AMD Unveils Radeon RX 9060 XT: Competes with Nvidia at $299 Starting Price

AMD has leveraged the Computex 2025 conference to unveil the Radeon RX 9060 XT, the third addition to its Radeon RX 9000 series. This new graphics card builds upon the success of the preceding Radeon RX 9070 and Radeon RX 9070 XT models, designed to compete in the mid-range market segment that has become increasingly competitive due to Nvidia's recent releases of the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti and GeForce RTX 5060. The Radeon RX 9060 XT replaces the Radeon RX 7600 XT, which was launched in January 2024. Given that Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5060 Ti suffers a performance hit when used on a PCIe 4.0 interface, AMD has opted to equip the 9060 XT with a complete PCIe 5.0 x16 interface, a strategic move that capitalizes on potential performance advantages. The Radeon RX 9060 XT is based on AMD's new Navi 44 silicon, a smaller and more advanced version of the Navi 48 silicon used in the Radeon RX 9070 series. Manufactured using TSMC's N4P (4nm) FinFET process, Navi 44 packs a significant punch with 29.7 billion transistors and a die size of 199 mm², marking a substantial improvement over the Navi 33 silicon used in the Radeon RX 7600 XT, which has 13.3 billion transistors and a die size of 204 mm². The transistor density of Navi 44 is an impressive 149.2 million transistors per mm², nearly double that of Navi 33. Key specifications of the Radeon RX 9060 XT include 32 Compute Units (CUs), equivalent to 2,048 Stream Processors (SPs), and a boost clock of 3,130 MHz, which is 14% higher than the 2,755 MHz of the Radeon RX 7600 XT. This increase in clock speed is expected to translate to a roughly 13% improvement in FP32 performance. Additionally, the card features 32 third-generation Ray Tracing cores, capable of doubling the throughput compared to the second-generation cores in the Radeon RX 7600 XT, and 64 onboard second-generation AI accelerators, delivering up to 821 TOPS in AI performance. The Radeon RX 9060 XT is available in two variants: an 8GB model priced at $299 and a 16GB model at $349. The 8GB version consumes 150W of power, while the 16GB variant requires 160W, both of which are more power-efficient compared to the 190W of the Radeon RX 7600 XT. Despite the reduced power consumption, the 9060 XT maintains high performance levels, making it an attractive option for gamers looking for a balance between cost and efficiency. The card uses a single 8-pin PCIe power connector, simplifying installation for many users. AMD has equipped the Radeon RX 9060 XT with updated display capabilities, including DisplayPort 2.1a and HDMI 2.1b, which support higher refresh rates and resolutions. The card offers two DisplayPort 2.1a outputs and a single HDMI 2.1 port, a slight reduction in the number of DisplayPort outputs compared to the Radeon RX 9070 series but still competitive in the mid-range market. The introduction of FidelityFX Super Resolution 4 (FSR 4) further enhances the card's appeal. FSR 4 initially supports 30 games, with AMD expecting to expand this to over 60 by the launch of the 9060 XT. The upcoming FSR Redstone, set to launch in the second half of the year, will bring additional features like neural radiance caching, machine learning ray regeneration, and machine learning frame generation, enhancing overall visual fidelity and performance. AMD's performance benchmarks indicate that the 16GB Radeon RX 9060 XT outperforms the GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 8GB by up to 6% across 40 tested titles at 1440p resolution with Ultra settings. While the benchmarking setup has raised some questions—particularly the use of the 8GB RTX 5060 Ti variant rather than the 16GB one—it underscores AMD's focus on providing value and performance per dollar. The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB is priced at $349, which is 8% lower than the $379 RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, and AMD estimates it offers 15% better gaming performance per dollar. The availability of the Radeon RX 9060 XT starts on June 5, with a variety of custom models from trusted vendors such as Acer, ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte, PowerColor, Sapphire, Yeston, and XFX, ensuring a wide range of options for consumers. Industry insiders praise AMD for its strategic timing and competitive pricing, noting that the Radeon RX 9060 XT effectively addresses the performance and efficiency gaps left by the previous generation. The introduction of the Navi 44 silicon and the advancements in RDNA 4 architecture highlight AMD's ongoing commitment to innovation in the mid-range market. Furthermore, the expanded support for FSR 4 and the upcoming FSR Redstone features are expected to enhance the user experience significantly, making the Radeon RX 9060 XT a formidable competitor to Nvidia's offerings. AMD, founded in 1969, is a leading semiconductor manufacturer known for its high-performance processors and graphics cards. The company's strong presence in the tech industry is driven by its innovation and competitive pricing strategies, which continue to resonate well with consumers.