AMD's RX 9060 XT and the Persistent VRAM Question
It appears we are hearing a repeat song in the GPU industry. AMD's most recent mainstream release, the RX 9060 XT, is once more giving gamers a choice between an 8GB variant and a 16GB one. Though not novel, this approach of dividing memory setups always stirs a heated debate about what players really need, particularly in light of the rising game demands.
AMD's Position: 8GB for the 1080p Crowd
Frank Azor, a prominent member of AMD's gaming team, has come forward to clarify the reasoning behind the 8GB variant. He says this change is obviously targeted at most players still playing their games at 1080p resolution. To a great extent, the Steam Hardware Survey confirms this; it shows 1080p as the most widely used resolution.
Porqué nos siguen dando 8GB de VRAM?! Estoy en una sesión con David McAffee, de AMD y mi pregunta pare él será: Porqué 8GB? Cómo justificar eso en 2025??
— Michael Quesada (@michaelpcmaster) May 22, 2025
La respuesta en el video de PC Noticias del próximo sábado.
No se lo pierdan en mi canal de YT: Michael Quesada 💪💪💪… pic.twitter.com/ipID4GlC5T
But is it that simple. Game developers and gamers have been increasingly furious about the restrictions of 8GB of VRAM. Even with cards like Nvidia's RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, we've seen instances where contemporary AAA games might push that memory capacity to its limits, therefore requiring gamers to adjust settings or perhaps lower the resolution only to achieve reasonable gameplay. It's a scenario in which the memory becomes a bottleneck even if the raw processing capability of the GPU may be available.
Perhaps inspired by the response Nvidia received, AMD might abandon the 8GB model entirely, according to even whispers. But it seems the 8GB RX 9060 XT was too late in development to be canceled. Enthusiasts are already raising questions even before the cards formally debut, so this is where we are.
The VRAM Constraints: Chicken or Egg
This raises an intriguing dilemma: is 1080p chosen by players because it is what their 8GB card can comfortably handle, or does an 8GB GPU limit gamers to 1080p. It's somewhat of a "chicken or the egg" situation. If a strong GPU core—such as the one rumored for the RX 9060 XT (and seen in rivals like the RTX 5060 Ti, which is faster than an older RTX 3070 Ti)—lacks enough VRAM to feed it data for greater resolutions and texture settings, it might feel limited.
One could guess that many of these 8GB cards would end up in gaming cafes, where esports games rule and VRAM requirements are usually lower. Still, given its possible processing capability, the RX 9060 XT 8GB seems a little out of sync for just e-sports. Particularly given that the RX 7600 8GB (its predecessor) debuted at $269, a less powerful and probably less expensive card like an RX 9060 non-XT or an RX 9050 with 8GB in the $200-$250 range might have seemed a more obvious match for that particular market.
Naming, Pricing, and Contradictions
Beyond VRAM, naming presents a problem. Consumers may find it confusing when both 8GB and 16GB models come under the same "Radeon RX 9060 XT" moniker, a complaint also directed at Nvidia. It hinders less tech-savvy purchasers from knowing precisely what they are getting.
Then there's AMD's own communication as well. Frank Azor's remarks on 8GB being enough for 1080p esports gamers appear to somewhat run counter to AMD's earlier push for more VRAM when they released the RX 7000 series, where they even emphasized Nvidia's lower VRAM as a performance constraint. Additionally, AMD's official press release for the RX 9060 XT allegedly targets '1440p' gaming, suggesting it is designed for 'the hardest workloads.' This offers a bit of conflicting message for possible consumers trying to assess the card's genuine performance, particularly for demanding AAA titles.
Particularly in light of historical trends with other RX 9000 series cards, it is still unclear whether AMD and its partners will be able to keep these cards at their recommended retail pricing. When these GPUs formally launch about June 5th, we will have a better understanding.
The RX 9060 XT 8GB's arrival keeps the VRAM argument alive and quite active ultimately. Although it might benefit a portion of the market, most gamers will be closely considering its long-term viability against the continually rising expectations of current games.
