GeForce GTX 1080 Ti vs Radeon RX 6650 XT

Speed and memory

In our performance index the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti scores 27 and the Radeon RX 6650 XT scores 26, which makes the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti about 4% faster. That is a small gap, below what most people notice without a frame counter.

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti has 11 GB of video memory and the Radeon RX 6650 XT has 8 GB. That is a small difference and unlikely to decide anything.

In our estimates for popular games at 1080p on High, the biggest gap is in Call of Duty (67 against 64 fps), and the smallest is in Cyberpunk 2077 (72 against 70 fps). Games that are light enough to run above 200 fps on both cards show little difference at all.

Power and value

The GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is rated at 250 W and the Radeon RX 6650 XT at 180 W. With a mid-range processor that means a power supply of about 650 W for the first and 550 W for the second. A gap of 70 W shows up in heat and fan noise, and in your electricity use over a few years.

At launch the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti cost $699 and the Radeon RX 6650 XT $399. Per dollar, the Radeon RX 6650 XT gave more performance (6.5 points per $100 against 3.9). Current prices differ, so run the same sum on what you can actually buy today.

Which one to buy

Choose the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti if you want the faster card, and it also has at least as much memory. It makes the most sense at 1440p and above, or on a monitor with a high refresh rate.

Choose the Radeon RX 6650 XT if the price gap matters more than the 4% speed difference, or if you want lower power draw and a quieter PC. Whichever you pick, check reviews for the games you play, because two cards with similar scores can differ in individual titles.