AMD Radeon RX 9050 vs AMD Radeon RX 9060 Comparison

AMD Radeon RX 9050 and AMD Radeon RX 9060 are both members of the Radeon RX 9000 series, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and the Navi 44 chip. The database records show that the RX 9060 is the significantly faster part, holding a higher percentile rank among all GPUs and a substantially higher average benchmark score. The RX 9060 achieves a 59th percentile rank against all GPUs, while the RX 9050 sits at the 50th percentile. This gap is reflected in the average benchmark score: the RX 9060 posts a score of 16014, while the RX 9050 has no recorded benchmark scores in the database, making direct numerical comparison impossible for most workloads. However, the architectural specifications explain the performance difference clearly.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database includes a full benchmark suite for the AMD Radeon RX 9060, but no recorded scores for the RX 9050. This means the head-to-head comparison must rely on the RX 9060’s absolute scores and its standing against other GPUs. The RX 9060’s strongest result comes from the Geekbench OpenCL test, where it scores 88183. In the Geekbench Vulkan test, it scores 39476. The Passmark G3D score is 17631, which is the primary metric for overall graphics performance in that suite. The Passmark GPU Compute score is 9919, indicating solid compute throughput.

The RX 9060’s nearest rivals in the database provide context for these numbers. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has an average score of 16129, which is 0.7% higher than the RX 9060’s 16014. This places the RX 9060 essentially at parity with the RTX 3060 Ti, a well-established mid-range competitor. The AMD Radeon R9 370X averages 15862, which is 1% lower than the RX 9060. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 scores 15852, also 1% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W5500 averages 15679, which is 2.1% lower. These deltas show that the RX 9060 outperforms all three AMD rivals by a narrow margin, while being nearly tied with the NVIDIA card.

Looking at the individual Passmark tests for the RX 9060, the DirectX 9 score is 280, the DirectX 10 score is 104, the DirectX 11 score is 182, and the DirectX 12 score is 44. The G2D score is 1002. These numbers, while not directly comparable to the RX 9050 due to missing data, indicate that the RX 9060 is a capable DirectX 12 Ultimate card with strong legacy support. Since the RX 9050 has no benchmark data, the recorded wins column shows zero wins for both cards, but the specification sheet makes it clear which GPU is designed for higher performance.

Architecture Differences

Both GPUs share the same fundamental architecture: RDNA 4.0 on a 4 nm process at TSMC. The chip is Navi 44 for both, and both use the same die size of 199 mm² with 29,700 million transistors. The transistor density is identical at 149.2M per mm². This means the silicon is the same, but AMD has configured the two cards differently to create a performance tier separation.

The most significant difference lies in the compute resources. The RX 9050 has 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operation units. The RX 9060 increases the shading units to 1792, a 75% increase, and the texture mapping units to 112, a 75% increase as well. The raster operation units remain at 64 for both cards. The ray tracing cores are also different: the RX 9050 has 16, while the RX 9060 has 28, a 75% increase. This directly impacts ray tracing performance, where the RX 9060 has significantly more hardware dedicated to that workload.

Clock speeds show a clear separation. The RX 9050 has a base clock of 1330 MHz, a boost clock of 2600 MHz, and a game clock of 1920 MHz. The RX 9060 runs at a base clock of 1700 MHz, a boost clock of 2990 MHz, and a game clock of 2400 MHz. The RX 9060’s boost clock is 390 MHz higher, and its game clock is 480 MHz higher. These higher clocks, combined with more shading units, produce a large difference in raw throughput. The FP32 performance is 10.65 TFLOPS for the RX 9050 and 21.43 TFLOPS for the RX 9060, effectively doubling the compute capability. The FP16 performance is also 21.43 TFLOPS for the RX 9060, while the RX 9050 delivers 10.65 TFLOPS.

Memory is identical: both use 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128 bit bus with a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 2250 MHz, which translates to 18 Gbps effective. This means memory bandwidth is not a differentiator between the two cards. The pixel rate is higher on the RX 9060 at 191.4 GPixel/s versus 166.4 GPixel/s for the RX 9050. The texture rate is also higher on the RX 9060 at 334.9 GTexel/s versus 166.4 GTexel/s for the RX 9050. These rates reflect the additional texture mapping units and higher clock speeds.

Power consumption differs as well. The RX 9050 has a TDP of 92 W, while the RX 9060 has a TDP of 132 W. The suggested power supply is 250 W for the RX 9050 and 300 W for the RX 9060. Both use a single 8-pin power connector and are dual-slot cards. The extra 40 W of power budget for the RX 9060 supports its higher clock speeds and additional compute units.

The Verdict

The data indicates that the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the superior GPU for performance-oriented users. Its FP32 throughput of 21.43 TFLOPS is double that of the RX 9050’s 10.65 TFLOPS, and its texture rate of 334.9 GTexel/s is more than double the RX 9050’s 166.4 GTexel/s. The RX 9060 also has 28 ray tracing cores versus 16, which provides a meaningful advantage in ray-traced workloads. The benchmark scores for the RX 9060, such as the 17631 Passmark G3D score and the 88183 Geekbench OpenCL score, place it at parity with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which is a strong mid-range card.

The RX 9050, with no benchmark scores in the database, is clearly positioned as the lower-tier option. Its 1024 shading units and 10.65 TFLOPS FP32 performance are half of the RX 9060’s capabilities. This makes the RX 9050 suitable for lighter workloads or users who prioritize lower power consumption, as its 92 W TDP is significantly lower than the RX 9060’s 132 W. However, for anyone seeking maximum performance from the Radeon RX 9000 series, the RX 9060 is the clear choice based on the recorded specifications.

Specification Differences

The two cards differ in several key specification fields. The shading units are 1024 for the RX 9050 and 1792 for the RX 9060. The texture mapping units are 64 versus 112. The ray tracing cores are 16 versus 28. The base clock is 1330 MHz for the RX 9050 and 1700 MHz for the RX 9060. The boost clock is 2600 MHz versus 2990 MHz. The game clock is 1920 MHz versus 2400 MHz. The FP32 performance is 10.65 TFLOPS versus 21.43 TFLOPS. The FP16 performance is also 10.65 TFLOPS versus 21.43 TFLOPS. The pixel rate is 166.4 GPixel/s versus 191.4 GPixel/s. The texture rate is 166.4 GTexel/s versus 334.9 GTexel/s. The TDP is 92 W versus 132 W. The suggested power supply is 250 W versus 300 W.

Identical specifications include the process node (4 nm), foundry (TSMC), transistors (29,700 million), die size (199 mm²), transistor density (149.2M per mm²), memory size (8 GB), memory type (GDDR6), memory bus width (128 bit), memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s), memory clock (2250 MHz, 18 Gbps effective), raster operation units (64), slot width (dual-slot), power connector (1x 8-pin), bus interface (PCIe 5.0 x16), display outputs (1x HDMI 2.1b, 2x DisplayPort 2.1a), and API support (DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4). Both are listed as Active production with the same predecessor, Navi III.

FAQ

Q: Which GPU has a higher boost clock?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 has a boost clock of 2990 MHz, which is higher than the RX 9050’s boost clock of 2600 MHz.

Q: Do both cards use the same amount of memory?

A: Yes, both the RX 9050 and RX 9060 use 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128 bit bus with a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s.

Q: How does the RX 9060 compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, while the RTX 3060 Ti averages 16129, a delta of 0.7% in favor of the NVIDIA card.

Q: What is the FP32 performance difference between the two cards?

A: The RX 9060 delivers 21.43 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is exactly double the RX 9050’s 10.65 TFLOPS.

Q: Which card has more ray tracing cores?

A: The RX 9060 has 28 ray tracing cores, while the RX 9050 has 16 ray tracing cores, a difference of 12 cores.

Q: What is the TDP of the RX 9050?

A: The RX 9050 has a TDP of 92 W, and the suggested power supply is 250 W.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 wins in every performance category where data exists. Its FP32 throughput is double, its texture rate is more than double, and its pixel rate is higher. It has more shading units, more texture mapping units, and more ray tracing cores. Its higher clock speeds across base, boost, and game clocks contribute to these gains. The RX 9060’s benchmark scores, including a Passmark G3D score of 17631 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 88183, confirm its performance level. The RX 9060 also holds a higher percentile rank at 59 versus the RX 9050’s 50.

The AMD Radeon RX 9050 wins in power efficiency. Its TDP of 92 W is 40 W lower than the RX 9060’s 132 W, and its suggested power supply is 50 W lower at 250 W versus 300 W. For users with a smaller power supply or a case with limited cooling, the RX 9050 is the more practical option. The RX 9050 also matches the RX 9060 in memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s), memory size (8 GB), and memory type (GDDR6), so memory-bound workloads see no difference. The RX 9050 uses the same 4 nm process and same die size, meaning the silicon is identical; only the configuration differs. The RX 9050 is the choice for users who prioritize lower power draw and do not need the extra compute resources. The RX 9060 is the choice for users who want the full performance available from the Navi 44 chip.