You probably don't know this, but there are actually various models of the AMD RX 6800 XT on the market. Just very slowly, though. Some have mega power delivery systems for overclocking, while others are tuned to run quiet and cool. Some models also have windowed display cases to show off their RGB brilliance. Gigabyte has a high-end Aorus design for these applications, but there is still a place for more value-oriented products like this Radeon RX 6800 XT Gaming OC version.

Some may just want solid performance, plug in the card, fire up the game, and never see or care about the card. Such users will find the Gigabyte RX 6800 XT Gaming OC card most appealing.

Even if a particular card is not the fastest, quietest, or runs coolest, it should still offer good value. However, in today's market, an affordable card may not be possible.

The RX 6800 XT is the most attractive of the three AMD RX 6000 series cards The AMD RX 6800 XT is the most attractive of the three AMD RX 6000 series cards and is considerably more affordable than the AMD RX 6900 XT but not much more expensive than the AMD RX 6800.

The RX 6800 XT has a boost clock of 2,250 MHz, while the Gigabyte Gaming OC has a boost clock of 2,285 MHz with a 35 MHz overclock. The memory specifications of the reference RX 6800 XT and Gigabyte Gaming OC are the same, with 16GB of 16Gbps memory on a 256-bit bus.

The Gigabyte RX 6800 XT Gaming OC is one of the more compact cards on the market, not because of its length but because of its height: it protrudes above the PCIe bracket, but its relatively compact size makes it easier to fit into slimmer cases. It is a very good choice for a triple-slotted card. Still, it is a triple-slot card, and its length of 286 mm is not suitable for small ITX cases.

The Gaming OC has a custom PCB with dual 8-pin PCIe power connectors and dual BIOS. The card ships with the default OC settings enabled and can be switched to silent BIOS for quieter operation at lower clocks, temperatures, and noise levels. The Gigabyte logo on the side features the only RGB lighting present on the card. If disco ball-like laser light shows are not your thing, Gigabyte's more subtle lighting may work for you.

Of note is the inclusion of two HDMI 2.1 ports in addition to the two 1.4 DisplayPort connections. Cards with dual HDMI ports are not that common and should be noted if that is important to you.

The Gaming OC uses the company's powerful Windforce 3X cooler. It is essentially the same as used in the Nvidia RTX 3080 and Nvidia RTX 3090 Gaming models, although there are slight differences between models. It has proven to be able to handle the higher TDPs of these models, making the RX 6800 XT easy to tame.

The center fan spins in the opposite direction of the two outer fans, which Gigabyte claims increases air pressure. In our tests, it generally performed well, although it was louder than some fans. We do not expect this cooler to match the heat or noise levels of coolers with very large surface areas, such as those on cards like the Asus TUF, and we have no complaints; those who have used Vega blower cooling cards will like the low noise level.

While testing the card, a few surprises became apparent. Despite a relatively low rated boost clock of 2,285 MHz, the Gigabyte was able to maintain an average boost clock of 2,350 MHz right out of the box. The measured power consumption was also surprising, with a peak value of 264W for the GPU itself

and a peak value of 1.5W for the GPU itself

.

This indicates that this sample has a powerful GPU, which was able to boost 50 MHz higher than the card saw in the reference model, yet at a lower power consumption. When you play the silicon lottery, you win some, you lose some. This was definitely a winner.

As for performance, the difference between the reference card and the factory overclocked card is really not that noticeable, just a frame or two, or a few percent here and there. the AMD 6900 XT holds a lead, and the RTX 3080 holds a lead in most cases, and the RTX 3080 retains the lead.

The Gigabyte seems to be a bit of an all-rounder card, delivering decent performance along with decent heat and noise levels, although it generally falls short of cards with larger fans and heatsink surface area.

The Gigabyte 6800 XT Gaming OC also proved to have a bit more overclocking headroom, but our results were not stunning. In a test that took more than 10 minutes to establish a stable boost clock, we found a result of 2,510 MHz. This is better than the normal card, but still low for the RX 6800 XT we tested. Nevertheless, this is enough performance to put it on par with the 6900 XT, and it is good enough for a free performance offering. [However, it is still difficult to evaluate the Gigabyte 6800 XT Gaming OC in what is currently a very volatile market; the Gaming OC can be considered a competitor or alternative to the AMD reference card, as it sits below the premium Aorus cards. The reference card is very good and is the best reference card AMD has produced recently; the Gaming OC surpasses it, but not by much. The operating temperatures are also a bit lower, but again not by much. Thus, value is now the main differentiator, which makes this card difficult to evaluate.

Availability is nothing short of disgraceful. But to be fair, that applies to all high-end GPUs today. With the rapid rise in the value of cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, GPU mining seems to have become profitable once again. Add to this the constraints of 7nm capacity and the potential Covid disruption, and it is difficult to see this card maintaining its valuable market positioning. Can you recommend a card that sells for $200 above MSRP? No. However, markets change and today's price may not be the price one to three months from now.

In summary, the Gigabyte RX 6800 XT Gaming OC is a modest but capable card. If you are upgrading from a card that is a few years old, it will bring a big performance jump, but if you are choosing one of the many RX 6800 XTs available, it should offer a good value to make it an attractive product. At the moment, at $850 or even higher, it just doesn't deliver. But check back in a month or two. By then, the Gigabyte Gaming OC may have established itself as a product that offers the solid value we've come to expect.