AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT vs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Comparison

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The recorded data shows a decisive overall victory for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, winning 9 of the 10 head-to-head benchmark comparisons. The only exception is in Geekbench Vulkan, where the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT takes a clear lead with a score of 56,218 against 48,643, a delta of 15.6% in favor of the older AMD card. That single win is notable, but it stands alone against a broad sweep of NVIDIA victories.

In the most modern DirectX 12 workload, 3DMark Steel Nomad, the RTX 4060 scores 2,302 versus 1,669 for the RX 5600 XT, a gap of 27.5%. That is a substantial margin, and it reflects the newer architecture’s ability to handle contemporary rendering paths. The PassMark DirectX 11 test shows an even larger split: 175 for the RTX 4060 against 96 for the RX 5600 XT, a 45.1% advantage. This is the single biggest delta in the entire dataset, and it suggests that the NVIDIA card is far more efficient in legacy API workloads that many games still rely on.

Compute-oriented results also favor NVIDIA heavily. In Geekbench OpenCL, the RTX 4060 posts 95,057 against 68,537, a 27.9% lead. PassMark GPU Compute follows the same pattern: 9,213 versus 6,296, a 31.7% gap. These numbers point to the RTX 4060 being the stronger choice for GPGPU tasks, not just gaming. Even in older DirectX 9 and DirectX 10 tests, the RTX 4060 wins by 14.4% and 29.1%, respectively, showing that the NVIDIA card is not reliant on modern features to outpace its rival.

The PassMark G3D score, which aggregates general 3D performance, gives the RTX 4060 a 19,545 result versus 13,457 for the RX 5600 XT, a 31.1% margin. The G2D test, which measures 2D desktop and composition work, also goes to NVIDIA: 1,037 versus 870, a 16.1% lead. Even the less common PassMark DirectX 12 test shows a 31.6% gap, with 76 points for the RTX 4060 and 52 for the RX 5600 XT.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT has exactly one benchmark win: Geekbench Vulkan. That test measures performance across Vulkan API workloads, and the AMD card’s 15.6% advantage there is real. For users running Vulkan-based titles, especially older or more compute-heavy Vulkan implementations, the RX 5600 XT holds a measurable edge. However, this is a narrow use case. The rest of the data shows the RTX 4060 dominating across every other category tested.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 wins in all DirectX tests, from DirectX 9 through DirectX 12. It also wins in OpenCL compute, GPU compute, and both 2D and 3D PassMark tests. For gaming, where DirectX is the dominant API, the RTX 4060 is clearly the better performer. For productivity or any OpenCL-based workload, the same conclusion holds. The only scenario where the RX 5600 XT comes out ahead is when the application is specifically optimized for Vulkan and the driver overhead or hardware scheduling favors AMD’s design.

Architecture Differences

The two cards come from different eras and use different design philosophies. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is built on the RDNA 1.0 architecture, using the Navi 10 chip fabricated on a 7 nm process at TSMC. It packs 10,300 million transistors into a 251 mm² die, giving a transistor density of 41.0 million per square millimeter. The RTX 4060 uses the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, also made by TSMC but on a 5 nm node. That die is much smaller at 159 mm², yet it holds 18,900 million transistors, resulting in a density of 118.9 million per square millimeter. The RTX 4060 is clearly the more advanced silicon, with more than twice the transistor density.

Memory configurations differ as well. The RX 5600 XT has 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, delivering 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The RTX 4060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, which gives 272.0 GB/s. Despite the narrower bus, the RTX 4060’s higher memory clock (17 Gbps effective versus 12 Gbps) keeps bandwidth close. The RX 5600 XT has a slight theoretical bandwidth advantage, but the RTX 4060’s larger capacity is a practical benefit for modern games that exceed 6 GB.

Core counts and features also set them apart. The RX 5600 XT has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. It has no dedicated ray tracing cores and no tensor cores. The RTX 4060, by contrast, has 3,072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, but it adds 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores. The RTX 4060’s FP32 throughput is 15.11 TFLOPS, more than double the RX 5600 XT’s 7.188 TFLOPS. Its pixel rate and texture rate are also higher: 118.1 GPixel/s versus 99.84 GPixel/s, and 236.2 GTexel/s versus 224.6 GTexel/s.

Power draw favors NVIDIA as well. The RTX 4060 has a TDP of 115 W and requires a 300 W power supply, while the RX 5600 XT uses 150 W and asks for a 450 W PSU. The RTX 4060 also uses a single 12-pin connector, whereas the RX 5600 XT uses a single 8-pin. In terms of API support, the RTX 4060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), while the RX 5600 XT is limited to DirectX 12 (12_1). Both support OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4.

The Verdict

The data is unambiguous. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 should be the choice for anyone prioritizing modern gaming performance, compute workloads, or efficiency. It wins 9 out of 10 benchmarks, often by wide margins, and it does so while consuming less power and requiring a smaller power supply. The RTX 4060’s ray tracing and tensor cores also provide features that the RX 5600 XT simply lacks, which matters for games that use DLSS or ray-traced effects.

The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is not without merit. Its Vulkan performance is genuinely superior, and for users who stick to Vulkan-based applications, it offers a real advantage. It also has slightly higher memory bandwidth, which can help in specific scenarios. However, the overall picture shows a card that is outclassed in nearly every measurable way. The RX 5600 XT is end-of-life, and the RTX 4060, while also end-of-life, represents a much more capable and current design.

For a new build or an upgrade, the RTX 4060 is the rational pick. The RX 5600 XT only makes sense for someone with a specific Vulkan workload that benefits from its architecture, or for a very tight budget where the lower launch MSRP might matter. But based on performance alone, the RTX 4060 wins decisively.

FAQ

Q: Which card has a higher average benchmark score?

A: The RX 5600 XT has an average benchmark score of 20,713, while the RTX 4060 averages 17,639. However, this average includes the RX 5600 XT’s Geekbench Vulkan win and does not reflect the head-to-head results, where the RTX 4060 wins 9 of 10 tests.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 better for DirectX 11 games?

A: Yes. In the PassMark DirectX 11 test, the RTX 4060 scores 175 versus 96 for the RX 5600 XT, a 45.1% lead. This is the largest delta in any benchmark between the two cards.

Q: Does the RX 5600 XT win any benchmark?

A: It wins the Geekbench Vulkan test with a score of 56,218 against 48,643 for the RTX 4060, a 15.6% advantage. That is its only win in the head-to-head dataset.

Q: Which card supports ray tracing?

A: The RTX 4060 has 24 ray tracing cores. The RX 5600 XT has no ray tracing cores, so it lacks hardware-accelerated ray tracing support.

Q: Which card has more memory bandwidth?

A: The RX 5600 XT has 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth, while the RTX 4060 has 272.0 GB/s. The difference is small, and the RTX 4060 compensates with a larger 8 GB memory capacity versus 6 GB.

Q: Which card requires a smaller power supply?

A: The RTX 4060 has a suggested PSU of 300 W, while the RX 5600 XT recommends 450 W. The RTX 4060 also has a lower TDP of 115 W versus 150 W.

Specification Differences

| Specification | AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT | NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 |

|---------------|----------------------|-------------------------|

| Architecture | RDNA 1.0 | Ada Lovelace |

| Process Node | 7 nm | 5 nm |

| Transistors | 10,300 million | 18,900 million |

| Die Size | 251 mm² | 159 mm² |

| Transistor Density | 41.0M / mm² | 118.9M / mm² |

| Base Clock | 1130 MHz | 1830 MHz |

| Boost Clock | 1560 MHz | 2460 MHz |

| Memory Size | 6 GB | 8 GB |

| Memory Bus Width | 192 bit | 128 bit |

| Memory Bandwidth | 288.0 GB/s | 272.0 GB/s |

| Shading Units | 2304 | 3072 |

| TMUs | 144 | 96 |

| ROPs | 64 | 48 |

| Ray Tracing Cores | None | 24 |

| Tensor Cores | None | 96 |

| FP32 Performance | 7.188 TFLOPS | 15.11 TFLOPS |

| Pixel Rate | 99.84 GPixel/s | 118.1 GPixel/s |

| Texture Rate | 224.6 GTexel/s | 236.2 GTexel/s |

| TDP | 150 W | 115 W |

| Power Connector | 1x 8-pin | 1x 12-pin |

| Suggested PSU | 450 W | 300 W |

| Bus Interface | PCIe 4.0 x16 | PCIe 4.0 x8 |

| DirectX Support | 12 (12_1) | 12 Ultimate (12_2) |

| Launch MSRP | 279 USD | 299 USD |