AMD Radeon RX 9060 vs NVIDIA N1 16SM Comparison

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Radeon RX 9060 compare to the NVIDIA N1 16SM in raw compute performance?

A: The RX 9060 delivers 21.43 TFLOPS FP32, while the N1 16SM delivers 9.609 TFLOPS FP32. The RX 9060 is more than twice as fast in this metric, with a 2.23x advantage in raw floating-point throughput.

Q: What are the memory configurations of these two GPUs?

A: The RX 9060 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 288.0 GB/s bandwidth. The N1 16SM has 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory on a 256-bit bus with 273.2 GB/s bandwidth. The N1 16SM has 16x the capacity but slightly lower bandwidth.

Q: Which GPU has better API support?

A: The RX 9060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The N1 16SM lists DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan as N/A, indicating no conventional graphics API support in the recorded data.

Q: What are the physical and power characteristics of each GPU?

A: The RX 9060 is a dual-slot card with a 132 W TDP, requiring a 300 W suggested PSU and a 1x 8-pin power connector. The N1 16SM is an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and unknown TDP.

Q: How do the process nodes differ?

A: The RX 9060 uses a 4 nm process from TSMC with 29,700 million transistors on a 199 mm² die. The N1 16SM uses a 5 nm process from TSMC with unknown transistor count on a 382 mm² die.

Q: What is the benchmark standing of the RX 9060?

A: The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16014, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with an average score of 16129, a delta of -0.7%.

Architecture Differences

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 and NVIDIA N1 16SM represent fundamentally different architectural approaches. The RX 9060 is built on RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, part of the Navi IV (RX 9000) generation, with the codename Strix Point. The N1 16SM uses Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB20B chip, classified under the Blackwell IGP (N1x) generation.

The manufacturing processes differ significantly. The RX 9060 is fabricated on TSMC's 4 nm node with 29,700 million transistors packed into a 199 mm² die, yielding a transistor density of 149.2M per mm². The N1 16SM uses TSMC's 5 nm node with an unknown transistor count but a larger 382 mm² die, nearly twice the area of the RX 9060.

The compute resources show a notable divergence. The RX 9060 has 1792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The N1 16SM has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, but only 24 ROPs. This means the N1 16SM has 14% more shading units and TMUs, but the RX 9060 has 167% more ROPs. The RX 9060 also has 28 RT cores, while the N1 16SM has 16 RT cores. Notably, the N1 16SM has 64 tensor cores, while the RX 9060 has none listed.

Clock speeds show a large gap. 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 N1 16SM operates at a base clock of 741 MHz and a boost clock of 2346 MHz. The RX 9060's boost clock is 27% higher than the N1 16SM's.

The memory subsystems are architecturally distinct. The RX 9060 uses 8 GB of GDDR6 with a 128-bit bus. The N1 16SM uses 128 GB of LPDDR5X with a 256-bit bus. Despite the wider bus on the N1 16SM, its bandwidth of 273.2 GB/s is slightly lower than the RX 9060's 288.0 GB/s due to the memory clock difference: 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) on the RX 9060 versus 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective) on the N1 16SM.

The N1 16SM reports no DirectX, OpenGL, or Vulkan API support in the database, indicating it is not designed for conventional graphics workloads. The RX 9060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The RX 9060 is a dual-slot discrete card with a 1x 8-pin power connector, while the N1 16SM is an IGP with no power connectors. The RX 9060 has a 132 W TDP, while the N1 16SM's TDP is unknown. Both use PCIe 5.0 x16 interfaces.

Head-to-Head Benchmarks

The database contains no head-to-head benchmark entries between the AMD Radeon RX 9060 and the NVIDIA N1 16SM. The N1 16SM has no recorded benchmark scores, an average benchmark score of 0, and no nearest rivals listed. The RX 9060, by contrast, has ten recorded benchmark scores across multiple test suites.

The RX 9060's individual benchmark results show its performance profile. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 3322. In Geekbench OpenCL, it scores 88183, and in Geekbench Vulkan, it scores 39476. Passmark results include DirectX 10 at 104, DirectX 11 at 182, DirectX 12 at 44, DirectX 9 at 280, G2D at 1002, G3D at 17631, and GPU compute at 9919.

The RX 9060's average benchmark score of 16014 places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti with an average score of 16129, representing a delta of -0.7%, meaning the RX 9060 trails the RTX 3060 Ti by less than one percent. Additional rivals include the AMD Radeon R9 370X at 15862 (RX 9060 is 1% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 7700 at 15852 (RX 9060 is 1% ahead), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15679 (RX 9060 is 2.1% ahead).

Since the N1 16SM has no benchmark data, direct numerical comparisons are impossible. The only quantitative comparison available is through the architecture specifications: the RX 9060's FP32 throughput of 21.43 TFLOPS is 2.23x the N1 16SM's 9.609 TFLOPS. The RX 9060 also achieves a pixel rate of 191.4 GPixel/s versus 56.30 GPixel/s on the N1 16SM, a 3.4x advantage. Texture rates are closer: 334.9 GTexel/s on the RX 9060 versus 300.3 GTexel/s on the N1 16SM, a 12% difference.

Specification Differences

The two GPUs differ across nearly every specification field in the database.

Architecture and chip: RDNA 4.0 with Navi 44 versus Blackwell 2.0 with GB20B.

Process node: 4 nm versus 5 nm, both TSMC.

Transistors: 29,700 million versus unknown.

Die size: 199 mm² versus 382 mm².

Transistor density: 149.2M per mm² versus null.

Base clock: 1700 MHz versus 741 MHz.

Boost clock: 2990 MHz versus 2346 MHz.

Game clock: 2400 MHz versus null.

Memory clock: 2250 MHz (18 Gbps effective) versus 1067 MHz (8.5 Gbps effective).

Memory size: 8 GB versus 128 GB.

Memory type: GDDR6 versus LPDDR5X.

Memory bus width: 128 bit versus 256 bit.

Memory bandwidth: 288.0 GB/s versus 273.2 GB/s.

Shading units: 1792 versus 2048.

TMUs: 112 versus 128.

ROPs: 64 versus 24.

RT cores: 28 versus 16.

Tensor cores: null versus 64.

Pixel rate: 191.4 GPixel/s versus 56.30 GPixel/s.

Texture rate: 334.9 GTexel/s versus 300.3 GTexel/s.

FP32 performance: 21.43 TFLOPS versus 9.609 TFLOPS.

FP16 performance: 21.43 TFLOPS (1:1) versus 9.609 TFLOPS (1:1).

TDP: 132 W versus unknown.

Slot width: Dual-slot versus IGP.

Power connectors: 1x 8-pin versus None.

Suggested PSU: 300 W versus null.

Display outputs: 1x HDMI 2.1b, 2x DisplayPort 2.1a versus 1x HDMI.

API support: DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, Vulkan 1.4 versus N/A for all.

Release date: 2025-08-04 versus 2026-05-31.

Predecessor: Navi III versus null.

Percentile vs all GPUs: 59 versus 50.

Average benchmark score: 16014 versus 0.

Where Each One Wins

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 wins decisively in conventional graphics rendering workloads. Its FP32 throughput of 21.43 TFLOPS is more than double the N1 16SM's 9.609 TFLOPS. The pixel rate advantage is even larger: 191.4 GPixel/s versus 56.30 GPixel/s, indicating a 3.4x capability in fill-rate-bound scenarios. The RX 9060 also leads in texture rate at 334.9 GTexel/s versus 300.3 GTexel/s. Its 28 RT cores provide dedicated ray tracing hardware, while the N1 16SM has 16 RT cores.

The RX 9060 has full API support for DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, making it suitable for gaming and professional graphics applications. The N1 16SM lists no API support in the database. The RX 9060's boost clock of 2990 MHz is 27% higher than the N1 16SM's 2346 MHz, contributing to its compute advantage despite having fewer shading units.

The NVIDIA N1 16SM wins in memory capacity by a massive margin. Its 128 GB of LPDDR5X memory is 16x the RX 9060's 8 GB. The N1 16SM also has a wider memory bus at 256 bit versus 128 bit. The N1 16SM has more shading units (2048 versus 1792) and more TMUs (128 versus 112), along with 64 tensor cores that the RX 9060 lacks entirely.

The N1 16SM's 5 nm process with a 382 mm² die suggests a different design goal, likely focused on memory capacity and tensor operations rather than raw rasterization. Its IGP form factor with no power connectors indicates integration into a larger system rather than standalone operation. The RX 9060's 132 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU reflect a discrete card design.

The Verdict

The data presents a clear split between two very different products. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is a conventional discrete graphics card designed for standard rendering workloads. Its benchmark results are recorded across ten tests, its average score of 16014 places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs, and it competes directly with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, trailing by only 0.7%. The RX 9060 should be selected for gaming, DirectX 12, Vulkan, and OpenGL applications where its 21.43 TFLOPS FP32 performance, 191.4 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 28 RT cores provide substantial rendering capability.

The NVIDIA N1 16SM is an integrated graphics processor with zero recorded benchmarks and no API support. Its strengths lie in memory capacity (128 GB), tensor cores (64), and a wide 256-bit bus. The N1 16SM should be selected for workloads that require massive memory allocation and tensor operations, provided the host system supports its IGP form factor. The absence of DirectX, OpenGL, and Vulkan support means it is not intended for conventional graphics rendering.

The RX 9060's transistor density of 149.2M per mm² on 4 nm shows a more compact and efficient design compared to the N1 16SM's larger 382 mm² die on 5 nm. The RX 9060 achieves a higher memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s despite a narrower bus, thanks to its faster memory clock of 2250 MHz. The N1 16SM's lower 273.2 GB/s bandwidth with a 256-bit bus reflects its slower 1067 MHz memory clock.

For users comparing these two GPUs, the decision hinges on workload type. The RX 9060 is the only option for graphics rendering with full API support and verified benchmark performance. The N1 16SM is a specialized part for memory-intensive and tensor-focused tasks, with its 50th percentile standing based on the database's classification rather than measured performance. The RX 9060's release date of 2025-08-04 precedes the N1 16SM's 2026-05-31, and the RX 9060 has a clear predecessor in Navi III, while the N1 16SM has none listed.