Home > GPU > GPU FAQ

Is the RX 7900 XT overkill for 1080p? Examined

As tech only improves, many still want to rely on the past, examining the 7900 XT 10800 options in the face of 4K capabilities
Last Updated on March 14, 2024
PC Guide is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More
You can trust PC Guide: Our team of experts use a combination of independent consumer research, in-depth testing where appropriate - which will be flagged as such, and market analysis when recommending products, software and services. Find out how we test here.

The RX 7900 XT is one of the top 7000 series AMD GPUs. It was built to compete with Nvidia’s 4000-series in 4K gaming resolutions and demanding content creation. As using this card solely for 1080p gaming won’t leverage the total capabilities of the GPU, yes, using the 7900 XT for 1080p gaming is overkill.

To get a better look at what this card is capable of, be sure to check out our RX 7900 XT review. And how it stacks up against the RTX 4080 Super. But let’s carry on: if you’re looking to only have high FPS in 1080p resolutions, you’ll be better off getting a 6700 XT, 6800 XT, or RTX 3060 Ti. Those are GPUs with specs more aligned to these resolutions, both performance and price-wise, so you can save yourself some money. However, if you want newer options, you could also go for the RTX 4060.

XFX RX 7900 XT

Shop on Amazon


Top 5 Cyber Monday deals

This year's Cyber Monday has officially kickstarted, offering up huge discounts on some of the market's leading tech products. Below, we'll list the best Cyber Monday deals we can find.

Prices and savings subject to change. Click through to get the current deal prices.


CHECK PRICE
SpecsRX 7900 XTRX 6800 XT
Graphics ProcessorNavi 31Navi 21
Cores53764608
TMUs336288
Memory Size20 GB GDDR616 GB GDDR6
Base Clock1500 MHz1825 MHz
Game Clock2025 MHz2015 MHz
Boost Clock2394 MHz2250 MHz
RX 7900 XT vs RX 6800 XT specs

The vast majority of games, when running at 1080p resolution, wouldn’t require more than 10GB of VRAM. This amount is more than enough to move the set of data behind these titles. This, along with a 256-bit memory bus and decent bandwidth, would be more than enough to run any video game at 1080p resolution.

But the RX 7900 XT, has 20GB of GDDR6 VRAM, a 2,394 MHz of boost clock speed, 84 compute units, and 80MB of L3 cache, among other high-end specs. This is a GPU that will provide three-digit FPS in the most demanding 4K gaming environments. Thus, the RX 7900 XT 1080p potential is there, but not worth its hefty price tag.

Is the 7900 XT or RTX 3080 better for 1080p?

The best GPU for 1080p based on cost is the GeForce RTX 3080. This GPU has a 10GB GDDR6X VRAM, and 8,704 shading units, alongside 2nd generation DLSS and ray tracing accelerators. A rig built with this unit will ensure great FPS even in the hardest newer games, like Cyberpunk 2077.

If Nvidia is not your cup of tea, the RX 6800 XT from AMD will work amazingly in the RTX 3080’s stead. This GPU has been proven to compete neck-to-neck with the 3080 and is $200 less expensive, which makes it a better performance-to-price-wise decision.

Camilo is a contributor for PC Guide. He's been into tech since he was a teen, surfing through the web and local stores trying to find the cheapest way to play the latest Half-Life on his old Windows