Question 6800 vs 6800XT vs N32

[biostud]

I'm planning to upgrade my system feb/march when the 7800X3D is released so I can decide which 8-core CPU makes most sense to me. I have an Odyssey G9, but I mostly play older games, and world of tanks and no interest in raytracing (at current pricing and performance). The 6800 series seems to offer bester price/performance atm, an N32 arrival is unknown. So what would you do? Buy now before stock is gone, wait and maybe miss out, or something else? I really dont want to spend much more than $800 in Danish prices for a video card.


(Prices for comparison)
3080 10GB ($999)
7900XT ($1142)
4080 ($1570)

 

[Aapje]

The 3060 Ti is a pretty good card that should serve you well at 1440p, especially with those games.

 

[Khanan]

thanks. do you know if the 6800 xt has high power spikes? considering getting one with my existing 700w psu but everyone recommends at least 750w. So an undervolt (with some performance) loss seems the way to go unless it can have large spikes.

It has. RDNA2 generally has high power spikes so if you use one of the extreme models like Asrock Formula you already need a 1000W PSU despite it “only” drawing about 400W max in gaming. For other models a lower PSU might be sufficient, but I heard you’re on the safe side with 750-850W rather than 650W and lower PSUs.

it’s apparently even the ref version that has this behavior.

here’s a 6800 XT:

 

[beginner99]

It has. RDNA2 generally has high power spikes so if you use one of the extreme models like Asrock Formula you already need a 1000W PSU despite it “only” drawing about 400W max in gaming. For other models a lower PSU might be sufficient, but I heard you’re on the safe side with 750-850W rather than 650W and lower PSUs.

i have 700w psu. Ok, i think i should be fine if I do a small undervolt and reduce powerlimit for a minor reduction in performance.

 

[Khanan]

i have 700w psu. Ok, i think i should be fine if I do a small undervolt and reduce powerlimit for a minor reduction in performance.

You’re generally fine as long as your pc doesn’t shut down. But yes it’s maybe smarter if you do that …

 

[igor_kavinski]

sadly, no. the few 6700XTs on the market are far more expensive. and i'll get by with a 3060TI for the next few years until hopefully the GPU market calms down.
i will mostly play Diablo 4/PoE 2 and some RPGs. i don't need super high end hardware.

You may not last few years with just 8GB RAM of that card, especially since it's now the low end (3050 has 8GB). Running some new game with ugly graphics coz you have to reduce the settings to get everything crammed into the paltry video memory, won't be fun. 3060 12GB may prove to age more gracefully. Also, you could get the ARC A770 16GB.

 

[biostud]

for +$20 I can get the red Devil now, it has better (and larger) cooler and 14+2 VRM vs 12+2 VRM

 

[igor_kavinski]

for +$20 I can get the red Devil now, it has better (and larger) cooler and 14+2 VRM vs 12+2 VRM

You would need heftier PSU too, to handle the higher transient spikes.

 

[biostud]

You would need heftier PSU too, to handle the higher transient spikes.

I have a 860W Platinum PSU (Corsair AX, Seasonic based) But I still plan to either undervolt or run at reduced powerlimit.

 

[biostud]

You would need heftier PSU too, to handle the higher transient spikes.

I decided to buy the Red Devil. The best value is the card you can actually use

 

[biostud]

@4K the relative performance is ~3x the 1070, so most games should be between 2.5x and 3.0x faster.

 

[Kaluan]

i have 700w psu. Ok, i think i should be fine if I do a small undervolt and reduce powerlimit for a minor reduction in performance.

You’re generally fine as long as your pc doesn’t shut down. But yes it’s maybe smarter if you do that …

Any good quality PSU can handle transient spikes well over their rating, that's typically never the problem. Even with nVidia astroturfing campaigns, there were never any actual reasonable reports of 6900XT blowing up PSUs and such.

Problems arise if you overload them because of very high sustained draws above their capacity. Which usual worst case mean your PC will shut down, but in the case of sucky PSUs, it could also mean the PSU gets fried and components get degraded.

I miss JohnnyGuru lol

 

[Kaluan]

I decided to buy the Red Devil. The best value is the card you can actually use

I'm itching for that one too. Best price on the market I'm currently in and I absolutely love the aesthetic, goes well in my Obsidian 750D lol. And one of the best 6800 XT designs to boot.

Don't know if I can't wait half a year+ for N32 or N31 refreshes. Which may or may not have good prices anyway.

The only real contender for me is RX 7600XT, if it comes out within 3 months and if the MSRP is great (=<$349). And that's only becaue I know it will eventually land in my gf's rig and give me more of a grace period to see how the rest of the lineup and market prices hold up.

 

[biostud]

I'm itching for that one too. Best price on the market I'm currently in and I absolutely love the aesthetic, goes well in my Obsidian 750D lol. And one of the best 6800 XT designs to boot.

Don't know if I can't wait half a year+ for N32 or N31 refreshes. Which may or may not have good prices anyway.

The only real contender for me is RX 7600XT, if it comes out within 3 months and if the MSRP is great (=<$349). And that's only becaue I know it will eventually land in my gf's rig and give me more of a grace period to see how the rest of the lineup and market prices hold up.

I've given up on N32, as being able to deliver substantial better price/performance ratio than a 20% discounted RX 6800 XT. And especially in the time frame of 7800X3D arriving to the market. Now it might seem like the case will be the limiting factor, as it seems to be very popular.

 

[In2Photos]

I decided to buy the Red Devil. The best value is the card you can actually use

What kind of price did you get it for compared to a 7900XT? Cheapest I can find a new 6800XT now is around $870 US (new). I found a 6800 for just over $500.

 

[biostud]

What kind of price did you get it for compared to a 7900XT? Cheapest I can find a new 6800XT now is around $870 US (new). I found a 6800 for just over $500.

5333 Dkk - $775 the cheapest 7900XT (reference model) is 7800 DKK - $1145

All prices include 25% sales tax.

So 47% more expensive for 33% more performance @4k

 

[igor_kavinski]

So 47% more expensive for 33% more performance @4k

I disagree with your math. It will be 38% more performance after 5 years. AMD will keep refining the drivers. And you are forgetting the extra 4 GB. And the cost savings in power bills.

 

[Khanan]

Any good quality PSU can handle transient spikes well over their rating, that's typically never the problem. Even with nVidia astroturfing campaigns, there were never any actual reasonable reports of 6900XT blowing up PSUs and such.

Problems arise if you overload them because of very high sustained draws above their capacity. Which usual worst case mean your PC will shut down, but in the case of sucky PSUs, it could also mean the PSU gets fried and components get degraded.

I miss JohnnyGuru lol

That's not the problem. The problem is if the transient spikes are over the extra head room the PSU can deliver over a short (very short) time. Many 6900XTs had this problem, tripped a weaker PSU and so often a 800W or higher PSU was needed, dependant on the model. The ASrock Formula was the most notorious, probably because of the extremely beefy power delivery. Well it's a XOC card.

 

[biostud]

I disagree with your math. It will be 38% more performance after 5 years. AMD will keep refining the drivers. And you are forgetting the extra 4 GB. And the cost savings in power bills.

There is that, but it is still over the budget I want to pay for a video card. And I don't want to let nvidia or AMD think these prices should be the new normal.

 

[beginner99]

And I don't want to let nvidia or AMD think these prices should be the new normal.

Only reason I'm not buying right now. 6800 xt is simply not available here and roughly 35% more performance for 47% higher price isn't that bad for longevity and keep getting driver updates...

 

[Stuka87]

It has. RDNA2 generally has high power spikes so if you use one of the extreme models like Asrock Formula you already need a 1000W PSU despite it “only” drawing about 400W max in gaming. For other models a lower PSU might be sufficient, but I heard you’re on the safe side with 750-850W rather than 650W and lower PSUs.
View attachment 74333
it’s apparently even the ref version that has this behavior.

here’s a 6800 XT:
View attachment 74334

I think you are confusing consistent power draw and transient spikes. You do NOT need a 1000W PSU to cover the transients. And actually, just because you have a PSU that can output 1000W, doesn't mean it can cover a 200W transient fast enough to cover it. Transients are handled by the caps in the PSU, NOT the supply itself. Telling somebody they need a 1000W PSU for a 6800XT is disingenuous. A quality PSU is the more important thing to have.

Also, ALL GPUs have transients. It only became an issue that reviewers started checking when the 3090 came out because it was triggering the overcurrent protection on PSUs that didn't have big enough caps to cover the transients.

 

[igor_kavinski]

A quality PSU is the more important thing to have.

Is there anything to identify the quality of the PSU's transient handling capacity from the specs?

 

[Hans Gruber]

Is there anything to identify the quality of the PSU's transient handling capacity from the specs?

The best way is still trial and error. I had a 450w EVGA bronze that I ran a 7950 with. The system would shut down when I would OC the card. That was my Zen 1200 quad core system. When I turned off the magic OCing button on the GPU. The card ran perfect. AMD said those cards needed either a 550w or 600w CPU. Back in the day, that was a lot of power.

There is no way a 700-750w power supply could not run a 6800xt with no problems. I would even guess a gold rated 550w power supply could do it.

 

[coercitiv]

Is there anything to identify the quality of the PSU's transient handling capacity from the specs?

No, that would be too easy. Transient handling will be part of the new ATX spec though, so in 1-2 years from the problem will be gone.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I would even guess a gold rated 550w power supply could do it.

Never gonna try that again unless I want to have an excuse to trash my mobo. Ran Pimax VR headset on Z77 with RX 580 using 400W PSU. Clicked on Edge Chrome browser and the card went insane. Now the PCIe slots on that mobo don't work. The card was fine. My theory is that it tried to pull the extra power from the PCIe slot when it couldn't get it from the GPU power connector.

 

[coercitiv]

My theory is that it tried to pull the extra power from the PCIe slot when it couldn't get it from the GPU power connector.

Doesn't work like that. PSU gives the required (transient) power until it doesn't. System shutdown follows.