Console Gaming on PC: Xbox Series X GPU Equivalent Options

The Xbox Series X uses a custom GPU developed by AMD known as the AMD Scarlett. This GPU is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture using a 7nm production process. In this post, we’ll look at some Xbox Series equivalent GPUs for the PC.

The AMD Scarlett GPU features:

• 3,328 shader units
• 52 compute units
• 10GB of GDDR6 VRAM
• A clock speed of 1825 MHz
• Support for DirectX 12 Ultimate and OpenCL

The Xbox Series X GPU is capable of delivering up to 12 teraflops of computing power. It supports 4K@60Hz, with the potential for even higher frame rates and also supports hardware-accelerated ray tracing.

Another standout feature of the Xbox Series X graphics card is its support for variable rate shading (VRS), which allows developers to prioritize the allocation of GPU resources to different parts of the screen. This enhances performance by reducing the GPU workload for less noticeable areas while maintaining high-quality visuals in crucial areas of the game.

Xbox Series X GPU Equivalents

Now that we’ve seen what the Xbox Series X GPU is capable of, what are the PC equivalent GPUs of the AMD Scarlett? In our opinion, the most similar in terms of features and performance would be the AMD RADEON RX 6700 XT and the NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3070.

Here is a comparison table of the Xbox Series X GPU (AMD Scarlett) and its equivalents:

Feature	Xbox Series X GPU	AMD RADEON RX 6700 XT	NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3070
Architecture	RDNA 2.0	RDNA 2.0	Ampere
Process	7nm	7nm	8nm
VRAM	10 GB GDDR6	12 GB GDDR6	8 GB GDDR6
Compute Units	52	40	N/A
Clock Speed	1825 MHz	Up to 2581 MHz	1.73 GHz
Ray Tracing	Yes	Yes	Yes
Performance	12 TFLOPS	13.21 TFLOPS	20.31 TFLOPS

There may be performance differences because of the chosen game or some specific settings. Also, the Xbox Series X GPU is optimized for console gaming and may perform differently than the GPUs in a PC which have other processes running in the background.

Comparing the Xbox Series X GPU and its equivalents

The Xbox Series X GPU and its equivalents, the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT and the Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070, have several differences and similarities. Here’s a detailed comparison of their features:

Architecture

Both the Xbox Series X GPU and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT use the RDNA 2.0 architecture, while the Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 uses the Ampere architecture.

Performance

The Xbox Series X GPU and the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT perform similarly in many areas due to their shared architecture. The Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 generally outperforms both in terms of ray tracing and DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling), thanks to its Ampere architecture.

Power Consumption

The Xbox Series X GPU has a total power draw of 200W, while the AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT draws 230W and the Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 draws 220W. The Xbox Series X GPU is the most energy-efficient of the three but they’re all pretty similar, really.

Ray Tracing and DLSS

All three GPUs support ray tracing but the Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 has a significant advantage because its Ampere architecture and DLSS technology, which uses AI to upscale lower-resolution images in real-time for better performance.

Price

An Xbox Series X, which includes the custom AMD Scarlett GPU, typically retails for around $430. The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT and the Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070 sell for around $300 and $499, respectively. However, due to high demand and limited supply, it can be tough to find one on the market.

Console Gaming Advantages vs PC Gaming

Now, while the GPU in a console and a PC might have very similar specs, you might have noticed that you’re getting very different performance when gaming. Console gaming has some big advantages over PC gaming:

Fixed Hardware Target

With gaming consoles, developers can fine-tune their code for a single hardware configuration unlike PCs. This Eliminates hardware variation and reduces development complexity. It enables deeper performance optimizations which results in more consistent frame rates and visual quality.

Direct Hardware Access

Gaming consoles like the Xbox X allow for better utilization of specialized hardware features and lower-level hardware access compared to PC platforms. This reduces system overhead and enables more efficient memory management.

How is the RDNA 2.0 architecture different from the Ampere architecture used by the Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070?

AMD’s RDNA 2.0 architecture and Nvidia’s Ampere architecture are the two major GPU architectures used in modern graphics cards. This includes the Xbox Series X GPU and the Nvidia Geforce RTX 3070.

Rendering pipelines

Both the RDNA 2.0 and Ampere architectures support mesh shaders and variable rate shaders in DirectX12 Ultimate, which allows developers to create more realistic environments. However, Nvidia’s Ampere architecture tends to have more geometry performance due to its larger number of processors for these tasks.

Memory system and multi-level caches

The RDNA 2.0 architecture has an advanced memory system that includes a large Level 3 cache, called the Infinity Cache, which can potentially store 32 complete sets of L2 cache. This system results in less demand being placed on the GDDR6 controllers and DRAM, which boosts the Xbox Series X GPU’s performance.

The Ampere architecture, on the other hand, uses a more conventional GPU memory subsystem with only two levels of cache and high L2 latency. However, Nvidia partnered with Micron to use a modified version of GDDR6 for their local memory needs, which effectively doubles the bandwidth.

Ray Tracing and Tensor Cores

Both architectures support ray tracing, a technique that simulates the behavior of light for more realistic lighting, shadows, and reflections. However, the Ampere architecture has an edge in this area due to its independent ray tracing cores and Tensor Cores, which are used for AI computations.

Die Size and Transistor Count

The die size and transistor count are also important factors in GPU performance. The Ampere architecture tends to have larger GPUs with more transistors, which generally means higher performance. The flip-side, however, is that larger die sizes can also lead to higher power consumption and heat output.

When might you prefer one GPU architecture over the other?

Both AMD’s RDNA 2.0 architecture and Nvidia’s Ampere architecture are designed to deliver high-performance GPU solutions. Depending on the use case, one might have a slight edge over the other. It often just comes down to price and availability.

Gaming

For gaming, both architectures offer excellent performance. RDNA 2.0 is used in the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5, so game developers may optimize their games for this architecture. This doesn’t necessarily mean that games will perform better on RDNA 2.0, as lots of other factors could also impact game performance.

Ray Tracing

While both architectures support ray tracing, the Ampere architecture might be preferred. Ampere has independent ray tracing cores, which could provide a significant advantage in ray tracing performance versus RDNA 2.0.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Ampere architecture might be the better choice for AI and ML applications. Ampere includes Tensor Cores, which are specifically designed for AI computations. While RDNA 2.0 can also handle AI and ML workloads, it doesn’t have dedicated AI hardware.

Memory Efficiency

RDNA 2.0 architecture has an advanced memory system with a large Level 3 cache. This results in less demand being placed on the GDDR6 controllers and DRAM.

On the other hand, the Ampere architecture uses a more conventional GPU memory subsystem with only two levels of cache and high L2 latency.

Power Efficiency

If power efficiency is a concern, then the RDNA 2.0 architecture might be the better choice. It delivers a significant increase in performance and efficiency over previous architectures 1.

In conclusion, the RDNA 2.0 architecture might offer some advantages for gaming and memory efficiency while the Ampere architecture might be better if you’re building AI or ML applications.

Final Thoughts on Xbox Series X GPU Equivalents

The AMD RADEON RX 6700 XT and the NVIDIA Geforce RTX 3070 are the most equivalent GPUs to the Xbox Series X’s. If you’re looking at GPUs that are a level above, there are the Radeon RX 7900XT and the RTX 4080. On a similar topic, do check out our earlier post on good GPUs for 4K gaming.

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