In this evaluation, we will delve into PowerColor’s most recent 6900 XT Red Devil graphics card, designed to rival the GeForce RTX 3080 (Ti) and 3090. Follow along in this comprehensive assessment; this particular 6900 XT variant has received special attention with its custom cooling solution. The outcome is a visually appealing and noiseless graphics card. Constructed on a custom PCB, this card boasts premium components, a triple-fan cooler, higher clock speeds, and an increased power limit. The 6900 XT model under scrutiny in this analysis features 80 active CUs paired with 64 shading cores, totaling 5120 shading processors. With 16 GB of GDDR6 memory connected via a 256-bit memory bus, it stands apart from NVIDIA’s RTX 3080 and 3090 models that utilize GDDR6X memory. This results in a memory bandwidth of 512 GB/s. The reference TDP for this product is 300 watts. The boost clock of 2340 MHz (2250 MHz = reference) is notably swift. Like its counterparts, this card includes a 128 MB ‘infinity cache’ (referred to as L3 cache). Positioned to rival NVIDIA’s top-tier offering, the GeForce RTX 3090, this graphics card is priced at 1500 USD in this specific configuration.
AMD and its board partners are set to provide all 6800/6900 GPUs with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory. This applies to all three cards. Consequently, a 256-bit wide memory bus will be necessary. On the other hand, AMD has implemented several architectural innovations, including a substantial L3 cache within the GPU. Graphics processors based on RDNA2 are designed to support DirectX Ultimate, which encompasses additional feature levels like DirectX Raytracing (DXR), Variable Rate Shading (VRS), Mesh Shaders, and Sampler Feedback.
| AMD Radeon RX 6000 Series reference specs | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RX 6900 XT | RX 6800XT | RX 6800 | RX 6700 XT | RX 6600 XT | RX 6600 | |
| GPU | Navi 21 XT(XH) | Navi 21 XT | Navi 21 XL | Navi 22 XT | Navi 23 XT | Navi 23 XL |
| Cores | 5120 | 4608 | 3840 | 2560 | 2048 | 1792 |
| TMUs | 320 | 288 | 240 | 160 | 128 | 112 |
| ROPs | 128 | 128 | 96 | 64 | 64 | 64 |
| Infinity Cache | 128 MB | 128 MB | 128 MB | 96 MB | 32 MB | 32 MB |
| Boost Clock | 2250 MHz | 2250 MHz | 2105 MHz | 2581 MHz | 2359 MHz | – |
| Memory Clock | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps | 16 Gbps |
| Memory | 16 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6 | 12 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 | 8 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Bus | 256-bit | 256-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit | 128-bit | 128-bit |
| Bandwidth | 512 GB/s | 512 GB/s | 512 GB/s | 384 GB/s | 256 GB/s | 256 GB/s |
| TBP | 300W | 300W | 250W | 230W | 160W | – |
| MSRP | 999 USD | 649 USD | 579 USD | 479 USD | 379 USD | – |
| Launch Date | December 2021 | November 2021 | November 2021 | March 2021 | August 2021 | August 2021 |
PowerColor Radeon RX 6900 XT Red Devil.
You may have observed that Powercolor is set to release two versions in the series, a normal, OC, and Ultimate SKU. The OC version we tested runs at a faster boost clock, resulting in slightly better performance. Apart from that, the hardware and components are completely identical. The ultimate card is based on the XTXH GPU, with an operating frequency of Boost: 2235-2425MHz, essentially a further binned GPU qualified for best performance. The Red Devil series is receiving the same cooler as the premium products, with some aesthetic tweaks. The NVIDIA cooler is dark-themed, while the Devil revision has dark-colored insert elements. Additionally, the product offers a fast Turbo at 2340 MHZ (2250 MHz reference) and 16GB of graphics memory. The card features a three fan cooler cooling down all primary elements, with a length of 32cm (320x135x62mm) and a 2.7 slot design. It also includes extensive triple 8-pin PCIe power connectors, totaling 525 Watts of board power. The card comes with a backplate and RGB lighting. In terms of I/O, it includes three DisplayPort 1.4 ports and one HDMI 2.1 connector. The 16GB GDDR6 memory clocks in at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). In terms of pricing, these cards are expected to be around 1000 USD, but due to high demand, prices may go up to 1500 USD. We will discuss this further in the conclusion. As always, we have more to share on the next page.