RDNA 2 cards arrive with great force and the first to pass through our hands will be the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT. The manufacturer’s reference model yields preliminary data that places it at a performance similar to the Nvidia RTX 3080, which is not saying little. Will it be AMD’s final assault to reach the green mark?
What we do know is that the improvements that RDNA 2 brings with it will be a before and after in the brand. Ray Tracing for gamers and creators is finally included, incredible performance per watt and an innovative 128 MB Infinity Cache memory. In addition, the interesting Smart Access Memory option is implemented to combine an AMD Ryzen 5000 with these GPUs and increases performance by up to 6% using shared memory through PCIe 4.0. Ready to see what this GPU gives? Well let’s start!
This AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT uses a presentation of excellent quality and premium level where they exist. Its hard rigid cardboard box uses matt black as a background, accompanied in turn by photos of the product. A magnetized cover type case to keep the product safe, so we only have to pull slightly towards us to find the card.
Before seeing it, we will have a second protection cover on top with a fairly thick polyethylene foam mold that also includes the documentation. In another very thick similar mold we have the graphics card without a plastic bag, although it is not that we need it either because of the good protection that it already brings. No type of accessory or anything like that is included, so it will be your turn to see the design.
The work that AMD has done in the design of this AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is spectacular, both in finishes and in the cooling performance of the block. The way of course was not to opt for blower fans, so the manufacturer has been consistent with the needs of these new processors by implementing a triple axial fan system.
The measurements are quite contained in these reference versions, more specifically 267 mm long, 50 mm thick thus occupying 2.5 slots, and 107 mm wide, which would become the heatsink block. Very compact to give us good support with any size chassis, and just as long as, for example, a 2080 Ti. The weight will be around 2 kg or something less, since a lot of metal is used.
Precisely we focus on the design of the housing of this graphics card, which will be made almost entirely of aluminum. It will be a fairly thick block made up of several pieces in the upper area to alternate the black and gray bands in the center. These are glued together perfectly and revealing a series of elements in a chrome finish to improve the final result.
We have loved the aggressiveness and gaming style that has been used, and it is further enhanced with the RADEON badge in the central area that will be equipped with a powerful fixed red illumination. To ensure symmetry, the opposite side uses the same bezel design, albeit with nothing in its area. The entire front face of the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT will be covered with another aluminum plate with holes for the installation of a possible chassis support.
The triple fan system will be the protagonist in the design, as we go from a single blower-type unit of the previous generation to a forceful system. It also implements semi-passive cooling technology , and keeps the fans off while the card is idle. Its effective diameter will be 80 mm in all three units , with a helical design made up of 9 quite vertical blades and with a beautiful silver finish on its metal-style edge. But the best thing about them is that they will be incredibly quiet, even more so than those seen in custom models.
We thus arrive at the lateral faces, where we will have practically no elements that cover the large finned block of the interior . This will greatly facilitate the expulsion of the pressurized air that passes through the aluminum sheets. The detail of having covered it in black makes the aesthetic look more careful and in tune for both vertical and horizontal assemblies. The missing dot is given by that red border that covers the entire rectangle. Both the power connections in the upper corner, as well as the fan headers and lighting in the back, will be very well implemented and discreet.
The PCB of this AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT will be completely covered thanks to a thick aluminum backplate that continues the triple black and gray band style of the upper area. This is integrated with the side cases to finish closing the heatsink block, and has absolutely no opening except for the heatsink mounting bracket.
In general, the design and implementation work done by AMD is impressive, and has absolutely nothing to do with what was seen in the previous generation. Quality materials, triple fan, refined aesthetics. What more could we ask for?