced energy usage
Disadvantages:
- High price (its competitors can be less expensive, offering similar features and opportunities)
- The physical behavior of light (ray tracing) has lower productivity when compared to its closest competitors. But it’s the first model by AMD that got really close to challenging Nvidia solutions. Soon AMD will enhance its technology and make it equally good (or better) to substitute for its rivals
AMD Radeon RX 6800 is a long-awaited graphics card (finally released a few years ago in November 2021). However, the world was experiencing a significant boost in mining back then (and still is), so the stocks were sold out pretty fast.
After that, it was hard to buy this high-end piece of technology for gaming, mining, or other purposes. The initial price started from around $580. Luckily, the situation is way better now. It’s easier to get this video card, but the price didn’t get lower. In fact, it’s now around $1000 (on Amazon in some countries).
Before this model was released to the world, AMD couldn’t compete with top Nvidia creations. The fans have been deprived of high-quality alternatives for years. Now the situation has changed, with Radeon RX 6800 overcoming its competitors at some things.
New features introduced by AMD are Infinity Cash, Ray Tracing, Smart Memory Access, etc. Read about them in detail below. As for productivity and energy usage, its indicators are almost close to perfect, given the sizes and a price tag.
RX 6800 is an expensive and complicated device. Its configuration is close to the model called RX 6800 XT, which is a bit more powerful. It’s vital to know all stats and features before purchasing. We’ve decided to collect the key info in one place and compiled a useful article to make it easier for you. Scroll down to learn more about the RX 6800, its characteristics, and general productivity.
AMD Radeon RX 6800 Gaming Graphics Card Design
The case surrounding the “brains” and all the tech-related stuff is compact. Its length is 267 mm and it’s made of 2 slot-sized blocks. Only metal was used: no plastic. It makes the device well-protected from external damage. There is no backlighting, only the word Radeon gets illuminated. It’s a special feature and brand style of the company. AMD has really invested its talents to produce a better design this time. The construction has an elegant outlook and is more pleasant than the models before it.
The back panel is also made of metal. It doesn’t have any thermal gaskets. How does it deal with the heat then? Instead, it’s equipped with special cavities that are located against the components. They don’t touch the panel and don’t heat it, and that’s a great solution.
AMD changed its concept and created a completely new cooling system (about it below). This had a great influence on productivity and allowed them to change the outlook for the better. It became smaller and quieter compared to previous models RX 5700 XT and RX 5700. The construction has 2 Display Ports to transmit an image. One is HDMI 2.1, the other is USB-C. This solution is enough for any displaying form in 2023.
It’s also a great advantage if compared to Nvidia. It got rid of USB-C in its new models of Ampere graphics cards, which is a pity. Many users complained about it, but they won’t face such a problem with 6800 Radeon RX.
8-pin connectors (2 in total) are located on the case to power up the gadget. The whole construction looks great but some people will find things to complain about. The box is completely black with red trim at the edges and logo letters shining bright. A silver-colored band is located on the front part of the box and serves as a freshening design element. Each fan (3 in total) has an “R” logo, referring users to the Radeon brand.
Graphics Card From The Inside
| GPU Name: | Navi 21 |
| Memory Size: | 16 GB |
| Memory Type: | GDDR6 |
| Stream processors: | 3 840 |
| Texture units: | 240 |
| ROP Units: | 96 |
| Base Clock/Boost Clock: | 1700/2105 MHz |
| TDP: | 250 W |
One of the key components in the device is a thermal interface material. It’s placed between the cooling system and GPU. Made of graphite, it has great heat transmission features. It shows the same efficiency as good thermal grease. In fact, it is even better.
The architecture is powered by 15 lines. The memory is manufactured by Samsung, each module having 2GB. It’s faster than GeForce 3070, with 16 Gbit per contact point.
The stiffening frame is used to cool the system of the power circuit. Its 2 thermal pads are connected to the evaporation chamber. To cool other components, only the evaporation chamber is required. The copper heat pads are small-sized and located separately in some zones. It shows better efficiency than placing one large panel instead.
New Technologies
The manufacturers added more temperature sensors and placed them all around the chip. They measure the temperature in different parts of the device at the same time. This method has proven to be more effective in the context of heat monitoring.
Sensors can show different measurements simultaneously. For example, the overall heat can reach 80 degrees, while the T-junction will be 95 degrees. This difference is okay for these components. But in other cases and with other models, it may indirectly indicate a poor uniformity of the device.
Such technology of multiple sensor distribution has proven to be reliable. Some elements can get heated up to 110 degrees, with the frequency still rising. As soon as the monitoring system detects critical temperature, it starts the throttling process, with the frequencies dropping. But it is worth adding that the overall heat will always be lower. So, the new structure of the cooler allows you to keep the temperature of your card at a normal level (see numbers below). Thanks to this, 110 degrees shouldn’t scare you. The manufacturers claim that it’s perfectly alright: the device won’t melt or get damaged.
With RX 6800, it’s hard to get to 75 degrees when gaming. The company managed to achieve a great boost and added infinity cash of 128 MB. It’s a lot, and faster than the main memory (the bus-line is 256 bit). The idea of a big cache was brought by Sam Nafziger, an IT manager in Radeon. The man thought that improving bandwidth is possible by introducing big cash capacity, and it was a brilliant idea.
The company claims that reaching the same figures as they have now would have required a bus-line of 512 bit. Such cash is even more efficient than GDDR6X and uses less energy to achieve such great results. This leads to bandwidth acceleration by up to 2,4 times. It’s impressive, especially when compared to GDDR6, which uses the same 256-bit bus line.
The computing block gets hardware ray tracing accelerators, 1 per block. Each can calculate up to 4 ray crossings. Variable speed shading is supported to accelerate rendering. This is a special effect when only part of an image is processed in detail. But its performance is less than in its closest competitor RTX 3070. Let’s have a look at how it performs in a top-notch video game.
For instance, Metro Exodus. When 3070’s unique feature called Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS) is off, the difference is slight but it’s noticeable. When it’s on, it’s more obvious when comparing these 2 rivals. AMD has nothing to overbeat this Nvidia’s smart technology. But it doesn’t mean that its engineers won’t come up with something smart soon.
The chipset has 3840 processors in total. AMD was working hard, trying to increase their efficiency, and the engineers nailed it by boosting their frequency. The manufacturers show 2 stats when describing the device’s opportunities. The first is called Boost Clock: it reflects the peak frequency when the load gets to its highest point. It can reach up to 2106 MHz. The second is referred to as Game Clock: you’ll see these indicators most of the time. It will be somewhere close to 1815 MHz.
Check out Smart Access technology. Its working principles are simple. The central processor gets unlimited access to the GPU memory. Previously, it used to have only a small portion of it. When it starts saving descriptors, constants, and other elements, it does it in each changeable frame. As a result, the device really increases its speed and productivity balance.
RX 6800 is built on the architecture called RDNA 2 (also used by PS5 and Xbox Series X). What impact will it have on gamers? Next-gen adventures will be better optimized and will feel more realistic for users.
Temperature And Noise
In the automatic mode, the device gets averagely heated to 67 degrees. The VRAM temperature is about 70 degrees, while the memory module – 68. The fans are working at the speed of 1675 rotations per minute. The noise is about 41 decibels, with the background figures being at the level of 30. These are excellent indicators that are hard to find in other models.
If you turn on the cooling system to its maximum, the temperature while gaming falls to 54 degrees. The power circuit cells get reduced to 57 degrees. The memory module cools to 52. The fans reach their maximum speed of 2236 rotations per minute, with the noise not exceeding 54 decibels. The same results can be seen in the rival RTX 3070.
RX 6800’s bigger brother XT has a thicker radiator and a bit different configurations. In the automatic mode, it reaches 75 degrees. The VRAM zone gets heated to 85 degrees, with the memory module featuring 78 degrees. These numbers are way higher than RX 6800, and it’s understandable (it has more demanding components). The vans are working with 1448 rotations per minute (fewer than in RX 6800), and the noise is 41 decibels, the same.
But everything changes if you turn on the system to the maximum. The average temperature drops to 60 degrees. VRAM is about 69, the memory – 64, and the vans accelerate to 2963 rotations per minute. The noise increases to 53 decibels.
Energy usage varies. If you take computer games, Radeon models look better than RTX 3070 or 3080 in the context of these parameters.
If you turn on the Access Memory (through BIOS), the productivity becomes better. It can be increased by about 10% and even more in some games. Search for detailed instructions on how to activate this feature, as it may require extra effort. Besides, we recommend that only experienced computer users perform such operations through BIOS. Luckily, the card is powerful enough and without the Access Memory. You won’t notice the difference if you play with or without this feature in most video games.
If you want to get more from the card, check out its set of features called FidelityFX. xOne of its brightest opportunities is Radeon Boost. It automatically makes the resolution a bit lower and increases the frame rate when you’re moving rapidly in virtual reality. This serves a particular purpose. Namely, it positively influences the quality of the picture.
As for mining purposes, the best hash rate is seen in Ethereum Classic (61.0 MH/S). Other good options are Ravencoin (33.0 MH/S) and Ergo (110.0 MH/S)
Prices
Taking all these cool features mentioned above, the only thing that bothers about the model the most is its cost. AMD is famous for offering lower-priced products compared to competitors. But we should understand that new opportunities and performance available in the card have influenced the tag as well.
The initial price was around $580. It’s pretty high, but the technological marvel was worth it. In fact, the cost went up since then, and now it can reach $1000 or even more. Let’s have a look at the price tag in different countries:
The cost is so high because the market is experiencing a shortage of high-tech technologies. The products are massively bought by miners, so the high demand generates a price increase. Besides, it was influenced by other factors, such as the coronavirus outbreak, cryptocurrency boom, global political instability, etc. Additionally, it’s a good graphics card that is really worth this money in the market environment.
Summing Up
Enormous memory and high productivity level make it a perfect device. It will cover the needs for cybersport and casual gaming. In fact, it’ll even be too much for such activities, it’s too powerful. If you take it for gaming, you’ll never experience problems with any video adventure, no matter how heavy and advanced it is.
However, if you take it for mining, you’ll be surprised by how effective it is. If you buy it, it’ll be a very beneficial purchase. AMD Radeon RX 6800 will perform its tasks just fine thanks to its great performance. It’ll quickly pay off the investment and allow you to mine cryptocurrency without any trouble.
If you ask any gamer, graphics cards are usually associated with Nvidia. But now the engineers from AMD challenge their competitors and offer a very attractive model. It’s a great chance for users to try something new and check out features offered by a big brand.
Radeon 6800 is a good purchase and will perform great on any PC. So far, it can run the latest video games at the most demanding settings. The only drawbacks are the physical behavior of light and a high price tag. Nvidia manages to implement this feature better. But we hope that this will change soon and AMD will create a 100% substitute for this component. As for the price, it’s expensive, but the device is worth the spending.
Video-review on gaming graphics card AMD Radeon RX 6800 – Best Value High-End GPU
FAQ About AMD Radeon RX 6800
This advanced card is suitable for gaming. Its powerful features will allow you to run any top-notch AAA title without any difficulties. The same effect will remain for years to come, with games getting more complicated. In fact, the potential of the device is too much for gaming. Some may even say that it’s worth thinking about buying a cheaper model, leaving RX 6800 for miners.
You won’t find any issues connected with the cooling system. It has heat monitoring sensors all over the chipset that allow you to track the temperature more efficiently. When it gets too high, the device launches special processes that take the heat away. Extra cavities on the back panel, a thermal interface, a special architecture, and other features build up a perfect mechanism that regulates the temperature just fine.
Given the price and all features, it’s a better model. AMD added new opportunities and increased the overall productivity immensely. It’s fast, smart, and designed for gaming, mining, and other activities. If you’re choosing between these two pieces, pay more attention to the AMD 6800 option. The purchase will definitely pay off soon and cover all your needs.
If you’re looking for a powerful card for gaming, this device is your thing. Its features allow you to launch video adventures of the highest quality. Although the physical behavior of light requires improvement, it’s decent. You’ll see a detailed and rich picture, which will satisfy even the most choosy gamer.
AMD 6800 XT is more expensive than its little brother RX 6800. But the price is 100% corresponds to the power hidden inside that compact device. It’ll be perfect for mining and other high-load tasks. However, if you want it for gaming, it’s better to pick RX 6800 or less expensive models.
The Review
Gaming Graphics Card AMD Radeon RX 6800
PROS
- Smart Access – a new memory access technology that boosts the performance of the card
- Hardware ray tracing accelerators for better video quality – especially useful in AAA titles with top-notch graphics
- A balanced cooling system that perfectly gets rid of heat both at automatic and maximum modes
- Great performance when gaming or mining thanks to efficient work of all components
- Huge Infinity Cash (128 MB) for improving bandwidth features and accelerating overall work
- Balanced energy usage
CONS
- High price (its competitors can be less expensive, offering similar features and opportunities)
- The physical behavior of light (ray tracing) has lower productivity when compared to its closest competitors. But it’s the first model by AMD that got really close to challenging Nvidia solutions. Soon AMD will enhance its technology and make it equally good (or better) to substitute for its rivals
Best buy 
Amazon 
Walmart Gaming Graphics Card AMD Radeon RX 6800
AMD Radeon RX 6800 Review - is a powerful gaming graphics card that works just as it’s supposed to. It doesn’t get overheated and shows high-level performance
Product SKU: RX 6800
Product Brand: AMD
Product Currency: $
Product Price: 895
Price Valid Until: 2023-04-30
Product In-Stock: InStock
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