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XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT review: 117 specs compared

Avg. price:~£750VRAM:16 GBMemory bus width:256 bitThermal Design Power (TDP):300 W

XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT Review: Compare 117 technical specifications and 7 expert and video reviews to see how this product ranks in the Graphics cards category and whether it is worth buying.

XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT

8.0/10

▲Better than 70% of graphics cards

7.5

▲Better than 54%

8.2

▲Better than 72%

7.8

▼Worse than 55%

?

Not in any best-of list yet

7.6
Gaming
Gaming
7.6/ 10
✕
What it is
Measures floating-point compute power, dedicated VRAM capacity, ray-tracing hardware, and modern PCIe generation bandwidth.
When it matters
When you want to play demanding mobile games, 3D titles, or run graphics-intensive apps smoothly.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components
45.0%
4.8
FP32 performance
25.0%
10
VRAM
20.0%
10
Ray tracing cores / units
10.0%
8.8
PCI Express (PCIe) version
7.7
Video editing
Video editing
7.7/ 10
✕
What it is
Evaluates hardware AV1 encoding support, generous video memory, raw compute power, and fast interface throughput.
When it matters
When evaluating how effectively this graphics-cards meets your specific video editing needs.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components
35.0%
7.0
AV1 encode
30.0%
10
VRAM
20.0%
4.8
FP32 performance
15.0%
8.8
PCI Express (PCIe) version
7.0
1080p
1080p
7.0/ 10
✕
What it is
Assesses pure rasterization power and VRAM balance optimized for consistently high frame rates at 1080p resolution.
When it matters
When evaluating how effectively this graphics-cards meets your specific 1080p needs.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components
55.0%
4.8
FP32 performance
25.0%
10
VRAM
10.0%
10
Ray tracing cores / units
10.0%
8.8
PCI Express (PCIe) version
7.4
1440p
1440p
7.4/ 10
✕
What it is
Measures compute throughput, sufficient VRAM buffer, and ray-tracing performance tailored for sharp 1440p gaming.
When it matters
When evaluating how effectively this graphics-cards meets your specific 1440p needs.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components
50.0%
4.8
FP32 performance
30.0%
10
VRAM
15.0%
10
Ray tracing cores / units
5.0%
8.8
PCI Express (PCIe) version
7.9
4K
4K
7.9/ 10
✕
What it is
Evaluates ultra-high compute capability, heavy VRAM capacities, and advanced ray-tracing cores required for native 4K gaming.
When it matters
When evaluating how effectively this graphics-cards meets your specific 4k needs.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
Score components
40.0%
4.8
FP32 performance
35.0%
10
VRAM
20.0%
10
Ray tracing cores / units
5.0%
8.8
PCI Express (PCIe) version

Where to buy

N/A~ £750

Best rankings

What reviewers say about the XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT

Based on 4 · 3

Reviewers praise its gaming performance and high clocks, but criticize weak ray tracing and poor value; power draw splits opinion.

Praised

Mixed views

Criticised

Pick a topic to see who said what

What owners say about the XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT

Based on 256 owners sharing their experience in online comments

77%positive11%mixed12%negative

Owners praise its gaming speed and tuning headroom, while weak ray tracing and driver instability remain the main drawbacks.

What owners like

Runs most games smoothly at 1440p on high or ultra, with Battlefield V over 200 fps and Cyberpunk 80–90 fps without ray tracing.96
Cards often reach 2500–2600 MHz, and raising the power limit with a tuning tool or adding a water block unlocks higher overclocks.17
Owners say the Adrenalin drivers have been stable with few crashes, and many say early driver problems were fixed in later updates.10
Owners say it draws less power than rival cards and can be undervolted to around 150–220 W while keeping most of its speed.8
FSR 4 upscaling looks sharper and more stable than older FSR versions, can look better than native 1080p, and speeds up Cyberpunk.8
Owners say it still runs demanding games maxed out years after launch, and some expect it to last several more years.5
Ray tracing runs well in some titles, such as Spider-Man at 4K over 60 fps and Modern Warfare 2019 at 1440p over 200 fps.4
Adrenalin puts GPU tuning and overlay features in one panel, so owners do not need third-party tools for them.3
Its 16 GB of memory avoids the limits that 8 GB and 10 GB cards hit in recent games at 1440p and 4K.3

What owners dislike

Owners report black screens during driver installs, crashes in Call of Duty and Fortnite, and freezes when games start.10
Ray tracing drops frame rates a lot in heavy games, and many owners switch it off to keep high frame rates.9
The stock power limit, around 255–320 W depending on the model, can hold clocks down in demanding games, and raising it with a tuning tool helps.3

Points mentioned by at least 3 owners, most mentioned first.

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Technical Specifications of graphics card XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT

8.0

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Performance

8.3

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3DMark Time Spy benchmark score

3DMark Port Royal score

PassMark (G3D) result

PassMark (DirectCompute) result

FP32 performance

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What reviewers say

Memory

8.0

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VRAM

Memory type

Memory bus width

Maximum memory bandwidth

Effective memory speed

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Features

9.0

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PCI Express (PCIe) version

PCIe lanes

DirectX version

Vulkan version

OpenGL version

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What reviewers say

Connectivity

9.1

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Max displays supported

Max digital resolution

DisplayPort outputs

DisplayPort version

DisplayPort link rates

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Power

7.8

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Thermal Design Power (TDP)

Power consumption while under peak load

Recommended PSU wattage

Board power limit

PCIe power spec

300 W

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What reviewers say

Design

5.9

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Size

340x 139x 57 mm

Length

Height

Slot width

Weight

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XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT vs the average graphics card

Why is XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT better than the average graphics card?

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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
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
90.5% higher texture rate
This graphics card has a higher texture rate than the average graphics card (720 GTexel/s vs 378 GTexel/s). The average graphics card has a texture rate of 378 GTexel/s.
720 GTexel/s vs 378 GTexel/s
78.5% higher pixel rate
This graphics card has a higher pixel rate than the average graphics card (288 GPixel/s vs 161.3 GPixel/s). The average graphics card has a pixel rate of 161.3 GPixel/s.
288 GPixel/s vs 161.3 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
64 bit wider memory bus
This graphics card has a wider memory bus than the average graphics card (256 bit vs 192 bit). The average graphics card has a memory bus width of 192 bit.
256 bit vs 192 bit

8.3% higher review score
Reviews score
7.8/ 10
✕
What it is
Average grade from independent test sites, magazines and video reviewers, 1–10.
How we count it
Grades: Each review's own score is converted to 1–10; without one, we grade the review ourselves. Big test sites count more, short reviews half as much as full tests. A video review counts half.
Score: The average grade is 80% of the review mark; the number of reviews is the other 20% (1 review = 5, the typical number in this category = 8, the most-reviewed model = 10).
Enough data: With few reviews, the average grade is pulled toward the typical grade of this category. No reviews yet: 7.6 for now.
Share: Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
Score distribution
▼
<55-66-77-88-99-10
▼ Worse than 55% of models
80%
7.6
Average grade
20%
8.3
Popularity
Grades by review (7)
4 reviews: 1 with a printed score, 3 estimated from the review. 3 video reviews, each counting half as much as a written test. Reviews count 25% of the overall score.
User ratings collected online are not part of this score.
7.8 vs 7.2
14.1% higher sentiment score
8.9 vs 7.8

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
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
90.5% higher texture rate
This graphics card has a higher texture rate than the average graphics card (720 GTexel/s vs 378 GTexel/s). The average graphics card has a texture rate of 378 GTexel/s.
720 GTexel/s vs 378 GTexel/s
78.5% higher pixel rate
This graphics card has a higher pixel rate than the average graphics card (288 GPixel/s vs 161.3 GPixel/s). The average graphics card has a pixel rate of 161.3 GPixel/s.
288 GPixel/s vs 161.3 GPixel/s
More FP64 throughput
This graphics card has a better FP64 ratio than the average graphics card (1:16 vs 1:64).
1:16 vs 1:64
3x higher FP64 performance
This graphics card has a higher FP64 performance than the average graphics card (1.4 TFLOPS vs 0.48 TFLOPS). The average graphics card has FP64 performance of 0.48 TFLOPS.
1.44 TFLOPS vs 0.48 TFLOPS
38.7% higher gaming score
This graphics card has a higher gaming score than the average graphics card (20,500 points vs 14,779 points). The average graphics card has a gaming score of 14,779 points.
20,500 points vs 14,779 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
64 bit wider memory bus
This graphics card has a wider memory bus than the average graphics card (256 bit vs 192 bit). The average graphics card has a memory bus width of 192 bit.
256 bit vs 192 bit
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
14.3% higher memory bandwidth
This graphics card has a higher memory bandwidth than the average graphics card (512 GB/s vs 448 GB/s). The average graphics card has a memory bandwidth of 448 GB/s.
512 GB/s vs 448 GB/s
14.3% faster VRAM clock
This graphics card has a higher VRAM clock than the average graphics card (2000 MHz vs 1,750 MHz). The average graphics card runs its VRAM at 1,750 MHz.
2,000 MHz vs 1,750 MHz

2 more GPUs supported
This graphics card supports more GPUs in multi-GPU mode than the average graphics card (2 vs 0). The average graphics card supports 0 GPUs in multi-GPU mode.
2 vs 0
Supports multi-GPU linking
This graphics card supports multi-GPU linking, the average graphics card does not.

2 more displays supported
This graphics card supports more displays than the average graphics card (6 vs 4). The average graphics card supports 4 displays.
6 vs 4

Why is XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT worse than the average graphics card?

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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.
144 fewer AI cores
This graphics card has fewer AI cores than the average graphics card (0 vs 144). The average graphics card has 144 AI cores.
0 vs 144
10.2% lower boost clock speed
This graphics card has a lower boost GPU clock than the average graphics card (2,250 MHz vs 2,505 MHz). The average graphics card has a boost GPU clock of 2,505 MHz.
2,250 MHz vs 2,505 MHz
Less advanced frame generation
This graphics card has less advanced frame generation than the average graphics card (frame generation vs multi frame generation).
frame generation vs multi frame generation
40% larger process node
This graphics card uses a larger manufacturing process than the average graphics card (7 nm vs 5 nm). The average graphics card uses a manufacturing process of 5 nm.
7 nm vs 5 nm
39.5% higher TDP
This graphics card has a higher TDP than the average graphics card (300 W vs 215 W). The average graphics card has a TDP of 215 W.
300 W vs 215 W
57.8 mm longer card length
This graphics card is longer than the average graphics card (340 mm vs 282.2 mm). The average graphics card has a length of 282.2 mm.
340 mm vs 282.2 mm

44.2% more expensive
XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT is more expensive than the average graphics card (£750 vs £520).
£750 vs £520

No CUDA support
This graphics card does not support CUDA, the average graphics card does.
144 fewer AI cores
This graphics card has fewer AI cores than the average graphics card (0 vs 144). The average graphics card has 144 AI cores.
0 vs 144
10.2% lower boost clock speed
This graphics card has a lower boost GPU clock than the average graphics card (2,250 MHz vs 2,505 MHz). The average graphics card has a boost GPU clock of 2,505 MHz.
2,250 MHz vs 2,505 MHz
3 years older
This graphics card was released earlier than the average graphics card (2020 vs 2023).
December 2020
2020 vs 2023
4.9% lower base clock speed
This graphics card has a lower base GPU clock than the average graphics card (1,825 MHz vs 1920 MHz). The average graphics card has a base GPU clock of 1920 MHz.
1,825 MHz vs 1,920 MHz

15.8% slower memory speed
This graphics card has a lower effective memory speed than the average graphics card (16,000 MHz vs 19,000 MHz). The average graphics card reaches an effective memory speed of 19,000 MHz.
16,000 MHz vs 19,000 MHz
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

No DLSS support
This graphics card does not support DLSS, the average graphics card does.
Less advanced frame generation
This graphics card has less advanced frame generation than the average graphics card (frame generation vs multi frame generation).
frame generation vs multi frame generation
40% larger process node
This graphics card uses a larger manufacturing process than the average graphics card (7 nm vs 5 nm). The average graphics card uses a manufacturing process of 5 nm.
7 nm vs 5 nm
No AI upscalers
This graphics card does not support AI upscalers, the average graphics card does.
Older Vulkan version
This graphics card supports an older Vulkan version than the average graphics card (1.3 vs 1.4).
1.3 vs 1.4
76.9% larger GPU die
This graphics card has a higher GPU die size than the average graphics card (520 mm² vs 294 mm²). The average graphics card has a GPU die size of 294 mm².
520 mm² vs 294 mm²

No AV1 encoding
This graphics card does not support AV1 encoding, the average graphics card does.
Older HDMI version
This graphics card supports an older HDMI version than the average graphics card (2.1 vs 2.1a).
2.1 vs 2.1a
Older DisplayPort version
This graphics card supports an older DisplayPort version than the average graphics card (1.4 vs 1.4a).
1.4 vs 1.4a
No 3D output
This graphics card does not support 3D output, the average graphics card does.
More basic codec support
This graphics card encodes more basic formats 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
62.5% lower DisplayPort bandwidth
This graphics card has a lower DisplayPort bandwidth than the average graphics card (8.1 Gbps vs 21.6 Gbps). The average graphics card has DisplayPort bandwidth of 21.6 Gbps.
8.1 Gbps vs 21.6 Gbps

39.5% higher TDP
This graphics card has a higher TDP than the average graphics card (300 W vs 215 W). The average graphics card has a TDP of 215 W.
300 W vs 215 W
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
70.5% higher board power limit
This graphics card has a higher board power limit than the average graphics card (375 W vs 220 W). The average graphics card has a board power limit of 220 W.
375 W vs 220 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
2.05x higher peak power draw
This graphics card has a higher peak power draw than the average graphics card (450 W vs 220 W). The average graphics card has a peak power draw of 220 W.
450 W vs 220 W
11 °C higher load temperature
This graphics card has a higher load temperature than the average graphics card (78 °C vs 67 °C). The average graphics card has a load temperature of 67 °C.
78 °C vs 67 °C
66.7% higher idle power draw
This graphics card has a higher idle power draw than the average graphics card (20 W vs 12 W). The average graphics card has an idle power draw of 12 W.
20 W vs 12 W

57.8 mm longer card length
This graphics card is longer than the average graphics card (340 mm vs 282.2 mm). The average graphics card has a length of 282.2 mm.
340 mm vs 282.2 mm
14 mm higher card profile
This graphics card is taller than the average graphics card (139 mm vs 125 mm). The average graphics card has a height of 125 mm.
139 mm vs 125 mm
0.2 slot/s wider design
This graphics card occupies more slots than the average graphics card (2.7 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s). The average graphics card occupies 2.5 slot/s.
2.7 slot/s vs 2.5 slot/s
48.4% heavier
This graphics card is heavier than the average graphics card (1,505 g vs 1,014 g). The average graphics card weighs 1,014 g.
1,505 g vs 1,014 g

Video reviews

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

5.0

PCWorld

≈ estimated

10/12/2020

Benchmark review · 4K, 1440p, ray tracing and noise

Verdict

XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT is a superb 1440p card, but hard to recommend over the 6800 XT for most gamers.

Not graded

Not graded

Expert reviews

In-depth analysis and verdict from leading tech publications

9.4

gamesmea.com

✓ explicit

18/12/2020

XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT Merc 319 Black Graphics Card

Benchmark review · Triple-fan card

Verdict

The XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT Merc 319 runs 1080p and 2K well and stays cool, but ray tracing at 4K falls short and the card is large.

7.0

computerbase.de

≈ estimated

10/12/2021

AMD RX 6900 XT with XTXH GPU vs. Nvidia RTX 3090 OC (XFX Merc 319 Limited Black)

Benchmark test · Top-end GPU

Verdict

The XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT Merc 319 Limited Black Gaming matches a custom RTX 3090 without ray tracing, but draws much more power.

8.0

pcgameshardware.de

≈ estimated

08/12/2020

Radeon-RX-6900-XT-Grafikkarte Radeon RX 6900 XT im Test: Kühlung, Lautheit, Verbrauch,

Noise test · Power draw

Verdict

The XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT is quiet, with fans that stay silent at idle and under light use, but draws about 300 watts under full gaming load.

6.0

hwupgrade.it

≈ estimated

Not Dated

Radeon RX 6900 XT , recensione della top di gamma AMD che sfida

Gaming test · Flagship card

Verdict

The XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT targets 4K gaming and goes up against the GeForce RTX 3090, running ahead of the RX 6800 XT.

Third-party reviews

What customers like about XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT

Exceptional 4K and 1440p gaming performance, often rivaling the RTX 3090 in traditional rasterization
Superior cooling system (MERC 319) that maintains low temperatures under heavy load
Quiet operation with a fan-stop feature for low noise levels outside of gaming
Excellent build quality with a premium, 'tank-like' industrial design and aluminum backplate
Significant overclocking headroom due to a beefy 14+2 phase power design
Lower power consumption compared to flagship Nvidia competitors like the RTX 3090
Dual BIOS switch provides a useful backup and performance toggling options

What customers don't like about XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT

Ray tracing performance is significantly weaker than Nvidia's RTX 30-series counterparts
Massive physical size (340mm length) makes it difficult to fit in many standard PC cases
Lack of a hardware-based AI upscaling equivalent to DLSS at launch limited high-resolution performance in some titles
High initial price point often made it a poor value compared to the slightly slower RX 6800 XT
Occasional reports of coil whine, which can be distracting during high-frame-rate gaming
Software and driver stability issues reported by some users, including occasional crashes or keybind conflicts
Productivity performance in tasks like 3D rendering (Blender, Maya) lags behind Nvidia due to lack of dedicated optimization

Verdict

The XFX Radeon RX 6900 XT is an enthusiast-grade GPU built on the RDNA 2 architecture, featuring 5,120 stream processors, 80 Ray Accelerators, and 16GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 128MB of Infinity Cache. Custom XFX models like the Speedster MERC 319 often feature factory overclocks with boost clocks reaching up to 2,365 MHz or higher and a robust 14+2 phase power design for enhanced stability. Its primary pros include exceptional 4K rasterization performance that trades blows with the RTX 3090, highly efficient triple-fan cooling that operates quietly under load, and a premium industrial aesthetic with a solid aluminum backplate. However, its main cons are its massive physical footprint (up to 340mm in length) which may not fit in standard cases, ray tracing performance that lags behind NVIDIA's top-tier competitors, and a high power requirement necessitating a minimum 850W power supply.

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