Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB vs Radeon RX 9070: Which Is Better?

Both the Radeon RX 9060 XT and Radeon RX 9070 are excellent 1440p gaming graphics cards, but which is better? And which one should you buy?

Radeon RX 9060 XT vs Radeon RX 9070 (Image via Sapphire)

The Radeon RX 9060 XT is a budget GPU, while the Radeon RX 9070 is a high-end graphics card that costs a lot more. But which is the better GPU? The obvious answer would be the latter, since it is more expensive, so it must have better performance. However, does the faster performance warrant the increase in price tag?

In other words, which one will provide more value for your money? That is exactly what we plan to find out in this article, with a detailed comparison of the two GPUs. Read on to learn more.

Note: Parts of this article are subjective and reflect the writer’s opinions.

Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB vs Radeon RX 9070: Detailed Comparison

Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB Gaming OC (Image via Sapphire)

Before we begin comparing the AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT and Radeon RX 9070, let’s look at the specs of the two GPUs first. The full specs are listed below:

Specs Comparison

Specifications	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB	Radeon RX 9070
Architecture	RDNA 4	RDNA 4
Shader cores	2048	3584
RT cores	32	56
TMUs	128	224
ROPs	64	128
Base core clock speeds	1700 MHz	2070 MHz
Boost core clock speeds	3130 MHz	2520 MHz
Memory capacity	16GB GDDR6	16GB GDDR6
Memory bus width	128-bit	256-bit
Memory bandwidth	322.3 GB/s	644.6 GB/s
Manufacturing node	4nm	4nm
Thermal design power (TDPs)	160W	220W

The specs table points out the obvious difference. The Radeon RX 9070 has 75% more shader and RT cores than the Radeon RX 9060 XT. The former also has almost double the TMUs, ROPs, memory bandwidth, and more. However, as we know, real-world performance doesn’t scale linearly. Therefore, the actual performance of the Radeon RX 9070 may not be that much faster.

Performance Comparison

It’s time to put the specs aside and check out how the two GPUs perform in real-world games. Here’s how the Radeon RX 9060 XT and Radeon RX 9070 perform:

Games	Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB	Radeon RX 9070
Clair Obscur Expedition 33	61 FPS	88 FPS
Doom The Dark Ages (Path Tracing)	50 FPS	76 FPS
Assassin’s Creed: Shadows (RT)	46 FPS	67 FPS
The Last of Us Part II Remastered	58 FPS	100 FPS
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II	55 FPS	80 FPS
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (RT)	43 FPS	64 FPS
Cyberpunk 2077 (RT)	42 FPS	62 FPS
Ghost of Tsushima	48 FPS	79 FPS
God of War Ragnarok	72 FPS	109 FPS
Stalker II	41 FPS	62 FPS

Note: The two GPUs were tested at 1440p resolution with High/Ultra settings unless mentioned otherwise. All the FPS numbers were sourced from the BENCHMARKS FOR GAMERS channel on YouTube. For the tests, the two graphics cards were paired with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D CPU.

On average, the Radeon RX 9070 delivered 52.5% more FPS than the Radeon RX 9060 XT. However, if we focus on the ray tracing titles specifically, then the former scored 47.5% higher FPS than the latter, which is only slightly lower. It is also worth noting that if you primarily game at 1440p and want to use ray tracing, the Radeon RX 9070 can deliver 60 FPS consistently, which the Radeon RX 9060 XT cannot.

Price Comparison

Sapphire Nitro+ Radeon RX 9070 (Image via Sapphire)

The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB currently costs around $370 to $390 on average, while the Radeon RX 9070 sells for $620 to $660. Therefore, the latter is 67 to 70% more expensive.

Final Verdict on Radeon RX 9060 XT vs Radeon RX 9070

The Radeon RX 9070 is clearly the better option. It delivers up to 52.5% more performance than the Radeon RX 9060 XT. However, the former is also 67 to 70% more expensive, so the latter provides more value for your money. While you can buy either for 1440p, if you plan to use ray tracing, go with the Radeon RX 9070.

However, if you only plan to game at 1080p, then the Radeon RX 9060 XT will deliver more value. You can use the money you save on the CPU or other components.

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Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB vs Radeon RX 9070: Which Is Better?