When it comes to buying a GPU for your gaming computer, you have no better choice than AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090. Both these flagship GPUs have recent launches from respective companies. Now that you have two choices to choose from, deciding which one is best for you can be tough because both of them seem to be equally powerful.
That is when you have to analyze them on various parameters to differentiate them. In this article, we will do a complete differentiation of AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT vs Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 so that you can understand which is better for your computer.
About AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
You can consider AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT as an official challenger to Nvidia GeForce which has been dominating the market so far. It is the fastest graphics card from AMD. It works perfectly with a 4K display with a high refresh rate. If you are looking for 1440p gaming, this is an ideal GPU to opt for. It comes with Smart Access Memory technology and it works well with Ryzen 5000 processor. You could see double-digit performance uplift if you are using AMD Radeon RX 6900.
About Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090
Nvidia has gone aggressive on performance with GeForce RTX 3090. This one comes with Titan class performance and you can expect the fastest gaming frame rate with extraordinary resolution. You can expect at least a 10% jump in performance in comparison to its previous version which is the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080. Nvidia claims that it is the first graphics card in the world to support 8K gaming. Therefore, you can consider it a future-oriented graphics card and it is suitable for high-end gamers.
GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 6900 XT: Comparison Table
| Parameters | GeForce RTX 3090 | Radeon RX 6900 XT |
| Clock Speed | Faster | Fast |
| Memory Speed | Faster | Fast |
| Pixel Rate | Faster | Fast |
| Shading Units | More | Less |
| Rendering | Fast | Faster |
| Lighting Effects | Faster | Fast |
| Overclocked | Faster | Fast |
| Popularity | More Popular | Less Popular |
| Price | Expensive | Cheap |
GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 6900 XT: Performance
If you are looking for excellent quality, both GeForce RTX 3090 and Radeon RX 6900 XT can provide QHD (1440P) performance. They can even go up to 4K. However, keep in mind that it can have a higher cost. NVIDIA has the ability to offer better frames per second.
NVIDIA also outperforms AMD while tracing DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling). AMD works with FidelityFX Super Resolution which is a competitor of DLSS. However, it is yet to get launched. Even with ray tracing, there can be a major difference when it comes to performance. If you want to boost performance, it will be better to enable DLSS.
Radeon RX 6900 XT allows use in Rage Mode for enhanced performance. You can do it with a single click and can modify fan levels and power levels. It also has AMD Smart Access Memory for pumping up the numbers. On the contrary, NVIDIA has come up with resizable BAR support. Another great feature of AMD is the Infinity Cache. The cache improves efficiency due to the small 256-bit memory bus. It also has extra bandwidth for reduced memory latency.
NVIDIA Broadcast is an app powered by RTX 3090. By utilizing AI enhancements, it can enrich video and voice streams. It can change virtual backgrounds, eliminate background noise, and even track movement for a better experience. We can say that NVIDIA has added features and it even runs at high TDP.
GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 6900 XT: Pricing and Availability
GeForce RTX 3090 became available in September 2020. It is officially priced at $1,499. However, it can go up to $2,000 on various portals including eBay depending on the supply-demand scenario. Radeon RX 6900 XT was launched in December 2020 with an official price of $999. Since it is more affordable, you can expect stock shortages at times and price spikes. Overall, both the graphics cards have good enough demand, and except for a few instances, availability is rather regular.
GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 6900 XT: Features and Tech
GeForce RTX 3090: GeForce RTX 3090 has a memory of 24 GB GDDR6X and the bus width is 384-bit. The recommended PSU is 750W and the slot size is three. The node is 8nm and TDP is 350W. If we have to mention the architecture, it is Ampere. The shader is 10,496 and the texture is 328. There is even a clock of 1,395 MHz and the boost clock is 1695 MHz. It comes with 28.3B transistors.
Radeon RX 6900 XT: The Radeon RX 6900 XT comes with a bus width of 256-bit and the memory is 16 GB GDDR6. This requires a PSU of 300 watts and features 2.5 slot sizes. The architecture is RDNA 2 and the shader is 5120. Its texture is 320 and features 26.8B transistors. The boost clock is 2250 MHz and the clock is 1825 MHz.
GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 6900 XT: Power and Efficiency
When we compare GeForce RTX 3090 with Radeon RX 6900 XT in terms of efficiency, NVIDIA is clearly ahead of AMD. However, it consumes 20% more power to deliver peak performance. This happens particularly on no-RT workloads. What separates AMD from NVIDIA is that it has ray tracing support. It has even utilized many other features including mesh shaders and VRS (Variable Rate Shading). For better efficiency, it boasts a massive 128 MB L3 Infinity Cache.
GeForce RTX 3090 vs Radeon RX 6900 XT: Drivers and Software
AMD has recently added improvements on the driver by coming up with Adrenaline 21.4.1 update. This enhances game streaming technology. In doing so it helps to stream games and live stream games from the desktop. Previously, it was used in first-generation AMD Navi cards. Both Nvidia and AMD come up with driver updates and if there is any error it is corrected immediately.
AMD has many promotional games and many including Borderlands 3 and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla which runs on the latest GPU of AMD. However, many games get better on Nvidia hardware including Watch Dogs Legion. There is also Cyberpunk 2077 which requires AMD support. Given the comparison between the two, NVIDIA has an advantage even though AMD has closed the gap.
Conclusion:
Both the graphics cards are not for every gamer. If you already have a high-end gaming computer, upgrading to any of these graphics cards does not really make sense. However, if you still want to go for any one of them, we recommend Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 as it supports 8k gaming. These graphics cards are perfectly suitable for those who have not so high-end gaming computers, and want to go for a major upgrade. Overall, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3090 has slight edges over AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT.
