Key takeaways
- RX 5700 with a 105 W CPU: 180 + 105 + 150 = about 435 W.
- RX 6800 with a 105 W CPU: 250 + 105 + 150 = about 505 W, so a quality 600-650 W unit is the comfortable choice, and 650 W makes sense with a hotter CPU.
Moving from an RX 5700 to an RX 6800 is a major upgrade: published reviews put the RX 6800 at roughly 80-100% faster, with double the VRAM (16 GB versus 8 GB) and hardware ray tracing that the RX 5700 lacks entirely. It pays off most for 1440p gamers and anyone hitting the 8 GB wall in recent games; a 1080p esports player who is happy with current frame rates gains far less. The cost is about 70 W more power draw and a second 8-pin connector, which some older power supplies will not handle.
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Where Each Card Sits
The RX 5700 launched in July 2019 at $349 as AMD’s first RDNA card. It was a strong 1080p and entry-1440p performer for its time but predates DirectX 12 Ultimate, so it has no ray-tracing hardware and no mesh shader support. The RX 6800 arrived in October 2020 at $579 as part of the RDNA 2 lineup, bringing a much larger GPU, 128 MB of Infinity Cache and 16 GB of memory.
Both are previous-generation cards today. The current AMD range is the RX 9000 series, and anyone buying new should also look at the RX 9060 XT 16 GB and RX 9070. Still, the RX 6800 is a popular used upgrade, and many RX 5700 owners are weighing exactly this move.
Spec Sheet Side by Side
| Specification | RX 5700 | RX 6800 |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | RDNA 2.0 |
| Release date | 7 July 2019 | 28 October 2020 |
| Launch MSRP | $349 | $579 |
| Stream processors | 2304 | 3840 |
| Boost clock | 1725 MHz | 2105 MHz |
| Process | 7 nm | 7 nm |
| TDP | 180 W | 250 W |
| Memory | 8 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 256-bit | 256-bit |
| Bandwidth | 448.0 GB/s | 512.0 GB/s |
| Cache | 4 MB L2 | 4 MB L2 + 128 MB Infinity Cache (L3) |
| Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x16 |
| Power connectors | 1x 6-pin + 1x 8-pin | 2x 8-pin |
| Length (reference) | 268 mm | 267 mm |
| Width | 2-slot | 2-slot |
| Display outputs | 1x HDMI 2.0b, 3x DisplayPort 1.4a | 1x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort, 1x USB Type-C |
The RX 6800 has about 67% more stream processors, runs them at higher clocks and backs them with a 128 MB Infinity Cache that effectively multiplies usable bandwidth. That combination is why the real-world gain exceeds what the bandwidth line alone suggests.
How Big the Performance Jump Is
TechPowerUp’s RX 6800 coverage describes the card as almost twice as fast as the RX 5700 at 4K, and aggregate benchmark sites land in a similar zone, with one large multi-game average showing about 100% higher frame rates. At 1080p the gap narrows somewhat, because the CPU starts to limit the faster card, so a realistic range is about 70-80% at 1080p and 90-100% at 1440p and 4K.
In practice, a modern AAA title that runs in the 40s on an RX 5700 at 1440p high settings will often run in the 75-90 fps range on an RX 6800, though results vary with settings, CPU and game patches. Competitive shooters that already exceed 144 fps on the RX 5700 at 1080p will see smaller real gains, since the CPU becomes the bottleneck.
Features the RX 5700 Is Missing
Ray tracing and DirectX 12 Ultimate
The RX 5700 has no ray-tracing hardware and does not support the DirectX 12 Ultimate feature set. That used to mean only missing optional effects, but some recent games now require ray-tracing-capable hardware to launch at all, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Doom: The Dark Ages among them. The RX 6800 meets that requirement. Its first-generation RDNA 2 ray accelerators are modest by current standards and best suited to lighter ray-traced effects, but they open the door to titles the RX 5700 cannot run.
Upscaling and frame generation
Both cards can use FSR 3.1 upscaling in supported games. The RX 6800 also gets AMD Fluid Motion Frames, the driver-level frame generation feature that works across many DirectX 11 and 12 games, which RDNA 1 cards do not receive. FSR 4.1, AMD’s machine-learning upscaler, already runs on RX 9000 and RX 7000 cards, and AMD has announced RX 6000 support for early 2027, which would include the RX 6800. No such support has been announced for RDNA 1, so the RX 5700 stays on FSR 3.1. Neither card supports DLSS, which is Nvidia-only.
VRAM headroom
Going from 8 GB to 16 GB is arguably the most future-proof part of this upgrade. At 1440p with high textures, a growing number of 2026 games exceed 8 GB, leading to stutter and texture pop-in on the RX 5700. With 16 GB, the RX 6800 handles 1440p ultra textures comfortably and has room for ray tracing and frame generation buffers.
Power Supply and Fit Check
The RX 6800 is rated at 250 W against 180 W for the RX 5700. A practical sizing rule is GPU TDP plus CPU plus about 150 W headroom:
- RX 5700 with a 105 W CPU: 180 + 105 + 150 = about 435 W.
- RX 6800 with a 105 W CPU: 250 + 105 + 150 = about 505 W, so a quality 600-650 W unit is the comfortable choice, and 650 W makes sense with a hotter CPU.
Check the connectors before buying. The RX 5700 uses one 6-pin and one 8-pin, while the RX 6800 needs two 8-pin connectors, and some partner models need more. Many 500-550 W power supplies that were fine for an RX 5700 have only one 6+2-pin cable or a single daisy-chained cable; using two separate PCIe cables is the safer setup.
Physically, the swap is easy. Reference lengths are nearly identical at 268 mm and 267 mm, both are 2-slot designs, and both use full PCIe 4.0 x16 links, so there is no bandwidth penalty on PCIe 3.0 boards beyond the normal generational difference. Partner RX 6800 models can be thicker and longer, so measuring the case is still wise.
Does the Upgrade Pay Off? A Value Calculation
Using launch MSRPs and setting the RX 5700 at 100 performance points with the RX 6800 at about 190:
- RX 5700: $349 / 100 = about $3.49 per point.
- RX 6800: $579 / 190 = about $3.05 per point.
The real upgrade decision happens on the used market. An RX 6800 usually sells for roughly $250-$320 used, while an RX 5700 typically brings roughly $90-$130. Selling the old card turns the upgrade into a net spend of around $150-$220 for close to double the performance, which is a strong return. The main alternative is a new RX 9060 XT 16 GB, which offers similar VRAM, newer features including native FSR 4 support and lower power draw, at a higher price than a used RX 6800.
Who Should Upgrade
| Your situation | Upgrade to RX 6800? |
|---|---|
| 1440p gamer playing recent AAA titles | Yes, the biggest beneficiary |
| Running into 8 GB VRAM stutter | Yes, 16 GB resolves it |
| Want to play games that require ray-tracing hardware | Yes, the RX 5700 cannot run them |
| 1080p esports only, already CPU-limited | Probably not, gains will be small |
| PSU under 550 W or lacking two 8-pin cables | Only with a PSU upgrade |
| Prefer a new card with warranty and FSR 4 | Consider RX 9060 XT 16 GB or RX 9070 instead |
Verdict
For most RX 5700 owners, the RX 6800 roughly doubles performance, eliminates the 8 GB VRAM ceiling and adds the ray-tracing support newer games increasingly demand. The used-market math makes it one of the more cost-effective upgrades from RDNA 1, provided the power supply can handle a 250 W card with two 8-pin connectors. Players who mainly run lightweight esports games at 1080p can hold off, since their gains will be limited by the CPU rather than the GPU.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much faster is the RX 6800 than the RX 5700?
Published reviews and multi-game averages put the RX 6800 at roughly 80-100% faster, with the largest gains at 1440p and 4K. TechPowerUp described it as almost twice as fast as the RX 5700. At 1080p, CPU limits can shrink the gap.
What power supply does the RX 6800 need?
A quality 600-650 W power supply with two separate 8-pin PCIe cables is a sensible target. The card is rated at 250 W, and a typical system with a gaming CPU lands around 500 W with headroom included. Some older units sized for an RX 5700 will need replacing.
Can the RX 5700 run games that require ray tracing?
No. The RX 5700 has no ray-tracing hardware and lacks DirectX 12 Ultimate support, so games that mandate RT-capable GPUs will not launch. The RX 6800 supports hardware ray tracing and meets those requirements.
Will the RX 6800 fit in the same case as the RX 5700?
Usually yes. The reference cards are almost the same length at 268 mm and 267 mm and both are 2-slot designs. Some partner RX 6800 models are longer or thicker, so checking the specific card’s dimensions against the case is worthwhile.
Is a used RX 6800 still a good buy in 2026?
It remains a strong value for 1440p gaming thanks to its 16 GB of VRAM, often selling for roughly $250-$320 used. It has weaker ray tracing than current cards and is still waiting on AMD’s announced early-2027 FSR 4.1 support for RX 6000 cards. Buyers who want a warranty and newer features should compare it with the RX 9060 XT 16 GB.
