NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 vs AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT: real performance and FPS — which is better? Full comparison
Detailed gaming performance comparison
Reference CPU: Intel Core i5-13400
We compare the RTX 3090 and the RX 6950 XT with real FPS across the most popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K, plus specs, launch price and AI upscaling support (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). See at a glance which is better for your resolution and budget.
The RTX 3090 and the RX 6950 XT perform almost identically; price and features make the difference.
RTX 3090
- Index (1080p)
- 75/100
- VRAM
- 24 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $1499 · ≈ €1379
- $/FPS (value)
- $18.28 · ≈ €16.82
- Upscaling
- DLSS
RX 6950 XT
- Index (1080p)
- 75/100
- VRAM
- 16 GB
- Price (MSRP)
- $1099 · ≈ €1011
- $/FPS (value)
- $13.40 · ≈ €12.33
- Upscaling
- FSR
Average FPS by resolution
Estimated average FPS for each graphics card across the most popular games. The gap usually shows at 1080p and 1440p; at 4K both lose smoothness and upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps.
| Resolution | RTX 3090 | RX 6950 XT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 82 | 82 | = |
| 1440p | 69 | 68 | +1% |
| 4K | 46 | 42 | +10% |
Which one for your resolution?
Tie
RTX 3090 (+1%)
RTX 3090 (+10%)
Specifications
Side-by-side specs of the RTX 3090 and RX 6950 XT: VRAM, power draw (TDP), performance index and launch price. The better value in each row is highlighted in blue.
| Spec | RTX 3090 | RX 6950 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | NVIDIA | AMD |
| VRAM | 24 GB | 16 GB |
| TDP | 350W | 335W |
| Tier | Enthusiast | Enthusiast |
| Score 1080p | 75 | 75 |
| Score 1440p | 73 | 72 |
| Score 4K | 65 | 60 |
| Price (MSRP) | $1499 | $1099 |
| Architecture | Ampere | RDNA 2 |
| Process Node | Samsung 8nm | TSMC 7nm |
| Shading Units (CUDA/Stream) | 10496 | 5120 |
| RT Cores | 82 | 80 |
| Texture Units (TMUs) | 328 | 320 |
| ROPs | 112 | 128 |
| Base Clock | 1395 MHz | 1860 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1695 MHz | 2310 MHz |
| FP32 Performance (Teraflops) | 35.58 TFLOPS | 23.65 TFLOPS |
| Memory Type | GDDR6X | GDDR6 |
| Memory Clock | 19500 MHz | 18000 MHz |
| Memory Bus | 384-bit | 256-bit |
| Memory Bandwidth | 936 GB/s | 576 GB/s |
| PCIe Version | PCIe 4.0 | PCIe 4.0 |
| Transistor Count | 28.3B | 26.8B |
| Release Date | 2020-09-24 | 2022-05-10 |
Power & efficiency
TDP doesn't tell the whole story: here's how much each GPU delivers per watt it draws.
RTX 3090
- TDP
- 350W
- FPS/W
- 0.23
RX 6950 XT
- TDP
- 335W
- FPS/W
- 0.24
The RX 6950 XT is more efficient: it draws 15W less and delivers more per watt, though the RTX 3090 is still the faster card overall.
What FPS do these GPUs get in your game?
Pick the GPU and the game, and we'll take you straight to its real FPS.
Pick the GPU
Gaming Performance
Per-game FPS detail at 1080p Ultra. The graphics card that wins each title is highlighted in blue.
| Game | RTX 3090 | RX 6950 XT | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 96 | 96 | Tie |
 | 83 | 83 | Tie |
 | 64 | 64 | Tie |
 | 67 | 67 | Tie |
 | 69 | 69 | Tie |
| 66 | 66 | Tie | |
 | 90 | 90 | Tie |
 | 96 | 96 | Tie |
 | 104 | 104 | Tie |
 | 81 | 81 | Tie |
Verdict
It's a tie: both GPUs win in 0 out of 10 games
At CheckFPS we measured both cards across 10 popular games at 1080p, 1440p and 4K on a reference CPU. Performance is practically tied at every resolution, so the decision comes down to price and current availability.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions when comparing the RTX 3090 with the RX 6950 XT.
Which is better, the RTX 3090 or the RX 6950 XT?
On average at 1080p, the RTX 3090 is 0% faster than the RX 6950 XT. The best one for you depends on your resolution, budget and whether you prioritise ray tracing or price.
Which is better at 4K?
At 4K Ultra, the RTX 3090 averages 46 FPS and the RX 6950 XT 42 FPS across the most popular games. For smooth 4K, enabling upscaling (DLSS/FSR) helps on both.
Is it worth paying more for the faster one?
At 1080p or 1440p the FPS gap may not justify the extra cost; at 4K or with ray tracing the faster card matters more. Check the by-resolution table to decide.
Which has better ray tracing and upscaling?
AI upscaling (DLSS on NVIDIA, FSR on AMD, XeSS on Intel) raises FPS on both; for ray tracing, GeForce RTX cards usually lead. See each card’s support above.
How big is the FPS difference between them?
On average across top games, the gap is around 0% at 1080p. At higher resolutions (1440p and 4K) the relative difference usually stays similar.
3090 vs 6950 XT: what's the real difference?
In performance, the RTX 3090 beats the RX 6950 XT by around 0% more FPS on average at 1080p — the gap shifts a bit by resolution, as shown in the table above. If you're torn between the 3090 and the 6950 XT on price, the price and $/FPS section above can help you decide.
