AMD Radeon RX 9060 vs RX 9060 XT Performance Breakdown

Clear performance differences between RX 9060 and RX 9060 XT create purchasing challenges within the budget graphics card segment

Hardware by Godrics01 on Nov 18, 2025

People have different opinions about AMD's Radeon RX 9060 XT. On the one hand, the way the product names are set up is confusing because there are two models with the same name but quite different amounts of VRAM.

The 9060, on the other hand, is a great value in the budget GPU market, which may lack in terms of VRAM but performs as well as the 9060 XT.

AMD, Radeon RX 9060, RX 9060 XT, Performance Breakdown, NoobFeed

Different Types of Products and Their Place in the Market

It isn't good for consumers that the RX 9060 XT comes in both 16GB and 8GB versions with the same name. The 16GB version offers additional features and lasts longer. Even so, the 9060 XT is a good choice for budget builders. The 16GB version costs $350, which is less than the 16GB RTX 5060 Ti, and it routinely sells for that price.

The 8GB model often sells for less than the suggested retail price (MSRP), usually around $ 280 US; however, we don't recommend it. If you know about its flaws and want to pay the least amount feasible, it is still a possibility.

We have always said that there should never have been two models with the same name since the 9060 XT came out. The 9060 XT should have only had 16GB of VRAM. The 8GB version should have been called the RX 9060, and it might have had some cores disabled. Instead of pursuing this, AMD chose to use binned Navi44 dies in OEM systems to make more money.

OEM-Only RX 9060: AMD stealthily released the Radeon RX 9060 as an OEM-only product, available only through a few system integrators. You can't buy the 9060 XT in a store; instead, you have to buy a whole system. That's why we got a whole system to test the RX 9060 and see how it stacks up against the XT version.

An Overview of the Specifications

The RX 9060 is based on the Navi44 chip, just like the 9060 XT. However, it has binned silicon with fewer cores and slower memory. The number of cores decreases by 13%, from 20048 to 1792, while the clock speed decreases by 4.5%.

With 8GB of VRAM and GDDR6 memory running at 18 Gbit/s, the bandwidth drops from 320 GB/s to 288GB/s, a 10% decrease. TBP drops to 132W, which is 12% less than the 9060 XT 8GB. PCIe 5.0 x16 is still there.

Because the device is only available through OEMs, it doesn't have a suggested retail price (MSRP). However, we estimate it will cost about $ 260 US based on system pricing.

Rainbow Six Siege Performance

At 1080p, the RX 9060 is 15% slower than the 9060 XT and 17% slower than the RTX 5060. At 1440p, it is still about 30% faster than the RX 7600, and at 1080p, it is still about 35% faster.

The Ultra Plus mode maintains the same performance gaps at 14–15%. It is 4–8% slower than the RTX 5060, yet 38% faster than the RX 7600 at 1080p and 28% faster at 1440p.

Performance of Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered

At 1080p, the RX 9060 is faster than the RTX 5060 at medium settings, 10% slower than the 9060 XT, and 35% faster than the RX 7600. It is 12% slower than the XT at 1440p, but faster than the RTX 5060.

When set to Very High, VRAM utilisation goes over 8GB. However, the RX 9060 doesn't have major performance problems because it has a PCIe 5.0 x16 connection. At the same time, the other 8GB GPUs are limited to x8. It is only 8–9% slower than the XT and far quicker than the RTX 5060, which can't be used at all without lowering settings.

AMD, Radeon RX 9060, RX 9060 XT, Performance Breakdown, NoobFeed

Performance of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

The RX 9060 is 15–16% slower than the XT, 13% slower than the RTX 5060, and just 14–16% quicker than the RX 7600 when set to medium.

It is still 16–17% slower than the XT at ultra settings and has similar margins to the RTX 5060, although it is 20% quicker than the RX 7600.

How Well Does Cyberpunk 2077 Run

The RX 9060 is 16–17% slower than the XT at low settings, and it performs about the same as the RTX 5060. At 1080p, it is 38% better than the RX 7600, and at 1440p, it is 34% better.

At high settings, it is still up to 17% slower than the XT and 13% slower than the RTX 5060 at 1080p, and 6% slower at 1440p.

How Well Space Marine 2 Works

The RX 9060 is 12% slower than the XT at 1080p and 13% slower at 1440p when set to medium. It is 15% and 18% faster than the RX 7600.

It is 13–16% slower than the XT and the RTX 5060 at ultra settings, yet it is still 26% faster than the RX 7600.

How Well Shadow of the Tomb Raider Works

The RX 9060 is 11% slower than the XT and just 15% quicker than the RX 7600 when settings are set to medium.

At the maximum preset, it stays close to the XT but still lags behind the RTX 5060.

How well does Call of Duty Black Ops 6 work

The RX 9060 is 20% slower than the XT at 1080p and 16% slower at 1440p when using the basic preset. AMD still has a big edge in this category, which is why the RX 9060 is about 20% Faster than the RTX 5060.

At the highest preset, it is 18–20% slower than the XT and 25% quicker than the RTX5060 at 1080p. The difference is smaller at 1440p.

Summary of Average Performance

The RX 9060 is very similar to the RTX 5060 in seven games with medium settings. It is 13–14% slower than the 9060 XT and 23–26% faster than the RX 7600.

With ultra presets, the RX 9060 is still 13–14% behind the XT, but it performs better than the RTX 5060 and is still 26–29% ahead of the RX 7600.

Cooling and How Heat Behaves

The XFX Swift Gaming Edition runs softly. In a closed ATX chassis at 21° room temperature, with a 1-hour load, the hotspot temperature reaches 79°, the VRM temperature reaches 79°, and the memory temperature reaches 74°, all at a modest fan speed.

Confusion in the Market and Worries from Buyers

The RX 9060 might confuse buyers. Most people won't realise it exists and might think it's the same as the 9060 XT, especially since prebuilt listings don't make it clear that they are different. People looking for a 9060 XT may encounter many 8GB units and mistakenly think they are buying the 16GB version.

The RX 9060 adds to this confusion. People who see "9060" may think it means "9060 XT," unaware that it is a slower, OEM-only device with limited coverage and reviews.

AMD, Radeon RX 9060, RX 9060 XT, Performance Breakdown, NoobFeed

This may have been avoided with a clearer naming system. The lineup would have been easier to understand if there were only one 9060 XT with 16GB of VRAM, one 9060 with 8GB of VRAM, and one 9050 with 8GB of VRAM.

Final Thoughts

For anyone who wants to acquire the RX 9060 in the future, the price is very important. It has to be at least 15% cheaper than the 9060 XT 8GB to be worth looking into. If you know how it works and where it fits in, you won't have to pay XT prices for a non-XT product.

Also, check our other AMD articles: