Nvidia vs AMD - worth the $300 difference?

[haskell]

I posted this in the hardware forum, but since it is MSFS-specific hopefully it will be allowed here: 

 

I am looking to upgrade and am looking at the mid-high range GPUs. I have decided on a 3080 TI or a 6800 XT. They both benchmark about the same in MSFS but the 6800 is about $300 cheaper. Some have actually reported smoother performance in FS with the 6800. So it is the logical choice for value.

BUT, DLSS is Nvidia only. I hear mixed reviews on the quality vs. performance benefit of DLSS. I would hate to have a card that didn’t support it if it was a game-changer. Also, I have discovered VR and love it. That’s actually the primary reason for the upgrade. Thoughts?

Thanks! 

[fppilot]

My thoughts are that in MSFS DLSS is still under development/implementaton.  It may take a month or two, or six.  The other side of the coin is if you purchase a new GPU now, how long an interval do you anticipate before you are ready to upgrade the GPU again?  Perhaps balance your thoughts on those questions.

[altenae]

16 minutes ago, haskell said:

I posted this in the hardware forum, but since it is MSFS-specific hopefully it will be allowed here: 

 

 

I am looking to upgrade and am looking at the mid-high range GPUs. I have decided on a 3080 TI or a 6800 XT. They both benchmark about the same in MSFS but the 6800 is about $300 cheaper. Some have actually reported smoother performance in FS with the 6800. So it is the logical choice for value.

BUT, DLSS is Nvidia only. I hear mixed reviews on the quality vs. performance benefit of DLSS. I would hate to have a card that didn’t support it if it was a game-changer. Also, I have discovered VR and love it. That’s actually the primary reason for the upgrade. Thoughts?

Thanks! 

Try to buy a 3090. (24gb)
almost the same price as a 3080TI. (12gb)
since using dx12 I have around 16gb vram in use 

[Alpine Scenery]

1 hour ago, haskell said:

I posted this in the hardware forum, but since it is MSFS-specific hopefully it will be allowed here: 

I am looking to upgrade and am looking at the mid-high range GPUs. I have decided on a 3080 TI or a 6800 XT. They both benchmark about the same in MSFS but the 6800 is about $300 cheaper. Some have actually reported smoother performance in FS with the 6800. So it is the logical choice for value.

3090 > (6900xt = 3080 TI) > 3080 12GB > 3080 10 GB > (3070 TI = 6800XT) > 6800 >= 3070

The 6800 is not as fast as the 3080, the 6800 is not worth it given the difference to bump up to the 6900xt (especially finding one on sale). The 6900xt is A LOT faster than the 6800, but I didn't test a 6800xt. The 6800 is basically a 3070 in MSFS (maybe not even a 3070 TI).

If looking for bang for buck, the 6900xt is fairly close to the 3090, slightly better than the 3080 (from my own testing).
Microcenter and NewEgg HAD the MSI Radeon 6900xt for $630, but out of stock (assuming more coming eventually to some places).

You can also get the XFX Speedsters around $670 - $680 right now online. Don't trust the benchmarks because a lot of them were done on older versions of MSFS, they kept optimizing the game and now the 6900xt is heavily optimized in SU10.

I don't think DLSS will improve much in its current version, there are limitations to upscaling fakery, and the only way to improve it greatly is to degrade the FPS IMO. So DLSS to me is not a big benefit unless you are willing to sacrifice the quality because you fly in some mega-airport with lots of traffic or something. The 3090 is the better card overall compared to the 6900xt, but not worth the price difference. I would try the AMD 6900xt first from a place that allows returns, and if you have issues, just return it and get the 3080.

[AnkH]

With SU11, there will also be FSR 2.0 included if I am not wrong, so basically no absolute need for DLSS. FSR is slightly worse than DLSS, but only on a very minor scale. Personally, I am perfectly happy with my Sapphire RX 6900 XT SE. 

[Bobsk8]

I have owned only one AMD GPU, and never again. I begged the dealer to swap it for a Nvdia, which he finally did, and zero problems since.

 

[Alpine Scenery]

1 minute ago, Bobsk8 said:

I have owned only one AMD GPU, and never again. I begged the dealer to swap it for a Nvdia, which he finally did, and zero problems since.

 

I had some issues in DEV mode with it, however it functioned ok otherwise. Couple hiccups with my refresh rate, but that was VR issue and I don't think it will happen on a regular monitor. I think for most people the ridiculous performance you can get under $700 is worth it IF you buy one from a place you can return it.

 

[Torsen]

1 minute ago, Bobsk8 said:

I have owned only one AMD GPU, and never again. I begged the dealer to swap it for a Nvdia, which he finally did, and zero problems since.

 

I moved to AMD from long time nvidia and will never go back. You will always find both side of the story 😉

[Alpine Scenery]

7 minutes ago, AnkH said:

With SU11, there will also be FSR 2.0 included if I am not wrong, so basically no absolute need for DLSS. FSR is slightly worse than DLSS, but only on a very minor scale. Personally, I am perfectly happy with my Sapphire RX 6900 XT SE. 

Yes, I am not happy that I paid $850 for my 3080 12GB, when the 6900xt can now be had for $630. Honestly, even given the DEV mode issue I had in SU-9 with the AMD (which I heard is fixed in SU-10), I would almost rather go back to the 6900xt for the extra 10% over my 3080 12GB.

 

[Alpine Scenery]

4 minutes ago, Torsen said:

I moved to AMD from long time nvidia and will never go back. You will always find both side of the story 😉

I agree, most people should be open minded. It is SILLY to pay for a 3090 with the current sale prices of a 6900xt. If someone just has some patience, you can get these AMD's for $630 to $650, or you can sometimes combine a credit card or other sale offers and get them for as low as $499 (which is insane for the performance). It's very low risk from any place that allows returns and the performance is crazy for the current prices.

 

 

[Republic3D]

I think I would wait until November to decide, since that's when the new AMD GPUs are presented.

[jpe828]

Completely my experience... I built my PC and went cheap getting a AMD 5700XT. The drivers were buggy, I had TONS of never ending CTDs. Switched to a 3080 after a year, CTDs are very rare now. 

[Bobsk8]

13 minutes ago, jpe828 said:

Completely my experience... I built my PC and went cheap getting a AMD 5700XT. The drivers were buggy, I had TONS of never ending CTDs. Switched to a 3080 after a year, CTDs are very rare now. 

If AMD ever learns how to make a decent driver, that would be something. 

[Alpine Scenery]

The drivers were ok in the past year or so, before that more issues. You do often have to use a very specific driver if using VR though. The main advantage I see with the Nvidia 3080 (at least compared to the 6900xt I owned) is it runs a bit cooler, and the fans aren't nearly as loud as the 6900xt was, but it comes at a performance cost too. That said, even underclocked the 6900xt Red Devil's fans were louder than my Asus 3080 12GB. Other than that, the AMD was fine, the software is annoying, but you get used to it I suppose. That said, the fan issue probably varies depending on which AMD you buy.

I doubt AMD will have a repeat of the driver issues in the future they had in the past, they have a much larger share of the market now, which means games are having to be tested on both more diligently.

 

[Mgard78]

4 hours ago, Alpine Scenery said:

The drivers were ok in the past year or so, before that more issues. You do often have to use a very specific driver if using VR though. The main advantage I see with the Nvidia 3080 (at least compared to the 6900xt I owned) is it runs a bit cooler, and the fans aren't nearly as loud as the 6900xt was, but it comes at a performance cost too. That said, even underclocked the 6900xt Red Devil's fans were louder than my Asus 3080 12GB. Other than that, the AMD was fine, the software is annoying, but you get used to it I suppose. That said, the fan issue probably varies depending on which AMD you buy.

I doubt AMD will have a repeat of the driver issues in the future they had in the past, they have a much larger share of the market now, which means games are having to be tested on both more diligently.

 

Much larger share of the market?  It's 80-20.. hardly larger...