Introduction & Specification
AMD released their mid-market offering graphics cards in the middle of the year and with NVIDIA failing to recapture media good will with their RTX 5060 releases, AMD is positioning themselves to capture some positive press for this segment. The kinda did but also fumbled the bag by releasing the RX 9060 XT, with an 8GB option much like the RTX 5060 Ti.
- Introduction & Specification
- Closer Look
- Power Draw, Temperature, and Clock Speed Analysis
- Performance Testing – Setup & Methodology
- Counter-Strike 2
- DOTA 2
- PUBG Battlegrounds
- Rainbow Six Siege
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Black Myth Wukong
- Cyberpunk 2077
- F1 25
- Ghost of Tsushima: DIRECTOR’S CUT
- Hogwarts Legacy
- Horizon Forbidden West
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
- Resident Evil 4
- Starfield
- God of War Ragnarok
- Stellar Blade
- Average Performance
- Relative Performance
- Ray Tracing
- Conclusion
While it may be contested during the RTX 40 series era, 2025 AAA titles are now more finicky about VRAM capacity hence why NVIDIA and AMD markets their 8GB options as primarily esports and starter GPUs. There is criticsm that both company are just using the price marketing of the 8GB variants to help in misleading customers but whatever the case may be, the important matter is how it performs.
In this review we have both the 8GB and 16GB variants of the RX 9060 XT care of ASUS via the ASUS PRIME RX 9060 XT OC edition cards. To drive down manufacturing costs, most GPU makers right now only produce limited shroud types for their design and then vary the actual cooling heatsinks beneath. In the case of the ASUS PRIME RX 9060 XT, it shares the same design as the larger PRIME RTX 5080 and PRIME RX 9070 XT, allowing ASUS to pump out a single shroud mold but use them on various card designs.
This means though that users get a triple fan cooler on the PRIME RX 9060 XT regardless of VRAM capacity or if its an OC variant. That extra cooling power really translates into actual real-life cooling with these cards. It does translate to an extra premium as well with ASUS PRIME easily being the most expensive of all entry series for this GPU.
We’ll talk about this and more in this performance review of the ASUS PRIME RX 9060 XT graphics card. Read On!
About the Radeon RX 9060 XT
AMD’s RX 9060 XT is an RDNA 4 part built around Navi 44 with 32 CUs / 2,048 stream processors, high clocks, and **GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus**. It ships in 8GB and 16GB VRAM configurations, both sporting DP 2.1a + HDMI 2.1b, PCIe 5.0, and boosted frequencies around the 3.1 GHz mark depending on board tuning. AMD positions it as a 1080p max-settings card that can stretch into 1440p with help from FSR 4 and later FSR “Redstone” features.
About the ASUS PRIME RX 9060 XT OC (16GB)
ASUS’ PRIME OC is the price-optimized entry in ASUS product stack, just barely skirting alongside their TUF GAMING line wihout the “GAMING” in the name and it relies heavily on ASUS branding and reliability. It’s a 2.5-slot shroud, features triple Axial-tech fans with 0 dB stop idle fan mode, dual-ball bearing fans, vented backplate, and factory OC (OC Mode up to ~3330 MHz boost / 2760 MHz game clock; Default Mode ~3310/2740 MHz). Outputs are 1× HDMI 2.1b + 2× DP 2.1a, with max digital resolution 7680×4320 and up to 3 displays supported.
Why are there 8GB and 16GB models—and where 8GB stands in 2025
AMD offers two SKUs under the same RX 9060 XT name to push price coverage: 8GB @ lower MSRP for esports/1080p builders and 16GB for mainstream gamers who play newer AAA titles and use higher-res textures. The 8GB card shares the same core config and clocks, but its VRAM capacity can be a limiter in 2025 at 1440p (and even some 1080p titles with heavy RT/textures), which is why the 16GB SKU is generally recommended for longevity. AMD publicly defended the 8GB option as matching usage patterns for many 1080p players, with the 16GB path existing for “future-proofing.”
ASUS PRIME 8GB variant: Same cooler/PCB philosophy, identical port layout and clocks; primary difference is VRAM capacity at 8GB. If you’re buying prebuilt systems, verify VRAM—some vendors list “RX 9060 XT” without the capacity suffix.
| Specs | RX 9060 XT | RTX 3060 Ti | RTX 4060 Ti | RTX 5060 Ti | RTX 5060 | RX 7800 XT | RX 7700 XT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core Count | 2048 | 4864 | 4352 | 5120 | 4608 | 3840 | 3456 |
| Shader Architecture | RDNA 4 | Ampere | Ada Lovelace | Blackwell | Blackwell | RDNA 3 | RDNA 3 |
| AI Cores | AI Accelerators (64) | 3rd Gen | 4th Gen | 5th Gen | 5th Gen | AI Accelerators | AI Accelerators |
| RT Cores | Ray Accelerators (32) | 2nd Gen | 3rd Gen | 4th Gen | 4th Gen | 2nd Gen Ray Accelerators | 2nd Gen Ray Accelerators |
| Boost Clock (GHz) | 3.13 | 1.67 | 2.53 | 2.55 | 2.50 | 2.43 | 2.54 |
| Memory Config | 8GB / 16GB GDDR6 @ 20 Gbps | 8GB GDDR6 | 8GB / 16GB GDDR6 | 12GB GDDR7 | 8GB GDDR7 | 16GB GDDR6 | 12GB GDDR6 |
| Memory Interface | 128-bit | 256-bit | 128-bit | 192-bit | 128-bit | 256-bit | 192-bit |
| PCIe Version | Gen 5 | Gen 4 | Gen 4 | Gen 5 | Gen 5 | Gen 4 | Gen 4 |
| NVENC / VCN | AV1 Encode/Decode | 7th Gen NVENC | 8th Gen NVENC | 9th Gen NVENC | 9th Gen NVENC | VCN 4.0 | VCN 4.0 |
| Maximum Resolution | 7680 x 4320 | 7680 x 4320 | 4K 240Hz / 8K 60Hz | 4K 480Hz / 8K 165Hz | 4K 480Hz / 8K 165Hz | 7680 x 4320 | 7680 x 4320 |
| Power Consumption (W) | 160 (16GB) / 150 (8GB) | 200 | 160 | 200 | 180 | 263 | 245 |
| Recommended PSU (W) | 550 | 600 | 550 | 600 | 550 | 700 | 700 |
| Launch MSRP (USD) | $349 (16GB) / $299 (8GB) | $399 | $399 (8GB) / $499 (16GB) | $399~ | $329~ | $499 | $449 |
| Philippines Launch MSRP (PHP) | PHP 26,000 (16GB) / PHP 21,000 (8GB) | ~PHP 23,500 | ~PHP 23,500 / PHP 29,500 | PHP 23,500~ | PHP 19,900~ | PHP 37,000~ | PHP 33,000~ |
Official product page – ASUS PRIME RX 9060 XT 16GB OC / ASUS PRIME RX 9060 XT 8GB OC
Closer Look
Both cards will come shipped in very similar packaging so take note of the VRAM badge on the package, easily spotted on the ASUS box on the lower left corner alongside the OC designation.
As mentioned already, ASUS uses a triple-fan cooler for their PRIME RX 9060 XT, but instead of overextending the PCB for girth, it follows the newer trend of adding a passthrough on the end of the GPU while keeping the actual PCB tight, as popularized by NVIDIA’s FE designs.
ASUS PRIME cards are 2.1x slot height design. Variances in the power connector and the actual heatsink complexity are the major differences here. From what I know, this is the lightest of all the PRIME coolers, with the step down being the DUAL cards already.
The PRIME RX 9060 XT features a single HDMI 2.1 port and a pair of DisplayPort output. Power is fed through a single PCIe 8-pin power connector.
As with most ASUS cards, it has a toggle for which tuning you would like to use: Performance for a more aggressive fan response or Quiet for a more relaxed fan tuning. Performance will ramp the fan quicker and top out at a higher fan speed while quiet will limit itself just a bit. You can configure your own fan tuning using ASUS’ GPU Tweak software.
The extended heatsink area passthrough blows air directly past the backplate which in standard case configurations will be exhausted directly to the back, top, or side vents if you follow more traditional case layouts.
The fans are AxialTech fans features a guide ring that wraps around all the fins. This helps the fan perform better and ASUS uses them on all their cards this generation exception select models and especially their Noctua collabs.
Power Draw, Temperature, and Clock Speed Analysis
Given that most cards will boost all the way to their highest potential, the numbers we see here should be a good indicator of what to expect from these cards in general. Results are captured via inline power metering instruments primarily Powenetics v2 by Cybenetics/Hardware Busters for accurate card-only data capture.
Occasionally, we use PCAT v2 (or v1) for FrameView-related functionalities. Powenetics v2 is the modern iteration of our original Powenetics system licensed from Cybenetics Labs and allows more thorough read-outs for the entire system including the CPU power, GPU power (+PCIe slot), and the system power overall. This removes the guesswork from taking power readings from differing GPU APIs and provides consistent readings regardless of vendors. It integrates directly with CapFrameX hence all our capture data have inline power readings.
Power Draw and Temperature
Clock Speed Behavior Under Load
It is possible to push workloads to a GPU to attain a fixed power consumption but real-world games and graphics applications do not operate this way. Modern GPUs can boost way past their base clock and with adequate cooling, max out their TGP budgets. The chart below exposes how the GPU behaves in relation to power and temperature. It also shows us how well the cooling keeps up.
At just barely 180W, both PRIME RX 9060 XT operate very cool with ASUS’ large triple fan cooling just tanking any heatsoak the GPU can put out. This means an optimally cool chassis would not see a significant rise in ambient case temps if properly vented. The fans hover around 50% (~1600RPM) in my testing at 28*C ambient temp but could be tweaked via ASUS’ GPU Tweak utility for a custom fan curve.
ASUS pushes these OC cards a bit with a slight bump in power draw. Average gaming loads will see it reach as high as ~230W with an average of ~180W for either variant.
Performance Testing – Setup & Methodology
Processor: Ryzen 7 9800X3D
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO RGB DDR5-6000 CL30-38-38-96
Storage: Kingston FURY Renegade 2TB SSD, 8TB iSCSI LUN over USB4 Thunderbolt
PSU: FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W
Cooling: Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360
Monitor: ROG PG27UQ 4K 144hz HDR1000
VGA: Listed
For a full hardware workout, visit https://benchmarks.ul.com for our system warm-up and stress test of choice. We have now switched to a full 20-minute run of Speed Way stress test to warm up our graphics cards as well as capture our clock speed chart.
For benchmarking methodology, please see our game benchmarking method guide.
Test results are gathered and produced on CapFrameX. This makes it easier for use to get both line graph comparison and raw averages without extra tools. Simply the easiest tool for benchmarking and it’s available for everyone to use, free of charge. Check it out at capframex.com.
Since this is a GPU review, we benchmarked the area of the games that put a heavy load on the GPU.
All our test runs are repeatable; click the links below for area and details. Read our benchmarking methodology.
For Q3 2025 we’re using these sets of games:
- Counter-Strike 2: Mirage map custom scene
- DOTA2 – Dacha Dubai 2024: Xtreme Gaming vs. Team Liquid [56:25]
- PUBG Battlegrounds – Custom Scene
- Rainbow Six Siege: in-game benchmark
- Baldur’s Gate 3 – Lower City area custom loop
- Black Myth Wukong – Forest of Wolves loop (just past Wandering Wight, along the stream) [RT]
- Cyberpunk 2077 – in-game benchmark [RT]
- F1 2025 – Singapore, night time, wet (in-game benchmark) [RT]
- Ghost of Tsushima – Kushi Temple
- Hogwarts Legacy – Hogsmeade Square loop [RT]
- Horizon Forbidden West – Devil’s Grasp loop
- The Last of Us Part II – Game prologue
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Remastered – Financial District ground-level
- Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Melbourne discovery
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Nefarious City loop [RT]
- Resident Evil 4 – Custom scene [RT]
- Starfield – Wilderness outside of Jamison
- Alan Wake 2 [RT] – outside Ocean View Hotel (late game area)
- Stellar Blade
- God of War Ragnarok
See our YouTube playlist for benchmark sequences.
Note: Proprietary technologies that favor one brand to the other are disabled unless specified and to maintain uniformity amongst GPUs, these have been turned OFF. Ray tracing has its own dedicated performance section. Upscaling technologies are covered in separate articles e.g., game review, performance, etc.
For this test, only the out-of-the-box normal mode will be tested. Cards that have dual BIOSes for Quiet and Performance will be tested in Performance mode.
Notes:
- All data are gathered from exactly the same system, with exactly the configuration we list here. No data is reused from another system or from any variations. We collect data from only one system, as indicated here.
- Graphics cards are allowed to heat up prior to benchmarking. Cooler graphics cards may boost higher than normal.
- Following up on the above, we try to enjoy the game and play a bit before proceeding to the actual benchmark scenario. This allows us to detect any other problems like stuttering, frame skipping, or any other problems before recording data.
- Games that receive graphical updates that affect performance, like DOTA2 moving from DX9 to DX11, Rainbow Six Siege changing its detail presets, or any big patch that affects performance in general, etc., will be retested completely.
Counter-Strike 2
Released: 2023 | DirectX 11 | Source 2
DOTA 2
Released: 2013 | DirectX 11 | Source 2
PUBG Battlegrounds
Released: 2017 | DirectX 11 | Unreal Engine 4
Rainbow Six Siege
Released: 2015 | DirectX 11 | AnvilNext 2.0
Baldur’s Gate 3
Released: 2023 | DirectX 11 | Divinity Engine 4.0
Black Myth Wukong
Released: 2024 | DirectX 12 | Unreal Engine 5
Cyberpunk 2077
Released: 2020 | DirectX 12 | REDengine 4
F1 25
Released: 2025 | DirectX 12 | Ego Engine 4.0
Ghost of Tsushima: DIRECTOR’S CUT
Released: 2024 | DirectX 12 | Sucker Punch Studio In-house Engine
Hogwarts Legacy
Released: 2023 | DirectX 12 | Unreal Engine 4
Horizon Forbidden West
Released: 2023 | DirectX 12 | Decima Engine
The Last of Us Part II Remastered
Released: 2025 | DirectX 12 | In-house Engine
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Released: 2025 | DirectX 12 | Insomniac Engine 4.0
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
Released: 2024 | DirectX 12 | In-house Engine
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
Released: 2023 | DirectX 12 | Insomniac Engine 4.0
Resident Evil 4
Released: 2023 | DirectX 12 | RE Engine
Starfield
Released: 2023 | DirectX 12 | Creation Engine 2
God of War Ragnarok
Released: 2024| DirectX 12 | In-house Engine
Stellar Blade
Released: 2025 | DirectX 12 | Unreal Engine 4
Average Performance
In this section, we take the geometric mean of all the values for our games and display both for each resolution of performance for traditional raster and ray traced performance. We switched from the arithmetic mean (average) due to the effect of esports games and their large FPS value on the overall average. The geometric mean shows us a more balanced view of overall performance across our tested games.
Relative Performance
The chart below shows the relative performance of our tested card against the general performance of other GPUs we’ve tested.
16GB
8GB
Ray Tracing
Aside from a pair of games, all of our games after our esports batch are tested with ray tracing enabled. The chart below shows the overall ray-tracing performance of the GPUs tested.
Ray Tracing Geomean Performance
Individual Results
Conclusion
The Radeon RX 9060 XT is built on the Navi 44 silicon which is half of what makes up the Radeon RX 9070 XT. While the 9070 XT is confidently positioned in its space to disrupt the RTX 5070 Ti, the RX 9060 XT sees a more contested market not to mention the heavily polarizing choice of offering a 8GB option rather than focusing on 1 SKU.
Thoughts on the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT
Performance-wise, the RX 9060 XT 16GB offers decent middle-of-the-pack performance versus the RTX 5060 Ti, and in individual games, it does gain neck-to-neck. It gets clobbered in ray traced games though but titles supporting FSR4 can expect better frame rates if you don’t mind upscaling tech. The 8GB version stumbles in certain situations and while it within margin of error in most games, once the resolution starts going up or more details get draw in a scene, the game just outright become unplayable. AMD says that the RX 9060 XT 8GB is for a certain market, most likely talking about the esports crowd that don’t need that the VRAM space. iCafe owners that will run 90% MMOs will gladly settle for the 8GB than a 16GB as well.
Versus the RTX 5060 Ti, its still a toss-up albeit an easy one if you’re penny penching. And unless you play a select type of game, namely esports and lighter MMOs, then its tough recommending the RX 9060 XT 8GB even if you’re fine running games in lower settings. But this is in no way a recommendation to get an RTX 5060 Ti 8GB as well. While the recommendation is swappable for those strapped for cash, there is still a second-hand market that could satisfy your needs in this case. So in all cases, the 16GB is the safest choice regardless.
Thoughts on the ASUS PRIME RX 9060 XT OC
Once you’re locked in on this card (8GB or 16GB), both variants will see very cool temperatures. ASUS does tune these OC cards for a bit higher power draw but the amount is negligible and its large, triple-fan cooler will make easy work of this card’s heat output. Nothing really specific to talk about so we go to price, with the ASUS PRIME RX 9060 XT 8GB OC going for around ~PHP25,000 and the ASUS PRIME RX 9060 16GB OC for ~PHP30,000, this puts the RX 9060 XT 16GB head to head with the ASUS PRIME RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, with other brands offering much better deals though to close the pricing gap.
Still, if you’re floating at this price point, you have to be really settled into the fact that this is your card for a good while as you’ll be paying more for that ASUS brand quality. ASUS does soften it up by adding in a 4-year warranty for the Philippine market (check with your local region if applicable), giving this card a possible chance to catch up to the next AMD GPU cycle.
All in all, ASUS’ PRIME designs are an effective, cost-optimization route for anyone looking to stick with ASUS for the glamor and brand reputation. Right now, there’s not much alternative to this card at the bottom unless you’re staring at the downgrade for an RTX 5060 8GB, the only other option is to check out what’s on the second hand market in local groups.
In closing, the ASUS PRIME RX 9060 XT 16GB OC is still the more sensible choice for those looking to go with a starter system with current-gen parts. ASUS’ choice to slap a triple fan cooler on this card keeps it extremely cool and with that thermal headroom, you get a lofty OC headroom or just quiet operation throughout.
ASUS backs the PRIME RX 9060 XT with a 3-year warrnty (+1-year extention / 4-year total after registration in PH).
I bought this graphics card. It is great. I like it and steal a brainrot which is excellent.
With AMD releasing their mid-market RX 9060 XT fnaf graphics cards and NVIDIA struggling to regain media goodwill with their RTX 5060 series, how do you think the VRAM capacities of these cards will impact their performance in 2025 AAA titles, especially considering the criticism both companies face regarding their 8GB variants?