AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT Review: A Powerful GPU for Affordable Gaming

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NVIDIA has long been the leader in the graphics processing unit (GPU) market, frequently releasing high-end video cards that set the standard for performance. AMD, on the other hand, has typically followed suit, striving to offer competitive alternatives at lower price points. However, with the recent launch of the Radeon RX 9060 XT, AMD appears to have struck a balance between affordability and performance. This new GPU is designed to compete directly with NVIDIA’s offerings, particularly the RTX 5060 Ti, while providing a more attractive price point.

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The Radeon RX 9060 XT starts at $350 for the 16GB variant and $300 for the 8GB version. This pricing is significantly lower than the RTX 5060 Ti, which retails for $429. Despite the lower cost, the RX 9060 XT delivers comparable performance, making it a compelling option for gamers looking for value.

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What is the Radeon RX 9060 XT?

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The RX 9060 XT is the entry-level model in AMD’s Radeon RX 9000 series, aimed at gamers who want a capable GPU without breaking the bank. It features 32 RDNA 4 compute units, 32 ray tracing (RT) accelerators, and 64 AI accelerators. The card can achieve boost clock speeds of up to 3.1GHz and has a power consumption of 180W. For comparison, the more expensive RX 9070 has 56 compute units, while the RX 9070 XT has 64.

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AMD positions the RX 9060 XT as a successor to the RX 7600 XT, which launched at $329 last year. While the RX 7600 XT also offered 16GB of VRAM, it had a slower memory bandwidth of 288 GB/s. The RX 9060 XT’s enhancements make it a more powerful option, with AMD claiming it is 46 percent faster than the RX 7600 XT across a wide range of games.

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For this review, I tested the Gigabyte RX 9060 XT, which features a standard cooling solution with three fans and a copper heatsink. While it lacks advanced cooling technologies, it performs adequately for its price range.

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Performance Overview

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In various gaming benchmarks, the RX 9060 XT performed as expected, falling slightly behind the RX 9070 and either matching or slightly trailing the NVIDIA RTX 5060 Ti. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, the RX 9060 XT scored 200 points higher than the RTX 5060 Ti, and it was 90 points ahead in the Timespy Extreme test. However, NVIDIA’s card outperformed the RX 9060 XT in the Speedway benchmark by 1,000 points and had a lead of over 2,000 points in the Luxmark HDR 4 test.

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Despite these discrepancies, the RX 9060 XT’s ability to compete with the RTX 5060 Ti at a lower price is noteworthy. AMD has also made strides in ray tracing performance, achieving a 45 percent improvement in the 3DMark Port Royal benchmark compared to previous generations. However, NVIDIA still leads in ray tracing capabilities, particularly with its DLSS 4 AI upscaling technology, which allows for the generation of multiple frames for every natively rendered frame.

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Benchmark Results

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The RX 9060 XT managed to run Cyberpunk 2077 in 1440p ray tracing \”overdrive\” mode at a respectable 80 fps, while the RTX 5060 Ti achieved 136 fps thanks to its multi-frame generation capabilities. Lowering the resolution to 1080p allowed the RX 9060 XT to reach 120 fps, and it maintained 90 fps with the less demanding ray tracing \”ultra\” preset in 1440p. In terms of raw performance, the RX 9060 XT achieved 114 fps in 1080p and 90 fps in 1440p.

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During testing, the RX 9060 XT exhibited efficient thermal performance, reaching a maximum temperature of 54 degrees Celsius during the 3DMark Steel Nomad stress test. This is notably lower than many competing GPUs, which often exceed 70 degrees Celsius under load. The card idled at 42 degrees Celsius, which is typical for this price range, and it operated quietly without excessive fan noise.

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Limitations of the Radeon RX 9060 XT

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While the RX 9060 XT is a strong contender in the sub-$400 GPU market, it does have some limitations. One notable area for improvement is the adoption of AMD’s FSR 4 AI upscaling technology, which has been slower to gain traction compared to NVIDIA’s DLSS 4. Although FSR 4 is now supported in over 60 games, this is still significantly fewer than the 125 titles that support DLSS 4.

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Additionally, the user experience for enabling FSR 4 on the RX 9060 XT is not as straightforward as NVIDIA’s DLSS. Users must manually activate it in AMD’s Adrenaline software and then enable it within individual games. Despite these challenges, the RX 9060 XT demonstrated impressive performance, achieving an average of 254 fps in 1440p with extreme graphics settings when FSR 4 and frame generation were enabled.

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Should You Buy the Radeon RX 9060 XT?

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If retailers maintain reasonable pricing for the RX 9060 XT, it represents a solid choice for gamers seeking an affordable GPU focused on 1080p and 1440p gaming. At $350, it is significantly cheaper than the RTX 5060 Ti, making it an attractive option for budget-conscious consumers.

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AMD also offers a variant of the RX 9060 XT with 8GB of RAM for $300. However, this option is not recommended unless you primarily play older games at 1080p. Investing in the 16GB version is advisable for those looking to play newer titles without issues, especially at 1440p resolutions.

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Sources:

• Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT
• NVIDIA’s RTX 5060 Ti
• RX 7600 XT