R9 380 vs RX M 6800 XT
Head-to-head specifications
| Metric | R9 380 | RX M 6800 XT | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Time Spy | 1,218 | 7,400 | -83.5% |
| Avg FPS @ 1080p | 28 | 69 | -59.4% |
| Avg FPS @ 1440p | 15 | 42 | -64.3% |
| Avg FPS @ 4K | 8 | 23 | -65.2% |
| FP32 compute (TFLOPS) | 3.5 | 17.6 | -80.2% |
| VRAM | 4 GB GDDR5 | 16 GB GDDR6 | — |
| Memory bandwidth (GB/s) | 224 | 448 | -50.0% |
| TDP (W) | 190 | 195 | — |
- RX M 6800 XT averages 42 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 64% faster.
- R9 380 draws less power (190W vs 195W).
Verdict: R9 380 or RX M 6800 XT?
R9 380 advantages
- No decisive advantage on the tracked metrics.
RX M 6800 XT advantages
- 1440p gaming (+64%)
- 4K gaming (+65%)
- Synthetic benchmark performance (+84%)
- Video memory (+75%)
- Memory bandwidth (+50%)
Which should you choose?
- Choose the RX M 6800 XT if you game at 1440p.
R9 380 vs RX M 6800 XT: which should you choose?
R9 380 — AMD desktop graphics card (2015, GCN 3.0) with 4 GB of GDDR5, averaging 15 fps at 1440p; launched at $199.
RX M 6800 XT — AMD desktop graphics card (2020, RDNA 2) with 16 GB of GDDR6, averaging 42 fps at 1440p.
R9 380 vs RX M 6800 XT: RX M 6800 XT is faster for gaming. RX M 6800 XT averages 42 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 64% faster. R9 380 draws less power (190W vs 195W).
1080p, 1440p and 4K
At 1440p — the most common enthusiast resolution — the RX M 6800 XT averages 42 fps against 15. At 4K (8 vs 23 fps) VRAM (4GB vs 16GB) and memory bandwidth matter more.
Power and value
Board power is 190 W versus 195 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 R9 380 better than the RX M 6800 XT?
RX M 6800 XT is the clearly stronger overall choice, winning most of the dimensions that matter. RX M 6800 XT averages 42 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 64% faster.
What is the main difference between the R9 380 and the RX M 6800 XT?
RX M 6800 XT averages 42 fps at 1440p versus 15 fps — about 64% faster. R9 380 draws less power (190W vs 195W).
Which should I choose?
Choose the RX M 6800 XT if you game at 1440p.
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.