What is the Xbox Series X GPU equivalent?

It may make your mouth water when looking at the Xbox Series X, a most powerful ninth-generation console that’s a good baseline GPU when building a PC. Think of how it can run video games at 4K resolution with a locked 60 FPS or 120 FPS!

So, the million-dollar question now is, what particular GPU should you shop for to brandish all the firepower this Xbox graphics card holds? And in the process, earn bragging rights. 

Xbox Series X GPU equivalents include the Radeon RX 6700 XT, RX 6800, and RX 6800 XT from AMD’s lineup. NVIDIA’s compatible GPUs with the Xbox Series X include the Geforce RTX 3070 and Geforce RTX 2070 Super.

In this post, we’re going to break it all down. We’ll walk you through different PC GPUs that offer the same performance as the Xbox Series X and GPUs that seriously challenge it so you’re fully aware of what’s best for you. 

 What is the Xbox Series X GPU?

Like its Series X, the Xbox Series X is equipped with a custom chip based on the same RDNA 2.0 architecture used by AMD for their Radeon 6000 lineup. However, compared to its brother, the Series X’s custom chip packs four times more power.

The designated name for this custom GPU is Scarlett, and it was developed to make the Xbox Series X a powerful high-end console. Microsoft created a console with enough juice in its tank to be considered this generation’s most powerful console.

Regarding raw power, its whopping 12.15 teraflops of performance rating puts the Xbox Series X way ahead of its competition. As such, the Xbox Series X’s GPU can comfortably run most games at 60 to 120 FPS and 4K resolution without any issues.

The only thing holding back the Xbox Series X is the poor optimization of recent game releases, making 120 FPS and 4K a struggle to run without any visible dips. For your reference, the table below lists its GPU’s complete specifications.

Xbox Series X GPU Specifications
GPU Name	Scarlett
Architecture	RDNA 2.0 (AMD)
Foundry	TSMC
Process Size	7nm
Graphics Cores	3,328, 52CU
Memory	10GB
Memory Type	GDDR6
Memory Clock	1750 MHz
GPU Clock	1825 MHz
Memory Bus	320 bit
Bandwidth	560 GB/s
TDP	200 W
Texture Rate	379.6 GTexel/s
Pixel Rate	116.8 GPixel/s
FP32 Performance	12.15 TERAFLOPS
Launch Date	November 10, 2020

Design Architecture and Configuration

The Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU is built from the 7nm process at TSMC and features 3,328 shading units, 208 TMUs, 64 ROPs, and 52 compute units. TSMC, of course, stands for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. 

Scarlett is definitely no pushover and if you’re looking for serious gaming this is it. The chip size is large by modern standards at about 360 mm² of die size, which includes 15,300 million transistors in total.

The Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU has DirectX 12 Ultimate support, with Mesh Shader and Sampler Feedback. Scarlett features include: 

• accelerated ray tracing
• a 200W power draw
• improved heat dissipation via iGP cooling solution
• and Radeo Super Resolution.

Its 1,825 Mhz max clock speed is comparable to other AMD GPUs, such as the RX 6800 XT and RX 6900 XT, which are also based on RDNA 2.0 architecture. As such, you can consider these graphics cards as notable Xbox Series X GPU equivalents.

Memory Specifications 

In terms of memory hardware, the Xbox Series X isn’t wanting as it comes equipped with 10GB of GDRR6 VRAM, with a unique 320-bit wide memory bus. If you look into other RDNA 2.0 GPUs, you’ll notice that they use a measly 256-bit memory bus.

Memory bus aside, even the 10GB GDRR6 VRAM is also unique for this custom chip. The good thing is that this gives the Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU a lot of room to work with for the next years, which speaks volumes about its longevity.

Theoretical Performance Rating

As we said earlier, the Scarlett GPU makes the Xbox Series X the most powerful gaming console today. After all, it boasts 12.15 teraflops of power rating compared to its closest competitor, the PS5, at a 10.3 teraflops power rating.

The Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU also has a computing power of 52 with its 12.15 teraflops of power rating, making it comparable to the RX 6700 XT GPU. 

On the other end, AMD’s RX 6700 XT has a texture rate of 413 GTexel/s and an FP32 of 13.21 teraflops.

NVIDIA’s RTX 3070 is another comparable GPU with a theoretical performance rating similar to Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU. While the RTX 3070 only has a texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s, it does sport a magnificent 20.31 teraflops of FP32.

Actual Performance

When it comes to playing actual games, the Xbox Series X runs games at a solid 60 and 120 FPS at 1080p,1440p, and 4K resolutions, as expected from its numbers. That can truly give you crispier graphics.

While hitting 120 FPS relies on good optimization, the Xbox Series X does hit 60 FPS at 4K without any issues.

It’s true for titles with great optimization, such as Forza Horizon 5, which allows you to maintain play at a solid 60 FPS or more without sacrificing the visual quality. Other games may need the Series X to lower the resolution in some scenes to hit its target.

If you’re okay with 1080p or 1440p resolutions, you won’t have to worry about not hitting 120 frames per second as much. Anything at that level is easy enough for the Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU to handle without needing to lower graphical settings.

Unfortunately, recent Xbox game releases have been a hit-and-miss regarding software optimization, so your options for playing 120 FPS at 4K resolution are limited. It can certainly be a letdown. 

Still, you can’t fault the Xbox Series X for that since it’s an issue with game developers. But with all the firepower the GPU is putting on the table, you won’t feel shortchanged while using Scarlett on any game on the market, MMORPG or not.

Cooling Solution

Like the Series S, the Xbox Series X utilizes an iGP cooling solution to dissipate the heat it produces during use. Not to mention that most of the console’s size is due to the massive heat sink that Microsoft put inside to aid its self-cooling process.

It can’t be helped since the Xbox Series X has a total draw power of 200W, which is the same as other high-end RDNA 2.0 GPUs. Fortunately, the Series X is one of the best, consoles designed by Microsoft, which explains its excellent heat dissipation.

Of course, powerful consoles get upgraded over time; it’s a given. But these times, you can be sure Scarlett is surely making a mark. 

What is the equivalent of the Xbox Series X’s GPU?

Based on which GPU shares the closest numbers and design choices with the Scarlett, the best equivalent would be AMD’s RX 6700 XT. Plus, the Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU is similar to AMD’s RX 6800 XT graphics card in terms of clock speeds. 

Depending on where you stand, you can argue for both GPUs being the equivalent of the Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU. From NVIDIA’s side of the coin, we think that the RTX 3070 is the most comparable GPU to the Series X’s Scarlett GPU.

Like the Scarlett, RTX 3070 performs better than the RX 6700 XT while also being close to the benchmark scores of the RX 6800 XT. The only thing that might be limiting the potential of NVIDIA’s RTX 3070 is its much lower 8GB GDDR6 VRAM.

For your reference, you can check out the list below of some PC GPUs that we think are Xbox Series X GPU equivalents for performance. This data will be useful if you plan on building a PC with a similar performance to the Xbox Series X.

• Radeon RX 6700 XT

• Radeon RX 6800 

• Radeon RX 6800 XT

• Geforce RTX 3070

• Geforce RTX 2070 Super

• Radeon RX 6900 XT

• Radeon RX 6600 XT

• Geforce RTX 2080

• Geforce RTX 3060

Here’s how the numbers of some of these PC GPUs compare to the Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU. We recommend getting a good look at the numbers below so you understand why we think these graphics cards are Xbox Series X GPU equivalents.

	Xbox Series X Scarlett	Radeon RX 6700 XT	Radeon RX 6800	Radeon RX 6800 XT	Geforce RTX 3070	Geforce RTX 2070 Super
Architecture	RDNA 2.0	RDNA 2.0	RDNA 2.0	RDNA 2.0	Ampere	Turing
Graphics Cores	3328, 52CU	2560, 40CU	3849, 60CU	4608, 72SMC	5888, 46SMC	2560, 40SMC
Memory	10GB	12GB	16GB	16GB	8GB	8GB
Memory Type	GDDR6	GDDR6	GDDR6	GDDR6	GDDR6	GDDR6
Memory Clock	1750 MHz	2000 MHz	2000 MHz	2000 MHz	1500 MHz	1605 MHz
GPU Clock (Boost)	1825 MHz	2581 MHz	2105 MHz	2250 MHz	1725 MHz	1770 MHz
Memory Bus	320 bit	192 bit	256 bit	256 bit	256 bit	256 bit
Bandwidth	560.0 GB/s	384.0 GB/s	512.0 GB/s	512.0 GB/s	448.0 GB/s	448.0 GB/s
TDP	200 W	230 W	250 W	300 W	220 W	215 W
Texture Rate	379.6 GTexel/s	413.0GTexel/s	505.2 GTexel/s	624.0 GTexel/s	317.4 GTexel/s	283.2 GTexel/s
Pixel Rate	116.8 GPixel/s	165.2 GPixel/s	202.1 GPixel/s	288.0 GPixel/s	165.6 GPixel/s	113.3 GPixel/s
FP32 Performance	12.15 TFLOPS	13.21 TFLOPS	16.17 TFLOPS	20.74 TFLOPS	20.31 TFLOPS	9.062 TFLOPS

Please note while some of the PC GPUs above beat the Xbox Series X’s Scarlett GPU in terms of performance rating, the other values are what make the comparison close. When it comes to playing actual games, the performance will be a lot closer.

You can also see how the Xbox Series X GPU equivalents compare based on in-game performance. Note that there is a software equation that we must consider when talking about performance. 

One thing’s certain: games behave differently with varying GPUs. Below is a table that shows how these PC GPUs perform on some popular video games compared to how the Xbox Series X’s GPU performs.

Games at 4K Resolution (High to Ultra High Settings)	Xbox Series X Scarlett	Radeon RX 6700 XT	Geforce RTX 3070
Apex Legends	120 FPS	74 FPS	89 FPS
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla	60 FPS	43 FPS	45 FPS
Call of Duty: Warzone	120 FPS	60 FPS	67 FPS
Fortnite	60 FPS	51 FPS	64 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077	60 FPS	29 FPS	34 FPS
Hitman 2	60 FPS	62 FPS	65 FPS
Ghost Recon Breakpoint	60 FPS	64 FPS	28 FPS
Doom Eternal	120 FPS	128 FPS	122 FPS
Red Dead Redemption 2	30 FPS	47 FPS	51 FPS
Borderlands 3	60 FPS	47 FPS	44 FPS

Studying the numbers in the table above shows how much the locked FPS modes on the Xbox Series X help with game performance. It’s one advantage of playing video games on a console compared to a PC with a comparable GPU.

The only problem with the Xbox Series is that you’re stuck with its custom Scarlett GPU until Microsoft releases its next-generation console, which wouldn’t be for a while. With a PC, upgrading is always an option depending on your needs.

Which GPU beats the Xbox Series X?

Among the Xbox Series X GPU equivalents we’ve listed above, the Radeon RX 6800 is the one that can outperform Microsoft’s flagship console. Everything that runs on an Xbox Series X console can be handled by the Radeon RX 6800 without issues.

It’s also priced at $499, about the same retail price as the Xbox Series X. However, since the Radeon RX 6800 is only a graphics card, you’ll spend a lot more when using it to build your PC, unlike a console that only requires a monitor or TV.

It doesn’t stop there, though. The Radeon RX 6900 XT is an even more powerful GPU than the Radeon RX 6800 so it should give Scarlett a run for the money. 

Looking at the graphs above can give you an idea of which GPU works better than Microsoft’s Scarlett. In this sense, the Ampere series should stand out with its widely acclaimed RTX 3080 and the RTX 3080 Ti, both upgrades of the RTX 3070.

FAQs about Xbox Series X GPU Equivalent

What GPU is equal to Xbox Series X? 

The Radeon RX 6700 XT is the closest to the Xbox Series X in overall performance, although it’s slightly weaker. If you’re looking for a GPU close to the Xbox Series X performance-wise but better, you can go for the RX 6800 or RX 6800 XT instead.

From NVIDIA’s end, the RTX 2070 Super should give comparable performance to the Xbox Series X Scarlett. Using these graphics cards means you’re putting a premium on immersive gaming and its burgeoning requirements. 

Is RTX 3060 better than Xbox Series X? 

There are performance aspects of an RTX 3060 GPU that are better than an Xbox Series X. But overall, it depends on what particular game you’re playing and how well its software is optimized to run on these GPUs. 

In terms of price, the RTX 3060 is a lot cheaper, but it’s only a GPU, so you still need other components to build a PC with it. Performance-wise, the RTX 3060 and Xbox Series X are similar.

Remember that you can play right away using an Xbox Series X as you just have to plug it into a monitor. So, in this sense, Microsoft’s console is much better than the RTX 3060 GPU.

What GPU is in the Xbox Series X?

A custom chip called Scarlett, which is based on AMD’s RDNA 2.0 architecture, is the GPU that Microsoft uses on the Xbox Series X. This GPU was released alongside the Xbox Series X back on November 10, 2020, at a price of $499.

How much is the Xbox Series X?

$499 is the current retail price of the Xbox Series X. You can also drop by the Xbox promotions page to check their sales and special offers if you want to save money on your purchase.

These figures are volatile, however, and could be affected by market developments every now and then. The price of an Xbox Series X is regional and would vary depending on where you are on the planet.