AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB Review: A Disappointing Day

AMD's GPU Strategy and the 9060 XT

• ⚠️ AMD's decision to withhold the 8GB version of the 9060 XT until after the embargo is criticized as a tactic to avoid negative comparisons with their own 5060.
• 🎯 The 9060 XT 16GB is positioned as a value card, aiming to match the 5060 Ti's performance with double the VRAM at a lower price.

1080p and 1440p Gaming Performance

• 📊 At 1080p, the 9060 XT performs admirably, keeping pace with the 5060 Ti (which costs more) and significantly outperforming the 7600 XT.
• 📉 However, at 1440p, the 9060 XT does not meet AMD's claims of superior performance over the 5060 Ti, often trailing behind it and not looking stellar against the 5060.

Architecture and Power Consumption

• 💡 The 9060 XT is built on AMD's RDNA4 architecture, featuring improvements in ray tracing and AI, though still not matching Nvidia in these areas.
• ⚡ Despite AMD recommending a 450W power supply, the card's power draw in certain games like F-124 suggests a beefier PSU might be advisable.
• 🌡️ The card remains cool and quiet even under heavy load, which is a positive aspect.

Ray Tracing and Productivity

• 🚫 AMD's ray tracing performance still lags behind Nvidia's direct competitors, with the 9060 XT falling behind the 5060 Ti at 1080p.
• 🧠 While the 16GB of VRAM is beneficial for AI tasks, AMD's performance in machine learning is significantly behind Nvidia due to software support.
• ✅ In content creation, the 9060 XT shows gen-over-gen improvements and beats Nvidia in DaVinci Resolve, but trails in Premiere Pro.

Frustrations and Recommendations

• 🧐 The reviewer expresses frustration with AMD's marketing and product naming, which can lead to consumer confusion, similar to previous generations.
• 📉 AMD's failure to get previous cards to MSRP and their current behavior are seen as undermining their credibility.
• 💡 The 9060 XT is deemed a questionable purchase, especially the 8GB model, with recommendations leaning towards considering alternatives given AMD's actions.