RTX 5060 vs RX 9060 XT 16GB: Which Is Better for Gaming?

Short answer: The RX 9060 XT 16GB is about 9% faster at 1440p across nine demanding games (68 vs 75 FPS on High). At 1080p the RX 9060 XT 16GB is about 7% faster, and at 4K the RX 9060 XT 16GB is about 15% faster. The RX 9060 XT 16GB has more video memory (16 GB vs 8 GB), which matters at 1440p and with high textures.

RTX 5060RX 9060 XT 16GB
Average FPS, 1080p High97105
Average FPS, 1440p High6875
Average FPS, 4K High3744
Cyberpunk 2077, 1440p Ultra + ray tracing28 FPS33 FPS
Video memory8 GB GDDR716 GB GDDR6
Board power145 W160 W
FPS per 100 W (1440p)47.046.9
Averages across nine demanding games from our FPS model with a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, native resolution, no ray tracing unless stated. Expect real results within about ±12%.
Table of ContentsShow or hide all 5 sectionsShowHide
GameRTX 5060 1080pRX 9060 XT 16GB 1080pRTX 5060 1440pRX 9060 XT 16GB 1440p
Counter-Strike 2313338224242
Valorant427461305329
Fortnite13314395102
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7931005472
Battlefield 61041137581
ARC Raiders1141238188
Marvel Rivals81875862
Cyberpunk 207790976470
Black Myth: Wukong62674448
Hogwarts Legacy85926166
Baldur's Gate 31141238188
Elden Ring60606060
Average FPS on High, native resolution, Ryzen 7 9800X3D, 16 GB RAM. Elden Ring is capped at 60 FPS.

Specs compared

SpecRTX 5060RX 9060 XT 16GB
ArchitectureBlackwellRDNA 4
Release year20252025
Video memory8 GB GDDR716 GB GDDR6
Board power145 W160 W
Upscaling and frame generationDLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation (up to 4x, 6x with DLSS 4.5)FSR 4 upscaling and FSR Frame Generation
Ray tracing speed kept64% of raster FPS58% of raster FPS
Suggested power supply450 W450 W
Manufacturer specifications. Power supply suggestion assumes a Ryzen 5 7600 class CPU and 25% headroom.

Which CPU do they need?

ProcessorRTX 5060 (1080p / 1440p)RX 9060 XT 16GB (1080p / 1440p)
Ryzen 5 560021% CPU / 3% CPU23% CPU / 6% CPU
Core i5-12400F22% CPU / 5% CPU24% CPU / 8% CPU
Ryzen 5 760011% CPU / 10% GPU13% CPU / 7% GPU
Ryzen 7 7800X3D2% GPU / 20% GPU1% CPU / 18% GPU
Bottleneck from our calculator, default settings. Up to 10% is balanced.

Full lists: best CPU for the RTX 5060 and best CPU for the RX 9060 XT 16GB.

Which one should you buy?

  • Buy the RTX 5060 if you want Multi Frame Generation for high-refresh monitors.
  • Buy the RX 9060 XT 16GB if you want the most raw FPS at 1440p, you want more video memory for high textures and future games or you play with ray tracing on.

Prices change week to week, so compare the cost per frame: divide the price by the 1440p average above. A card that is 10% faster is only worth up to about 10% more money.

Frequently asked questions

Is the RTX 5060 better than the RX 9060 XT 16GB?

For gaming at 1440p, the RX 9060 XT 16GB is about 9% faster in our nine-game average (68 vs 75 FPS).

How much faster is the RX 9060 XT 16GB?

About 7% at 1080p, 9% at 1440p and 15% at 4K on High settings, native resolution.

Which one is better for ray tracing?

In Cyberpunk 2077 at 1440p Ultra with ray tracing, the RTX 5060 gets about 28 FPS and the RX 9060 XT 16GB about 33 FPS before upscaling.

Is 8 GB of VRAM enough in 2026?

For 1080p on High in most games, yes. At 1440p, with Ultra textures or ray tracing, several new games need more than 8 GB, which causes stutter. 12–16 GB is the safer choice.

More comparisons

Sources: Tom’s Hardware GPU hierarchy, Tom’s Hardware CPU hierarchy, TechSpot CPU and GPU scaling tests, TechPowerUp GPU database, and manufacturer specifications from AMD, Intel and NVIDIA. Bottleneck and FPS figures come from our own bottleneck and FPS models.