With the recent launch of Nvidia's GeForce RTX 50-series graphics cards, the landscape of the dedicated graphics card market has shifted. This release offers AMD and Intel a prime opportunity to reclaim some much-needed market share. While the 50-series GPUs aren't inherently flawed, their emphasis on AI-generated frames and a lack of significant manufacturing advancements compared to the previous 40-series has diminished Nvidia's traditional edge in performance and power efficiency.
In response, AMD is capitalizing on this moment with its new Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics cards, which are positioned competitively at $299 and $349 for 8GB and 16GB versions, respectively. These prices strategically undercut Nvidia's RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti. Similar to the earlier RX 9070 series, the RDNA 4 architecture significantly enhances ray-tracing performance and power efficiency, addressing the shortcomings of the RX 6000 and RX 7000 series. The 16GB variant of the RX 9060 XT is particularly appealing as it helps mitigate the growing concerns surrounding RAM limitations that plague 8GB cards.
The specifications of the RX 9060 XT reveal a robust midrange GPU. Here's a breakdown of its specs compared to its predecessors:
Compute Units (Stream Processors): 32 RDNA4 (2,048) Boost Clock: 3,130 MHz Memory Bus Width: 128-bit Memory Bandwidth: 320GB/s Memory Size: 8GB or 16GB GDDR6 Total Board Power (TBP): 150W (8GB) or 160W (16GB)On paper, the RX 9060 XT closely resembles the last generation's RX 7600 and RX 7600 XT, both equipped with 32 compute units and a 128-bit memory interface. However, AMD claims that the RDNA4 architecture significantly enhances performance, with each compute unit offering substantial improvements in rendering speeds, particularly in ray-tracing workloads. The RX 9060 XT's manufacturing process utilizes TSMC's 4nm technology, a step up from the 6nm process used in the RX 7600 series, leading to lower total board power figures.
In our testing, we utilized an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and conducted benchmarks primarily at 1080p and 1440p resolutions. The RX 9060 XT was compared against various GPUs, including the last-generation Radeon RX 7600 series, Nvidia's GeForce RTX 4060, and Intel's Arc B580.
The RX 9060 XT performs impressively, showing a performance increase of between 22% and 62% faster than the RX 7600 XT in games without ray-tracing effects at 1440p. This makes it a strong candidate for an entry-level 1440p gaming GPU. While it may not surpass the RX 7700 XT or RX 6800 in raw performance, it still delivers competitive ray-tracing capabilities, often outperforming these last-generation cards.
When it comes to power efficiency, the RX 9060 XT showcases significant improvements, drawing similar power to the 8GB RX 7600 while delivering superior performance. Although the Nvidia RTX 5060 Ti still holds a slight edge in power consumption, the gap has narrowed, making power efficiency less of a decisive factor in choosing between the two brands.
The debate around the adequacy of 8GB of RAM continues, especially as gaming requirements evolve. While some tech enthusiasts argue that 8GB cards are becoming obsolete, the RX 9060 XT's performance suggests that they can still be viable options for less demanding scenarios. However, given the increasing demands of modern games, opting for a 16GB variant is a safer bet for future-proofing your gaming setup.
As we navigate the 2025 GPU market, availability and pricing remain significant challenges. Although mainstream cards like the RTX 5060 and RX 9060 XT are on the market, finding them at their recommended retail prices can be difficult. While many graphics cards are available, they often come with price tags that exceed the listed MSRPs.
If you're in the market for a GPU, securing the 16GB version of the RX 9060 XT at $349 is advisable due to its superior performance and future-proofing capabilities compared to other options in the same price range.
In a landscape where Nvidia has dominated, the RX 9060 XT emerges as a compelling midrange graphics card that offers excellent performance for both 1080p and 1440p gaming. With improvements in power efficiency and ray-tracing capabilities, AMD's offering is attractive, especially considering the competitive pricing. However, the card's success ultimately hinges on its availability at the advertised price, making it a worthwhile consideration for gamers looking to upgrade their systems.
