RX 9060 XT 16GB vs RX 7800 XT – Full Gaming Test Results

01

Preface

The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB is a new-generation entry-level graphics card, while the Radeon RX 7800 XT belongs to the previous generation’s mid-to-high-end lineup. Logically, the former is expected to be less powerful than the latter.

However, the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB has certain asymmetric advantages, such as architecture and manufacturing process, which can partially compensate for its shortcomings. So, how big is the actual performance gap between the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB and the Radeon RX 7800 XT? This article will reveal the answer through gaming benchmarks.

02

Specifications Comparison

The Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB was released on June 4, 2025, using the Navi44 GPU and manufactured with TSMC’s 4nm process. Based on the RDNA 4 architecture, it features 2,048 shaders, 128 texture units, 64 raster units, 32 compute units, and 32 ray tracing units.

It includes 4MB of L2 cache and 32MB of L3 cache. The base clock is 1,700 MHz, with a boost clock up to 3,130 MHz. It has a 128-bit memory interface and comes with either 8GB or 16GB of GDDR6 memory, running at 20.1 Gbps, delivering a bandwidth of 322.3 GB/s. Its power consumption is 160W, and it is priced at $349.

The Radeon RX 7800 XT was released on August 25, 2023. Based on the RDNA 3 architecture, it uses the Navi32 XT GPU and TSMC’s 5nm process. It features 3,840 shader units, 240 texture units, 96 raster units, 60 compute units, and 60 ray tracing units, with 4MB of L2 cache and 64MB of L3 cache.

The base clock is 1,800 MHz and the boost clock is up to 2,430 MHz. It comes with 16GB of GDDR6 memory, has a 256-bit memory interface, a memory speed of 19.4 Gbps, and a bandwidth of 624 GB/s. FP32 floating-point performance reaches 37.32 TFLOPS. Power consumption is 263W, and the suggested retail price is $499.

03

Test Platform Configuration

Main configuration is as follows:

The processor is a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, the motherboard is an ASRock X670E PG Lightning, memory is 32GB DDR5 at 6000MHz, graphics cards are Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB and Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB, storage consists of two Samsung 970 drives, and the operating system is Windows 11.

04

Game Tests (RX 9060 XT 16GB vs RX 7800 XT)

Seven games were tested below, all in 1440p graphics mode. In each series of images, the left represents the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB platform, and the right represents the Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB platform.

Game 1: Ghostwire: Tokyo

On the RX 9060 XT platform:
Average FPS: 70, Minimum FPS: 54, Frame Time: 13.8ms, CPU Usage: 11%, CPU Power: 53W, CPU Temp: 51°C, RAM Usage: 11.2GB, GPU Usage: 98%, VRAM Usage: 7.7GB, GPU Power: 163W, GPU Temp: 54°C.

On the RX 7800 XT platform:
Average FPS: 88, Minimum FPS: 72, Frame Time: 11.2ms, CPU Usage: 13%, CPU Power: 50W, CPU Temp: 49°C, RAM Usage: 13.4GB, GPU Usage: 100%, VRAM Usage: 7.4GB, GPU Power: 246W, GPU Temp: 52°C.

The RX 7800 XT platform had 2% higher CPU usage, 2.2GB more RAM usage, 2% higher GPU usage, 0.3GB less VRAM usage, 83W higher power draw, and 2°C lower temperature.
It led by 18 FPS (about 26%) in average frame rate, same margin in minimum FPS, and had about 2ms better frame time.

Game 2: Cyberpunk 2077

RX 9060 XT:
Average FPS: 57, Minimum FPS: 51, Frame Time: 17.8ms, CPU Usage: 24%, CPU Power: 68W, Temp: 55°C, RAM: 12.1GB, GPU Usage: 99%, VRAM: 7.3GB, GPU Power: 170W, Temp: 50°C.

RX 7800 XT:
Average FPS: 72, Minimum FPS: 61, Frame Time: 13.3ms, CPU Usage: 30%, CPU Power: 67W, Temp: 56°C, RAM: 13.1GB, GPU Usage: 99%, VRAM: 8.5GB, GPU Power: 260W, Temp: 53°C.

CPU usage 6% higher on RX 7800 XT, 1GB more RAM, 1.2GB more VRAM, 90W more power, 3°C higher GPU temp.
RX 7800 XT led by 15 FPS (26%), 10 FPS in minimum FPS, and ~4ms in frame time.

Game 3: Spider-Man 2

RX 9060 XT:
Avg FPS: 79, Min FPS: 46, Frame Time: 12.5ms, CPU Usage: 44%, Power: 84W, Temp: 64°C, RAM: 16.5GB, GPU: 97%, VRAM: 14.8GB, GPU Power: 166W, Temp: 50°C.

RX 7800 XT:
Avg FPS: 76, Min FPS: 46, Frame Time: 9.5ms, CPU Usage: 50%, Power: 83W, Temp: 60°C, RAM: 17.1GB, GPU: 92%, VRAM: 14.4GB, GPU Power: 213W, Temp: 48°C.

RX 7800 XT had 6% more CPU usage, 0.6GB more RAM, 5% lower GPU usage, 0.4GB less VRAM, 47W more GPU power.
Average FPS was 3 FPS lower on RX 7800 XT, minimum FPS equal. Despite lower latency (~3ms), the result is a near tie.

Game 4: Horizon Forbidden West

RX 9060 XT:
Avg FPS: 75, Min FPS: 68, Frame Time: 13.4ms, CPU: 33%, Power: 86W, Temp: 64°C, RAM: 15.2GB, GPU: 98%, VRAM: 8.8GB, GPU Power: 174W, Temp: 49°C.

RX 7800 XT:
Avg FPS: 87, Min FPS: 73, Frame Time: 11.2ms, CPU: 36%, Power: 79W, Temp: 63°C, RAM: 16.0GB, GPU: 100%, VRAM: 8.8GB, GPU Power: 242W, Temp: 51°C.

RX 7800 XT had 3% more CPU, 0.8GB more RAM, 2% more GPU, same VRAM usage, 68W higher power, 2°C hotter.
Average FPS lead: 12 FPS (16%), Min FPS +5, Frame time ~2ms better.

Game 5: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

RX 9060 XT:
Avg FPS: 42, Min FPS: 38, Frame Time: 24.9ms, CPU: 24%, Power: 59W, Temp: 55°C, RAM: 24.4GB, GPU: 97%, VRAM: 9.1GB, GPU Power: 159W, Temp: 48°C.

RX 7800 XT:
Avg FPS: 52, Min FPS: 46, Frame Time: 19.0ms, CPU: 31%, Power: 64W, Temp: 56°C, RAM: 24.1GB, GPU: 98%, VRAM: 8.7GB, GPU Power: 233W, Temp: 50°C.

CPU usage +7%, 0.3GB less RAM, 0.4GB less VRAM, 74W more power.
Average FPS +10 (24%), Min FPS +8, frame time 5ms better.

Game 6: Black Myth: Wukong

RX 9060 XT:
Avg FPS: 26, Min FPS: 25, Frame Time: 37.3ms, CPU: 7%, Power: 45W, Temp: 49°C, RAM: 12.1GB, GPU: 99%, VRAM: 7.0GB, GPU Power: 174W, Temp: 51°C.

RX 7800 XT:
Avg FPS: 31, Min FPS: 30, Frame Time: 31.5ms, CPU: 7%, Power: 41W, Temp: 48°C, RAM: 11.8GB, GPU: 98%, VRAM: 6.9GB, GPU Power: 259W, Temp: 53°C.

Same CPU usage, 0.3GB less RAM on RX 7800 XT, 85W more power.
FPS +5 (19%), same Min FPS gain, 6ms better frame time. Both platforms struggle for smooth gameplay.

Game 7: The Last of Us Part II

RX 9060 XT:
Avg FPS: 63, Min FPS: 45, Frame Time: 15.7ms, CPU: 42%, Power: 89W, Temp: 67°C, RAM: 16.1GB, GPU: 99%, VRAM: 10.6GB, GPU Power: 162W, Temp: 49°C.

RX 7800 XT:
Avg FPS: 81, Min FPS: 57, Frame Time: 12.0ms, CPU: 47%, Power: 87W, Temp: 65°C, RAM: 14.6GB, GPU: 98%, VRAM: 10.9GB, GPU Power: 246W, Temp: 50°C.

CPU usage +5%, RAM -1.5GB, VRAM +0.3GB, power +84W.
FPS +18 (29%), Min FPS +12, frame time 3ms lower.

05

Comparison Conclusion

The comparison results are clear: expecting the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB to match the performance of the Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB is unrealistic. The performance gap between the two is significant—beyond previous expectations. In the end, the “younger brother” remains just that.

Excluding the third game test, a comprehensive analysis of the other data shows that the Radeon RX 7800 XT 16GB performs approximately 23% better than the Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB. This is the final conclusion of this article, for reference only.

Disclaimer:

1. This channel does not make any representations or warranties regarding the availability, accuracy, timeliness, effectiveness, or completeness of any information posted. It hereby disclaims any liability or consequences arising from the use of the information.
2. This channel is non-commercial and non-profit. The re-posted content does not signify endorsement of its views or responsibility for its authenticity. It does not intend to constitute any other guidance. This channel is not liable for any inaccuracies or errors in the re-posted or published information, directly or indirectly.
3. Some data, materials, text, images, etc., used in this channel are sourced from the internet, and all reposts are duly credited to their sources. If you discover any work that infringes on your intellectual property rights or personal legal interests, please contact us, and we will promptly modify or remove it.