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Scored using Graphics cards Methodology v1.0
Graphics cards Methodology v1.0
Mathematical & Unbiased Scoring
Products in this category are scored under Frontum Graphics cards Methodology v1.0: technical specifications plus authentic consumer ratings, with 0% commercial bias.
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GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB Review | 118 Data compared

Avg. price:~£1,050VRAM:16 GBMemory bus width:256 bitThermal Design Power (TDP):335 W

GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB Review: Compare 118 technical specifications and user reviews to see how this product ranks in the Graphics cards category and whether it is worth buying.

8.4/10

Overall score

Score
8.4/ 10
✕
What it is
An overall evaluation of the graphics card's quality, based on technical analyses and user reviews.
When it matters
When you need a quick reference to identify the best graphics cards on the market.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 72% of models
Score components

90%

8.4

Technical score

10%

?

User score

â–²Better than 72% of graphics cards
7.3

Value for money

Value for money
7.3/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the graphics card's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a graphics card that offers a strong balance of performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 53% of models
Score components

70%

8.4

Overall score

30%

5.0

Price

â–²Better than 53%
8.4

Technical score

Technical score
8.4/ 10
✕
What it is
An assessment of technical performance for products in the Graphics cards category across these key areas: Performance, Memory, Platform & Features, Connectivity & Media, Power & Cooling, Design.
When it matters
When you want to compare graphics cards based on technical performance and available features.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 72% of models
Score components

44%

9.0

Performance

24%

8.4

Memory

12%

5.7

Power & Cooling

11%

9.2

Platform & Features

5%

7.5

Design

4%

8.4

Connectivity & Media

â–²Better than 72%
?

User score

User score
8.0/ 10
✕
What it is
A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the graphics card.
When it matters
When you want to understand how a graphics card performs in real use and how reliable it is in terms of performance, temperatures, noise, stability, and long-term ownership.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 83% of models
Score components

70%

?

User ratings

30%

?

Number of reviews

  • No image
No image
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Best rankings
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Graphics cards model ranking

Ranked #295 of 2,195 models in Graphics cards (Overall score)

Technical Specifications of graphics card GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB

Technical score
Technical score
8.4/ 10
✕
What it is
An assessment of technical performance for products in the Graphics cards category across these key areas: Performance, Memory, Platform & Features, Connectivity & Media, Power & Cooling, Design.
When it matters
When you want to compare graphics cards based on technical performance and available features.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 72% of models
Score components:

44%

9.0

Performance

24%

8.4

Memory

12%

5.7

Power & Cooling

11%

9.2

Platform & Features

5%

7.5

Design

4%

8.4

Connectivity & Media

8.4
User score
User score
8.0/ 10
✕
What it is
A rating that combines user reviews and the total number of reviews received by the graphics card.
When it matters
When you want to understand how a graphics card performs in real use and how reliable it is in terms of performance, temperatures, noise, stability, and long-term ownership.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 83% of models
Score components

70%

?

User ratings

30%

?

Number of reviews

?
Popularity
Popularity
1.0/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator based on the number of reviews received by the graphics card.
When it matters
When you prefer a graphics card that has already been chosen and reviewed by many other users.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–¼ Worse than 99% of models
Popularity:
GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB has a popularity score of 1 point, which is lower than that of 57.7% of products in this category.
1.0
Value for money
Value for money
7.3/ 10
✕
What it is
An indicator that combines the graphics card's overall rating with its cost.
When it matters
When you are looking for a graphics card that offers a strong balance of performance, features, and price.
Score distribution
â–¼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
â–² Better than 53% of models
Score components:

70%

8.4

Overall score

30%

5.0

Price

7.3
3DMark Time Spy benchmark score
22,470 points
Market range: <4k points – >34k points
This graphics card scores 22,470 points in 3DMark Time Spy, which is higher than 72.6% of graphics cards.
3DMark Port Royal score
10,500 points
Market range: <0 points – >25k points
This graphics card scores 10,500 points in 3DMark Port Royal, which is higher than 56.4% of graphics cards and equal to 0.3% of graphics cards.
PassMark (G3D) result
28,093 points
Market range: <7.7k points – >36k points
This graphics card scores 28,093 points in PassMark G3D, which is higher than 65.2% of graphics cards and equal to 0.1% of graphics cards.
PassMark (DirectCompute) result
14,147 points
Market range: <3.1k points – >26.3k points
This graphics card scores 14,147 points in PassMark DirectCompute, which is higher than 54% of graphics cards.
Floating-point performance
26.27 TFLOPS
Market range: <4.38 TFLOPS – >57.42 TFLOPS
This graphics card delivers 26.27 TFLOPS floating-point performance, which is higher than that of 55.3% of graphics cards.
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VRAM
16 GB
Market range: <4 GB – >24 GB
This graphics card has 16 GB of VRAM, which is more than 61.5% of graphics cards and equal to 28.6% of graphics cards.
Memory type
GDDR6
GDDR version
GDDR6
This graphics card uses GDDR6 memory, which is newer than on 15.9% of graphics cards and equal to 40.3% of graphics cards.
Memory bus width
256 bit
Market range: <64 bit – >384 bit
This graphics card uses a 256 bit memory bus, which is wider than that of 49.7% of graphics cards and equal to that of 35.9% of graphics cards.
Maximum memory bandwidth
576 GB/s
Market range: <168 GB/s – >960 GB/s
This graphics card reaches 576 GB/s memory bandwidth, which is higher than that of 62.3% of graphics cards and equal to that of 0.8% of graphics cards.
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PCI Express (PCIe) version
4
This graphics card supports PCIe 4, which is newer than on 22.3% of graphics cards and equal to 52.1% of graphics cards.
PCIe lanes
x16
This graphics card uses x16 PCIe lanes, which is more than 23.4% of graphics cards and equal to 76.6% of graphics cards.
DirectX version
12 Ultimate
This graphics card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is more advanced than on 22.6% of graphics cards and equal to 77.4% of graphics cards.
Vulkan version
1.4
This graphics card supports Vulkan 1.4, which is more advanced than on 20.7% of graphics cards and equal to 79.3% of graphics cards.
OpenGL version
4.6
This graphics card supports OpenGL 4.6, which is more advanced than on 1.9% of graphics cards and equal to 98.1% of graphics cards.
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Max displays supported
4
Market range: <4 – >4
This graphics card supports up to 4 displays, which is more than 8.3% of graphics cards and equal to 88.9% of graphics cards.
Max digital resolution
7680x4320
This graphics card supports a maximum digital resolution of 7680x4320, which is higher than that of 9% of graphics cards and equal to that of 91% of graphics cards.
DisplayPort outputs
2
Market range: <1 – >3
This graphics card offers 2 DisplayPort outputs, which is fewer than 79.1% of graphics cards and equal to 9.5% of graphics cards.
DisplayPort version
1.4a
This graphics card supports DisplayPort 1.4a, which is more advanced than on 19.5% of graphics cards and equal to 47.1% of graphics cards.
DisplayPort link rates
8.1 Gbps
Market range: <5.4 Gbps – >80 Gbps
This graphics card supports DisplayPort link rates up to 8.1 Gbps, which is slower than on 65% of graphics cards and equal to 22.7% of graphics cards.
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Thermal Design Power (TDP)
335 W
Market range: <60 W – >360 W
This graphics card has a TDP of 335 W, which is higher than that of 85.2% of graphics cards and equal to that of 0.1% of graphics cards.
Power consumption while under peak load
335 W
Market range: <100 W – >400 W
This graphics card draws 335 W under peak load, which is higher than 82.6% of graphics cards.
Recommended PSU wattage
850 W
Market range: <450 W – >850 W
This graphics card recommends a 850 W PSU, which is higher than that of 83.1% of graphics cards and equal to that of 12.2% of graphics cards.
Board power limit
335 W
Market range: <100 W – >400 W
This graphics card has a board power limit of 335 W, which is higher than that of 80.3% of graphics cards and equal to that of 0.1% of graphics cards.
PCIe power spec
?
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Size
282x 146x 28 mm
Length
282 mm
Market range: <200 mm – >350 mm
This graphics card is 282 mm long, which is shorter than 50.7% of graphics cards and equal in length to 0.6% of graphics cards.
Height
146 mm
Market range: <109 mm – >146 mm
This graphics card is 146 mm tall, which is taller than 89.9% of graphics cards and equal in height to 0.4% of graphics cards.
Slot width
2 slot/s
Market range: <2 slot/s – >3.25 slot/s
This graphics card occupies 2 slot/s, which is slimmer than 53.4% of graphics cards and equal in width to 42.5% of graphics cards.
Weight
1,580 g
Market range: <500 g – >2k g
This graphics card weighs 1,580 g, which is heavier than 77% of graphics cards and equal in weight to 0.2% of graphics cards.
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GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB vs the average graphics card

246810TotalPerformanceMemoryPlatform & FeaturesConnectivity & MediaPower & CoolingDesign
  • 40 more compute units
    This graphics card has more compute units than the average graphics card (80 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 compute units.
    80 vs 40
  • 40 more ray tracing cores
    This graphics card has more ray tracing cores than the average graphics card (80 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 ray tracing cores.
    80 vs 40
  • 64 more ROPs
    This graphics card has more ROPs than the average graphics card (128 vs 64). The average graphics card has 64 ROPs.
    128 vs 64
  • 2.15x higher texture rate
    This graphics card has a higher texture rate than the average graphics card (820.8 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s). The average graphics card has a texture rate of 381.2 GTexel/s.
    820.8 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s
  • 136 more TMUs
    This graphics card has more TMUs than the average graphics card (320 vs 184). The average graphics card has 184 TMUs.
    320 vs 184
  • 2.01x higher pixel rate
    This graphics card has a higher pixel rate than the average graphics card (328.3 GPixel/s vs 163.2 GPixel/s). The average graphics card has a pixel rate of 163.2 GPixel/s.
    328.3 GPixel/s vs 163.2 GPixel/s
  • 4 GB more VRAM
    This graphics card has more VRAM than the average graphics card (16 GB vs 12 GB). The average graphics card has 12 GB VRAM.
    16 GB vs 12 GB
  • Supports ECC memory
    This graphics card supports ECC memory, the average graphics card does not.
  • 40 more compute units
    This graphics card has more compute units than the average graphics card (80 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 compute units.
    80 vs 40
  • 40 more ray tracing cores
    This graphics card has more ray tracing cores than the average graphics card (80 vs 40). The average graphics card has 40 ray tracing cores.
    80 vs 40
  • 64 more ROPs
    This graphics card has more ROPs than the average graphics card (128 vs 64). The average graphics card has 64 ROPs.
    128 vs 64
  • 2.15x higher texture rate
    This graphics card has a higher texture rate than the average graphics card (820.8 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s). The average graphics card has a texture rate of 381.2 GTexel/s.
    820.8 GTexel/s vs 381.2 GTexel/s
  • 136 more TMUs
    This graphics card has more TMUs than the average graphics card (320 vs 184). The average graphics card has 184 TMUs.
    320 vs 184
  • 2.01x higher pixel rate
    This graphics card has a higher pixel rate than the average graphics card (328.3 GPixel/s vs 163.2 GPixel/s). The average graphics card has a pixel rate of 163.2 GPixel/s.
    328.3 GPixel/s vs 163.2 GPixel/s
  • 2.4% higher boost clock speed
    This graphics card has a higher boost GPU clock than the average graphics card (2565 MHz vs 2505 MHz). The average graphics card has a boost GPU clock of 2505 MHz.
    2,565 MHz vs 2,505 MHz
  • 53.1% higher gaming score
    This graphics card has a higher gaming score than the average graphics card (22470 points vs 14678.5 points). The average graphics card has a gaming score of 14678.5 points.
    22,470 points vs 14,678.5 points
  • 3.08x higher FP64 performance
    This graphics card has a higher FP64 performance than the average graphics card (1.5 TFLOPS vs 0.48 TFLOPS). The average graphics card has FP64 performance of 0.48 TFLOPS.
    1.48 TFLOPS vs 0.48 TFLOPS
  • Better FP64 ratio
    This graphics card has a better FP64 ratio than the average graphics card (1:16 vs 1:64).
    1:16 vs 1:64
  • 24% higher PassMark score
    This graphics card has a higher PassMark score than the average graphics card (28093 points vs 22653 points). The average graphics card has a PassMark score of 22653 points.
    28,093 points vs 22,653 points
  • 4 GB more VRAM
    This graphics card has more VRAM than the average graphics card (16 GB vs 12 GB). The average graphics card has 12 GB VRAM.
    16 GB vs 12 GB
  • Supports ECC memory
    This graphics card supports ECC memory, the average graphics card does not.
  • 32x more Infinity Cache
    This graphics card has more Infinity Cache than the average graphics card (128 MB vs 4 MB). The average graphics card has 4 MB Infinity Cache.
    128 MB vs 4 MB
  • 28.6% faster VRAM clock
    This graphics card has a higher VRAM clock than the average graphics card (2250 MHz vs 1750 MHz). The average graphics card runs its VRAM at 1750 MHz.
    2,250 MHz vs 1,750 MHz
  • 28.6% higher memory bandwidth
    This graphics card has a higher memory bandwidth than the average graphics card (576 GB/s vs 448 GB/s). The average graphics card has a memory bandwidth of 448 GB/s.
    576 GB/s vs 448 GB/s
  • Supports virtual GPU
    This graphics card supports virtual GPU features, the average graphics card does not.
  • 9 °C lower idle temperature
    This graphics card has a lower idle temperature than the average graphics card (28 °C vs 37 °C). The average graphics card has an idle temperature of 37 °C.
    28 °C vs 37 °C
  • 12 °C lower load temperature
    This graphics card has a lower load temperature than the average graphics card (55 °C vs 67 °C). The average graphics card has a load temperature of 67 °C.
    55 °C vs 67 °C
  • 0.5 slot/s slimmer design
    This graphics card occupies fewer slots than the average graphics card (2 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s). The average graphics card occupies 2.5 slot/s.
    2 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s
  • 3 fewer fans
    This graphics card has fewer fans than the average graphics card (0 vs 3).
    0 vs 3
  • No CUDA support
    This graphics card does not support CUDA, the average graphics card does.
  • No DLSS support
    This graphics card does not support DLSS, the average graphics card does.
  • 55.8% higher TDP
    This graphics card has a higher TDP than the average graphics card (335 W vs 215 W). The average graphics card has a TDP of 215 W.
    335 W vs 215 W
  • No fan stop
    This graphics card does not support fan stop, the average graphics card does.
  • 40% larger process node
    This graphics card has a higher process node than the average graphics card (7 nm vs 5 nm). The average graphics card uses a process node of 5 nm.
    7 nm vs 5 nm
  • No AV1 encoding
    This graphics card does not support AV1 encoding, the average graphics card does.
    No vs yes
  • 30.8% higher PSU requirement
    This graphics card has a higher PSU requirement than the average graphics card (850 W vs 650 W). The average graphics card has a PSU requirement of 650 W.
    850 W vs 650 W
  • 4.22x less popular
    GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB is less popular than the average graphics card (1 vs 4.2).
    1 vs 4.22
  • 98.1% more expensive
    GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB is more expensive than the average graphics card (£1,050 vs £530).
    £1,050 vs £530
  • No CUDA support
    This graphics card does not support CUDA, the average graphics card does.
  • 64 fewer AI cores
    This graphics card has fewer AI cores than the average graphics card (80 vs 144). The average graphics card has 144 AI cores.
    80 vs 144
  • 83.3% smaller L2 cache
    This graphics card has fewer L2 cache than the average graphics card (4 MB vs 24 MB). The average graphics card has 24 MB L2 cache.
    4 MB vs 24 MB
  • 5.3% slower memory speed
    This graphics card has a lower effective memory speed than the average graphics card (18000 MHz vs 19000 MHz). The average graphics card reaches an effective memory speed of 19000 MHz.
    18,000 MHz vs 19,000 MHz
  • No DLSS support
    This graphics card does not support DLSS, the average graphics card does.
  • 40% larger process node
    This graphics card has a higher process node than the average graphics card (7 nm vs 5 nm). The average graphics card uses a process node of 5 nm.
    7 nm vs 5 nm
  • Older encoder generation
    This graphics card uses an older encoder generation than the average graphics card (3 vs 8). The average graphics card uses encoder generation 8.
    3 vs 8
  • 76.3% larger GPU die
    This graphics card has a higher GPU die size than the average graphics card (520 mm² vs 295 mm²). The average graphics card has a GPU die size of 295 mm².
    520 mm² vs 295 mm²
  • 1 older
    This graphics card was released earlier than the average graphics card (2022 vs 2023).
    May 2022
    2,022 vs 2,023
  • No AV1 encoding
    This graphics card does not support AV1 encoding, the average graphics card does.
    No vs yes
  • 1 fewer DisplayPort outputs
    This graphics card has fewer DisplayPort outputs than the average graphics card (2 vs 3). The average graphics card has 3 DisplayPort outputs.
    2 vs 3
  • Narrower decode codec support
    This graphics card supports narrower hardware decode codec support than the average graphics card (H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1).
    H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9/MPEG-2/VC-1
  • Narrower encode codec support
    This graphics card supports narrower hardware encode codec support than the average graphics card (H.264/H.265/AV1 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9).
    H.264/H.265/AV1 vs H.264/H.265/AV1/VP9
  • 3 fewer fans
    This graphics card has fewer fans than the average graphics card (0 vs 3).
    0 vs 3
  • 55.8% higher TDP
    This graphics card has a higher TDP than the average graphics card (335 W vs 215 W). The average graphics card has a TDP of 215 W.
    335 W vs 215 W
  • No fan stop
    This graphics card does not support fan stop, the average graphics card does.
  • 30.8% higher PSU requirement
    This graphics card has a higher PSU requirement than the average graphics card (850 W vs 650 W). The average graphics card has a PSU requirement of 650 W.
    850 W vs 650 W
  • 48.9% higher board power limit
    This graphics card has a higher board power limit than the average graphics card (335 W vs 225 W). The average graphics card has a board power limit of 225 W.
    335 W vs 225 W
  • 15 °C lower thermal ceiling
    This graphics card has a lower thermal ceiling than the average graphics card (110 °C vs 95 °C). The average graphics card has a thermal ceiling of 95 °C.
    110 °C vs 95 °C
  • 52.3% higher peak power draw
    This graphics card has a higher peak power draw than the average graphics card (335 W vs 220 W). The average graphics card has a peak power draw of 220 W.
    335 W vs 220 W
  • 21 mm higher card profile
    This graphics card is taller than the average graphics card (146 mm vs 125 mm). The average graphics card has a height of 125 mm.
    146 mm vs 125 mm
  • 54.8% heavier card weight
    This graphics card is heavier than the average graphics card (1580 g vs 1021 g). The average graphics card weighs 1021 g.
    1,580 g vs 1,021 g

Video reviews

Hands-on testing, unboxing, and real-world video evaluations

Third-party reviews

What we like about GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB

  • Superior thermal management due to the pre-installed Waterforce water block, keeping temperatures significantly lower than air-cooled variants.
  • Excellent 4K rasterization performance, often competing with or beating the Nvidia RTX 3090 in non-ray-traced games.
  • Premium build quality featuring a high-quality metal backplate and a leak detection circuit that alerts users to coolant issues.
  • Extended 4-year warranty (with registration), providing better long-term security than many competitors.
  • High factory overclock and great further overclocking potential thanks to an enhanced power phase design and 3x 8-pin power inputs.

What we don't like about GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB

  • Ray tracing performance lags noticeably behind Nvidia's RTX 30-series and 40-series cards.
  • Requires a custom liquid cooling loop, making it unsuitable for users who do not already have or plan to build a complex water-cooling setup.
  • Extremely high power consumption, with some reports of total system draw exceeding 500W under heavy loads.
  • Instances of audible coil whine reported by some users, even when paired with high-quality power supplies.
  • Large physical dimensions (282mm length) and the need for three PCIe slots may cause clearance issues in smaller cases.

Verdict

The Gigabyte Aorus Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB is a flagship enthusiast-grade graphics card built on the AMD RDNA 2 architecture, featuring 5,120 stream processors and a significant factory overclock with a boost clock of up to 2,565 MHz. It comes equipped with 16GB of high-speed 18Gbps GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit interface, complemented by 128MB of AMD Infinity Cache to maximize 4K gaming performance. Its primary characteristic is the pre-installed Waterforce water block, which includes a large copper base plate and patent-pending leak detection to ensure optimal cooling for custom-loop systems. Main pros include its superior thermal management under heavy loads, a reinforced metal backplate, and an extended 4-year warranty. However, potential cons include the necessity of an existing custom water-cooling loop for operation, a high power requirement necessitating at least an 850W PSU, and relatively weaker ray-tracing performance compared to similarly priced competitors.

Compare GIGABYTE AORUS Radeon RX 6950 XT Xtreme Waterforce WB with other products in the Graphics cards category

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