What are the biggest complaints about the RX 6950 XT? AMD’s high-end graphics card has its fair share of fans but also has some notable drawbacks. Before you spend your hard-earned money on a new GPU, it helps to know the pros and cons of such a crucial component.
What Is the RX 6950 XT?
The RX 6950 XT is a high-end flagship GPU released by AMD in 2022. It serves as a nominal upgrade from the previous RX 6900 XT. To this end, AMD has made sure to make a GPU that can go up against the likes of NVIDIA’s high-end RTX 3090 and 3080 GPUs.
Specs
| AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT | |
|---|---|
| Base Clock Frequency | 1,890 MHz |
| Boost Clock Frequency | 2,310 MHz |
| TDP | 335 watts |
| VRAM Amount | 16 GB |
| VRAM Type | GDDR6 |
| Effective Memory Bandwidth | Up to 1,793 GB/s |
| Stream Processors | 5,120 |
| Transistor Count | 26.8 billion |
Complaint #1: Not a Substantial Upgrade from the Previous 6900 XT
One of the biggest complaints about the RX 6950 XT is in regard to its overall performance. There is no denying this is a high-powered GPU built for modern use. However, when compared to the previous RX 6900 XT, it comes across as an overclocked version of that GPU.
The RX 6900 XT has an identical number of stream processors, the same amount of VRAM, a similar power draw, and similar clock frequencies. As such, it is a bit galling to see AMD charging premium prices for what amounts to a slightly more powerful RX 6900 XT.
Complaint #2: Uses Quite a Bit of Power
High-powered GPUs require quite a bit of electricity — that’s a given. However, there is a sweet spot for most systems. Another of the biggest complaints about the RX 6950 XT concerns its overall power consumption. You’re looking at a draw under load of 335 watts.
- Video Memory: 16GB GDDR6
- Stream Processor: 5120
- Game Clock: 2226 MHz (OC) / 2116 MHz (Silent)
- Boost Clock: 2435 MHz (OC) / 2324 MHz (Silent)
- Memory Clock: 18.0 Gbps
AMD recommends a power supply unit with over 800 watts for accommodating the GPU. This is fairly substantial, all things said. You could readily get similar performance out of the older RX 6900 XT. However, if you’re looking to keep costs on your build low, you might want to opt for a lower-powered GPU.
Complaint #3: Poor Raytracing Performance
AMD cards haven’t been the best examples of GPUs when it comes to ray tracing. Ray tracing itself is a fairly strenuous activity for most GPUs. NVIDIA graphics cards rely on the proprietary DLSS to make up for the framerate loss.
The RX 6950 XT doesn’t have access to such a technology and understandably suffers from rather drastic frame loss when engaging ray tracing. While this might not be a consideration for some gamers, you are paying flagship GPU prices that don’t stand up alongside NVIDIA’s offerings when it comes to visual excellence.
Complaint #4: More Expensive Than the Previous RX 6900 XT
One of the biggest complaints about the RX 6950 XT pertains to price. When looking at the suggested retail price for both GPUs, you can expect to pay around $300 more for the RX 6950 XT. That doesn’t net you drastically superior performance.
You’re getting marginally better benchmark scores and framerates when picking the RX 6950 XT. That said, you might as well get yourself a discount and opt for the older and cheaper RX 6900 XT instead. Revisions and updated models are nothing new with GPUs. However, you aren’t seeing a substantial increase like you might when going from the RTX 3080 to the 3080 Ti.
Complaint #5: Next-Generation GPUs Make It Pointless
GPUs are a constant arms race of upgraded tech; that’s been true since the very first consumer models became available. The RX 6950 XT sits in an odd place within AMD’s product stable. It doesn’t have enough extra performance to serve as the best buy in the RDNA 2 architecture. It has since been eclipsed by the recently released RDNA 3 architecture.
As such, you’re paying premium prices for a card that is outperformed by its successors. You could just as readily pick up a Radeon 7900 XT and get a more recent GPU for roughly the same cost. This is one of the biggest complaints about the RX 6950 XT. The GPU just doesn’t seem to have a place in its own niche.
Alternatives to the RX 6950 XT
So, with the complaints out of the way, it’s time to take a look at three of our favorite alternatives to the RX 6950 XT.
AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT
- GPU clock speed: 234 MHz
- GPU Tweak II provides intuitive performance tweaking
- An all-aluminum shroud, reinforced frame
- Axial-tech fan design
The RX 6900 XT is just a little bit worse than the RX 6950 XT. This isn’t a slight against the RX 6900 XT in the least, however. You’re getting similar levels of performance for substantially less money upfront. You could also opt for one of the more recent AMD GPUs. That said, the 6900 XT still has plenty of life to it.
You’ve got access to the same memory bus and VRAM as the RX 6950 XT. Power requirements are largely the same, so you’ll want to have a beefy PSU to back things up. All said, the RX 6900 XT is a great choice for gamers looking for a 4K capable card while saving a little extra cash.
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090
- Ampere Architecture
- 24 GB DDR6X
- 384-bit memory interface
- GPU clock speed: 3.1 GHz
The former flagship of the NVIDIA lineup is still one of the best buys around for GPUs. You’ve got power on tap to handle gaming at 4K resolutions. NVIDIA also benefits from the DLSS 3 technology which is a proprietary development.
The RTX 3090 isn’t due to be outmoded anytime soon, as the GPU itself seems to be overengineered for most modern games. If you’re looking to play something like Starfield at 1440p or higher, it is still a stellar choice. The fact that it can be found for well under RTX 4090 pricing is just a bonus.
NVIDIA RTX 4080
- 16 GB of GDDR6X VRAM
- 2.51 GHz GPU clock speed
- PCI Express 4.0 support
- Great for AI work
- 9,728 NVIDIA CUDA Cores
The NVIDIA RTX 4080 isn’t the top option available but has great performance nonetheless. You’ve got access to a similar amount of VRAM compared to the RX 6950 XT, but it utilizes the faster GDDR6X memory.
If you’re looking to get into AI work on the side, the RTX 4080 is a stellar choice thanks to the CUDA cores that come natively with every NVIDIA GPU. You can readily find the RTX 4080 for similar prices as the 6950 XT, but it is a far better GPU in terms of performance gains.
Closing Thoughts
The RX 6950 XT is a solid GPU, but it fills an odd place in today’s market. There are other GPUs on the market with better performance at a similar cost. If you’ve already got a RX 6950 XT, then you’re in good hands. However, if you’re in the market for a new GPU, you have better options available.
| Biggest Complaints About the RX 6950 XT |
|---|
| 1. It isn’t that much better than the lower-priced RX 6900 XT. |
| 2. The 6590 XT is very power hungry. |
| 3. Ray tracing performance isn’t the best on the RX 6950 XT. |
| 4. It has a substantial price increase over the previous RX 6900 XT. |
| 5. You can get a newer next-generation AMD GPU for the same price. |
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Aleksandr Grechanyuk/Shutterstock.com.
