In an effort to increase its share in the discrete graphics segment, AMD is focusing on mass solutions, trying to offer a real alternative to NVIDIA graphics cards, offering more for less money. Apparently, this approach was also followed during the launch of the Radeon RX 9060 XT line of models, which are supposed to compete with the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti. To what extent they succeed, we will examine the example of the ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC – a hefty three-fan model with interesting options.
AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT
The Radeon RX 9060 XT uses the Navi 44 processor with the new RDNA 4 graphics architecture. The chip is manufactured by TSMC using the 4 nm (N4P FinFET) process technology. The die area is 199 mm², and the GPU contains 29.7 billion transistors. The layout density is 149.2 million per 1 mm². Interestingly, this chip is even better than the new NVIDIA processors in this regard. For example, the GB206 used for the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti has a transistor density of 121 million per 1 mm².
In the Radeon RX 9060 XT version, the Navi 44 processor has 2048 compute units, 128 texture units, and 64 rasterizers (ROPs). The GPU also has 32 RT accelerators and 64 AI accelerators. The GPU has an average clock speed of 2530 MHz and can be boosted to 3130 MHz. The single-chip graphics processor is also equipped with 4 MB of L2 cache and 32 MB of L3 (AMD Infinity Cache).
Radeon RX 9060 XT is offered in versions with 8 GB and 16 GB of memory. In this case, GDDR6 chips are used with a relatively high effective frequency for this standard – 20,100 MHz. Taking into account the fact that the video cards received a 128-bit bus, the total memory bandwidth is 322 GB/s. This is more than the predecessor Radeon RX 7600 XT (288 GB/s), but it looks significantly more modest than the performance of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, which received the new GDDR7 – 448 GB/s.
| Radeon RX 9700 | Radeon RX 9600 XT | Radeon RX 7600 XT | |
| Graphics processor | Navi 48 | Navi 44 | Navi 33 |
| Architecture | RDNA 4 | RDNA 4 | RDNA 3 |
| Technology | 4 nm, TSMC | 4 nm, TSMC | 6 nm, TSMC |
| CUDA computers | 3584 | 2048 | 2048 |
| TMU/rasterizers | 224/128 | 128/64 | 128/64 |
| AI accelerators | 112 | 64 | 32 |
| RT blocks | 56 | 32 | 32 |
| GPU clock speeds | 2070/2520 MHz | 2530/3130 MHz | 2470/2755 MHz |
| Memory capacity | 16 GB GDDR6 | 8/16 GB GDDR6 | 16 GB GDDR6 |
| Memory bus | 256 bits | 128 bits | 128 bits |
| Effective memory frequency | 20 100 MHz | 20 100 MHz | 18,000 MHz |
| Memory bandwidth | 645 GB/s | 320 GB/s | 288 GB/s |
| Graphics card power consumption (TGP) | 220 W | 160 W | 190 W |
| Starting recommended price | $549 | $299/349 | $329 |
| Release date | March 2025 | June 2025 | January 2024 |
As for power consumption, AMD operates with several parameters at once. The total level of Total Board Power (TBP) is declared at 150–182 W, while the conditional typical indicator of Typical Board Power is 160 W. Therefore, the actual values will probably depend on the nature of the load and specific modifications of the adapters. One 8-pin PCI-E connector is provided for connecting additional power. Such a channel will provide up to 150 W, the rest the video card will take from the PCI-E slot. As for the power of the PSU, AMD recommends focusing on units from 450+ W.
Among the interesting features of the technical specifications, it is worth noting that the Radeon RX 9060 XT supports the PCI Express 5.0 interface and uses all 16 lines to connect the video card. With backward compatibility, this option allows you to use the video card with platforms on PCI-E 4.0 and PCI-E 3.0, without fear of possible performance losses due to bandwidth limitations. As is the case with video card models limited to PCI-E x8.
In typical configurations, the Radeon RX 9060 XT will be equipped with three video outputs – one HDMI 2.1b and a pair of DisplayPort 2.1a.
During the presentation, a conditional render (Artist render) was used to visualize the Radeon RX 9060 XT, so the developers do not offer their own reference models of this line. Here, all hopes are placed on partners.
AMD has announced quite optimistic recommended prices for the Radeon RX 9060 XT. Versions with 8 GB of memory are offered from $299, modifications with 16 GB - $349. Recall that for the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8/16 GB the recommended price is $379/$429.
In their presentation materials, the developers focused on the price factor, so the slides show the performance difference between the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB ($349) and the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8 GB ($379) in 1440p mode with Ultra settings. Under these conditions, an average advantage of 6% over the opponent is claimed based on the results of testing in 40 games.
The available "versus" allowed AMD to claim a 15% advantage in terms of price/performance. Of course, these conditions are frankly unfavorable for a video card with 8 GB of onboard memory, so to avoid bias, in the practical part of the review we will rely on our own actual results.
ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC
After announcing the new lineup, ASUS has offered several Radeon RX 9060 XT models in TUF, Prime, and Dual designs. The number of modifications is generally small, with the top position being taken by the ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC.
The most charged version for this series with an efficient three-fan cooler and significant stock overclocking.
In this case, the typical frequency (Game Clock) of the GPU has been increased from 2530 MHz to 2780 MHz, with the peak value increasing to 3320 MHz. The video card is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, operating at the recommended 2518 MHz (20,144 MHz effective).
Package contents
The ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB GDDR6 OC Edition comes in a rather large branded box.
In addition to the video card itself, the kit includes paper documentation in the form of a user manual, as well as several branded accessories - a TUF Gaming badge and a Velcro strip for cable management, which is a nice addition.
Design and layout
ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC is designed in the recognizable style of the TUF Gaming series, combining aggressive aesthetics with functional practicality. The overall design of the graphics card is restrained, but at the same time solid.
The massive graphite-colored casing dominates, covering the radiator and three large axial fans. The lid is complemented by light gray (or silver) elements at the corners, which gives the "sarcophagus" expressiveness and emphasizes its brutal appearance.
The overall dimensions of the video card are 304 x 126 x 50 mm. So, we are dealing with a 2.5-slot design that requires appropriate free space in the case for placement. Despite its considerable size, formally the ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC squeezes into the specification to the "last millimeters", which allows it to be used in compact SFF systems.
ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC is equipped with a fairly massive cooler with a large radiator block consisting of two cassettes of aluminum plates connected by heat pipes.
The entire structure is blown by three axial fans with a diameter of 95 mm. In this case, models with 11 blades of increased length are used, which have a ring-shaped connection on the outer radius of the fan. Axial-tech technology allows you to increase the air flow and increase static pressure. It may also be an attempt to reduce turbulence.
The use of the Alternate Spinning principle, which involves rotating the central and side fans in different directions, should help avoid the latter effect. This allows for optimal cooling at lower fan speeds, reducing the overall noise level.
To connect additional power to the video card, there is one 8-pin PCI-E connector. Considering the declared power consumption of the Radeon RX 9060 XT at 160 W, such a configuration will be quite enough. The power connector of such a configuration provides up to 150 W, the video card can receive up to 75 W from the PCI-E x16 slot. As for the requirements for the power supply, for ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC systems, the manufacturer recommends using a PSU of 550 W or more.
The back of the video card is covered with a metal plate of matte dark gray color. This solution is typical for modern high-performance video cards and performs several important functions. The plate provides structural rigidity to the printed circuit board, preventing it from bending and deforming under the weight of the cooling system. The backplate also plays the role of an additional cooling element. In the current case, the plate comes into contact with the memory chips through stickers, improving their temperature regime.
The right side of the shroud features large cutouts with TUF Gaming design elements. These holes allow airflow from the fans to pass through the heatsink and exit through the back of the graphics card, providing a through-the-block airflow that improves the overall efficiency of the cooler.
There's also a small BIOS switch on the back labeled "P MODE" (Performance Mode) and "Q MODE" (Quiet Mode). The toggle allows the user to choose between two graphics card operating profiles: one optimized for maximum performance and more aggressive fan settings, and the other for quieter operation.
Interestingly, in the case of the ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC, access to the switch is through a hole in the plate. This design feature means that the overall width of the adapter is significantly larger than that of the printed circuit board. Therefore, to access the toggle switch on the edge of the PCB, a separate "window" had to be made.
The interface panel offers three video outputs – two DisplayPort 2.1a and one full-size HDMI 2.1b. The plug itself is made of stainless steel grade 304 (Stainless Steel 304), as evidenced by the corresponding inscription on the bracket. Part of the panel has a perforated structure with ventilation holes. These slots are designed to remove hot air, which passes through the radiator of the cooling system and is discharged outside the PC case.
ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC has received additional illumination – a large TUF series logo is illuminated on the side panel of the video card. Small segments of "rays" also glow nearby.
Test system configuration
- Graphics card: ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X (6/12; 3.9/5.4 GHz)
- Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B650M-A WIFI II (mATX, AMD B650)
- Cooling: ASUS Prime LC 240 ARGB
- Memory: Kingston FURY Beast DDR5-6000 32GB (KF560C30BBK2-32)
- Drive: Kingston NV3 2TB (SNV3S/2000G)
- PSU: ASUS Prime 750W Gold
- Case: ASUS A23 PLUS
To test the video card, a system unit from Artline was used. The available PC was equipped with a 6-core Ryzen 5 9600X (6/12; 3.9/5.4 GHz), which worked in tandem with the ASUS PRIME B650M-A WIFI II motherboard. The power of this CPU is enough to unleash the potential of video cards of the Radeon RX 9060 XT level. To further increase the computing capabilities of the CPU, we used a mode with a TDP of 105 W, instead of the basic 65 W for this model. Such a setting is made as easy as possible by motherboard manufacturers. All that is needed to do is change the appropriate option in the BIOS and save the settings.
The chip was cooled by an ASUS Prime LC 240 ARGB liquid cooling system with a pair of 120mm fans with additional illumination. The PC was also equipped with a dual-channel set of 32GB DDR5-6000 RAM and a 2TB Kingston NV3 drive.
The ASUS Prime 750W Gold with a capacity of 750 W was responsible for stable power supply. As noted, for a PC with a Radeon RX 9060 XT, the manufacturer recommends using a 550+ W PSU, so there is a considerable margin behind this parameter. The system was assembled in a compact ASUS A23 PLUS case with a transparent side panel and good internal ventilation, which is provided by four basic 120 mm fans (3+1).
In operation
We start practical experiments by assessing the temperature regimes of the video card. In idle mode, the graphics processor heated up to 30-32C, the memory chips - up to 54C.
The cooling system supports hybrid mode with fan stop, so at minimum load the ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC operates silently.
According to monitoring data from the GPU-Z utility, the graphics adapter consumed up to 10 W of power at idle. At the same time, the GPU clock frequency decreased to 11 MHz.
Under gaming load, the average GPU temperature was only 49C. However, unlike NVIDIA, AMD developers left the ability to monitor the performance at the hottest point of the crystal (Hot Spot) for their new video cards. This indicator rose to 73C. At the same time, the GDDR6 memory chips heated up to 80C.
To maintain the specified temperature regime, the fan speed at peak increased to 2100 rpm, although typical indicators for games were 1700–2000 rpm. The overall noise level is below average. As can be seen in the screenshot, during a gaming session the GPU was accelerated to 3174 MHz.
We also tested the "quiet" mode by switching the corresponding toggle switch on the video card to the "Q Mode" position. In this case, under load, the GPU temperature already rose to 57/81C, the memory chips – to 86C. At the same time, the fan speed did not exceed 900 rpm, and the noise level was very low. After changing the profile, the frequency indicators remained unchanged, so the overall performance of the video card will also remain at the previous level.
Productivity
For a basic assessment of the capabilities of the ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC, we have prepared a set of "examiners" that will allow you to determine the position of the video card in the modern graphics hierarchy. The diagrams of the 3DMark component stages present the previously obtained results of the GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB, GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB, GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB, GeForce RTX 5060 8 GB and GeForce RTX 4060 8 GB video cards.
The indicators of popular 3DMark tests are widely presented on the network, so we also added the average results for the conditional predecessor – Radeon RX 7600 XT 16 GB and the nominally older model a class higher with the RDNA 3 architecture – Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB.
The first run of 3DMark Time Spy gives some reason for optimism. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB here is ahead of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB by 4.5% and is about the same as the "senior" Radeon RX 7700 XT 12 GB. The difference with the Radeon RX 7600 XT 16 GB is no less striking – we record a 44% advantage over its predecessor. We like this performance increase when switching to the next generation of discrete graphics.
The same test in Extreme mode with a higher actual resolution almost did not change the balance of power.
The results in the Steel Nomad subtest were quite unexpected, where the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB confidently outpaced the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16GB, also beating the Radeon RX 7700 XT 12GB. The advantage over the Radeon RX 7600 XT 16GB generally exceeded 60%.
AMD's Speed Way results are generally more modest. The test measures GPU performance using a combination of real-time ray tracing and traditional rendering techniques. The scene uses ray tracing and global illumination, transparent surfaces with ray reflections, volumetric lighting, particles, and post-processing effects.
The stage with even more intensive use of ray tracing brings interesting results. Here the Radeon RX 9060 XT is almost catching up with the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti, confidently ahead of the Radeon RX 7700 XT. There is no need to mention the Radeon RX 7600 XT here. Obviously, for models on the RDNA 4 architecture, the performance of working with RT has been significantly increased. As we can see even from the 3DMark tests, there may still be nuances, but in general, AMD managed to tighten up what is not the strongest side of its previous generation video cards. As we can see, in certain scenarios this allows it to "measure rays" almost on equal terms with new NVIDIA models of the same class. Which in itself is no ordinary achievement.
Gaming Performance (1080p)
The Radeon RX 9060 XT has a fairly universal positioning. With this model, AMD is trying to cover several niches at once. The developers assure that this is an ideal option for games in Full HD mode, while also separately emphasizing the excellent experience for those who use 1440p resolution. Apparently, for the first case, the Radeon RX 9060 XT 8 GB versions are offered. AMD is confident that video cards with 8 GB of memory still have a place on the market even in 2025. Such models are acceptable for popular competitive projects that do not require ultra-high memory capacity. The audience for such games is simply huge, so according to the law of the market – if there is demand, there will be supply.
However, when it comes to "heavy" resource-intensive projects, even at a resolution of 1920 × 1080, 8 GB of memory is not always enough, especially when it comes to maximum settings. Which the Radeon RX 9060 XT graphics card is generally quite capable of handling. Therefore, according to the results of the first sales, the demand for versions with 16 GB of memory was significantly higher.
Let's check out what kind of results you can expect from the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB in games with Full HD mode and maximum quality settings. And without using scaling and ray tracing. Pure raster rendering as it is.
First, the performance in projects where even the specified settings allow you to get considerable absolute fps. In the trio of Dying Light 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Assassin's Creed Mirage, the video card mostly provides more than 120 frames/s. In terms of performance in all of the above cases, the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB is slightly inferior to the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB. However, the average difference is at the level of 5–7%.
In the game Avowed, direct competitors – Radeon RX 9060 and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti – showed almost identical results. While the slight advantage of the AMD model in Alan Wake 2 even came as a surprise. The GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB was rehabilitated in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which is not surprising given the deeper optimizations for NVIDIA solutions. In the listed projects, the GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB is ahead of the mentioned adapters by ~25%, confirming its belonging to the solutions of a higher class.
Also a bit of a surprise was the good performance of the Radeon RX 9060 XT in Black Myth: Wukong, where the video card managed to outpace its main opponent. In the updated "Oblivion", the advantage of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB is felt. But in DOOM: The Dark Ages, both video cards demonstrate parity in terms of average fps, although the model with the AMD chip had slightly lower minimum frames/c.
It is worth noting that in almost all cases, with the exception of Dying Light 2, even in Full HD mode, there is a significant advantage of this pair of video cards over the GeForce RTX 5060 8 GB and GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB. This is not exactly about the increased memory capacity, but rather about the difference in computing power.
If you want to use ray tracing, especially in versions with high-quality implementation of these effects (Path tracing), you can improve the basic performance using FSR and frame generation technology (AMD Fluid Motion Frames).
The radical increase in the performance of hardware AI accelerators in the Radeon RX 9000 allowed AMD to offer a new version of FSR 4 for better image scaling and the basis of ML calculations. This is the actual answer to DLSS 4 with transformer models from a competitor. The developers also offered a more advanced version of AMD Fluid Motion Frames 2.1, which allows for better "generation". And to reduce system delays, the updated AMD Anti-Lag 2 technology is provided.
Of course, the game base supporting NVIDIA technologies is much wider, but AMD is working in this direction. More than 60 games already support FSR 4, although test drivers are required for experiments in a certain number of projects.
Gaming Performance (1440p)
When it comes to video cards of the level of Radeon RX 9060 XT and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti in modifications with 16 GB of memory, we are obviously dealing with models that are generally ready for games in 1440p mode. The memory capacity is guaranteed not to be a limiter even for the most complex projects, but the question arises of the total power of the GPU. Will it be enough for comfortable play in the mode that gamers are increasingly using?
In moderately resource-intensive projects, we have surprisingly good results even at maximum settings. It is probably unusual to see even Cyberpunk 2077 in this category, but without additional "RT-gear" it is already quite nimble on modern video cards. We have a comfortable average of 76 fps, while even the minimum number of frames/c in the test scene did not drop below 60 fps. About 100 fps in Dying Light 2 and Assassin's Creed Mirage do not need any comments at all - excellent.
As for the "heavier" projects, there are some nuances here. Avowed offered an average of 35 fps, in Alan Wake 2 and the second stalker we have about 45 frames/s. This is already such a trivial "bell" and a reason for more detailed picture settings. As we can see, here even the GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB does not always manage to provide an average of 60 fps, although it is close to this target figure. Whereas models of the Radeon RX 9060 XT and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti level need support with scaling and possibly even the generation of additional frames.
As for the comparison of the capabilities of the direct opponents, the situation does not change fundamentally, although with the increase in resolution, the advantage of the NVIDIA model has become slightly greater. But in general, the difference is only a few percent. But there are still situations when the AMD novelty is ahead of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB.
In pure "raster" positions, the Radeon RX 9060 XT is quite powerful. Unfortunately, we did not have the opportunity to add the indicators of its predecessor, the Radeon RX 7600 XT 16 GB, but usually its results are quite close to those for the GeForce RTX 4060, which are presented in our review. So you can quite accurately imagine the actual progress of AMD solutions not only in synthetics, but also in real games. Models on RDNA 4 have significantly added, creating real competition for RTX 50 series video cards.
Gaming Performance (4K)
The presence of 16 GB of memory encourages you to at least superficially try out the capabilities of the video card in 4K games, even though the Radeon RX 9060 XT was not initially positioned by the developers as a solution for such conditions.
Well, at least we tried. Moreover, Dying Light 2 and Assassin's Creed Mirage can be played quite comfortably even with the maximum graphics quality settings. In other cases, it is obvious that you will have to rely on boosting with FSR (FidelityFX Super Resolution) and frame generation. Probably, good performance can be achieved by abandoning the most resource-intensive options and texture resolution.
Increased local memory capacity will not only be appropriate here, but necessary. There were obvious performance problems during testing of the GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 8 GB in the game Avowed, and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl could not be run at all in maximum quality mode on it.
As for the ratio of power between the Radeon RX 5060 Ti 16 GB and the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB, they are similar. But in general, when the difference in 1–2 fps is already a relative difference of +10%, such a metric loses any practical meaning. The general situation remains unchanged – this is a solution of the same class with its own characteristics.
Overclocking
Despite the basic factory overclocking of the ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC, we also checked what frequency indicators can be achieved with additional acceleration. Before increasing the operating frequency of the GPU, a downvolting procedure was performed - a reduction in the operating supply voltage, which allows for a stable result and an actual increase in performance. The voltage was reduced by 130 mV.
During the experiments, the target GPU frequency was increased by 500 MHz. However, the actual values under load did not increase so radically. For example, in the game Cyberpunk 2077, the GPU worked at 3420 MHz. The frequency of the memory chips was increased from 2518 MHz to 2800 MHz (+11%), so the bandwidth increased from 322 GB/s to 358 GB/s.
After additional overclocking, we recorded an improvement in performance – the Graphics Score in the 3DMark Time Spy Extreme test increased from 7632 to 8453 points.
Power consumption
Recall that for the Radeon RX 9060 XT, the declared power consumption is 160 W. However, when indicating such characteristics, AMD uses the TBP (Typical Board Power) indicator, that is, a typical indicator during load, which may differ from the maximum. At the same time, during the announcement of the Radeon RX 9060 XT, the developers also used the term Total Board Power (TBP), rather vaguely indicating the current level - 150-182 W.
In the case of the overclocked ASUS TUF Gaming Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB OC, the actual consumption level in resource-intensive games reached 182 W. This figure is identical to what we previously received for the original GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB models, which have a declared 180 W TGP (Total Graphics Power). So, in practice, the power consumption of direct competitors from AMD and NVIDIA is almost the same.
While testing the graphics card in games, we also recorded the overall power consumption of the PC in various projects. Even though a TDP profile of 105 W was used for the Ryzen 5 9600X processor, the actual figure fluctuated in the range of 293–337 W. In such a case, a 550 W power supply unit is probably enough for a system with a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB.
