A100 PCIe 40GB vs RX 6850M XT
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | A100 PCIe 40GB | RX 6850M XT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 6,821 | 5,296 | +28.8% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 65 | 55 | +18.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 39 | 33 | +18.2% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 21 | 18 | +16.7% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 19.5 | 12.6 | +54.6% |
| VRAM | 40 GB HBM2 | 12 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 1,555 | 336 | +362.8% |
| TDP (W) | 250 | 165 | — |
| Stable Diffusion (it/s) | 9.7 | 1.9 | +410.5% |
| LLM inference (tokens/s) | 53 | 26 | +103.8% |
- A100 PCIe 40GB averages 39 fps at 1440p versus 33 fps — about 18% faster.
- RX 6850M XT draws less power (165W vs 250W).
Verdict: A100 PCIe 40GB or RX 6850M XT?
A100 PCIe 40GB advantages
- 1440p gaming (+15%)
- 4K gaming (+14%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+22%)
- Video memory (+70%)
- Memory bandwidth (+78%)
- AI image generation (+80%)
- Local LLM inference (+51%)
RX 6850M XT advantages
- Power efficiency (+34%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the A100 PCIe 40GB if you game at 1440p.
- Choose the RX 6850M XT if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
- Choose the A100 PCIe 40GB if you game at 4K or drive a high-resolution display.
A100 PCIe 40GB vs RX 6850M XT: which should you choose?
A100 PCIe 40GB — NVIDIA desktop graphics card (2020, Ampere) with 40 GB of HBM2, averaging 39 fps at 1440p.
RX 6850M XT — AMD desktop graphics card (2022, RDNA 2) with 12 GB of GDDR6, averaging 33 fps at 1440p.
A100 PCIe 40GB vs RX 6850M XT: A100 PCIe 40GB is faster for gaming. A100 PCIe 40GB averages 39 fps at 1440p versus 33 fps — about 18% faster. RX 6850M XT draws less power (165W vs 250W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the A100 PCIe 40GB averages 39 fps against 33. At 4K (21 vs 18 fps) VRAM (40GB vs 12GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
AI and creator workloads
Beyond gaming, the A100 PCIe 40GB is quicker for AI image generation (9.7 vs 1.9 it/s in Stable Diffusion) and local LLM inference (53 vs 26 tokens/s), which increasingly matters for creators and developers.
Power and value
Board power is 250 W versus 165 W, which affects PSU headroom, case cooling and noise.
The verdict
Both are credible choices in the graphics card comparison space; the specification table above lays out every metric so you can weigh the trade-offs that matter to you. Pick the one whose strengths line up with how you will actually use it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the A100 PCIe 40GB better than the RX 6850M XT?
A100 PCIe 40GB is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. A100 PCIe 40GB averages 39 fps at 1440p versus 33 fps — about 18% faster.
What is the main difference between the A100 PCIe 40GB and the RX 6850M XT?
A100 PCIe 40GB averages 39 fps at 1440p versus 33 fps — about 18% faster. RX 6850M XT draws less power (165W vs 250W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the A100 PCIe 40GB if you game at 1440p. Choose the RX 6850M XT if you want lower power draw, heat and noise.
Methodology
Graphics cards are compared on 3DMark Time Spy scores, average gaming frame rates at 1080p/1440p/4K, FP32 compute throughput, VRAM capacity and type, memory bandwidth, board power (TDP) and launch MSRP — plus AI workload throughput (Stable Diffusion iterations/s and local LLM tokens/s) where measured. Vintage and server GPUs without modern benchmark results are compared on specifications only, clearly labelled. Frame rates are averages across a game suite at high settings; specific titles vary.