The upcoming AMD RX 9060 XT, a highly anticipated mainstream graphics card, may face a VRAM bottleneck similar to its predecessor, the RX 7600 XT. This potential issue could hinder its performance and competitiveness against Nvidia’s offerings, particularly the RTX 5060. While the RX 9060 XT promises to be a valuable addition for gamers, concerns around its memory configuration raise questions about its true potential.
A recent Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) filing by Acer reveals trademarks for the Acer Predator Bifrost RX 9060 XT OC in two VRAM variants: 8GB and 16GB. This echoes the RX 7600 XT’s release, which also featured both 8GB and 16GB versions. However, both RX 7600 XT models suffered from a narrow 128-bit memory bus, limiting their bandwidth and ultimately impacting performance. This mirrors Nvidia’s strategy with the RTX 4060 Ti, which also featured a 128-bit bus and saw limited performance gains over the previous generation despite increased VRAM.
RTX 4060 Ti sitting on a pink background.
Replicating this memory configuration for the RX 9060 XT could prove detrimental for AMD, especially given the RX 7600 XT’s underwhelming benchmark results. Furthermore, Nvidia’s RTX 5060 is poised to leverage GDDR7 memory clocked at 28Gbps, offering significantly higher bandwidth regardless of bus width. AMD’s continued reliance on GDDR6, capped at 20Gbps, further exacerbates this potential disadvantage.
Rumors suggest a potential 12GB RX 9060 XT variant, which, coupled with a wider 192-bit bus for both 12GB and 16GB versions, would represent a significant improvement. Ultimately, total bandwidth will be a crucial factor in the card’s performance, and it remains to be seen how the RX 9060 XT will fare. Leakers suggest performance comparable to the RTX 4060 Ti, placing it behind the curve, highlighting the need for increased VRAM and bandwidth.
It’s important to note that EEC listings don’t guarantee product release. While the RX 9060 XT’s arrival in two configurations seems likely, if AMD maintains the 128-bit memory interface for both 8GB and 16GB versions, history may repeat itself with lackluster benchmark results. In the meantime, anticipation builds for the imminent release of the RX 9070 XT.
