AI Roundtable Poll · 6 models
I want to upgrade my pc. I found someone selling a used MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT, and someone else selling a used Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti for the same price. Which one should i get? I do not care about dlss
Result: Supermajority — MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT (5/6 votes)
Options
- MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT (5 votes)
- Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti (1 votes)
- Other (0 votes)
Model Responses
Llama 4 Scout
Vote: Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti
The Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti generally offers better performance than the MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT. Although the RX 6900 XT is a strong competitor, the RTX 3080 Ti has a slight edge in terms of raw power and features like ray tracing, which might be beneficial even if DLSS is not a concern.
GPT-5.4
Vote: MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT
For the same used price, I’d lean RX 6900 XT if you do not care about DLSS. In plain rasterized gaming, the 6900 XT is generally very close to the 3080 Ti and often trades blows or wins depending on the game, while also giving you 16 GB of VRAM instead of 12 GB. That extra VRAM is the biggest practical advantage. It gives more headroom for newer games, higher texture settings, and longer useful life, especially at 1440p and 4K. The main reason to pick the 3080 Ti would be stronger ray tracing, CUDA-specific workloads, or if you strongly prefer Nvidia features and software. But since you explicitly do not care about DLSS, one of Nvidia’s biggest advantages is off the table. On the used market, condition matters a lot. If both cards are equally healthy, similarly cooled, and from trustworthy sellers, the 6900 XT is the better value choice here.
Gemini 3.1 Pro
Vote: MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT
You should choose the MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT, primarily because of its superior VRAM capacity. The 6900 XT comes with 16GB of VRAM compared to the 12GB found on the RTX 3080 Ti. Modern games are becoming incredibly VRAM-hungry, and having that extra 4GB will give your system significantly better longevity and stability with high-resolution textures. In terms of raw rasterization performance, the RX 6900 XT is an absolute powerhouse. It trades blows with the 3080 Ti and often beats it at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. It is also generally more power-efficient than the RTX 3080 Ti, which means it will run cooler and put less strain on your power supply. Finally, since you explicitly mentioned that you do not care about DLSS, the biggest selling point for the Nvidia card is completely negated. While the 3080 Ti has better ray tracing capabilities, turning on ray tracing without using DLSS to recover lost frames is often impractical anyway. Therefore, the RX 6900 XT is the better all-around choice for pure, long-lasting performance.
Claude Opus 4.6
Vote: MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT
Since you explicitly don't care about DLSS, the RX 6900 XT becomes the stronger pick here. In raw rasterization performance, the 6900 XT trades blows with and often edges out the 3080 Ti, particularly at 1440p and even 4K in many titles. The 6900 XT comes with 16GB of VRAM compared to the 3080 Ti's 12GB. This is increasingly important as modern games and applications consume more VRAM. Having 16GB provides better future-proofing, especially at higher resolutions and with high-texture settings. The 6900 XT also tends to draw less power (around 300W TDP vs 350W for the 3080 Ti), which means less heat output and potentially lower electricity costs over time. The main advantages of the 3080 Ti would be DLSS, superior ray tracing performance, and the NVENC encoder. Since you've stated you don't care about DLSS, that eliminates one of Nvidia's biggest selling points. AMD's FSR is available as an alternative and works on both AMD and Nvidia GPUs. Ray tracing is notably better on the 3080 Ti, but the 6900 XT is still capable if you use it occasionally. Overall, at the same price and without valuing DLSS, the 6900 XT offers better raw performance, more VRAM for longevity, and lower power consumption. It's the better value proposition in this scenario.
DeepSeek V3.2
Vote: MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT
Since you explicitly do not care about DLSS, the comparison shifts to raw rasterization performance and hardware specifications. In benchmarks, the RX 6900 XT often matches or slightly outperforms the RTX 3080 Ti in traditional gaming at resolutions like 1440p and 4K. Moreover, the RX 6900 XT boasts 16GB of VRAM compared to the 3080 Ti's 12GB. This extra memory is a significant advantage for future games and demanding workloads, reducing the risk of VRAM bottlenecks. While the RTX 3080 Ti has superior ray tracing capabilities, if that feature is not a priority for you, the RX 6900 XT provides better value with its higher VRAM and comparable raster performance at the same price.
Grok 4.1 Fast
Vote: MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT
The MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT and Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti offer very similar rasterization performance at 1440p and 4K, with the 6900 XT often matching or coming within 5% in benchmarks (e.g., Hardware Unboxed data shows near parity in most games without RT). The key differentiator is VRAM: 16GB on the RX 6900 XT vs. 12GB on the RTX 3080 Ti. In modern VRAM-hungry titles at 4K ultra (e.g., Cyberpunk, Flight Sim), the extra 4GB provides better future-proofing and fewer stutters. Since the user doesn't care about DLSS, Nvidia's upscaling edge is irrelevant; AMD's FSR 3 performs comparably. The 6900 XT also draws less power (300W vs. 350W+), runs cooler, and costs the same used. Nvidia's RT and software advantages are minor without DLSS prioritization. For value and longevity, the RX 6900 XT wins.
Final Summary
The AI Roundtable overwhelmingly recommended the MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT, with five of the six models identifying it as the superior value for someone who dismisses DLSS. While Claude Opus 4.6 and GPT-5.4 emphasized the 16GB VRAM buffer as a critical 'future-proofing' advantage, Llama 4 Scout acted as the lone dissenter, holding firm to the Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti based on its perceived edge in raw power and ray tracing capabilities.
No agreement after 1 rounds of discussion. Final vote: Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti: 1, MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT: 5
Strongest Arguments
- MSI Radeon RX 6900 XT: The 16GB VRAM capacity provides significantly better longevity and stability for modern, memory-intensive titles compared to the 12GB found on the Nvidia card.
- Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti: The RTX 3080 Ti maintains a slight edge in terms of raw power and retains superior ray tracing performance, which remains a factor even if DLSS is ignored.