RX 6800 vs RTX 4060: Which Graphics Card Should You Buy?

The RX 6800 is the better gaming card for most buyers, roughly 25-40% faster than the RTX 4060 in rasterized games at 1440p with double the VRAM (16 GB vs 8 GB), so it wins for 1440p and for anyone who wants a card that ages well. The RTX 4060 is the better pick for low-power, compact, or 1080p builds where DLSS Frame Generation, AV1 streaming, and a 115 W power draw matter more than raw frames.

This matchup comes up because both cards often sell at similar prices in 2026: the RX 6800 as a used former upper-midrange card from 2020, the RTX 4060 as a used or discounted entry-level Ada card from 2023. Both are previous-generation hardware next to the RTX 5060 family, RX 9060 XT, and Arc B580, but at the right price each still makes sense for a different kind of build.

Spec Breakdown

The RX 6800 is the bigger chip in every memory-related way: double the VRAM, nearly double the bandwidth, and a 128 MB Infinity Cache. The RTX 4060 counters with a newer process, a much lower power budget, and Nvidia’s software stack.

Raster Performance at 1080p and 1440p

Review data and benchmark aggregates consistently place the RX 6800 well ahead. Hardware Unboxed and TechPowerUp’s charts from the RTX 4060 launch period position the RTX 4060 below the RTX 3060 Ti, while the RX 6800 sits near RTX 3070 Ti to RTX 3080 territory in raster. Combined with aggregate comparisons, that works out to roughly 25-40% in the RX 6800’s favor at 1440p, with single titles ranging from about +15% to more than +50%. At 1080p the gap is a bit smaller because the CPU limits the faster card more often.

Illustratively, where the RTX 4060 manages around 60-70 fps at 1440p high in a demanding AAA game, the RX 6800 often lands around 85-95 fps. At 1080p, an RTX 4060 result around 100-110 fps typically becomes 125-140 fps on the RX 6800. These ranges vary with game version, settings, and CPU.

8 GB is the RTX 4060’s ceiling

In 2026 a growing list of games uses more than 8 GB at 1080p ultra or at 1440p high. When that happens the RTX 4060 shows stutter, lower 1% lows, or textures that fail to load at full detail. The RX 6800’s 16 GB is enough for 1440p and even 4K textures in nearly every current game, which is a large part of why it holds up so well.

Ray Tracing and Upscaling

Ray tracing is closer than raster. RDNA 2’s first-generation ray accelerators are less efficient than Ada’s RT cores, so the RX 6800’s raster lead shrinks sharply with RT enabled. In light-to-moderate RT the RX 6800 is still often slightly ahead at native resolution thanks to its larger chip and memory, while in heavier RT workloads the two land close together. Neither is a strong ray tracing card.

Upscaling and frame generation favor the RTX 4060:

• RTX 4060: DLSS 4 Super Resolution with the transformer model, DLSS Frame Generation, Ray Reconstruction, and Reflex. Multi Frame Generation is RTX 50 only.
• RX 6800: FSR 3.1 upscaling and frame generation in supported games plus AMD Fluid Motion Frames at the driver level. FSR 4 is limited to RDNA 4 cards.

In a game with DLSS Quality and Frame Generation, the RTX 4060 can display frame rates similar to or higher than an RX 6800 at native, with better image quality than FSR. The caveats: frame generation adds latency, needs a decent base frame rate, and uses extra VRAM, which the 8 GB card has little of.

Driver note: AMD announced in late 2025 that RDNA 1 and RDNA 2 were moving to a maintenance-focused driver track, with new game optimizations prioritized for RDNA 3 and RDNA 4. The RX 6800 keeps receiving drivers, but the RTX 4060 is on Nvidia’s mainstream branch.

Power Draw and PSU Requirements

The RX 6800 draws more than twice the power: 250 W vs 115 W. PSU sizing with GPU TDP + CPU + about 150 W headroom:

• RX 6800 + 105 W CPU: 250 + 105 + 150 = 505 W, so a quality 600-650 W unit with two 8-pin cables.
• RTX 4060 + 105 W CPU: 115 + 105 + 150 = 370 W, so 450-550 W is enough.

For prebuilt or office PCs with small power supplies and only one PCIe cable, the RTX 4060 is often the only realistic upgrade. In terms of running cost, the 135 W difference at three hours of gaming a day is roughly 150 kWh a year, about $20-$25 at typical rates.

Size and Platform Fit

The RX 6800 is listed at 267 mm in a 2-slot design, while the RTX 4060 is 240 mm and many partner models are even shorter, including single-fan cards for Mini-ITX. On older PCIe 3.0 motherboards, the RTX 4060’s x8 link runs at half its intended bandwidth; that usually costs a few percent, more if VRAM overflows. The RX 6800’s x16 link is unaffected on older platforms.

VRAM Needs by Resolution

A practical way to judge the memory gap is to look at typical VRAM use in current AAA games:

These are rough ranges that vary by game and engine, but they show why the RX 6800 is the safer choice for anyone gaming above 1080p.

Value and Decision Table

In 2026, a used RX 6800 commonly sells around $250-$310, while a used RTX 4060 sells around $190-$240. With the RTX 4060 as index 100 and the RX 6800 at about 132 (midpoint of the 25-40% range):

• RTX 4060 at $215: $2.15 per performance point
• RX 6800 at $280: $2.12 per performance point

Cost per frame is almost identical, so the decision comes down to what each card is better at.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the RX 6800 faster than the RTX 4060?

Yes. In rasterized games the RX 6800 is roughly 25-40% faster at 1440p according to published review data and benchmark aggregates. The lead shrinks with ray tracing enabled. With DLSS Frame Generation, the RTX 4060 can show similar displayed frame rates in supported games.

Is the RX 6800’s 16 GB of VRAM useful?

Yes, especially at 1440p and in newer games with high-resolution textures. Many recent titles exceed 8 GB at high settings, which causes stutter on the RTX 4060. 16 GB gives the RX 6800 a longer useful life.

What power supply do I need for an RX 6800?

A quality 600-650 W PSU with two 8-pin PCIe connectors is recommended. The RTX 4060 runs on 450-550 W. Check that your PSU has separate PCIe cables rather than daisy-chained ones for the RX 6800.

Which card is better for streaming on Twitch or YouTube?

The RTX 4060 is better for streaming thanks to its NVENC encoder with AV1 support. The RX 6800 can stream with H.264 and HEVC but has no AV1 encoder. For game performance while streaming, the RX 6800 still has more raw headroom.

Should I consider an RX 9060 XT instead?

The RX 9060 XT 16 GB is worth comparing if buying new. It adds FSR 4, better ray tracing, lower power, and a warranty. A used RX 6800 can still offer similar or better raster performance for less money.