Rx 6800XT is it still an option (1440p) for 2026 and above?
Posted by BS_BOUDA@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 54 comments
I was wondering to buy a sapphire nitro+ rx 6800xt 16GB for $350... But I'm wondering if it a good option for 1440p gaming modern AAA games?
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
It was already a 1080p card back in 2024, it struggles massively in UE5 titles like FFXVI, 2077 etc... and FSR3 upscaling is very blurry. The frame-gen on RDNA2 is also a shader based version which results in huge smearing and multiple ghosting. RT performance is non-existent.
Realisitcally, you can expect to game AAA at 1080p 45FPS at Medium settings in today's AAA. You can use FSR3 to make it 1440p, but the image will be vaseline screen.
Don't let those AMD fans fool you. When you ask whether you should buy, they go "yeah it's still a powerful card". When you complain the performance isn't adequate after buying, they flip 180 and say "It's an old card what do you expect"
Ok_Crazy_6000@reddit
1080p card??...π yeh ok, I guess I'm doing something wrong running it at 1440 and sometimes 4k with ultra/high settings. Even does raytracing ok and playable ... Mate runs a 5090 and I wouldn't even bother upgrading at this point because it makes little difference to if a game is good or not compared to what I already have.
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
It's ok bro stop compensating
Ok_Crazy_6000@reddit
LOL, ok mate...People who need to compensate buy shit they think makes them better. π You don't even know about a card you apparently owned, so either full of it or useless. Take your pick I guess.
Inevitable-Edge69@reddit
45fps at 1080p medium? Oof sounds like a cpu bottleneck. Thatβs what I get at 1440p UW high with a 5800X3D.
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
CPU bottleneck my arse try any game with RT
Inevitable-Edge69@reddit
Why would I do that? This was never an RT capable gpu.
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
I found these for: 5070 costs at least $680 4070ti super $800 Rx 9060xt $500
So, i think it's out of comparison especially in this crisis...
Separate-Director-68@reddit
First, that's not at all a fair comparison because 4070 Ti Super circa 2024 was an $800 GPU before sales tax versus 6800 XT that cost half as much used. (There was a brief $700 new at Micro Center deal in August 2024, but most people didn't get that deal.)
Second, I agree its not a fair compromise that INF files are split in current AMD drivers, so RDNA2 users have to use an older driver (25.9.2) for the most stable support overall. But that doesn't mean RDNA2 is end of life, nor that driver support has officially ended.
NVIDIA has a good approach for keeping older cards running stable by freezing them in time. I recently helped my friend upgrade his mother's computer to Windows 11 for TurboTax, and updating with NVIDIA App for their old GTX 1070 was a snap. But the tradeoff for regular gamers is only newer NVIDIA cards get all the optimizations for newer games. If you play modern AAA games like Resident Evil Requiem and navigate all the potential pitfalls, the latest AMD drivers will work with RDNA2 cards.
Third, 6800 XT is still a good value GPU at $350 because of the current RAMageddon market, which didn't exist one and a half years ago. If you look at current market prices, RTX 5070 has creeped up to $580-650 new. (Checked eBay, cheaper listings are often from sellers with 0 ratings or suspicious site listings, or staying close to MSRP because of high demand and low supply- sellers market.)
Nowadays you have 128-bit lower midrange GPU's being sold with 8GB VRAM for upward of $400 new. Whereas if you run custom settings that bring game-specific optimizations and dial down performance heavy hitters, 6800 XT is still perfectly serviceable in an upper 90th percentile of games.
One example, my old 5700 XT and 3700X build is able to run Resident Evil 4 Remake with 8GB (max) texture settings at 1080p and 60 FPS. How? Enable Shadow Cache, decrease Volumetric Lighting and other key environmental settings. Minimal installation so not using AMD software in the background.
6800 XT in Resident Evil Requiem with a similar mindset will achieve 1440p 90 FPS native. Yes, native, no upscaling or AI trickery needed.
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
yeah yeah whatever it's still EoL lmao don't fool yourself.
Keep lowering game settings to Lowest and disable all features for HUGE GAINS in FPS wow you are a genius here's a cookie, I mean the game is playable on Nintendo Switch 2 too so just buy the switch instead.
Consider the PC build cost is $1500-2000 then pay 10% more to have a brand-new, significantly better card is the definition of futureproofing.
16GB VRAM? yawn, the AMD version 'futureproofing' is to have useless secondary specs where the card is EoL or too underpowered to make use of it.
Separate-Director-68@reddit
You don't have to take my word for it, watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UymY3ST7yA&t=107
That's without upscaling or AI trickery with flat High settings. Apply proper custom settings optimizations and there you have it, 1440p 90 FPS average.
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
Hardly a surprise you lot always use highly customised benchmarks to prove a point then fiddle with every option to hit that 60FPS, whereas Nvidia users just dial in settings and play.
Separate-Director-68@reddit
I wouldn't call a benchmark using flat high settings with a standard issue 7700X CPU and RivaTuner "highly customised benchmarks," but to each their own. And that's for hitting 90 FPS, not 60, of which is easily passed here. Custom settings is the whole point of PC gaming. If you just want a few options for dialed in settings that don't need to be adjusted piecemeal, then per your suggestion earlier, that's what consoles are for.
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
lmao disabled all ray tracing and call it 'high' lmaolmaolmao
Separate-Director-68@reddit
Most of the lighting in Resident Evil Requiem specifically is diffused lighting, so mostly what you get with ray-tracing here is slightly more realistic light bouncing and contact shadows. Thus, since RT only gets you diminishing returns, its really more of an Ultra setting in this case. RT eats resources that don't really need to be used here.
The engineers at Capcom did a great job with this game- on high or custom high settings this iteration of the RE Engine does a good job of "faking" the light bouncing with irradiance probes. These simulate effects like having your character absorb different colors of light they're near depending on where they are in the lightmap. For shadows, Shadow Caching indirectly improves quality by letting the max setting of Shadow Quality be used with very little performance tradeoff for GPUs with plenty of VRAM and 256-bit memory bus like the 6800 XT.
Basically there's just no practical reason to need to pay the RT tax here. This is a rare example of a well-optimized modern AAA title.
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
CopeMaxxing
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-l0Lz-@reddit
If u can get it used for cheap yes. I have one myself. No problem for 1440p.
But I should get 9060 xt or 9070 xt if new.
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
It was my first option before the 6800 but it costs $500... So, going with 6800xt for $350 in 2026 looks good isn't?
Vegetable-Witness655@reddit
Depends, does $150 extra dollars for something brand new and with a warranty matter to you? It's not the total price you should look at, it's the difference in price and what comes along with that. I'll gladly take something brand new for a little bit more. Considering you're already looking at 350 minimum, 150 more really ain't much. Just my two cents.
Suspicious-Gold8909@reddit
i have rx 6800(non xt) playing in 1440p, there is no game that made me any problems, maxed out setting in every game i play on 1440p(avg fps of 80-100+depening of the game, even on newer UE5 games it has no problems) ofc if u want raytracing that might be the problem, personaly what i saw when playing games that have raytracing is that card is not doing well with it ON, without it there is literaly no game that made me problems,i also have a 4k tv and i play alot of games in 4k with 60 fps, FSR on quality or ultra quality, but even in 4k i never had a game that wouldnt stay around 60 fps mark with maxed out settings(NO RT ofc), if u can find 9060xt or 9070 for similar price go with them cuz they are newer, or if u can find a cheaper one beacuse alot of 6800 and 6800xt cards are going for less money, and yes they are still very capable cards and will be for quiet some time now beacuse we probably wont see new PS6 or have more demanding games come out cuz of RAM shortage.
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
During this shortage there is nothing cheaper. They all skyrocket there prices... 9070 xt found for $680 9060 xf found for $500
Suspicious-Gold8909@reddit
yes thats why i said if he can find, if OP is considering rx 6800 xt as an option and wants to know if its still a card capable of 1440p gaming, then yes it is, i mentioned shortage beacuse it will actualy benefit people that dont plan on upgrading, new playstation wont be released anytime soon, shortage itself will slow down production of new pc parts so developers will have to optimize games more for already existing hardware that wont change every 2 years, its insane that u buy a gpu for 2k euro and in 2 years is already considered mid-high end(not talking about rx 6800 i know that gpu is nearly 5 years old).
ddhh@reddit
$350 for a 6800xt sounds like a steal unless youβre chasing ray tracing stuff
Expert_Conflict6374@reddit
Yeah the seller would be stealing from OP for selling EoL e-waste for 350
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
During this crisis, PC parts became more expensive; I found the 9060 XT being sold for at leastΒ $500.
RazeZa@reddit
Depends on price but for $350, probably not. I got my 6800 XT for around $300 back in mid 2025.
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
Take the shortage crisis as a reference... Everything went up so for a new $350 (which can't find one new at this time) that a good deal, i think?
vlhube71@reddit
Check YouTube for a ToastyBros video comparing a used 6800xt and new 9060xt, I think 16gb. At the time of testing, they were pretty close in price.
While performance was close, the 9060xt was generally a little faster. Their conclusion I think was unless you owned the 6800xt or can get it considerably cheaper than the 9060xt, the latter was the better buy.
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
350 for 6800xt 500 for 9060xt I think The crown goes for 6800xt ?
vlhube71@reddit
If $150 matters to you, yes.
KenD1988@reddit
I have a Sapphire Pulse 6800 (non XT) and it still performs great at 1440p. I have zero reason to upgrade right now. If you can find a 9060XT 16GB for around the same price then go with that.
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
$500 for 9060xt i think 6800xt is a great deal during the shortage...
Noob_pussey@reddit
Think requirements for gta 6 my boi
Everything we did leads up to this
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
You know that we're not getting it until a year or more later π
Separate-Director-68@reddit
By the way, which CPU and motherboard are you using for reference?
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
This is the build
ππ£π¨: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 ππ£π¨ ππ’π’πππ₯: Cooler Master Hyper 212 (or something smaller but has less noise and heat) π π’π§πππ₯ππ’ππ₯π: MSI MAG B550M MORTAR WIFI Micro ATX π₯ππ : ADATA XPG SPECTRIX D35G RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 π¦π§π’π₯πππ: TEAMGROUP MP33 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME SSD ππ£π¨: Sapphire NITRO+ Radeon RX 6800 XT 16 GB π£π¦π¨: Thermalright TG 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX POWER SUPPLY
dregomz@reddit
Not worth since you can get new 9060 xt 16gb for similar or a bit higher price. Just having fsr4 will be worth it
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
9060xt costs at least $500
Prior_Cry7759@reddit
0 reason to get it over 9060xt or similar modern cards. 6800 hardly is keeping its driver support alive. Even the entry level 2025 gpus have upscaling and frame smoothing tech that can make even 4k rt playable
BS_BOUDA@reddit (OP)
The lowest 9060xt 16gbi found costs $500 And rx 7800xt isn't even an option cuz it cost $600...
KenD1988@reddit
Even used 9060XT 16GB are about $100 more than this 6800XT. Unless he can find a 9060XT 16GB for around $350 then Iβd definitely go with the 6800XT.
KenD1988@reddit
Most 9060XT 16GB are around $100 more than heβs going to pay for the 6800XT. If he can spend the extra then sure.. grab the 9060XT.. but if not I think the 6800XT is the better choice for 1440p.
Cultural-Accident-71@reddit
Can you get a 9060 xt 16gb for 350usd? If yes, do it otherwise the 6800xt is still very capable card for 1440p and will provide great raw performance!
Separate-Director-68@reddit
Unfortunately at this price point its only the 8GB model of 9060 XT available. The 16GB model is even more expensive than a 7800 XT because of RAMageddeon.
DerpityHerpington@reddit
9060 XT 16 GBs seem to be floating between $450 and $500 on eBay. For that price, I donβt see much reason to get one of those over a 6950 XT.
Separate-Director-68@reddit
As an owner of an ASRock 6950 XT OC Formula, its because 6950 XT has a higher true cost of entry, both in funds and thought process. 9060 XT doesn't require a high tier PSU or really much planning to run well. The PSU is the #1 item that people cheap out on, even though its the 2nd most important part in any build behind the motherboard. Plus its a chungus, you need a spacious case for 6950 XT to fit, and case airflow dynamics is something that takes some planning.
6950 XT started out as a GPU that you have to know what you're doing to maximize efficiency. It is anything but set it and forget it. If you're not comfortable breaking it apart to clean off the heatsink compound and cruddy factory thermal pads to put on two different sizes of thermal pads (yes, it needs more than one) and some PTM7950, you're starting at a disadvantage.
And now it requires even more planning because of critical Vulkan runtime errors with newer drivers for RDNA2. 25.9.2 is the last unified INF file version and generally the most stable overall for RDNA2 in Windows. So it needs a strategy where you set a system restore point to 25.9.2, update to latest version for a specific product needing the newer version, then roll back when you're done. Linux doesn't have this issue with Mesa 26... but then you have to be comfortable troubleshooting a Linux distro.
High_On_Blitz@reddit
I have an 5700X3D and 6800XT combo as my main 1440p pc and not including ray tracing I can run pretty much anything 100+ fps high/ultra
Separate-Director-68@reddit
As long as you don't care about AI features or slightly higher power draw, then sure. But bear in mind that newer drivers are tossing RDNA2 stability under the bus right now. You have to roll back to 25.9.2 for the latest stable drivers before October 2025 and onward began RDNA 3 and 4 specific protocols that introduce incompatibility with RDNA2. Texture flickering, microstutters, and frame pacing issues that weren't there previously, and aren't there currently for RDNA 3 and 4 on latest drivers.
Therefore, if you intend to play the latest games, you may consider going for a 7800 XT instead at the very least. That has a 256-bit memory bus unlike competing later gen cards with only 128-bit like the 5060 Ti and 9060 XT. With latest driver optimizations, it will have better performance in newer games than 6800 XT. Its $50-100 more depending on where you look, though.
TumanFig@reddit
i have none of these issues
Separate-Director-68@reddit
Good that its working out for you, but it is a fact that the 25.10.2 branch officially split the INF files for RDNA2, so they are no longer unified with RDNA3 and 4. This introduced known conflicts for anyone running mixed architectures, including simultaneously running a Ryzen 7000/9000 iGPU for a multi-monitor setup; and even if you disable iGPU, the newer drivers will still attempt to apply optimization logic intended for RDNA3 and 4. For a 6800 XT buyer, 25.9.2 is the last driver with unified architectures for the time being. AMD makes great hardware but their software support is simply lacking from time to time.
Whiskeypants17@reddit
What fps does the Tom's hardware charts say it will get? Looks like a 6800xt is roughly equivilant to a 3080 or 4070... 100fps in 1440 and 60fps in 4k on the old games chart.
Newer games obviously dont run that good, but your probably looking at a 9060xt equivilent of 60fps in 1440 and 40fps in 4k ultra before you turn on the fsr tricks.
What fps do you tubers who do actual testing in quality and performance modes get?
Im looking at a cuberpunk video showing fsr quality mode getting 90fps in 1440 with rt off, and 50 or so fps with rt on and fsr performance mode. This is not a ray tracing card just like a 9060xt is not a ray tracing card. 4k fsr balanced also around 50fps... this card will stumble on newer titles in 4k in ultra settings. Looks like red dead holds 60fps in 4k in quality mode. Last of us 75fps... some games will work fine though. If your in 1440 or 1080 it will be fine just like a 9060xt is fine. If your trying to play current+ new titles in 4k you may have to turn settings down... but its a $650 card from 2020... 6 years later and it can still play games in 4k at 60+ fps... but how long will it last when my little $380 9060xt can do the same?
Many people make a big deal about ai framegen rendering when your card doesnt actually need it. It didnt even exist before jan of 2025. Fsr 3 still does framegen, it just cant do as many frames as fsr4/dlss4. Depending on what resolution you play at, you may not even need it.
All that said, all this upscaling stuff is going to make all cards viable for longer. Fsr works on my old 1070 so I can somehow play helldivers at 30-40fps on low settings on a 10 year old card π 10 years on a gpu was unheard of in years past.
rainbowroobear@reddit
what won't it run, being sensible, on detail settings that aren't ultra/very high etc?Β
ADo_9000@reddit
Yea it's great, not at raytracing though.