AMD RX 9060 XT 16GB Review Performance Benchmarks FSR AFMF Mid-Range RDNA 4 Graphics Card Analysis

AMD has introduced a new mid-range graphics card the RX 9060 XT 16GB. As an update or addition in the competitive mid-range segment, the card aims to provide an appealing mix of performance and features, highlighted by its generous 16GB of VRAM.

Let's dive into the details, from its specifications, design, and most importantly, its performance on a variety of games. We'll examine raw performance and the impact of AMD's upscaling features like FSR and Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF).

Specifications and Features

The RX 9060 XT 16GB specs are aimed at the mid-range. While the exact MSRP at launch might differ, the target price of around €350-375 has the potential to be attractive.

• VRAM: 16GB GDDR6 (An 8GB variant is expected but 16GB is highly advised based on testing with upwards of 11GB being used in some cases)
• Memory Bus: 128-bit
• Effective Memory Speed: 20 GB/s
• Architecture: AMD RDNA 4
• Compute Units: 32
• Ray Accelerators: 32 (3rd Generation RT)
• AI Accelerators: 2nd Generation
• Upscaling Technologies: AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR 2, FSR 4 with AI upscaling mentioned), AMD Fluid Motion Frames 2 (AFMF)
• Display Outputs: DisplayPort 2.1a, HDMI (Configuration can vary by AIB partner model; Sapphire Pulse has 1x HDMI, 2x DisplayPort)
• Power Connector: Typically requires one 8-pin connector
• Other Technologies: AMD Hyper RX, AMD Radiance Display Engine, Raiden Anti-Lag 2, Raiden Image Sharpening

Design and Cooling Sapphire Pulser Model

We had the chance to examine the Sapphire Pulse version of the RX 9060 XT 16GB. As a "lower-end" custom model, it has a simple but utilitarian appearance.

This is a dual-fan card with a metal backplate featuring striped patterns and a ventilation hole to improve cooling. The construction quality, for a budget card, is very nice.

For cooling performance for this Sapphire Pulse model, it performed wonderfully. The temperatures sat at around 60-65°C even at a room temperature of 25°C, and the fans were nearly silent. With a maximum power draw measured of 186W, the twin-fan cooler was more than sufficient, even leaving some overclocking headroom without becoming too loud or too hot.

Gaming Performance Benchmarks (Tested at 4K Ultra)

To put emphasis on the card and provide a comparison point for the higher-end GPUs (whats been utilized in previous reviews), testing was conducted nearly exclusively at 4K resolution with ultra details, paired with a high-end CPU (Ryzen 9 9950X3D) to minimize bottlenecks. Remember, though 4K is being tested, this card is primarily focused on 1080p and 1440p resolutions where it'll perform that much better.

Here's how it does in a selection of titles:

Raw Performance (4K Ultra - No Upscaling/FG)

• Steel Nomad (GPU Score): 3787 (37.88 FPS)
• The Finals: 36.7 FPS Avg (52 Max)
• For Honor: 66.04 FPS Avg (83.01 Max)
• PUBG: 41 FPS Avg (182 Max - scenario dependent)
• Shadow of Tomb Raider: 30 FPS Avg (69 Min, 41 Max, 32 95th percentile) - Note These numbers seem odd in the source script.
• Hogwarts Legacy (RT On): 26 FPS Avg (14 Min, 44 Max, 18 1st percentile)
• Spider-Man Miles Morales: 54 FPS Avg (39 Min, 101 Max)
• Spider-Man Remastered: 43 FPS Avg (25 Min, 111 Max)
• Witcher 3 Next Gen: 29 FPS Avg (21 Min, 58 Max)
• Cyberpunk 2077: 25 FPS Avg (78 Max)

As anticipated for a mid-range card at 4K, raw performance in demanding games is tough, usually below 60 FPS.

Performance with Upscaling and Frame Generation (4K Ultra)

AMD tech significantly enhances performance, especially with Fluid Motion Frames.

• Hogwarts Legacy (RT On, FSR FG Ultra Perf): 85 FPS Avg (26 Min, 135 Max, 27 1st percentile)
• Spider-Man Miles Morales (FG): 140 FPS Avg (73 Min, 166 Max)
• Spider-Man Remastered (FSR FG Ultra Perf): 148 FPS Avg (42 Min, 168 Max)
• Witcher 3 Next Gen (FSR 2 Quality): 41 FPS Avg (25 Min, 69 Max)
• Cyberpunk 2077 (FSR Quality - likely): 130 FPS Avg (209 Max)

The impact of FSR and AFMF is clear, boosting frame rates significantly and making 4K gaming much more possible, although one would do well to consider potential input lag and graphical artifacts with frame generation, especially in competitive games.

From these 4K outcomes and the positioning of the card, it is expected to deliver great high refresh rate performance at 1080p and very good performance at 1440p, particularly when taking advantage of FSR.

Additional Gaming Performance Benchmarks (Primarily at 1440p)

The following benchmarks provide a look at the RX 9060 XT 16GB's performance across a wider range of titles, mostly at 1440p resolution. Settings are typically high or ultra, with FSR/RT details noted where applicable.

• Blacksmith Wukong (Benchmark Version)
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Medium
  • FPS Avg: Over 60 FPS
• Call of Duty Black Ops 6
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Extreme
  • FPS Avg: Over 100 FPS
• CS2 (Counter-Strike 2)
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: High
  • FPS Avg: Over 200 FPS
• Cyberpunk 2077 (Native Performance)
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: High, High crowds, default anti-aliasing (FSR disabled)
  • FPS Avg: 81 FPS
  • 1% Low: 62 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 55 FPS
• Cyberpunk 2077 (Ray Tracing Enabled)
  • Resolution: 1080p (implied for optimal RT performance)
  • Settings: RT Ultra, FSR3 Quality
  • FPS Avg: 79 FPS
  • 1% Low: 62 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 49 FPS
  • (Note: Native 1440p with RT Ultra without FSR averaged less than 60 FPS)
• Doom: The Dark Ages
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Medium, TAA
  • FPS Avg: 60 FPS (dips to mid-low 50s noted)
• Elden Ring
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Maximum, Ray Tracing OFF
  • FPS Avg: 60 FPS (game capped)
  • 1% Low: 55 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 31 FPS
• Forza Horizon 5
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Ultra, TAA
  • FPS Avg: 165 FPS
  • 1% Low: 142 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 137 FPS
• GTA 5 (Enhanced Version)
  • Resolution: 1440p Native (2560x1440)
  • Settings: Very High RT preset, FSR3 enabled (set to native resolution)
  • FPS Avg: At least 80 FPS
• Helldivers 2
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: High
  • FPS Avg: 84 FPS
  • 1% Low: 80 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 51 FPS
• Kingdom Come Deliverance 2
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: High, SMAA2TX enabled
  • FPS Avg: 79 FPS
  • 1% Low: 70 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 68 FPS
• Left 4 Dead 2
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Maxed out settings, 8x MSAA
  • FPS Avg: Over 200 FPS
  • 1% Low: 151 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 110 FPS
• Spider-Man 2 (Note: Source script mentions "Spider-Man 2" but FSR4 implementation details suggest it might be Spider-Man Remastered or Miles Morales, which are on PC and support FSR3, overridden to FSR4 via driver.)
  • Resolution: 1440p Native (2560x1440)
  • Upscaling: FSR4 Native (via Radeon Software override)
  • FPS Avg: 82 FPS (some dips below 60 noted)
• Atom Fall
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Ultra
  • FPS Avg: 74 FPS
  • 1% Low: 64 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 63 FPS
• Red Dead Redemption (Original PC Port/Version)
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Settings: FSR3 enabled (set to native resolution)
  • FPS Avg: 144 FPS (game capped, some dips noted)
• Oblivion Remastered (Note: Likely a heavily modded version or fan project)
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Settings: High preset, FSR4 Quality (needed for consistent 60+ FPS)
  • FPS Avg: 71 FPS
  • 1% Low: 53 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 31 FPS
• The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt (Next-Gen Update - No Ray Tracing)
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Ultra, Screen Space Reflections (SSR) Low, TAAU
  • FPS Avg: 127 FPS
  • 1% Low: 103 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 90 FPS
• The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt (Next-Gen Update - Ray Tracing Enabled)
  • Resolution: 1080p (implied for optimal RT performance)
  • Settings: RT Ultra preset, FSR2 Balanced
  • FPS Avg: 65 FPS
  • 1% Low: 54 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 51 FPS
• Baldur's Gate 3
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Ultra, TAA
  • FPS Avg: 109 FPS
  • 1% Low: 80 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 46 FPS
• Dead Island 2
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: High
  • FPS Avg: 114 FPS (some dips noted)
• Fortnite
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: High (Lumen High, Nanite enabled), TAA
  • FPS Avg: 99 FPS
  • 1% Low: 81 FPS
  • 0.1% Low: 54 FPS
• Red Dead Redemption 2
  • Resolution: 1440p
  • Preset: Ultra, TAA High
  • FPS Avg: 75 FPS
  • 1% Low: 47 FPS (or 41 FPS)
  • 0.1% Low: Low (unspecified, frame time spikes noted)

Pros and Cons

Rating & What We Thing About This Card

Based on its estimated MSRP, feature list, and performance (specifically at 1080p/1440p with FSR), the AMD RX 9060 XT 16GB is a compelling mid-range option. Its appeal is highly contingent upon its final street price being close to the aforementioned MSRP.

Overall Potential Rating: 4/5 Stars (If MSRP is achieved and based on target resolution performance)

The AMD RX 9060 XT 16GB falls as a good mid-range contender. Its 4K raw performance is understandably strained in the toughest games, but 16GB of VRAM somewhat future-proofs it for textures and high resolutions, and its FSR and Fluid Motion Frames support provides playable frame rates with a significant boost.

For gamers targeting 1080p or 1440p, the RX 9060 XT 16GB, particularly if aggressively priced in the €350-375 bracket, is excellent value for money. The build and thermal performance of partner cards like the Sapphire Pulse appear to be good for its class. The card's success will ultimately depend a lot on real-world retail pricing. If it can stay competitive, it's a solid choice for its target resolutions.