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.
| Specs | RX 7900 XT | RX 6800 XT |
|---|---|---|
| Graphics Processor | Navi 31 | Navi 21 |
| Cores | 5376 | 4608 |
| TMUs | 336 | 288 |
| Memory Size | 20 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6 |
| Base Clock | 1500 MHz | 1825 MHz |
| Game Clock | 2025 MHz | 2015 MHz |
| Boost Clock | 2394 MHz | 2250 MHz |
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.
