AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT Review Ft Sapphire Nitro+ & XFX SWFT

We are finally back from Computex with jet lag and trade show fever, but alas, there is work to be done. After what feels like a long wait, AMD has finally dropped its latest mainstream contender, the Radeon RX 9060 XT! Following on from the higher-end 9070 and 9070 XT, this new GPU is positioned to tackle the competitive mid-range market, aiming squarely at NVIDIA's RTX 5060 and 5060 Ti graphics cards. Available in both 8GB and 16GB configurations, with aggressive MSRPs of $299 and $349, respectively, AMD is clearly looking to shake things up and offer gamers a compelling value proposition. Of particular interest for many will be the 16GB variant. While the 8GB model is positioned to hit that attractive sub-$300 price point, the current landscape of gaming in 2025 has many feeling that 8GB of VRAM simply is not enough for modern titles, especially as textures and resolutions continue to increase. Thankfully, we have the 16GB RX 9060 XT on our test bench today, which we anticipate will offer a much more future-proof experience and, crucially, address some of those lingering concerns about memory limitations that have plagued previous generations of mainstream cards. Boasting the latest RDNA 4 architecture, and with a strong emphasis on improved ray tracing and its FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) upscaling technology, the RX 9060 XT promises a significant step up, particularly for 1080p and even 1440p gaming. But as we have seen time and again, MSRPs do not always tell the full story, and real-world performance and pricing will be crucial. So, will the RX 9060 XT deliver on its promises and become the new mainstream champion, or will it fall victim to inflated prices and real-world bottlenecks? Key Specs: GPU: AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT Architecture: RDNA 4 VRAM: 16GB GDDR6 Memory Interface: 128-bit Stream Processors: 2048 ( Compute Units: 32 AMD Infinity Cache: 32MB Game Clock: ~2530 MHz - 2780 MHz (Varies by model) Boost Clock: Up to ~3130 MHz - 3320 MHz (Varies by model) Memory Bandwidth: Up to ~320 GB/s Interface: PCI Express 5.0 Target Resolution: 1440p Gaming TDP: ~160W - 182W Core Features: Ray Tracing Acceleration (3rd Gen) AI Accelerators (2nd Gen) AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) DisplayPort™ 2.1a & HDMI™ 2.1b Support DirectX® 12 Ultimate Support A Closer Look With the release of the 9060 XT, AMD is making some very bold claims of it being the world’s best graphics card under $350. While I am sure Intel and NVIDIA would have something to say about that, there is also no clear basis for this claim, as the definition of 'the world's best' is subjective. As gamers have become disenfranchised by all the marketing spiel from all camps as of late, I think those words need to be taken with a very large pinch of salt, especially as while this could, at least on paper, launch at $350, if history has taught us anything (though NVIDIA has had it worse), pricing can be a very big point of contention. Now, naming structure to one side, the 9060 XT is regarded as the successor to the Radeon RX 7600 XT, which received a mixed reception from both reviewers and gamers when it launched. While it offered certain improvements over its predecessor, the RX 7600, many felt that these enhancements did not justify the increased price (around 8% more at 1080p and 5% at 1440p), and the card still lagged behind older-generation cards like the 6700 XT. One thing that it did offer was a higher capacity of VRAM, coming in at 16GB. While I would like to say that AMD has learnt that lesson with this newer 9060 XT, that is just not the case, as there are two SKUs launching. I fear, much like other cards we have seen with 8GB of VRAM, that it will be dead on arrival, at least in the DIY segment of the market. After speaking to some AIBs at Computex recently, it does seem like they will be pushing the lesser model more towards system integrators for those who want a cheap system that will run fairly basic games for their children's first PC. So, in comparison, at least to the 7600 XT, we have a card that is launching for another $20 and comes packing the same amount of memory, the same type of memory (GDDR6), and the same 128-bit interface, which matches similar offerings from NVIDIA. Although NVIDIA has at least used GDDR7 to help push its product, even that, for some, has not done enough. What is interesting is that AMD will not have an MBA (Made By AMD) version or reference card for this class of GPU and is reliant on its AIB partners. But again, speaking to them at Computex, there was a definite level of hesitancy when pressed on samples of the 8GB model. I guess this will end up going by the wayside, and some reviewers out there may get their hands on one, though that will likely mean buying one from a retailer or working directly with them, as I am sure AMD wants to mitigate any bad press on this launch, as the 8GB model could bring down the general consensus on both the 8GB and 16GB models collectively. For today, we have the 16GB model to review. Spec-wise, not all that much has changed from the 7600 XT. Of course, we have a different manufacturing process, favouring TSMC’s N4P node, and we now use the Navi 44 GPU core, which is the first card to utilise this particular silicon. We do see a slightly smaller die size compared to the 7600 XT, while also packing in 123% more transistors. Other specs really do not change at all, as we have the same number of Compute Units, stream processors, ray accelerators, ROPs, and Texture Mapping Units, though we do see a small decrease in the Total Board Power from 190W to a maximum of 180W, which will range from SKU to SKU. In terms of clock speeds, these have seen a modest bump of 2% on the game clock, a little under 14% on the boost clock, and around 11% in terms of the memory clock – so, nothing earth-shattering. But, coupled with the architectural improvements, we should see a difference in performance, but by how much is yet to be seen. As mentioned, there is no MBA or reference card for this launch, so we have the Nitro+ model from Sapphire as well as the XFX Swift. Both are pre-factory overclocked, and while we will be looking at cooling performance on both, we have put the Nitro+ model through our full testing suite to see how the GPU stacks up. How We Test We continue to update our testing methods around once per year. As such, we re-test older hardware to reflect changes over time. These can be driver updates, Windows updates, game patches, and more; all of which have an impact on performance figures. Furthermore, we update our test benches to newer and more relevant hardware. This means that our new reviews aren’t always comparable to those of older reviews, so please compare the testing methodology on older reviews should you be trying to compare them with newer ones. Replicate Our Results When it comes to our benchmarks in our reviews, the benchmarks are pretty self-explanatory and are kept as simple as possible, although there are a few exceptions. Remember that your choice of a graphics card, CPU, the silicon lottery, and other factors can yield different numbers, and there’s always a margin for error when using any software. Links are provided below, as well as the settings we use. We encourage you to not just look at how one product compares to any other, but how it compares to your own. If you’re looking to build a new system, you should benchmark your current PC using the benchmarks available to you. You should then look at the percentage improvement from your current hardware to the hardware tested here to give you a ballpark figure of how much of an upgrade this will provide you with. Processor Test Systems Test System (GPU) Motherboard Gigabyte B650E AORUS MASTER Buy Now Processor Ryzen 7 9800X3D Review Buy Now GPU Changes Per Review RAM 32 Corsair VENGEANCE RGB 6000MHz CL30 Review Buy Now CPU Cooler NZXT Kraken Z73 RGB Buy Now Power Supply NZXT C1000 Gold Review Buy Now Storage Seagate FIRECUDA 530 1TB Review Buy Now Chassis NZXT H9 Flow Review Buy Now OS Windows 11 Pro Version 21H2 Drivers Software We use a variety of software from different developers to assist in our testing and to give us the most consistent results possible. Some applications are specifically used for testing, while others are simply used for monitoring and to aid us in making sure that our results are as accurate as possible. Software Used 3DMark FireStrike & TimeSpy (download) Gaming To gauge performance levels which are easily reproduced time after time, by both ourselves and our readers, we now stick strictly to games default profiles. Given how powerful most modern cards are getting, we've began using more demanding profiles for most games, but will otherwise state on a per game basis if we use other profiles beyond High, Ultra, Maximum or their respective equivalent at all resolutions. V-Sync is always disabled in our testing, and all FPS caps that can be removed are. We also enable XMP and Resizable bar technology across all platforms to keep things as fair as possible. Games While we test a lot of games, it's not possible to display all of the data on the website or in our videos. Instead, we include access to all of our testing data for our Patreon members (link), where members get a ton of other benefits as well. What we do, however, is display charts for averages across all game titles to give a better picture of performance across all titles tested. A Plague Tale: Requiem Alan Wake II Baldur's Gate 3 Black Myth Wukong CS2 Cyberpunk 2077 F1 24 Fortnite Hogwarts Legacy Indiana Jones And The Great Circle Starfield War Thunder Resolutions 1080 (Full HD) 1440 4K Some tests will also include features such as NVIDIA DLSS and Ray Tracing. However, these will be clearly labelled and may only appear in reviews for graphics cards that support those features. Power Consumption Not being content with simply reading total system power draw, we now run F1 24 for an hour loop and measure power draw at the end of the loop for the most accurate measurement that represents real-world gameplay experience. Temperatures We take temperature readings after the same hour-long F1 24 loop with no other background programs running, again to simulate a real-world gaming experience. 3DMark TimeSpy Extreme 3DMark Time Spy Extreme is a DirectX 12 benchmark test that pushes even the most powerful gaming PCs to their limits. It renders at a demanding 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) and includes a CPU test designed to measure the performance of high-end processors with 8 or more cores. This makes it an ideal benchmark for evaluating the latest graphics cards and top-of-the-line CPUs, especially when considering demanding tasks like gaming at 4K resolution and beyond. First up, to make sure things are aligning as we would expect, we loaded up 3DMark Time Spy Extreme. Here, we see the 9060 XT falling just behind the 7700 XT in both the overall score and graphics score. We do, however, see a 35% increase over the 7600 XT and a 4% lead over the more expensive 5060 Ti. A Plague Tale: Requiem A Plague Tale: Requiem is a stealth-survival horror adventure that serves as a direct sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence. Players continue the harrowing journey of Amicia and Hugo de Rune, two young siblings navigating a plague-ridden France in the 14th century. The game features stunning visuals, intense action sequences, and a gripping narrative that explores themes of family, resilience, and the darkness within. Synthetics to one side, in A Plague Tale: Requiem (assuming Requiem, please specify if it's Innocence) at 1080p, the 9060 XT averaged 101 FPS. This puts it 2% ahead of the 5060 Ti from NVIDIA, while also seeing a sizeable 42% increase over the 7600 XT. At 1440p, the gap widened slightly, with the 9060 XT pushing 4% ahead of the 5060 Ti and 45% faster than the 7600 XT, coming in at 71 FPS, which also puts it just 2 frames behind the RX 7700 XT. Alan Wake II Alan Wake II is a survival horror game and the long-awaited sequel to Remedy Entertainment's cult classic, Alan Wake. This time, the story takes a darker turn, delving deeper into the psychological and supernatural elements that made the original so compelling. Players can expect a chilling atmosphere, intense combat encounters, and a mind-bending narrative that will keep them on the edge of their seats. Moving onto Alan Wake II, the 9060 XT now pushes slightly ahead of the 7700 XT while retaining a healthier 8% lead over the 5060 Ti, along with 43% faster performance than the 7600 XT from the last generation. Bumping the resolution up to 1440p, the 9060 XT still holds a small lead of a couple of frames over the 7700 XT but, more importantly, still comes in 7% faster than the 5060 Ti while also increasing its lead over the 7600 XT, now by a margin of 51%. Baldur's Gate 3 Baldur's Gate 3 is a highly acclaimed role-playing game set in the Forgotten Realms universe. Developed by Larian Studios, it offers a deep and immersive experience with turn-based combat, intricate storylines, and a vast world to explore. Players can create their own custom characters or choose from a roster of origin characters, each with their own unique backstories and motivations. In Baldur's Gate 3, the 9060 XT came in 8% slower than the 5060 Ti, while simultaneously pushing 6% more performance compared to the RTX 5060 and coming in only 21% faster than the 7600 XT. Increasing the resolution to 1440p, again, the 5060 Ti edges it, as the 9060 XT comes in 9% slower while still coming in 10% faster than the RTX 5060 and 22% faster than the 7600 XT. Black Myth Mukong Black Myth Wukong is an action role-playing game inspired by the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West." Developed by Game Science, it features stunning graphics, challenging combat encounters, and a captivating story based on the legendary Monkey King. Players can expect a unique blend of Chinese mythology and action-packed gameplay. Switching over to Black Myth: Wukong, the 9060 XT essentially matches the performance levels of the 7700 XT, separated by a single frame per second, and giving a solid 47% lead over the 7600 XT. Unfortunately for AMD, the 9060 XT now sits 6% behind the 5060 Ti, though considering the price disparity, I would still chalk that up as a win for the red team. At 1440p, it is much of the same story, with similar performance to the 7700 XT, while also sitting 9% behind the 5060 Ti, but matching the 5060 non-Ti and still coming in with a strong uplift of 45% over its predecessor, the 7600 XT. CS2 CS2 (Counter-Strike 2) is the highly anticipated sequel to the iconic tactical first-person shooter, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Developed by Valve, it promises to revolutionise the competitive FPS scene with updated graphics, refined gameplay mechanics, and new features. Players can expect the same intense tactical gameplay that has made the franchise so popular, but with a fresh coat of paint and exciting new additions. In Counter-Strike 2, the 9060 XT was 5% slower than the 5060 Ti but more than made up for it in the 1% lows, an area where NVIDIA can be hit or miss. The uplift over the 7600 XT is now much smaller too, at just 22%, but at such high framerates, it is nothing any gamer would notice, but is still enough to come in 6% faster than the RTX 5060, which comes in with terrible 1% low figures to boot. At 1440p, things look quite bad for the 9060 XT, essentially matching the performance of the RTX 5060, though again, the 1% low figures for NVIDIA are a real point of contention, and AMD still shows a sizeable 21% increase over its older brother, the 7600 XT. Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 is an open-world action role-playing game set in the dystopian metropolis of Night City. Developed by CD Projekt Red, it offers a vast and immersive world filled with diverse characters, complex storylines, and a wide range of customization options. Players can create their own unique cyberpunk character and explore the city's underbelly, completing missions, engaging in cybernetic enhancements, and making choices that shape their destiny. In Cyberpunk 2077 (assuming 2077, please specify if different), we see the 9060 XT flying, essentially matching the performance of the 7800 XT from the last generation and coming in 27% faster than the RTX 5060 Ti, seeing our strongest uplift over the 7600 XT of 63%. This also puts the RTX 5060 in a really bad situation, as AMD comes in 43% ahead for a 17% higher cost. At 1440p, performance on the 9060 XT and 5060 Ti aligns much more, with a 1 FPS difference in favour of AMD, while also coming in 16% faster than the 5060 8GB and 36% faster than the 7600 XT from yesteryear. F1 24 F1 24 is the official video game of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship. Developed by Codemasters, it offers a realistic and immersive racing experience with all the official teams, drivers, and circuits. Players can compete in the full F1 season, participate in online multiplayer races, or create their own custom championships. F1 24 performance was a bit of a mixed bag. The 9060 XT now sits 7% below the 7700 XT, which until now had been much closer, though at 287 FPS, it is still enough to come in 9% faster than NVIDIA’s 5060 Ti, while also offering up 28% more frames than the 5060 non-Ti and 38% more than the 7600 XT, still demonstrating a strong reason to upgrade. At 1440p, the 9060 XT slips slightly as it now sits 9% slower than the 7700 XT but maintains a 10% lead over the 5060 Ti – a card that comes in $80 more expensive – all while strengthening its uplift over the 7600 XT, now back up to 44% faster. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Indiana Jones And The Great Circle is an upcoming action-adventure game based on the iconic film franchise. Developed by Bethesda Game Studios, it promises to deliver an epic and cinematic experience with a globe-trotting adventure, thrilling action sequences, and a captivating story. Players will step into the shoes of Indiana Jones and embark on a quest to uncover the secrets of a mysterious artefact. The 9060 XT did not perform as well in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, now coming in 12% slower than the 5060 Ti. Though, due to price disparity, there is a lot more going on than first meets the eye. One saving grace for this game is how badly the 5060 8GB does, which helps push the 9060 XT 34% ahead of it at this resolution. At 1440p, I will mention a caveat, in that we had to reduce the texture pool size for our RTX 5060 test; otherwise, it refused to run. Either way, this puts the 9060 XT 13% behind the 5060 Ti and 22% ahead of the RTX 5060, and it holds a much healthier 48% lead over the RX 7600 XT. Starfield Starfield is a highly anticipated space exploration role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios. It offers a vast and immersive galaxy to explore, with countless planets, star systems, and alien civilizations to discover. Players can create their own custom character and embark on a journey to uncover the secrets of the universe, completing missions, engaging in space combat, and making choices that shape their destiny. In Starfield, the 9060 XT comes in just behind the more expensive 5060 Ti by a margin-of-error 2 frames per second, while still striking 18% faster performance than the RTX 5060 and 39% more frames than the card it is essentially replacing. Then at 1440p, the 9060 XT and 5060 Ti aligned the same, separated by 2 frames per second. This also put the AMD card 19% faster than the 5060 8GB card and 42% ahead of the 7600 XT, again showing a worthwhile upgrade path. War Thunder War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat multiplayer game that focuses on historical battles across World War II and the Cold War. Developed by Gaijin Entertainment, it features a wide range of aircraft, tanks, and naval vessels from various nations. Players can participate in large-scale battles with other players, completing objectives and striving for victory. In our final rasterisation test, we have War Thunder. At 1080p, the 9060 XT delivered comparable performance to the 7800 XT, while also coming in 14% slower than the 5060 Ti. The 1440p results were not as favourable, now essentially matching the 5060, but still giving 44% faster performance than the 7600 XT. Overall Average FPS Results are added together, then averaged out for each graphics card at each resolution to give you an overall picture of their relative performance. Across the 10 games tested, the 9060 XT comes in at 187 FPS, putting it just 4% behind the RTX 5060 Ti, which is a card that commands a 23% higher cost if you can get it at MSRP. In terms of the 5060, the 9060 XT offers 13% more performance on average, though it does come in 17% more expensive. However, what is nice to see is that the 9060 XT offers 36% more performance on average compared to its predecessor, the 7600 XT. At 1440p, the 9060 XT offers a similar outcome, trailing 6% behind the 5060 Ti, 10% ahead of the 5060, and coming in with a 35% uplift over the older 7600 XT. Ray Tracing Alan Wake 2 Alan Wake II pushes the boundaries of visual fidelity with its ambitious implementation of "full ray tracing," also known as path tracing. This means ray tracing handles all lighting, reflections, and shadows, creating a more realistic and immersive environment. The game features ray-traced direct lighting for accurate and dynamic shadows, ray-traced indirect lighting for realistic bounced light, ray-traced reflections on surfaces like water and glass, and ray-traced transparency for convincing interaction with transparent objects. In terms of ray tracing performance, the RDNA 4-based GPU has a clear improvement over its RDNA 3 counterpart, offering 73% faster performance than the 7600 XT, while also edging ahead of the RTX 5060 by 4%, though it does fall behind the 5060 Ti by 13%. At 1440p, the 9060 XT again falls behind the 5060 Ti, this time by 15%, and holds the same 4% lead over the RTX 5060, but again shows the strong uplift over the previous generation with a 76% increase in performance. Ray Tracing Black Myth Wukong Black Myth Wukong is set to be a visual tour-de-force, thanks to its implementation of full ray tracing, also known as path tracing. This means ray tracing is used to render all lighting, reflections, and shadows within its fantastical world. Ray-traced reflections enhance the serene beauty of water features and the shine of polished surfaces, while ray-traced shadows add depth and realism to every scene. Ray-traced indirect lighting allows light to bounce naturally, creating a more believable environment. Even the game's particle effects, often a challenge for ray tracing, are rendered with impressive accuracy. Performance in Black Myth: Wukong may not look great at just 25 frames per second, but this now narrowly beats out the 7900 XT. Though this is more of a testament to how lacklustre last-generation AMD cards were in terms of ray tracing, as it is still not enough to even get close to the RTX 5060, which sits 56% ahead. There is no real change at 1440p either, and the chart speaks for itself at just 15 FPS, showing that upscaling is a necessity in this title on most modern-day GPUs. Ray Tracing Cyberpunk 2077 Cyberpunk 2077 was already a visually impressive game, but the implementation of "Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode" takes things to a whole new level. This mode utilises path tracing, a form of full ray tracing, to render all lighting, reflections, and shadows with exceptional accuracy. This means every neon sign, streetlamp, headlight, and screen in Night City contributes to the illumination of the environment, creating a truly breathtaking and immersive experience. Ray-traced reflections bring the city's rain-slicked streets and glass skyscrapers to life, while ray-traced shadows add depth and realism to every scene. In Cyberpunk 2077, again, we see a strong generational uplift over the 7600 XT of 118%, and it is now at least playable. This also puts it 16% faster than the 5060 and only 8% behind the RTX 5060 Ti, so not bad overall, though again, upscaling would give you a much better experience. 1440p sees some changes, as the uplift grows in performance over the 7600 XT, now coming in 120% faster. Due to the 5060 giving pretty dire performance, we now see AMD leading by 83%, though it does still fall 12% behind the 5060 Ti. Ray Tracing F1 24 F1 24 brings the thrill of Formula 1 racing to life with its implementation of ray tracing, adding a new layer of realism to the on-track action. Ray-traced reflections accurately capture the gleaming surfaces of the cars and the vibrant colours of the race tracks, while ray-traced shadows add depth and detail to every scene. The introduction of ray-traced ambient occlusion further enhances the visual fidelity, providing more realistic and nuanced shading. Even the crowds in the grandstands benefit from ray tracing, with more detailed and dynamic lighting. In F1 24, AMD takes a win, coming in 4% faster than the 5060 Ti. It may not be much of a margin, but a win is a win, especially when compared to NVIDIA, who are historically better in ray tracing-based games. At 1440p, it is the same story, with AMD pushing out 4% more performance over the more expensive 5060 Ti, so while on the cusp of margin of error, it does just edge it. Ray Tracing Overall Average FPS Looking at the 1080p ray tracing averages, due to those last results, we do see the 9060 XT falling behind the 5060 Ti by 10% and putting performance close to the 7800 XT from the last generation. What is impressive, though, is the 77% uplift from the 7600 XT, showing that AMD has been hard at work on bringing ray tracing performance more in line with the competition. At 1440p, the 5060 Ti takes a slightly wider gap, with the RDNA 4-based card now sitting 13% behind, but AMD is still 14% ahead of the RTX 5060 and still has an impressive generation-on-generation uplift of 78%. Power & Temperatures As mentioned, we have the Nitro+ model from Sapphire, which is likely going to be one of the top-tier models being released and comes with a pre-factory overclock. Looks-wise, it essentially is a slightly shrunk-down version of what we have seen on its higher-tier brothers, the RX 9070 and 9070 XT. Under our hour-long load test of F1 24, we found a very reasonable peak GPU temperature of 53 degrees Celsius, while the memory came in at a higher 82 degrees Celsius. The fans did stay relatively quiet, which is something we are used to seeing with the Nitro+ range, at around 1500 RPM on average, though this did see peaks around 1738 RPM, which is still silent enough not to be heard over the rest of your system's cooling. The power really did hit the limits at 183W peak, which is above the 160W reference spec. Though AMD does allow for higher limits, as the reference spec is more of a guideline than a cap, and it allows AIBs to go above and beyond, which would require a beefier power delivery system and cooler, something the Nitro+ prides itself on. Unless you are going for a more basic model, this is pretty typical and still within reasonable expectations. In terms of the core clock, we saw clock speed behaviour hovering around 2960 MHz for the most part, but on occasion, we did see that jump to a little over 3000 MHz. Overall, the card performed very well, though at this point, we have no other 9060 XTs to compare it to, but that is something we will look at in future pieces of content. The XFX card came in slightly different. While the GPU temperature was slightly higher, at around 56 degrees Celsius, with the occasional peak at 57 degrees Celsius, the memory temperature stayed at a very steady 68 degrees Celsius throughout the test. The fans also stayed very quiet, at just under 1300 RPM at its highest, but for the most part, we saw speeds as low as 980 RPM, making it essentially silent. Power-wise, being a new card, there was clearly an error with HWiNFO in displaying the power outputs. Once we are able to see that data, we will update you all on our social media channels, though it is more than likely to be exactly where you expect it to be, at similar levels to the Sapphire card. Then, in terms of clock speed, while it did not hit the same levels as Sapphire's, it still ended up hovering around 2850 MHz and had occasional peaks at just under 2900 MHz, which, when compared to Sapphire, would not mean much, if anything, in terms of real-world performance. Cost Per Frame MSRP So, how do things stack up in the all-important cost per frame? Well, this is where things get interesting, as the RTX 5060 actually comes in as the better buy at $1.81 per frame, though this is not much different from the 9060 XT, which comes in at 5 cents more expensive per frame but gives a 13% increase in overall framerate. When it comes to 1440p, which I honestly think people buying this would be looking to play at, it is definitely good news, as the 9060 XT comes in as the second-best value GPU you can buy right now at just $2.61 per frame. Sadly, this comes with a pretty major sticking point in that a lot of GPUs still are not available at their MSRP prices, though it is getting better, and AMD generally does come out better than NVIDIA in this department. What is going to be a thorn in AMD's side, however, is the RTX 5060, which comes in as the better buy and performs just 9% worse, though the big drawback there is the all-important VRAM, which is where AMD has the edge when thinking about future-proofing. What is clear to see is that AMD does offer good value when it comes to cards with 16GB of VRAM, and that is something that NVIDIA cannot really compete with at the moment, as its best value 16GB card is the RTX 5060 Ti at $3.03 per frame and, again, $80 more in total. Cost Per Frame Selling Price When it comes to real-world selling prices, the 5060 still does well, as it is actually available at its MSRP of $299. This puts the RX 9060 XT into the same position as well, just behind by 5 cents per frame, like we saw at MSRP, though this is assuming that the new RDNA 4 card will be available at that price. Our retail sources suggest that stock will be strong and, therefore, it should be. What we do find is that cards like the 7700 XT and 5060 Ti now drop down slightly to be put into a better light. However, if you were eyeing up a 7700 XT for 1080p gaming, then the 9060 XT is the better choice, given its similar performance, more VRAM, and newer technologies and architecture. At 1440p, which again is more realistic for this card, the 9060 XT still sits as the best-buy card in its segment if we are talking 16GB of VRAM minimum, with the next closest card being an older AMD 6000 series. Again, if you want the best efficiency, performance per watt, latest tech like FSR 4, and so on, then it is a bit of a no-brainer for this one. Even when compared to the RTX 5060, at 1440p, it really starts to show that it is a bit of a let-down; even though it is cheaper than the RDNA 4 card we have looked at today, it is packing less performance and will not have the same level of longevity. How Much Does it Cost? Overview Focussing purely on performance, the RX 9060 XT delivers on what it was set out to do by offering strong 1080p and competitive 1440p gaming experiences. Compared to its predecessor, the RX 7600 XT, it offers a substantial uplift, averaging 36% faster performance at 1080p and 35% at 1440p across rasterisation tests, with even more significant gains in ray tracing of 77% at 1080p and 78% at 1440p. When pitting it side-by-side against the RTX 5060 and RTX 5060 Ti, it generally competes very well, often outperforming the RTX 5060 by 13% at 1080p and 10% at 1440p, and proving to be a close contender to the more expensive RTX 5060 Ti – trailing by only 4% at 1080p and 6% at 1440p in rasterisation, while holding anywhere up to a 4% lead over the RTX 5060 in ray tracing, but falling behind the 5060 Ti by 10-15%. The big one is always going to come down to pricing, though, and luckily AMD tends to fare better than its NVIDIA counterparts, even if this is not abundantly clear. Firstly, stock is generally pretty plentiful in comparison, and that is definitely going to be a saving grace for AMD, as it means we should see performance and pricing align much better in the real world when actually obtaining a card for the price it is meant to be. For us, it is always hard to recommend a launch-day GPU, no matter the brand or tier, until we see the launch price and get a better “lay of the land”. So, speculation does generally come into play, and if the 9060 XT comes in for the expected price, then its 16GB model offers compelling value, particularly at 1440p where it stands out as the best value GPU, especially when compared to the NVIDIA RTX 5060 Ti 16GB. What is clear to see is that unlike NVIDIA, AMD is not solely relying on upscaling technology. While it does have FSR, and that is something we will look at in an upcoming feature, it tends to push its marketing message around rasterisation and ray tracing performance, while also offering better efficiency and focusing heavily on getting the price right. While the 9060 XT does come in $50 more expensive than the RTX 5060, it does pack double the VRAM, which is something that the community as a whole has been irked about regarding cards that feature 8GB of VRAM. As mentioned, I think the 8GB version of this card is a bit of a non-starter, though we will do our best to get hold of one to see if that is actually the case. Comparing like-for-like, though, in terms of pitting the 9060 XT against the 5060 Ti 16GB, it is clear to see that the 9060 XT offers very similar rasterisation performance while being priced significantly lower, providing a more attractive cost-per-frame. While ray tracing performance still favours NVIDIA in some titles, AMD has made significant strides, even taking wins in F1 24. Given the slightly cheaper price of the AMD offering, it positions itself as a strong value proposition, especially for those prioritising rasterisation performance and VRAM capacity over peak ray tracing in every title. Of course, the big one for NVIDIA is that it has the stronger brand compared to AMD, and due to that, it will sell no matter what, even if not in the huge numbers it expects. For the red team, this puts them in a harder situation where marketing and buzzwords do not quite cut it; instead, they have to rely on having a good product at a solid price. For the most part, the RX 9060 XT delivers on that front, offering strong performance for its intended market segment, which is exactly what AMD set out to do with that bold statement. What is clear to see is that while NVIDIA is dead set on pushing AI as far as it can, AMD has taken a much simpler approach to getting its technology into the hands of gamers for an affordable price. When it comes to the 9060 XT, it largely succeeds in offering a compelling mid-range option that balances performance, VRAM, and price, especially the 16GB model, making it a strong contender for mainstream gamers in 2025. What is also clear to see is that after testing a lot of comparison cards and seeing strange quirks in certain games like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, 16GB is definitely now becoming the new norm, and I honestly feel the 8GB version of this card will undoubtedly be dead on arrival. For now, that is going to wrap up this review of the new Radeon RX 9060 XT from AMD. We will have a more Sapphire-focused review in the near future, with more thoughts on the design, specs, and why you should or should not buy it over a reference spec model. 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